Leung has some more artistically driven ideation in this project, such as how mythologically the carp (fish) is meant to symbolize such things as bravery and fortune, and that this carpet with its fancy “Carp Pet” title is meant to be a “humorous extraction of the carpet that reveals this intriguing little conversation piece of the floor.” On top of that, the carpet doesn’t look half bad without the table either! Might give you a headache every once in a while, but that’s the price you pay for coolness.

It’s the moire pattern that draws interference in your eyes, made plain with the table, and made impressive enough to catch the eyes of the judges at the last show this cool ensemble was featured in. This design is, believe it or not, the second Red Dot Design Award 2011 winner we’ve posted today. This carpet is not ready for mass production yet, and we’re sure mister Leung is looking for additional partners to make such a thing happen – what you see above and below is the final model on the other hand, just waiting to swim to greater glory!

[via dornob]

Alternatively you could use it for regular data storage, though if backup is your intention then you’ll probably find a hard-drive is cheaper. The three layers are sandwiched with a fingerprint- and scratch-proof coating for increased durability.

Still, 100GB doesn’t come cheap; Panasonic Japan will be asking a heady 10,000 yen ($119) per disc.

As for an overview of how the device works, let’s quote BBC based on what Professor Douglas Stone revealed to them: “The device focuses two laser beams of a specific frequency into a specially designed optical cavity made from silicon, which traps the incoming beams of light and forces them to bounce around until all their energy is dissipated.” The device can absorb 99.4 percent of incoming light for a specific wavelength.

Professor Stone also said that the anti-laser would be most useful in optical computing with a big advantage being its use of silicon which is already widely used in computing. However, he reiterates that the device is not meant for defense against high powered laser weapons. He goes on to say, “The energy gets dissipated as heat. So if someone sets a laser on you with enough power to fry you, the anti-laser won’t stop you from frying.”

[Via BBC News]

R3 Media Network

Editor’s Choice
Google Launches Nexus S Into Space to Test Sensors at 30,000+ meters [BYE BYE]
Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg named TIME’s Person of the Year 2010 [ZUCKERBERRRRRRRG!]
FBI backdoors in OpenBSD claims covert coder [RUH ROH]
Nike Air Zoom Alpha Talon cleats & Pro Combat Uniforms debut [GEEEEAR]
Fossil watch concept uses Bluetooth to pull info from your smartphone [LOOK FAMILIAR?]

Android Community
GMail Creator Predicts Android Will Eventually Kill Chrome OS
Honeycomb Won’t Require Physical Buttons, Home and Navigation Built into the UI
Google Launches Nexus S Into Space to Test Sensors at 30,000+ meters
HTC LTE handsets coming H2 2011, Mecha anyone?
Broadcom outs new Android platform for mass-market smartphones
O2 Dell Streak Froyo update releasing today
Andy Rubin at D: Dive Into Mobile Interview Video Available Now
Swiftkey Updated, 5 new languages and HD skin included

SlashGear
CrucialTec ultra-slim Optical TrackPad wants your finger
Apple GPU supplier Imagination promise “cinema quality 3D” after ray-tracing acquisition
Gigabyte and SOYO AMD Zacate mainboards leak
Quik Pod gets longer and works with DSLR cameras
Sanyo PLC-HF1500L large venue projector has 15K lumens
Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg named TIME’s Person of the Year 2010
HTC LTE smartphones inbound for second half of 2011
The Convergence Con [COLUMN]
Notion Ink Adam pre-order status slips to mid-January 2011 [Update: only 50 customers affected]
Smartphone Coasters hold your smartphone up on the cheap
Silicon Power debuts tiny microSD card reader
Fossil watch concept uses Bluetooth to pull info from your smartphone
Verizon iPhone sales will come mostly at AT&T’s expense says analyst
MIC Store unveils 3-in-1 iPad Camera Connection Kit
Urbanears Tanto headphones get better
Broadcom outs new Android smartphone platform
AirPlayer opens Macs to AirPlay streaming from iOS [Video]
XFX outs new HD 6970 and HD 6950 video cards
FBI backdoors in OpenBSD claims covert coder
Apple TV 4.1.1 update fixes picture problems & download errors
VIA EPIA-P830 Pico-ITX board promises 1080p HD in tiny footprint
Three pushes true unlimited data on refreshed The One Plan
Pioneer BDR-206MBK BDXL burner is $199 world’s first
Novatel MiFi 4082 WiMAX mobile hotspot clears FCC
Toshiba denies Apple Retina Display plant investment
Facebook for Android updated: Chat and push notifications
AMD Radeon HD 6970 and HD 6950 get official
Nike Air Zoom Alpha Talon cleats & Pro Combat Uniforms debut
Facebook Maps the World via Social Networking Relationships
HP ENVY 17 3D Laptop Hands-On and Unboxing [FEATURED]

