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optics

Intel touts 50Gbps silicon optics

Intel has unveiled the prototype of a high-speed fiber-optic data system based on silicon chips with integrated lasers and detectors. The system runs at 50Gbps, with Intel claiming future scalability to 1Tbps and beyond.

Unlike current systems, Intel's prototype does not depend on discrete components to generate and detect light; instead, these are part of the same silicon substrate that contains other components, and can be made at the same time on the same dies during chip fabrication.

"It's about bringing silicon manufacturing to optical communications, bringing Moore's Law to high-bandwidth communications for every computing platform, … Read more

Is your perfect camera coming soon?

The number of compact and ultracompact digital cameras available from major manufacturers is overwhelming--and it's about to get worse. Before summer's out, most of the companies will have announced a new batch of point-and-shoot models in an attempt to woo you into upgrading or at least penciling them into your holiday shopping budget. Judging by the reader e-mails I receive, none of the current crop seem to have all of the features you desire, so maybe some new options are exactly what's needed.

My fear, though, is it'll just be more of the same, with too … Read more

New e-glasses aim to replace old bifocals

I'm a lucky guy. I wear glasses, and I like wearing them. They're sort of my way of saying, "Screw you, world, I'm an actual nerd!" My glasses are big, they're black, and they make me look so good that I've destroyed all of my mirrors because I just can't stand it. But they're single index, meaning they're not bifocals. Undoubtedly, though, one of these days (probably around the time I hit 40, according to the research), I'll need to upgrade.

But maybe I won't be getting bifocals … Read more

3D imaging could help improve hearing aids

If you're one of the 17 percent of American adults who reportedly suffer from some type of hearing loss, listen up: hearing aids--and earphones--may be about to enter a new generation of superior fit and functionality, thanks to molds based on a 3D imaging technique instead of plaster.

Time was, getting fitted for a hearing aid took an hour in a chair with an audiologist, who would fill a patient's ear canals with a silicone substance that hardened into a mold from which the aid would be constructed. The molds are only so detailed, which means the fits … Read more

Cisco buys CoreOptics to help scale fiber networks

Cisco plans to acquire privately held San Jose, Calif.-based CoreOptics, a maker of optical networking technology designed to help carriers handle an expected surge in IP traffic driven partly by the adoption of cloud computing.

CoreOptics' digital signal-processing technology is intended to help service providers scale their IP networks while keeping costs down by making transmission more efficient, Cisco said in an announcement Thursday.

The company said its research shows IP traffic will increase fivefold between 2008 and 2013, with a 40 percent compound annual growth rate, due largely to the growth in cloud computing, video, and mobile applications. … Read more

Burning and managing blu-ray discs on your Mac, if you need it

While Apple has been on the blu-ray consortium for a few years, it has been reluctant to pursue blu-ray playback in the Mac OS. Meanwhile, Apple has been focusing on online delivery of HD content with the iTunes store; but even though the use of Blu-Ray movies is limited, you can still manage and use blu-ray disks on your Mac.… Read more

New HP Pavilion laptops add optical drives, AMD processors

Remember "thin and light?" The idea almost seems like a 2009 concept nowadays, as many manufacturers seem to be shifting back to more old-fashioned mainstream machines that emphasize optical drives over system weight. The newly announced lineup of HP Pavilion laptops, covering a wide range of models, was notable for not offering anything slimmer than the Pavilion dm3 a sleek thin notebook we reviewed and liked quite a bit. That system had no optical drive, but the new HP Pavilion dm4 adds one back in despite being under an inch thin. An etched metal chassis and new wider … Read more