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In September, Intel showed off Light Peak as if it were the latest hot idea out of the labs. But the fiber-optic communication technology could well be coming to a computer near you next year, rather than in some distant sci-fi future.

A Taiwanese optical networking company, Foci Fiber Optic Communication, is well along the path of selling Light Peak cables and other fiber-optic components.

"We plan to have our pilot run ready by the end of November 2009, and ready to be in mass production in the beginning of year 2010," said Janpu Hou, the company's vice president of business development.

Foci is not some no-name manufacturer of commodity gear, either. The company supplied the optical networking components used in the Light Peak demonstrations at the Intel Developer Forum in September.

SAN FRANCISCO--You've probably heard about fiber optics for years--some kind of exotic technology used to carry gargantuan quantities of data across continents. But in the not-too-distant future, you might be plugging these tiny glass strands straight into your computer.

That's if Intel gets its way. At its Intel Developer Forum last week, the chipmaker demonstrated fiber-optic technology called Light Peak for connecting many devices to PCs with fiber optic lines. Intel secured major Light Peak endorsement from Sony and now it's has begun trying to make it into an industry standard.

Intel's Light Peak technology uses lasers and fiber optics to transfer data to and from PCs and other devices.

(Credit: Intel)

But bringing optical technology to the masses will require more than Intel Chief Technology Officer Justin Rattner taking the stage to connect a thin white Light Peak cable into the back of a prototype PC. According to sources familiar with the situation, the most likely mechanism to carry Light Peak out of the R&D lab to the edge of your laptop will be the venerable Universal Serial Bus, and Intel has begun pounding the pavement to try to make that happen.

"Now all the pieces are in place," Rattner said. "We need to get a standard established to turn on the entire ecosystem to Light Peak."

The Light Peak technology sends signals with infrared light over optical fibers.

(Credit: Intel)

SAN FRANCISCO--Intel unveiled technology called Light Peak that it hopes ultimately will replace the profusion of different cables sprouting from today's PCs with a single type of fiber-optic link.

Dadi Perlmutter, the newly promoted co-general manager of Intel's Architecture Group, demonstrated Light Peak at the Intel Developer Forum here and said components for the technology, though not Light Peak-enabled PCs, will be ready in 2010.

"We hope to see one single cable," Perlmutter said, adding that one thing getting in the way of smaller laptops is the profusion of cable ports around the systems' edges.

The super-slim, USB-powered Samsung drive makes a perfect Netbook companion.

(Credit: Newegg)

Got a Netbook? Then at some point you've probably longed for an optical drive, whether to install software, watch a DVD, burn a CD, or whatever.

Newegg has a Samsung SE-S084 portable CD/DVD drive for $48.99 shipped. It's perfect for netbooks, though obviously it's compatible with desktops and laptops as well.

The SE-S084 is about as compact and lightweight as an optical drive can get, weighing 14 ounces and measuring just 0.75 inch by 5.5 inches by 6.2 inches (HWD). You'll barely notice it in your travel bag.

Better still, the drive runs on USB power, so there's no AC adapter to bring along. However, it does require two close-proximity USB ports; if your Netbook has one on either side, you'll need a cable extender (not included) to reach both.

(Or maybe not: A few of the user reviews on Newegg's product page indicate the drive needs that second port only for power-intensive tasks like burning discs.)

I haven't tried this drive firsthand, but there's a fairly extensive review over at Hardware Secrets. Verdict: very positive.

What do you think, Netbook owners? Have you been dying for a drive like this, or do you get by fine on downloads and other CD/DVD workarounds?

John Cioffi joins the show to explain the difference between fiber optic cable and copper cable. Find out what you should know and why you should care.

Astro Boy to the rescue for our macro shots!

(Credit: Leonard Goh/CNET Asia)

DIY site Make.com wrote about how one reader ripped an old DVD player apart and fitted the optical drive lens onto a camera phone for some awesome macro shots. We couldn't resist trying it out with an old CD reader that we have.

While we did get some pretty impressive closeup shots with the puny lens and our Nokia E71, here are a few things we noted.

Does including an external drive make it a better deal?

(Credit: MSI)

Despite many Netbooks and thin-and-lights ditching optical drives in favor of more compact computers, corporate folks are apparently still concerned and looking out for us suddenly-DVD-free folk. MSI has announced availability of a new thin-and-light ULV (ultra-low voltage) notebook, the MSI X600, which comes with its own external DVD/CD drive right in the box.