To see more wrap-up posts, follow the following tags: [The Daily Slash] or [SlashGear Morning Wrap-up]

Hitachi has initiated a recall on its Maxell- DVR optical disk lineup due to labeling ink issues that could contaminate disk surface to dirt.

Not entire Maxell optical DVR media lineup are in question, only one particular model carries the label “DRD120 CGC.20SP +2” with combination of serial number below are affected according to Hitachi. You can determine if you unit is within the trouble lots by checking the serial number imprinted in the center of the disk recording surface.

Good thing for my Aunt Sally, Hitachi is replacing her defective optical media at no extra cost.

[via impress]

This device is said to have a 3-megapixel camera and the same dual-slider form that has recently been seen in a few Pantech devices. The Ocean 2 has only 1GB of internal memory that can be expanded via microSD card slot. One thing that has a lot of people excited is the rumor that this handset has integrated Flash support in the mobile browser. We cannot tell you how many times people complain that there is not Flash support in their smartphone.

Another curious aspect of the Ocean two is the optical navigational touchpad on the front, we are seeing more of this type of navigation in phones such as the Samsung Omnia. Lets hope this handset gets to see the light of day soon to help Helio pull out of a huge slump.

Three titles at the cost of 180,000 yens each (nearly $2000) will be released around April next year, which features the Crystal Disc hard glass material with pure cold coating and JVC’s high fidelity K2 High Definition coding technology. K2HD is an epoch-making CD mastering technology realizing 24-bit high resolution information, and a wide frequency range that extends up to 100kHz from original master sources. The technology has been around since 2007, you probably can pick up a few titles on ebay or at used audio markets. The high cost is due to the optical hard glass material.

I’m sure the titles below well worth the wait for classic-nut audiophiles but hard glass or not, couple-thousand for an optical audio CD is too rich my blood.

Kaori Osamu village, “Aranjuez Concerto”
Ingrid Fuzjko V. Georgii-Hemming, “Campanella Miracle”
Ikuko Kawai, “New World”

Five new models have been added to the line up. For starters, there’s the PX-610U 8X Slim External USB Super Multi Drive. This drive is compatible with both PCs and Macs and acts as a portable DVD writer. It possesses an internal battery, so only one USB port connection is required for power and for the transfer of information.

The PX-B310SA is a 6X internal SATA and the PX-B310U is a 6X external USB. Both are Blu-ray combo drives and allow you to play Blu-ray movies, and burn music or movies onto CD or DVD.

The PX-850SA is a 22X internal SATA and the PX-850A is a 22X internal PATA. Both are super multi DVD±RW drives. They make it easy to burn media onto CD or DVD. All of the new models come with PlexUTILITIES, with one exception, the PX-610U for the Mac. The new software lets you view information about the drives and helps you destroy information on DVDs and CDs. Various diagnostic functions are also included.

Since I grew up on a farm, I used to go through serious withdrawals from having a nice view outside of my window. I found out that such things have been known to cause bouts of depression in certain people. Having a custom built optical illusion could be the answer.

Sky Factory can create a sky light or sky mural, that feature stars, trees, blossoms, natural landscapes and even fluffy white clouds. The two major issues are that it is going to be more than a little expensive, and I think I’d go into shock after seeing fluffy white clouds, then going outside and seeing depressing fog or rain.

