| World's first two-megajoule ultraviolet laser fired in California: no, you can't buy one Mar 21st 2012, 21:29 The Wolverines may have concocted the "most intense" laser in the universe back in '08, but it's a group of grinners at the National Ignition Facility in Livermore, California that can now lay claim to firing the planet's first two-megajoule ultraviolet laser. Earlier this week, a 1.875-megajoule shot was fired into the target chamber, but it broke the two-dot-oh barrier after passing through the final focusing lens. Reportedly, this matters for more than just bragging rights, as scientists have long since sought to get past 'ignition' in order to "coax fusion energy from a tiny frozen fuel pellet." If we had to guess, we'd say both Nerf and Mattel are somehow trying to commercialize this thing prior to the holidays. (And yeah, we hope they're successful.) World's first two-megajoule ultraviolet laser fired in California: no, you can't buy one originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 17:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  Gizmodo, Physorg |  Nature | Email this | Comments | | Dell issues BIOS update A03 for XPS 13 Ultrabook, gets a handle on fiesty fans Mar 21st 2012, 20:50 Can't say we noticed an extraordinary amount of blowing from our XPS 13 Ultrabook review unit, but for those with an optioned Core i7 model, you may want to give the source link a look. Down there, you'll find a download link to the A03 BIOS update, which delivers "an updated thermal table which dictates fan speeds and trigger temperatures." Evidently, these machines have a tendency to kick the fans into high gear prematurely (it's okay Dell, we all get excited sometimes), but thankfully, a 4MB package is all that's required to remedy it. 'Preciate it, technology. Dell issues BIOS update A03 for XPS 13 Ultrabook, gets a handle on fiesty fans originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink The Next Web | Dell | Email this | Comments | | Broadcom extends fiber reach with BroadLight acquisition, intros new location architecture Mar 21st 2012, 20:29 Here's a question: did Broadcom get a 50 percent discount for acquiring a company that already had "Broad" in the name? Hard to say at this point, but regardless of semantics, the aforesaid company has snapped up BroadLight in a bid to extend its fiber access portfolio. In lay terms, it's hoping to use BroadLight's inroads to roll out next-gen fiber networks across the globe -- perhaps even through the arctic. In semi-related news, Broadcom has also chosen today to reveal a new location architecture, which will reportedly provide "more responsive outdoor and indoor positioning capabilities for smartphone devices." The new system opens the door for even more indoor GPS locks, and it relies on a minty fresh Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) chip that "significantly reduces time-to-first-fix (TTFF) for outdoor positioning applications." The full deets on both can be found in the source link, but sadly there's no word on when the fancy new positioning tech will meander into your next handset. Broadcom extends fiber reach with BroadLight acquisition, intros new location architecture originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Broadcom (1), (2) | Email this | Comments | | Google patent outlines ads targeted to 'environmental conditions' Mar 21st 2012, 20:15 The ad game is all about targeting: demographics, locations, keywords -- and really, few companies are more equipped to target users than Google. In case you were worried that the search giant doesn't have enough information to harvest, a newly surfaced patent outlines the company's interesting utilizing environmental conditions, including things like temperature, humidity, sound, light or air composition, in order to serve up advertisements to devices. Of course, as with other interesting ad patents from the company, the fact that Google applied doesn't necessary mean we'll be seeing this specific technology rolling out any time soon -- or ever, for that matter. Google patent outlines ads targeted to 'environmental conditions' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink PC World | USPTO | Email this | Comments | | Commodore Amiga Mini PC revealed: Core i7, 16GB of RAM and a Blu-ray drive Mar 21st 2012, 20:04 Yeah, an optical drive. You know, for folks who still appreciate the passing fads of life. Bitterness aside, Commodore is following up its retro-fabulous C64x with a new small-form-factor PC, the Amiga Mini. While not much of a looker, this box houses a potent 3.5GHz Core i7-2700k CPU, 16GB of DDR3 memory, NVIDIA's GeForce GT 430 (1GB), a WiFi radio and a 1TB HDD that can be swapped out for a 300GB or 600GB solid state drive. There's a slot-loading Blu-ray drive by default, internal space for a pair of 2.5-inch drives and a predictable Amiga logo burned right onto the front panel. Unfortunately, the well-specced base model tips the pricing scales at $2,495, but that does include a copy of its Commodore OS Vision. The company's also revealing the C64x Supreme, the new VIC mini and a more powerful VIC-Slim keyboard computer (which now includes an HDMI output), all detailed in the presser past the break. Continue reading Commodore Amiga Mini PC revealed: Core i7, 16GB of RAM and a Blu-ray drive Commodore Amiga Mini PC revealed: Core i7, 16GB of RAM and a Blu-ray drive originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Commodore | Email this | Comments | | Google reportedly rethinking Google Wallet strategy, may share revenue with carriers Mar 21st 2012, 19:50 It's not a done deal just yet, but Bloomberg is reporting that Google could be about to make some big changes to the way it does business with Google Wallet. Citing people with knowledge of the project, Bloomberg says that Google is considering sharing revenue from Google Wallet (specifically that from coupons and special offers) with carriers in an effort to boost adoption of the service, which hasn't exactly taken off as quickly as Google may have hoped (and is also seeing some increased competition). In addition to that, Google is also said to be considering a move that would side-step the carriers and focus more heavily on in-store terminals -- something Bloomberg says could involve additional hardware and software in stores that would work in conjunction with software on Google's own servers. For its part, Google didn't have much to say on the matter, simply noting in a statement that it continues to "work hard to develop Google Wallet and build the partner ecosystem to make it possible for everyone to pay with their phones and get great deals while shopping." Google reportedly rethinking Google Wallet strategy, may share revenue with carriers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Bloomberg | Email this | Comments | |
