We recently got a hold of the “CORE” green laser pointer from the folks over at Wicked Lasers and we’re quite impressed. It was probably the brightest laser pointer I had seen. According to Wicked Lasers, this model should be visible over 10,000 feet away (during a clear night). Green lasers are naturally over 50x brighter than red lasers since the human eye is more sensitive to it. The Core model outputs the green laser at 5mW (milliwatts), which is the maximum allowed under U.S. regulations. (100% Legal!)

As I mentioned, this was the closest thing I had seen to a true “laser beam”. When I tested it outdoors at night, a good portion of the beam was clearly visible due to moisture in the air. We compared it to another red laser of the same milliwatt output and close to nothing was visible. Although this is one of the least powerful green laser produced by Wicked Lasers, it is still quite dangerous. It is important to be cautious since direct exposure from close distances can permanently damage the eye. You will also find safety warnings on standard red laser pointers found in most office supply and electronic stores, but these aren’t nearly as dangerous or powerful.

If for some reason 5mW isn’t enough for you, Wicked Lasers sells green lasers with outputs reaching up to 300mW. (Once again ours was just 5mW) We wouldn’t recommend playing around with anything higher than the Core. If you purchase one handle it cautiously, don’t give it to children, or people unaware of its potential. If you want a better idea of how powerful these can get, the following are some examples of what each milliwatt range they can do: (So yes, they can burn and melt stuff!)

• 15-35mW: beam visible at night, in smoke, and in foggy areas.
• 55-75mW: 15 mile range, beam visible in lighted areas, melt trash bags, and stings skin
• 95-125mW: 50 mile range, pop air balloons, light matches, and melt plastic/rubber
• 200-300mW: 100 mile range, Tesla technology, and can even lights cigars

Getting back to the Core model, it runs on two standard AAA batteries for up to 90 minutes. The lifespan of the laser itself is expected to be somewhere around 5,000 hours of use. The one small drawback we noticed was the fact that using this pointer for over 3 minutes continuously could cause the insides to overheat therefore sacrificing the laser diode’s lifespan. Either way 3 minutes is a pretty long time to be pointing at something, plus it’s a great improvement over older lasers which were even shorter.

Red lasers are the most widely available, however green laser pointers are becoming much more common and cheaper. Just for a rough idea, just about 10 years ago a red laser would have cost nearly $100. As for the CORE by Wicked Lasers, it is available online for just $35. Wicked Lasers even provides a 12 month warranty with the unit and throw in a hard case, so there’s not much to worry about. Having a green laser for presentations can make things more interesting. If you wish to purchase other higher end models, prices reach over $500.

Links: Wicked Lasers CORE | WickedLasers.com
Related: TechLasers.com (Wicked Lasers Affiliate)

http://skattertech.com/media/2007/10/wicked-lasers-video.flv

It’s been a while since we’ve heard some positive news from the AMD camp, who’ve had a tough time recently. Back in 2005, the company was slowly eating away at Intel’s market share with their high performance processors. But sadly, this advancement woke up a slumbering giant. Intel responded swiftly and without an inkling mercy. Their launched a brand new Core 2 Duo, which rapidly fought back the AMD advancement and Intel hasn’t halted since. In addition AMD had an even more difficult time figuring out how to cut prices to create a comparatively better value than their large competitor.

Fortunately, the engineers over at AMD weren’t just sitting around; they were hard at work drafting plans for a counteroffensive. The weapon, you ask? “Barcelona”: the first ever native x86 quad-core microprocessor. “Designed from inception for the most demanding datacenters,” ready to battle Intel over every server socket with incredible energy efficiency and cost. Expect to start seeing these processors in server-oriented desktops, codenamed “phenom,” by December 2007.

That is AMD’s plan, anyway. If you’re eager to learn more about the new chips and their prices, processing speeds, and plenty more head on over to Tech-Talkers.com.

Today at the WWDC “06 Keynote, Apple announced the long awaited Mac Pro. The new Mac Pro, a G5 replacement, features a Intel Dual Core Xeon 3GHz Processor, 16GB RAM, NVIDIA 512MB Video Card, Up To 2TB (terabytes) of Storage, a 16x Dual Layer DVD SuperDrive, and PCI Express Expansion Slots. This new 64bit system is supposedly 2x the speed of the top of the line configuration of its predecessor. Also note that with the launch of this machine, Apple has finally fully transitioned over to Intel.

Apple Mac Pro Specs:

• Processor: Two 2/2.66/3GHz Dual Core Intel Xeon
• Memory: 2GB / 4GB / 8GB / 16GB Configurations
• Graphics: NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 512MB w/ Dual-DVI
• Displays: Dual-Screen Support (8 displays max)
• Hard Drive: Max 2TB (w/ 4 bays 500GB in each)
• SuperDrive: 16x DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW (2 max)
• Wireless: Bluetooth 2.0 + AirPort Extreme 802.11b/g
• Wired Communication: Two 1GB Ethernet / Optional Modem
• Peripherals: 2 FireWire 800 / 2 FireWire 400 / 5 USB 2.0
• Audio: Analog In/Out + Optical Digital In/Out
• Software: Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger

As stated at the keynote, the Mac Pro will begin to ship today and pricing will start at $2,500 with the bare minimum configuration. Apple also released a new Mac OS Xserve Server and previewed the upcoming Mac OS X Leopard. Getting back on track, this is an extremely powerful machine and therefore is expensive. However if you are like most average consumers you probably can’t afford to spend that much. I wouldn’t worry because knowing Apple, they most likley release a new product called the “Mac” within a few months just as they did by launching a low-end “MacBook” after the launch of the pricey “MacBook Pro”.