[via red ferret]

The mouse is built out of recycled plastic and even better, the packaging is also made of recycled materials. Which is nice, I have seen a few products that although the product itself is eco-friendly, the packaging defeats the purpose.

The mouse uses two AAA batteries and is smaller to make it more portable. The mouse comes in both blue and red, it is being sold for $19.20.

[via hippyshopper]

It has an 8MP CMOS sensor, new “face chaser” technology that even works underwater. It records in MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 at up to 60 frames per second at a VGA resolution. You also get a 5x optical zoom so you can get close up to the things you really care about in a photo.

Word is, this camera is almost exactly like the DMX-CA65 but waterproof. Akihabra News said they’d like to see a 16:9 and 720p version in the future, and they just might get it, but only time will tell. No word on price or availability but the guys over at Akihabra said they were only just now even allowed to talk about it, so it could be a while.

[via AkihabraNews]

You can use the auto-ISO control that’s built into these cameras or you can switch between ISO 100, ISO 800, ISO 2000, and ISO 3200. You also get a 3-inch LCD screen, Nikon’s EXPEED, which enhances noise reduction and improves the signal to noise ratio of your shots.

Other features include Face-Priority Auto Focus, In-Camera Red-Eye Fix, and D-Lighting, they both us SD/SDHC cards and use Nikon’s EN-EL8 Li-Ion battery, the S52 sells for $249.95. The S52c on the other hand has one more feature, Wi-Fi, which allows you to do a lot of cool things including email the photos directly from the camera, upload them to Flickr, and send them to your BlackBerry, it will sell for $279.95.

[via Nikon]

Those colors are Pomegranate, which is red; Dragon Fruit, which is dark pink; Aloe, which is green; Milk Chocolate, which is brown; and Crème Brule, which is khaki colored. Also, regardless of my own personal opinion of how great this mouse is, it was the number on best selling notebook mouse in the U.S.

It has HD optical technology, a small, compact shape, while remaining ergonomic, and a snap in wireless receiver that is equally small and compact. Best Buy will be receiving all but the Crème Brule color come May for $29.95, the 5th color and more retailer coverage will come in June.

[via GearLog]

The camera can be controlled by both the touchscreen, or if you find it easier, there is still the traditional joystick on the back. This camera is also loaded with the latest of Panasonic’s Auto technologies to make taking amazing shots really simple.

The cameras is said to be shipping, to Australia, in May for a price of $769. The camera also comes with a stylus for those finer adjustments, too bad you can’t use it to lower the price.

[via the Digital ImageMaker]

They can even be expanded via the Mini PCI and PCI-e slots. There is a card reader on the front of the keyboard, a touch-pad built in, and obviously there is a keyboard. There are, of course, lower end configurations with less RAM, a Core 2 Duo instead of a Core 2 Quad.

Those lower end combos start at $629 and give you everything except for Speakers and a Monitor. The cheapest Core 2 Quad system is $924, not counting warranty or software options, the hardware only maxes out at $1666 and that’s with no OS.

[via gizmonews]

The surveys which yielded that, especially among women in Japan, thinner isn’t always better in terms of usability. Sadly, Sanyo also ditched the CCD of their previous models in favor of a 9.1MP CMOS chip.

There is also 40MB of internal memory, a 5x optical zoom, and recording speeds at VGA resolution of up to 60 frames per second. Overall its not a bad video camera, its not the near-professional equipment previous Xacti models have been, but it should also be more affordable.

[via Akihabra News]

They all have Motion Detection Technology, Optical Image Stabilization, Canon Face Detection Technology, and Canon’s DIGIC III image processor. Starting with the SD890 it has: a 10MP image sensor, 5x optical zoom, 2.5” PureColor II LCD display, and will be available in early April for an MSRP of $399.99.

