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CD players turned to chemical detectors

post from Ubergizmo on 25 September 2007 11:37:17 PM. © Ubergizmo

Spanish scientists have tinkered with an ordinary computer CD drive, turning it into a chemical testing platform that can detect the presence of different pesticides. All they did was to solder a couple of light sensors inside a CD player, utilizing software to control the way the device "plays" a disk.

The first sensor identifies the sector of a disk containing a sample using black marks on the edge of the disk. The second analyses the sample itself, measuring the amount of laser light that is able to pass through the disk. Ordinary disks normally reflect around 30% of the laser beam onto the reading head, with the rest passing through.In experiments, the researchers used their modified drive to detect traces of three different pesticides. A sample - half a millimetre across on a disk - was treated normally, using a set of reactions that produce an amount of dye or silver that is inversely proportional to the amount of pesticide in the sample. The amount of laser light that passed through the disk to the second sensor indicated the levels of dye or silver. The modified drive was thus able to detect levels of pesticide as low as 0.02 micrograms per litre.

Despite the fact that this device is pretty crude, it is still accurate enough for many lab tasks. Hopefully next generation DVD players will yield better results with the same treatment.

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Album purchase experience from Amazon

post from Ubergizmo on 25 September 2007 11:36:03 PM. © Ubergizmo

Album purchase experience from Amazon

Purchasing a single MP3 track from Amazon and an album are two different experiences, where the former involved a mere click and download while the latter requires you to install the Amazon music tool (weighing in at 575kb) that installs quickly. Once up and running, you'll need to click on the "1 Click Album Purchase" logo, opening the .AMZ file if you're using Firefox (in IE7 it ought to trigger automatically though) just to see the Amazon MP3 Downloader pop up, commencing with the album download almost immediately. It takes approximately 90 seconds to download the entire album which is stored in the newly created "Amazon MP3" folder in the Music folder for those using Vista. The album art is already embedded in the file so you don't have to go looking around for one. All purchases are made via credit card.

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External Mac drives from Iomega

post from Ubergizmo on 25 September 2007 11:35:12 PM. © Ubergizmo

External Mac drives from Iomega

Iomega has just launched a few new Mac-compatible external hard drives, with the 1.5TB UltraMax Pro Desktop leading the charge. It houses a couple of SATA-II drives in a meshed enclosure that resembles the Mac Pro, and these drives can be set to RAID 0, 1 or JBOD configurations. Interfaces in the primary version consist of two FireWire 800 ports, one FireWire 400 port, and a USB 2.0 connector. You can also choose from an alternate version that comes with with eSATA and USB 2.0 interfaces, where the former features blazing speeds of up to 3Gbps. These new drives can now be purchased for $600 a pop and will not run on anything less than Mac OS X 10.3. Other external hard drives include Iomega's MiniMax line and the eGo portable drives that cater for more casual use.

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Toshiba launches first SLI notebooks

post from Ubergizmo on 25 September 2007 11:33:33 PM. © Ubergizmo

Toshiba launches first SLI notebooks Toshiba has unleashed its first-ever notebooks that run on a dual video card mode, bringing high quality graphics with you wherever you go. The X205-SLI series is powered by a pair of 512MB GeForce 8600M GT cards that ought to be able to handle even the latest DirectX 10 titles without breaking a sweat. Each notebook also comes with a HD DVD combo drive to usher in high definition video wherever you go. You can watch smooth 1080p video on the 17" display or output it to an HDTV via HDMI. Dual hard drives make it easy for you to separate games and work related files, while 802.11n connectivity and a webcam rounds off the list of features. Prices start from $2,000 up till $2,500, depending on the configuration you're looking for. Good things always come in pairs, no?

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Elecom MR-C12 memory card reader

post from Ubergizmo on 25 September 2007 11:32:48 PM. © Ubergizmo

Elecom MR-C12 memory card reader

'm sure many of our readers out there have to grapple with more than a single memory card format throughout the day, and hence the need for a memory card reader that reads most, if not all, memory card types is crucial. The Elecom MR-C12 memory card reader not only reads the plethora of available formats out in the market today, it also boasts storage space for your SD, Memory Stick, and microSD cards when they're not in use. Just be careful not to lose this as a huge chunk of your information would vanish in an instant as well, leaving you with the regret of not backing up your data. For those who own the Nintendo DS, you can always store your DS cards inside as an impromptu carry case.

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Vaio NR series surprisingly affordable

post from Ubergizmo on 25 September 2007 10:58:46 PM. © Ubergizmo

The Sony Vaio line of laptops aren't exactly what you call pocket friendly, and you often get very little value for your money. The new NR series could change the perception though, with prices starting from $750 upwards, it will feature a 15.4" XBRITE ECO WLCD display, a DVD burner, Windows Vista Home Premium, built-in WiFi connectivity, LocationFree software, a healthy amount of ports, and a multi-memory card reader. Selected models will run off Intel's Core 2 Duo processor as you choose from wenge, silk, and granite colors. Hopefully the amount of RAM is decent enough to take advantage of Windows Vista's features, as chances are even Vista SP1 won't be able to salvage any dignity left if there isn't enough memory to begin with in the first place.

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Bird flu test done in half an hour

post from Ubergizmo on 25 September 2007 10:57:21 PM. © Ubergizmo

Bird flu test done in half an hour Scientists in Singapore have successfully developed a portable device that is said to detect the infamous H5N1 bird flu virus that gripped the world with fear and terror a few years' back. Comprised of a unique platform designed by IBN, it uses a magnetic force to manipulate individual droplets containing silica-coated magnetic particles. The droplet itself has many functions, being a pump, valve, mixer, solid-phase extractor and real-time thermocycler. It will then be able to process complex biochemical tasks in a similar manner found in that of a traditional biological laboratory on a miniature scale. Initial trial runs have shown that IBN's platform is extremely sensitive and yields results around 10 times faster than available tests. Another piece of good news - the final product could be up to 40 to a hundred times cheaper than existing solutions.

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D-Link rolls out DWA-643 adapter

D-Link has released the DWA-643 Wireless N XpressCard Notebook Adapter which comes in an ExpressCard 34 design that supports not only 802.11b and g, it also does 802.11n to meet the vigorous demands of future wireless networking. To make things simpler for the layman, that means it operates in the 2.4GHz band and not the 5GHz band that is less noisy and boasts a higher level of performance. For those bound to their desks at work, there is also a PCI Express version of the same device.

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Sony upgrades Vaio UX MicroPC

Sony has just refreshed its Vaio UX MicroPC, and potential owners will be proud to see a spanking new Intel Core 2 Solo processor that is faster than those found in its predecessors, as well as a 64GB flash drive thrown into the fray. These additions make the Vaio UX MicroPC stand a notch above the smaller OQO model 2. For consumers who eschew SSD storage in favor of hard drives, there is always the cheaper model that carries a 40GB hard drive. Other specifications such as the 1,024 x 600 resolution, 4.5" LCD display, 1GB RAM, a paltry USB port, Memory Stick Duo and CF card slots, WiFi connectivity, Bluetooth 2.0 support, and dual cameras remain the same. You can pick up this revamped Vaio UX MicroPC in Japan from October 3 onwards at a yet undisclosed price, and chances are good that it will make its way Stateside in time for the holidays as well.

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