For $899, the X600 comes with a 1.4GHz Intel SU3500 ULV processor, 4GB of DDR2 RAM, a 320GB hard drive, ATI HD 4330 graphics, and a 15.6-inch 1366x768 screen. It includes a six-cell battery, an improvement on the X340, which had a somewhat disappointing battery life. It also packs HDMI-out and Bluetooth while being a hair under an inch thin.

This all sounds good, with two exceptions. One: its processor is a single-core ULV. Two: this "thin-and-light" weighs 5.5 pounds. That's a serious chunking up from the X340's 2.9-pound frame.

Will a Core 2 Solo processor--the same that's in the X340--be enough for a 15.6-inch laptop? Time will tell. Until our review, we invite you to check out some images of the external drive, which at least stylishly matches the big sibling it comes packed with. The MSI X600 comes in black and silver.

MSI X600

With Justin's return from his sojourn into the great outdoors, The 404 crew is complete again to bring you another awesome show, replete with "GI Joe" and "District 9" reviews, optical gaming, and a surprise appearance by Motherboard!

Street Fighter style!

(Credit: Justin Yu/The 404)

After getting mauled by a bear in Yosemite (where's the app for THAT?), I'm back, and much to Jeff, Wilson, and everyone else's dismay SO ARE THE GLASSES! That's right suckers, a little Krazy Glue goes a long way, but I'm not sure how long these things will last, so please continue to e-mail us submissions for the contest to choose my next frames. I'm not gonna lie, I've missed the show dearly and it's great to be back!

The first half of today's show has a lot of movie talk, starting with us talking all sorts of garbage on the new "G.I. Joe" movie. The movie won't be prescreened to critics, and we suspect it has something to do with the trailer receiving so much backlash from justifiably angry fans of the original television series. Jeff also gives us his take on the trailer for "District 9", the new science fiction movie based on the short film Alive in Joburg. Go check that out and let "G.I. Joe" go the way of the buffalo!

The second half just gets nuts, that's all I'll say. OK, well, without giving too much away, it all starts with the Get It Guy, a fake Australian accent, and a very steamy call from SadaCori in the chatroom (a must listen!), but then we get a surprise knock from Motherboard herself, who has something very special to show us...something that NOBODY HAS SEEN BEFORE, so be sure to check out the video for all the details. After that, we dredge up a claim about racism in Resident Evil 5 and it all devolves from there. Trust us, it's the last time you'll hear about it!

As always, feel free to leave us a voicemail at 1-866-404-CNET or get in touch with us on Twitter or at the404[at]cnet[dot]com!

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)

I received this wireless mouse awhile ago, but as it comes in one of those clamshell packages that are impossible to open, I kind of ignored it until now.

As it turns out, the packaging is the only bad thing about it. Inside, I found what's possibly the coolest wireless mouse ever. It's a miniature replica of a Ford GT sports car. The two mouse buttons are the left and right side of the hood, and the scroll wheel is right in the middle (but kind of hidden as it's painted over).

The feature of the Fort GT wireless mouse I like the most is the head lights of the car that actually light up whenever you press on the mouse buttons. This is really cool when using the mouse in the dark. However, you can also turn this off with a little switch on the bottom of the mouse -- a nice design touch that comes in handy when you want to surf discreetly or conserve the juice.

The mouse is one of many car-shaped mice officially licensed to Four Door Media by Ford and other car manufacturers. At Four Door Media's Web site, you'll find many other car models, including Corvette, Camaro, Mustang GT, and even cop cars.

As a mouse, my Ford GT worked great out of the box. Like most optical wireless mice, it comes with two AAA batteries and a compact USB wireless dongle. Once the batteries were installed and the dongle was plugged in, the mouse worked flawlessly from up to 5 feet away. No software or driver was required. It also worked well in my tests with the latest Windows 7.

Despite the cheap plasticky look of the packaging, the mouse actually has a very solid build. My only complaint is that its wheels are not rotatable; otherwise, it would make a great toy car when not in use as a mouse.

The Road Mice cost $45.95 each, a decent price for a wireless mouse. If you're a fan of cars, it's totally worth it to have your ride literally accompany your laptop.