Moving on to the SD790 which has the following features: the same 10MP image sensor, a lower 3x optical zoom, a slightly larger 3” screen, and an earlier launch date of “end of March” for an MSRP of $349.99. Lastly, the SD770 possesses the power of the following features: the classic box and circle design, the 10MP image sensor, the thinnest body of any optically image stabilized ELPH model ever, 2.5” screen, 3x Optical Zoom, an optical viewfinder, and a launch date and price of mid-April for $299.99.

[via Krunker]

I see 3 different models, one of which has 2 color options available. One of the sets even has desktop speakers that are themed after the set.

Like I said, as far as cases go, they look good, they don’t have near the fans or grates for cooling for a high performance PC, and with their slim profiles, I wouldn’t assume you’d be able to fit much inside, but if you aren’t intending on using it for gaming or anything else graphics/processor intensive they’d be great. However they are made by GMC, a company I’ve never heard of except in the car manufacturing space, so you’ll probably never see them here, and I have no price or availability info for you.

[via AVING]

Broadcom has announced that they have acquired optical disc technology expert and cost optimized single-chip SOC solutions Sunext Design. The acquisition will allow Broadcom to expend its SoC back-end Blu-ray Disc platform to feature recording solutions in the future. Blu-ray and HD-DVD recorder is more popular in Japan than it is in US, in fact, I don’t remember a single release of standalone Hi-Def recorder in US except a few optical drives in PC industry. The end of Format War and cheaper SoC on its way may spike the AV Industry’s Interests in Blu-Ray optical recorder, but I have to admit, it’s really tough to beat HDD recorder. Optical recording is outdated, Blu-Ray or not.

[via release]

It is a bagless vacuum as well as everything that is swept up is put into a small dust bin, there is even a small HEPA filter I believe. It has to be plugged into USB to get the power, so it’s pretty much limited to the range of your desktop, but it would be perfect for picking up the crumbs from your last meal of Doritos and Red bull.

The power switch for the vacuum function is on the right side of the mouse, and the dust bin and exit hole for the air are located on the rear of the mouse. It has some practicality to it, but the hit that ergonomics takes makes it not worth it, although if you still want on they are about $18, but can only be bought from Thanko for now.

[via everythingUSB]

Judging from the diagram, it looks like even if they come up with one of these for actual use, it could be a long time before we see them mass produced due largely to the apparent size of the components required. Chances are also good it won’t be cheap, so even if they figure out a way to quickly and efficiently mass produce them, they’ll cost a small fortune.

God knows how reliable such a device would be too, but at the very least it could be used as a quick analysis giving doctors a list of things to check for that could potentially be the cause of the patient’s symptoms. On the flip side though, something like this could make doctors complacent and less likely to find the things that this gadget doesn’t pick up.

[via therawfeed]

It has the bendy and twisty parts of some Nokia phone I’ve seen before and what looks like a bright shiny aluminum casing, all of which combines to make for one sexy ass camera. Sadly this particular camera costs $1700, but that’s also good because it shows that unlike its previous iteration, the Yashica brand name won’t be stuck with mediocre middle-of-the-line cameras and they’ll actually have some high end products.

The DVC825 has an 8MP CCD sensor, 3x optical zoom that’s all internal, a 2.5” LCD, 8x digital zoom, auto White Balance, and 256MB integrated storage with an SDHC card slot for expansion. Apparently most of its price comes from its appearance and materials, but there is mention of an Earphone that’s included that makes me believe it also does video, but the specs for that just might not be listed.

I am no photography historian, but apparently Yashica was fairly well known and respected for the middle of the line cameras that they made back in the day, but they went bankrupt in 2005. Since then they seem to have been bought out by MF Jebsen and are giving it another go. No word when we’ll see them statedside, but its always good to see more competition entering into the digital camera market.

[via Wired]

The first drive, the 300, can also play both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. It can read each format’s discs at speeds of 6x for Blu-Ray and 3x for HD-DVD.

The second drive can do all of that, and write to Blu-Ray discs at varying speeds depending on the disc, those are as follows: BD-R (single or dual layer) at 4x, BD-R (SL LTH) at 2x, and BD-RE (single or dual layer) at 2x. No word on price, but they’ll be available at the end of this month.

