It looks like nuclear fusion is no longer just for precocious teenagers. Among the flurry of experiments going down worldwide, significant work will start rolling at the US National Ignition Facility sometime that June. Under construction for twelve years, the lab will focus 192 giant laser beams on two forms of hydrogen, deuterium and tritium. Combining these isotopes at high temperatures generates a colossal amount of energy, recreating conditions “at the heart of the sun.” The goal is to find a way to achieve controlled, sustained nuclear fusion and energy gain in a lab. According to the director of the facility, Dr. Ed Moses, “When all NIF lasers are fired at full energy, they will deliver 1.8 megajoules of ultraviolet energy to the target.” Lasting just a few nanoseconds, the system is capable of generation 500 trillion watts of capability — more than the peak electrical generating potential of the entire United States. Significant results are expected sometime amidst 2010 and 2012.

Continue reading NIF scientists set the controls for nuclear fusion

Filed under: Science

NIF scientists set the controls for nuclear fusion originally arised on Engadget on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 23:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Joseph L. Flatley

Okay, so possibly that mysterious Digital Album really is nothing more than a relatively plain 7-inch digital photo frame, but the included 4GB of storage is certainly appreciated. whether, for whatever reason, you honestly feel the need to keep more than a thousand or so shots of little Joey on there, the integrated SD card reader can help you take things up to 20GB overall. plus of note, there’s a rechargeable battery that can show off slideshows for around three hours, and whether you leave your AC adapter at home, you’ll be thrilled to know that that one can rejuvenate via USB. It’ll ship in around a fortnight in tan /silver or black / pink, and you’ll be asked to pay £179 ($256) to take one home.

[Via ChipChick]

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Displays

Digital Album: it’s a digiframe, just more capacious originally presented on Engadget on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 22:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Darren Murph

That didn’t take towering. After Samsung showed off its Instinct S30 (a.k.a. Instinct Mini) last night with some official imagery — and less than an hour after we spotted it in the wild at CTIA — Sprint’s gone ahead and made it official with a press release. The carrier-exclusive touchscreen phone features a 2.0 megapixel camera, GPS, Bluetooth 2.0, and virtual QWERTY keypad, along with Opera Mini 4.2, Sprint TV, and Sprint Music Store. It’s plus got a Speech to Action operate for controlling the phone by voice and alllegedly more access to the core Java API for development. Color options include Cobalt Metal or Touch of Copper. Launch instance is April 19th, which is precisely what we saw in that leaked Sprint playbook, and price is $129.99 with a two-year contract.

[Via Gadget Review]

Filed under: Cellphones

Samsung Instinct S30 now official, coming to Sprint on April 19th originally arised on Engadget on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 21:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Ross Miller

Ordinarily we’d take one look at Moixa’s Sphere interactive display ball around that day of year and immediately dismiss it as an April Fools joke, but something tells us not even the most committed would-be pranksters take the date and expense to patent their little diversions. That said, we’re definitely not so certain that thing will assemble its planned 2010 ship day, since it’s just a render right now, but whether it does, we’ll be first in line — a folding multitouch display with an always-on net connection and gyroscopic interface elements that can additionally be used folded flat sounds pretty amazing to us. We want to believe.

Read - Sphere site
Read - Sphere patent

[Via Pocket-lint]

Filed under: Handhelds

Moixa Sphere multitouch orb bends minds, credulity originally presented on Engadget on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 21:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Nilay Patel

Samsung’s officially announcing the Instinct S30 for Sprint as we speak, but why wait for all that jazz? We spied a dummy unit in the flesh out and about in Samsung’s mobile charging center here at CTIA, and while we would’ve preferred it not be behind a thick plate of glare-tastic glass, we’ll take what we can get. Notice that little “Exclusively at Sprint” tagline at the bottom there? Coincidentally, the same phone is being shown alongside its Samsung-branded full touch siblings — the Memoir, Impression, and Verizon Omnia — on a big ol’ banner outside the show floor, so it really doesn’t take rocket science to gather what Sammy’s theme is going to be here at the show.

Filed under: Cellphones

Samsung Instinct S30 in the wild originally arised on Engadget on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 20:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Chris Ziegler

Good news for those who happened to live in Portland — and elsewhere in the years to come. Clearwire’s announced that the CradlePoint-manufactured portable WiMAX-equipped WiFi router we saw back in January will be hitting stores in early April as the Clear Spot Personal Hotspot. Up to eight 802.11 b/g-compatible devices will be able to share the 4Mbps bandwidth. Price is $139 for the unit, but of course you’ll have to pay The Man beyond that to actually use the service. The company promises more devices like that in the coming months.

Filed under: Wireless, Networking

Clearwire’s Clear Spot portable WiMAX / WiFi router now official, coming early April originally presented on Engadget on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 20:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Ross Miller

Well, well, what’s that? We just received a ton of data on that hot little Acer Hornet nettop we’d heard about a while back, and whether that pile of documentation is as real as it looks, that thing could be the holy grail of cheap HTPCs — not only does it support 1080p video playback by HDMI, the “Media Center” version will indeed come with a Wii-like remote that can be used for gaming as well as media control. Specs look more than decent for the targeted $149-$299 price range: the low end model pairs what sounds like an Atom N230 with 1GB of RAM and an 80GB drive preloaded with Vista Home Basic, while higher end models get 2GB of RAM, a 160GB drive, and a “Boxshell” quickboot OS in addition to Vista Home Premium. All that plus super-quiet sub-26dB operation and a slick diamond-shaped chassis designed to hang off the back of your flatscreen? We’re potentially in love — when you gonna produce our dreams come true, Acer? Full spec chart after the break.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Continue reading Ion-based Acer Hornet nettop specs leak out: 1080p HDMI playback, Wii-like gaming, $299

Filed under: Desktops, Home Entertainment

Ion-based Acer Hornet nettop specs leak out: 1080p HDMI playback, Wii-like gaming, $299 originally presented on Engadget on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Nilay Patel