A gadget without LEDs is like hug without a squeeze or apple pie without cheese — no blinkenlights no care. But, what about nanoscale gadgets? Previously things that were smaller than LEDs naturally couldn’t offer their charming glow, but now nanobots too can assault your rods, cones, and good taste thanks to a new process of creating “nano-LEDS” developed by Babak Nikoobakht and Andrew Herzing at NIST . They’re really just nanowires , but these have a very different composition than usual due to their method of creation: growing horizontally like vines instead of vertically like trees. By growing them along a gallium nitride surface the wire partially picks up that substance’s composition and, with the addition of a little electric current, that GaN infusion causes the wires to glow. Appropriate, that, since gallium nitride is also used in the production of normal-sized LEDs. And thus, the science comes full-circle. Glowing nanowires could light up your life, one particle at a time originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Oct 2010 12:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Cute, right? Super Talent’s latest USB key most certainly lives up to its name, with the metallic CKB being offered in a pair of hues (nickel and black) and in a handful of capacities (2/4/8/16/32GB). They’ll only hum along at USB 2.0 speeds, but they’re said to be water resistant and warrantied for life. Mum’s the word on pricing, but c’mon, you know you’re buying eight regardless — one for each door of your digital mansion. Super Talent’s CKB USB key is more key, less USB originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Oct 2010 10:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Altek Leo, the 14 megapixel Android cameraphone, headed for Europe in 2011
October 3, 2010 No Comment
Altek’s wonderfully outlandish Android-based Leo smartphone, which sports a “real” 14 megapixel CCD with “real” 3x optical zoom and 720p video, was already slated for Q4 of this year in Asia, but Altek has recently announced the phone will also be launching Q1 2011 in Europe. On a slightly disconcerting note, Altek says it’s still in search of “channel partners,” so if you happen to know any channel / partner combos, push this little monster in their direction before 14 megapixels starts to sound old hat, would you? Continue reading Altek Leo, the 14 megapixel Android cameraphone, headed for Europe in 2011 Altek Leo, the 14 megapixel Android cameraphone, headed for Europe in 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Oct 2010 08:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Seagate tosses 3TB hard drives into BlackArmor NAS, stores a digital boatload
October 3, 2010 No Comment
It wasn’t that long ago that an entire network attached storage box held just 3TB, but now that Seagate’s reached that capacity with a single five-platter drive, the NAS are getting larger in turn. Though you can’t buy a 3TB Barracuda XT all by its lonesome , you can today order four of them direct from Seagate in a BlackArmor NAS 440 with RAID 5, for the presumably reasonable price of $1,899. If that’s too rich for your local area network’s blood, however, we hear there’ll also be a 6TB NAS 220 unit with a pair of disks for a penny under $650. Let’s just hope the giant fan on the back of this box keeps those suckers cool . Continue reading Seagate tosses 3TB hard drives into BlackArmor NAS, stores a digital boatload Seagate tosses 3TB hard drives into BlackArmor NAS, stores a digital boatload originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Oct 2010 05:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Mouse bungees may not be the most popular gaming accessories around, but we’re sure there’s at some dedicated gamers reading this that wouldn’t think of using a corded mouse without one, and Razer is now hoping to increase that user base with a mouse bungee of its own. Developed in partnership with Mouse Bungee — the company itself — the contraption simply promises to keep your mouse’s cord off your desk and not impede on your freedom of movement in any way thanks to suitably springy suspension mechanism and a sturdy, non-slip base. No word on pricing just yet, but you can look for it to be available sometime in the fourth quarter of this year. Full press release is after the break. Continue reading Razer Mouse Bungee promises to let your corded mice roam freely Razer Mouse Bungee promises to let your corded mice roam freely originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Oct 2010 02:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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In the seemingly perpetual battle to rid this planet of cancer , a team of neurosurgeons from Washington University are using a new MRI-guided high-intensity laser probe to “cook” brain tumors that would otherwise be completely inoperable. According to Dr. Eric C. Leuthardt, this procedure “offers hope to certain patients who had few or no options before,” with the laser baking the cancer cells deep within the brain while leaving the good tissue around it unmarred. The best part, however, is that this is already moving beyond the laboratory, with a pair of doctors at Barnes-Jewish Hospital using it successfully on a patient last month. Regrettably, just three hospitals at the moment are equipped with the Monteris AutoLITT device, but if we know anything about anything related to lasers , it’ll be everywhere in no time flat. Neurosurgeons use MRI-guided lasers to ‘cook’ brain tumors originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 Oct 2010 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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West of the Rockies? Want a T-Mobile G2 before ( practically ) anyone else? You may be able to grab your HSPA+ handset right now. We had it on good authority that T-Mobile corporate decided to match Radio Shack and release the G2 three days early , but we got a pleasant surprise when we called to verify that fact — several stores in California, Oregon and Washington state said we could buy one today if we wanted, and even those who didn’t said they’d have it tomorrow if we could bear the wait. Of course, it’s less than two hours to closing on the west coast and we can’t guarantee the handsets are there — so give them a call yourself — and be sure to buckle up if you plan to rush out. It also couldn’t hurt to read our full preview , of course, and if you grab one please do let us know how your hinges hold up. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] T-Mobile G2 on sale right now originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 Oct 2010 20:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Qualcomm’s Mirasol displays pushed back to 2011, Pixel Qi breathes a sigh
October 2, 2010 No Comment
We don’t know a soul who doesn’t want a low-power color display that looks great in bright sunlight, but nobody’s really stepped up to the plate — not Pixel Qi , whose awesome dual-mode display sold out in a single day , and not Qualcomm, whose Mirasol has similarly been the subject of delay after delay. We’re sorry to say that the latter has been bumped back yet again, as GigaOM reports the panels won’t arrive till early 2011, right alongside their rival technology. Sure, competition’s always great for pricing, but still — what a shame . Qualcomm’s Mirasol displays pushed back to 2011, Pixel Qi breathes a sigh originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 Oct 2010 19:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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New York City promised subway cell phone coverage five years ago, and Transit Wireless took up the $46 million banner in 2007 — now, three years and a friendly British jab later, at least two major carriers are convinced it’s actually going to happen. Bloomberg reports that T-Mobile and AT&T have both signed ten-year agreements to let their customers access Transit’s subterranean wireless network, which should cover 277 NYC stations in the years to come. Critically, we’re still talking about coverage at just the stations, not actually on board — there’s till no word on when we can expect the tubes themselves to boost our sorry reception bars. AT&T and T-Mobile will have cell coverage in NYC subway stations originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 Oct 2010 17:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Nintendo 3DS might update itself over WiFi, still won’t cook you breakfast
October 2, 2010 No Comment
Careful, gamers on the go: your next handheld might be a hotspot hunter. Along with the ” tag mode ” Nintendo revealed earlier this week, where the 3DS can seek out other similarly depth-endowed handhelds and exchange information automatically, comes a system called SpotPass, which enables connecting to any open hotspots — even while sleeping like a baby. The purpose was ostensibly for passive downloading of game content and the like but, according to Nintendo prez Satoru Iwata, the company is pondering lumping automatic firmware updates into the mix. This would mean the 3DS would re-flash itself even while in suspended animation, in theory keeping software pirates and firmware buccaneers on their toes. As serious gamers who only purchase legal software (twice, just to be safe) this seems like a reasonable enough thing to do — assuming we don’t get any bogus firmware sneaking onto our $300 handhelds. Nintendo 3DS might update itself over WiFi, still won’t cook you breakfast originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 Oct 2010 16:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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