[via nordichardware]

You can also record HDTV from OTA sources with this thing. Also, the advanced DVD play back allows you to rip the DVDs into .ISO or .IFO disc images and play them back just like the original DVD with menus and everything.

It has 3xUSB, HDMI, Optical, S-Video, 2xCoax, Ethernet, Component, Stereo RCA, Multi I/O, and AC in ports, some of those are outputs though. Sadly the HDTV tuner is a separate attachment, but it just clips onto the bottom maintaining the trash can form factor if you buy one. Its available now on Amazon for $520.

[via gadgetgrid]

The mic is detachable and you can simply unplug the speaker cable to disable it, so you could just use it as a regular run of the mill mouse. On the other hand, the mic looks to have a standard 3.5mm audio jack so plugging it directly into your computer might be an option as well provided your laptops microphone port isn’t on the back of the laptop.

If for some reason you want this highly functional, yet exceptionally drab mouse, you can get it for $15.99. And, as I said, it wouldn’t be a half bad investment if you are a business user frequently taking calls via VoIP while you are on the bus, in the airport, or otherwise on the go.

[via redferret]

The second is a 200mm lens with a f-stop of 2. Both lenses have optical image stabilization, moisture and dust seals, and fluorite and UD lens components to keep chromatic aberrations away.

The EF200 has a close-focusing distance of 6.2 feet and a circular aperture system that helps out of focus parts of the shot look smooth at least. The EF800 has a magnesium barrel that should help keep the weight down, meaning it actually weighs less than the EF600, Canon is also saying this is the longest focal length lens with optical image stabilization.

The EF200mm f/2L IS USM should be available in April and will cost you about $6000. On the other hand, the EF800mm f/5.6L IS USM won’t be arriving until may and will cost a cool $12,000, have fun explaining to someone that you could have bought a new car but instead bought a lens bigger than your arm.

[via Crave]

Sure you can find other external, bus-powered optical drives for around that price, but everyone knows that rarely does anything work better with a Mac than an Apple made product. I suppose in 2 weeks we’ll see if this is true, and if it is, we’ll also see if someone out there is enterprising enough to hack it to work on other computers so you don’t have to dole out an extra $200 for the SuperDrive on your MacBook.

The guys over at macenstein saw the MacBook Air system requirement next to the external SuperDrive and thought for sure that something must be wrong, so they called Apple and were assured that what was on the site was correct. So, if that really is the case, the only thing I want to know now is how they hobbled the drive, whether its with a driver you can only get with a MacBook Air, maybe its firmware dependent, who knows, but I want to know.

WTF? MacBook Air SuperDrive can only be used with MacBook Air [via macenstein]

It’s a five button mouse and its goal it to make your internet surfing faster. It comes in both right and left hand designs, is both MAC and PC compatible and of course connects through a USB receiver that will fold up into the mouse itself.

It comes in both red and blue. No word on it’s availability but it’ll cost somewhere around $30.

Well, through extensive testing, I believe he answered his own question, after dunking the mouse in oatmeal, chili, Cheetos, pudding, and Red Bull the mouse still functioned. But he took it a step further and tested the usage of the mouse while in each of those substances.

What he found was that clicking and scrolling still worked in all of them, but the optical mouse movement only worked in one, the Red Bull/Cheetos stew that he threw together. So, if you are hell on your peripherals, maybe the Belkin might be a good idea for you, I could only find it at SkyMall though, and it was $35 for it there, which isn’t bad for a fairly run of the mill wired mouse.

Hands-, Oatmeal-, Chili-, Pudding-, Red Bull-, and Cheetos-On with The Belkin Washable Mouse [via gearlog]

Maximum transfer are rated by Addonics as Blu-ray BD-ROM 215.79 Mbits/s (6x); HD DVD-ROM 109.65 Mbits/s (3x); DVD-ROM 22.16 Mbytes/s (16x) and CD-ROM 6,000 Kbytes/s (40x). User will has two interface options, high speed choice of a solo ESATA at $409 or combines with ESATA and USB 2.0 at $429. I wish they have optional software package for user that already owned the multimedia application or preferred Corel WinDVD with the upcoming BD-Video Profile 1.1 Certification.

Addonics

It offers up dual core processors from Intel, a card reader, a slim remote that stows away in the ExpressCard slot, HD display choices to get the most out of your media, a 2MP web cam, a fingerprint scanner, and low-pro optical drives featuring either Blu-Ray or a DVD-burner. You get your choice of 3 colors, Crimson Red, Tuxedo Black, or Alpine White too.

Specs wise your processor choices range from a Core 2 Duo T5250 processor at 1.5GHz all the way up to a Core 2 Duo T7800 at 2.6GHz, up to 4 gig of DDR2, your choice of a 5400 RPM 250GB HDD or a speedy 7200RPM 200GB HDD. You can even get WWAN connections from your choice of Sprint or Verizon, and that’s pretty much the bulk of what this notebook has to offer.

XPS M1530 [via Dell]

It comes with the 19” monitor you see in the picture, an 8-in-one card reader, and a 2 way speaker. There is also a separate power supply for the monitor, and there is a 350 watt power supply, built into the case there is one optical drive bay, a pair of USB ports, a firewire port, and mic and line out jacks.

Everything else is one you. Might I recommend that new Spider platform AMD is dropping for the guts?

Ion V2000 Computer Case – the DIY all in one PC you’ve always wanted [via redferret]

As mentioned in the unboxing, this computer has no spining hard drive. Just two 32GB RAID 0 Solid State Drives. This makes booting the device, and loading large files a super fast process. It’s fairly comparable to a 7200 RPM drive, but without the loss in battery life (and without all of the extra heat). There are a few other options available from Alienware including two 64GB drives in RAID 0, for a combined capacity of 128GB.

With 2 GB of DDR2-667 RAM (up to 4GB available), and a Intel Core 2 DUO T7200 2.0 GHz processor, you won’t have any problems running the latest memory hungry applications (or operating systems). And the 512MB Nvidia GeForce 8700m GT GPU will boost your imaging, 3D rendering, and general visual experience in the Windows Vista environment.

Form wise, the computer has a solid build. It has a glorious 17-inch screen crowned with a 1.3 megapixel webcam. The matte black finish throughout most of the device keeps fingerprints to a minimum. A full size keyboard makes typing, or gaming a lot easier. There is a classic Alienware “grill” on the lid, with a wicked glowing alien head, that will have the less informed approaching you in coffee shops asking “What kind of laptop is that?” The speakers and optical drive are both located on the front of the notebook. There were a couple times where I bumped against the front of the laptop and inadvertently popped the optical drive open.

There are plenty of inputs on the device. Four USB 2.0 – two on the left side, one on the back, and one on the right. One IEEE 1394 for all of your streaming media. The Express card slot is located of the left side, next to the SD/Memory stick reader. This model also came with a TV tuner card which added an S-video input, Coaxial input, and Composite video input.

Output wise you have all of the industry standards with a couple nice surprises. VGA will connect to most monitors these days, while DVI output is generally reserved for higher end models with better resolutions (and most LCD televisions also have this – imagine Crysis of a 52 inch screen). The S-video output is nice if you need to give a presentation in a pinch, as most televisions and projectors will have this input. The real treat is the Optical Audio output. Optical connections are top of the line, and it’s the best audio quality you can get. Forget 5.1 surround, this notebook’s pumping out 7.1 surround sound. The Bluetooth wireless connectivity is very clean. It was very easy to connect it with a variety of devices, from cell phones, to headsets. The wireless 802.11 card from Intel was above par, receiving a, b and g protocols.

While the SSDs, and the Core 2 DUO processor lend to longer battery life, the M9750 isn’t really meant to be a mobile computing solution. It’s more of a desktop replacement notebook. With that said expect to get about an hour and a half in Vista’s “Power saver” energy profile. On top of that the notebook weights around 9 pounds, plus a 3 pound power adapter.

