laser

eBay acquires RedLaser bar code scanning app

eBay announced Wednesday that it has purchased a start-up called RedLaser, an iPhone application that scans product bar codes for price comparison and product search purposes, as well as "related technologies" from RedLaser parent company Occipital. As part of the acquisition, the RedLaser app--which has been downloaded by more than 2 million iPhone users--has transitioned from paid to free in Apple's App Store.

A price wasn't disclosed.

Though RedLaser's app will remain intact, the technology behind it will be integrated into numerous eBay products so that a prospective buyer can scan a bar code and … Read more

Crave 06: The trouble with lightsabers (podcast)

This week, Donald and Eric debate the dangers of robots, geodesic playgrounds, and real-life lightsabers. Plus, we take a look at some invisible cables, giant air multipliers, Catan for Microsoft Surface, and the e-reader's race to the bottom.

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Working 'lightsaber' can set fire to your skin

Sometimes the word "why?" is just an exclamation. We don't really expect an answer. We just wish something hadn't happened. Yet, perhaps you might be able to answer the "why" part of this question: Why has a laser manufacturer produced a Star Wars-ish laser that it proudly describes as being "the most dangerous ever created"?

I am indebted to Canada's National Post, which came across a product that really makes one wonder. It is called the Spyder III Pro Arctic.

Its manufacturer, Wicked Lasers of Shanghai, is rather excited about its potential.

May I quote its Web site? "Don't let the Arctic name fool you, this laser possesses the most burning capabilities of any portable laser in existence. That's why it's also the most dangerous laser ever created."

Personally, I didn't let the name fool me. You see, just below this claim to success, Wicked Lasers offers a very bright yellow warning: "Extremely dangerous is an understatement to 1W of laser power. At close range, this Class 4 beam will cause immediate and irreversible retinal damage."

Oh, and "it will blind permanently and instantly and set fire quickly to skin and other body parts."… Read more

Amazon.com has the Microsoft Wireless 7000 Laser Mouse for $53.89, after $16.10 savings.

Save $16.10 on the Microsoft Wireless 7000 Laser Mouse from Amazon.com >> Regular price is $69.99 >> Sale price is $53.89 >> Savings $16.10 (23%) >> Click here for deal

Gadgettes 187: The 'Carry Protection' Episode (podcast)

Don't find yourself in an awkward situation where you've been bumped and you don't have any sort of protection on your device. Be a responsible citizen of the gadget-carrying world and experience today's important Gadgettes!

iPhone 4: First Take

For Kelly’s new iPad: ZooGue Smart Case

The double-glass iphone 4 is a shatter magnet

iPhone 4accessories

Phoneballs case protects iPhone in hairy situations

First waterproof case for Kindle

iPad posters in SF hijacked by porn… Read more

Crave 04: Laser drugs (podcast)

Jasmine's (mostly) back from vacation, and already hates the iPhone 4. To balance out her blind rage for the as-yet unreleased device, Eric and Donald tackle Crave stories ranging from monkey-controlled robots, laser drug injection, and a Lego printer that drives ladies wild (or not). Stick around for the end, and you may just see Darth Vader's cleavage.

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Forget needles. 'Please' delivers drugs via lasers

I've always envied people who can get injections without flinching, as somehow, seeing a needle enter the skin gives me the jitters. This is probably the reason intravenous drug abuse has never appealed to me (next to the addiction and death issues, of course).

But thanks to Pantec Biosolutions and its Please (Painless Laser Epidermal System) device, getting a jab may no longer require the doctor to chase after a 33-year-old man shrieking down the hospital halls.

Using a laser system, the device creates micropores on the skin through which a stick-on patch delivers drugs into the body. This … Read more

Harnessing a star's power for clean energy

LIVERMORE, Calif.--Think clean energy is a fantasy? What if the power of a star was applied to the problem?

That's the approach being explored at the National Ignition Facility, a huge-scale experiment in laser fusion based at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory here. Scientists are looking at NIF as a potential key to producing large amounts of carbon-free power.

It's not known if the system will ever bear the kind of fruit the scientists and administrators who run NIF would like. Still, the facility is a scientific wonder that can transform a single laser beam no wider … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1231: Seals with frickin' lasers! (podcast)

We wanted Google to announce its set-top box at Google IO today, but what do we get? A new video codec, an app store in Chrome, and (yawn) Google Wave going into open beta. And, oh yeah, homeland security seals (the marine mammals, not the hulky military guys) protecting our harbors.

Aaxa's L1 laser pico projector: Nice features, high price

Pico projectors were supposed to be the next big thing, but they haven't taken off as quickly as some might have thought. Part of the problem is that while they're tiny, they just can't produce a bright enough image to be that useful. For that reason, we had high hopes for Aaxa's L1 ($599) since it uses a laser-based light source and an LCoS imager. Yes, it costs more than your typical pico projector does, but for cutting-edge technology, you have to pay a little extra--in this case, about 40 percent more.

Let's start with … Read more