Tech News Updates

Lasers . Is there anything they can’t do? The latest addition to the 50-year-old technology’s bag of tricks comes courtesy of a team of researchers from the Australian National University, who’ve managed to create a laser beam that effectively functions as a tiny tractor beam. The key, it seems, is that the laser beam is hollow, which allows tiny particles to be trapped in what the researchers describe as a “dark core,” which in turn causes the particles to be pushed along the beam by an effect known as the “photophoretic force.” As you might expect, that only works on very tiny particles, but the researchers are able to move them as far as one and a half meters, and they say that the technology could have a number of practical applications, including directing and clustering nano-particles in the air, and even transporting dangerous substances and microbes — in small amounts, of course. [Thanks, Lester] Australian researchers trap tiny particles in tiny tractor beam originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 22:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Lasers . Is there anything they can’t do? The latest addition to the 50-year-old technology’s bag of tricks comes courtesy of a team of researchers from the Australian National University, who’ve managed to create a laser beam that effectively functions as a tiny tractor beam. The key, it seems, is that the laser beam is hollow, which allows tiny particles to be trapped in what the researchers describe as a “dark core,” which in turn causes the particles to be pushed along the beam by an effect known as the “photophoretic force.” As you might expect, that only works on very tiny particles, but the researchers are able to move them as far as one and a half meters, and they say that the technology could have a number of practical applications, including directing and clustering nano-particles in the air, and even transporting dangerous substances and microbes — in small amounts, of course. [Thanks, Lester] Australian researchers trap tiny particles in tiny tractor beam originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 22:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Well, this one’s come a bit out of left field (or Russia, actually), but it looks like Acer may be set to release yet another Android device. Apparently dubbed the Liquid Metal, this one is said to pack Android 2.2 beneath Acer’s own skin, along with a 3.6-inch 800 x 480 capactive touchscreen, an 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7230-1 processor, Bluetooth 3.0, and a camera of unspecified megapixels with a flash — all wrapped in what appears to be an aluminum casing. No word on pricing or availability just yet, but it looks like the phone exists in both black and silver versions at the moment — head on past the break for another shot. Continue reading Acer Liquid Metal wraps Android 2.2 in aluminum Acer Liquid Metal wraps Android 2.2 in aluminum originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Of course, this press release from SRS Labs doesn’t actually say Netflix will use its technology to enable surround sound audio on Watch Instantly streams , but when you claim your tools add “easy and seamless” surround sound decoding to Silverlight apps then we have an immediate suggestion as to how they could be put to use. Whether you give any credit to (or have even noticed) the SRS stamp on a bevy of media playing software and hardware, its ubiquity certainly means that interested parties (like, say, Netflix) could be sure the audio would be supported across the multitude of platforms they stream video to. Microsoft and SRS have issued the tools for anyone (even Netflix) to support 5.1 streams just by adding this code to their apps and are demonstrating it at IBC 2010 and on a demo website, all we have to do is sit back and wait for the technology to be implemented. If only we knew of somewhere an upgrade to surround sound on streaming video was in high demand… Continue reading Microsoft, SRS team up on surround sound for Silverlight, will this finally bring 5.1 to Netflix? Microsoft, SRS team up on surround sound for Silverlight, will this finally bring 5.1 to Netflix? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 13:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Okay, so Symbian^3 is still just a glint in our eyes, but that launch date is fast approaching and here’s a neat little accessory to keep up excitement for the platform: the Mobile TV Headset. You know how most phones use the cord of your earphones as an FM aerial? Well, this thing does the same, only with DVB-H teevee signals, piping them straight through into your USB-on-the-go-equipped Nokia handset. It comes with channel-changing, call-receiving, and volume controls, and will set you back €40 ($51) before taxes in Q4 of this year. [Thanks, Maximus ] Nokia Mobile TV Headset acts as a TV antenna for your unreleased Symbian^3 device originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 04:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