Overall, this is a stellar device for gaming and media. If you’re looking for a desktop replacement notebook, you can not overlook the Alienware Area 51 M9750. With all of the options available you can create the perfect system for you, and your budget. Our system spec’ed out at around $3700, but you can pick one up starting at $1699. Check out Alienware’s website at Alienware.com.

It really looks almost exactly like the Pentax I have sitting on my desk, it has the mode selector wheel, the big, boxy body, and it looks like it even has the winder, albeit with a button on top of it, so its probably not functional, but it looks almost exactly the same. It has a 2.7-inch LCD on the back that is surrounded by 13 multi-mode buttons for navigating features, menu’s, etc.

As far as raw stats go, it has 5x optical zoom brought to you by Joseph Schneider Optische Werke, and a 10.1MP still shot. With all the functions of the buttons, you can almost have as much control over your shot as with a DSLR, except for the whole lens changing thing. You can pick one of this up in the UK for £200.

Samsung NV11 [via T3]

You don’t believe it has a great personality? Check out the Lieca 28mm wide lens that offers up 10x optical zoom.

And, its only available in a few traditional colors, the color choices aren’t like a box of Crayola crayons, all in the name of the KISS principle. It offers up 7MP, and 12.7MB of integrated storage. There is also a bunch of built in features that help make your pictures turn out better and you can store them on a SD card and view them on the spacious 3” viewing screen on the back.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 [via T3]

They reckon the ultra-portable will lose its optical drive, be smaller than the 15” MBP and at least 50% lighter than the same. On top of that they say it will utilize NAND flash storage in the form of an SSD drive and it will use and LED backlit LCD, both of those primarily to save battery life and improve boot times.

They do have some support to their claims coming from various financial institutions claiming that Apple making a grand re-entrance into this market would be a good move for them. They might be right, but Apple has a tendency to release products when they want to, not when the press thinks they should, so maybe if people quit saying when it should be released it might actually make it to market.

Ultra-portable Apple notebook to splash down at Macworld Expo [via appleinsider]

Sure you can record video in 720p and take 12MP stills, but in order to view them on your TV you either have to offload them to an HD optical format for viewing on an HD optical disc player, or you have to buy one of their docks. There is also a 3.1-inch LCD on the back, with reportedly easy to navigate features and menus.

But this cam is $400, and there are some older model DSLRs hitting around the $500-600 price range, so if I had $400 to spend on a cam, I would find some way to get that little extra and get a DSLR with a lower resolution and a better lens. But if you want simplicity alongside HD photos and videos, this is just about as cheap as it’s going to get for nice, HD capable, digital camera.

Review: Kodak EasyShare V1253 – DSLR Performance, Point and Shoot Price [via wired]

Basically what it comes down to is the fact that all the new DVD burners are so close to the price of a new CD burner, and do the same thing and more, that they aren’t selling very many, roughly 5% of their shipments right now, and they expect it to be less by the end of the year. So if you were a big fan of those optical drives, my condolences go out to you.

Really I don’t think I can come up with a use where I would choose a CD-ROM or CD-RW over their DVD counterparts. The only case I see is for those towers of CD-RW drives that they use to make a ton of copies of a disc, maybe for that, but that’s it.

HLDS and TSST to quit making CD-ROM drives, CD-RW burners in early 2008, says paper [via digitimes]

There are two models available, the ReflexBlu2 which has a burning throughput of two Blu-Ray discs per hour, four DVD-Rs or 7 CD-Rs, and the ReflexBlu4 which can do double that amount.  The former retails for a not inconsiderable $2,999, the latter a frankly astonishing $4,999, and both come with software, USB connectivity and a built-in 250GB hard-drive for storing up to nine complete Blu-Ray disc images.

Disc Makers

When the clamshell is closed for use as a mouse, the VOIP function still works and will alert you of incoming calls either by ringing or flashing of its LED light. It also supports up to six instant messengers (Skype, MSN, Yahoo, GoogleTalk, QQ, and AIM) simultaneously in one window. The unit is currently being released in India.


Mouse phone does triple duty [Via: Crave]