Links: Apple Mac Pro | Mac Pro Specs
Related: Apple Press Release | Bluetooth Mighty Mouse

Today, 05/16/06, Apple announced the second line of Intel Core Processor based laptops. The new “MacBook” line is more affordable than the MacBook Pros which were released in January. Although the MacBooks are cheaper and more compact, the new line now lacks many features and has less power than the MacBook Pros. The MacBooks have a 13″ widescreen display and are available in 1.83/2.0 GHz models and comes in two colors, black and white. (The MacBook is a replacment to the iBook)

The new MacBooks have many of the features the MacBook Pros had such as the built-in iSight camera, Front Row media center, Mag Safe power adaptor, FireWire, WiFi 802.11g, and Bluetooth. The white model is available in 1.83GHz for $1,099 and 2.0GHz for $1,299. The slightly higher-end black MacBook also has 2.0GHz processor, but costs $1,499 because of an extra 20GB of storage. MacBooks are customizable and are available 512MB-2GB RAM, 60-120GB HDD, 4x-8x DVD±RW Drive, and a 64MB Intel Video Card. If you do plan to order one you are in luck, Apple has stated that orders placed today will be delivered by the end of the week.

Links: Apple MacBook | MacBook Tech Specs
More: Apple Store | Comparision Chart | MacBook Pro
Related: 17″ MacBook Pro | Boot Camp

Today, 04.24.06, Apple unveiled a new 17″ MacBook Pro, which is about 5x faster than the original 15″ model. The new MacBook Pro has a 2.16GHz Intel Core Duo processor, a whopping 1680×1050 display, 1GB RAM, 8x Dual-Layer SuperDrive, ATI Mobility Radeon 256MB, and a 120GB Hard Drive. This new laptop will run you about $2,799, but the specs speak for themselves. Although many were hoping for a smaller and cheaper MacBook Pro, a larger and more expensive one was released. However, this may be popular for those that wish to have a powerful portable machine that can now run both Mac OS X and Windows XP. Overall this new addition is an exact replica of the previous 15″ models, which still exist, except this model has a bigger/brighter display and better hardware specs. The 17″ MacBook Pro still has all standard MacBook Pro features such as the iSight Cam, MagSafe Power, Front Row Remote, Bluetooth, WiFi, etc. If you do wish to purchase it, Apple will begin shipping them next week.

Links: Apple MacBook Pro | Apple Store
Coverage: Gizmodo | Engadget | TUAW | Slashdot
Related: Boot Camp | MacBook Problems

Today (February 28, 2006), Apple announced two new products at a special Apple event. The first product was an Intel based Mac mini (Intel Core processors) and the second was a stereo system called the iPod Hi-Fi (compatible with all iPods). Another minor release was $99 leather cases for the iPod nano & video.

“Fifty percent of our entire product line is now available with Intel processors, in less than sixty days,” – Steve Jobs, Apple CEO

Two versions of the Intel Core Mac Mini were announced. The first one has a 1.5GHz Intel Single Core processor, 60GB hd, DVD/CDRW, and costs $599. The second edition has a 1.67GHz Intel Dual Core processor, 80GB hd, dual-layer DVD±RW/CDRW, and costs $799. Both have 512MB of ram and an Intel 64MB graphics card. They also have WiFi, Bluetooth, Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire 400, and more. The Mac Mini now has an infrared port for the remote which controls the Front Row program that it now includes. Front Row allows easy access to photos, music, and movies; a new feature now allows sharing content across networks.

The second product was the iPod Hi-Fi. The Hi-Fi is a stereo set, which as a dock atop to connect either the iPod nano or video. (iPod shuffle can be plugged in using a port on the back) When the iPod is plugged in, the backlight will be turned on and album art will be displayed. (will also charge your iPod) The Hi-Fi can also run on 6 D-cell batteries, but is unlikely most will carry such large speakers around. (17″x 6.6″x 6.9″) This is pretty much an expensive Apple branded pointless speaker set to compete with 3-party devices.

Overall the entire “special” event was a disappointment. The Mac Mini with an Intel processor was expected to be released eventually just as an Intel based Mac G5 is expected. Next, the iPod Hi-Fi was a completely pointless invention and is way too expensive for anyone. Finally, the new leather iPod case is unusable while in the case, making it useless! Therefore, nothing really impressive was announced at the keynote.

Links: Mac Mini | iPod Hi-Fi | Leather Case
Related: Apple.com | Apple Store
Recent: A Faster MacBook Pro | 1GB iPod Nano