No, we’re not talking about robotic charging stations that roam the highways and recharge your car without even stopping (sadly), but a new system proposed Zafer Sahinoglu and his colleagues at the Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories in Cambridge, Massachusetts may just help to fill in some of the gaps on the road. While exact specifics are a bit light, the basic idea is to have a series of “roaming” chargers that would be charged up at night and moved around based on demand — demand that would be determined by sensors in electric vehicles, which would report their findings back to a central operations center. According to Sahinoglu, you’d only need five charging stations to cover 100 electric cars on a 100-kilometer stretch of highway, so it would seemingly be a quick and relatively inexpensive way to cover a large area — assuming you can find an efficient way to actually move the chargers around. Look for more details to be announced at the Vehicular Technology Conference in Ottawa next week. Researchers propose ‘roaming’ charging stations to keep electric cars powered originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

It’s okay if you’ve never heard of wireless broadband bonding . The technology hasn’t exactly caught on, even if it gets us all excited in our download place. The basic idea is to take a suite of wireless broadband adapters and plug them all into a single router, aggregating their power like shotgun modems did in the dial-up days. Mushroom Networks is the leader in this space and it has announced a new, “heavy duty” version of its PortaBella bonding device, joining its Porcini and Truffle models. The new PortaBella combines the connections of up to four wireless modems, even from different carriers, and works at temperatures ranging from 4 to 158 degrees Fahrenheit — which sadly doesn’t quite meet the extremes experienced on an average day at the Engadget Lunar Outpost. It seems our heavenly bloggers above will have to keep sharing that single modem for now. Continue reading Mushroom announces durable PortaBella wireless bonding device, continues adorable naming scheme Mushroom announces durable PortaBella wireless bonding device, continues adorable naming scheme originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

It’s okay if you’ve never heard of wireless broadband bonding . The technology hasn’t exactly caught on, even if it gets us all excited in our download place. The basic idea is to take a suite of wireless broadband adapters and plug them all into a single router, aggregating their power like shotgun modems did in the dial-up days. Mushroom Networks is the leader in this space and it has announced a new, “heavy duty” version of its PortaBella bonding device, joining its Porcini and Truffle models. The new PortaBella combines the connections of up to four wireless modems, even from different carriers, and works at temperatures ranging from 4 to 158 degrees Fahrenheit — which sadly doesn’t quite meet the extremes experienced on an average day at the Engadget Lunar Outpost. It seems our heavenly bloggers above will have to keep sharing that single modem for now. Continue reading Mushroom announces durable PortaBella wireless bonding device, continues adorable naming scheme Mushroom announces durable PortaBella wireless bonding device, continues adorable naming scheme originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

It’s always good to see a concept, particularly one as appealing as Seiko’s “active matrix” E Ink watch , make it to retail product. The company’s had a thing for E Ink timepieces for a while now, but what sets this new one apart is the supposed 180-degree viewing angle it affords — and, of course, those retro good looks do it no harm either. Then there’s also the radio-controlled movement, which receives its time from the nearest atomic clock, and the solar cells framing that electrophoretic display. All very nice and neat, but the best news is that it might ( might! ) be priced within reach of regular Joes and Vlads like us. We’ll know soon enough, a retail release is expected by the end of the year. Seiko’s ‘active matrix’ E Ink watch will be on sale by end of 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Build it, and they will come. We suspect the same is true with shipping papers. Go Solar USA most certainly hopes so, as it has just inked a deal with Chinese developer Yosion to bring the much-hyped Apple Peel 520 to the US of A. For those unaware, this slip-on case effectively turns your iPod touch into an iPhone, as it equips your PMP with a SIM card slot and the software needed to make / receive calls and texts. Granted, it’s not without its flaws , but for “around $60,” it’s not a half-bad alternative to handing over your cellular soul to AT&T. Both companies have reportedly agreed to work together to distribute it in the United States, but it’s unclear when those shipments will start and how much it’ll retail for once it arrives. Oh, and don’t hold your breath for compatibility with the latest and greatest touch — just sayin’. Continue reading Apple Peel 520 coming to US shores shortly for an undisclosed amount Apple Peel 520 coming to US shores shortly for an undisclosed amount originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 07:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink