This month see’s Sony’s rival to the HD DVD induced Toshiba Qosmio G30 laptop. To compliment Sony’s Blu-ray bound media desktop system (VGC-RC204), the new VGN-AR11S notebook sports a writable Blu-ray drive that, with its dual layer capability, can achieve upto 50GB storage. But what exactly is Blu-ray?

With the spreading availability of High Definition media, comes the need for a storage system that can provide adequate space for this high bandwidth service. Blu-ray, or Blu-ray Disc (BD), is a huge advancement in digital storage media. Holding more than its rival HD DVD, (100GB compared to 60GB (25/15GB per layer, dual layered double sided)), the Blu-ray disc supports more features and, arguably, wider industry support.

Blu-ray discs not only hold more information than a standard CD or DVD (700mb and 4.7GB respectively), but they do so on a disc that is exactly the same size as a DVD. This means that Blu-ray drives are able to playback CD’s and DVD’s, eliminating the need to replace your film collection as you may have had to during the VHS to DVD period. Blu-ray discs achieve this higher capacity by using a different type of laser to write data. Using a blue-violet laser (hence Blu-ray), which has a shorter wavelength, the laser can be focused to a much finer point than a conventional red laser, meaning the data can be packed more tightly into the same space. A 25GB Blu-ray disc will hold approximately 2hours of High Definition footage or 13hours of standard TV recording.

Reminiscent of the VHS - Beta tape wars, there is currently a battle between HD DVD and Blu-ray. Whilst Blu-ray supports a higher capacity and more features, HD DVD production and release times have been quicker. From a consumer perspective this presents quite a problem, do you go for the better spec, or the first released? In light of this, many hardware manufacturers are readying their devices to support both formats (think DVD- vs DVD+). With a Blu-ray film catelogue of over 100 titles ready for release in September, and full 1080p High Definition gaming available in the form of the Sony PS3 games console (release date November 16th 2006), it would appear that Blu-ray may just punch through to market dominance. However, until both formats are mainstream, we shall have to wait.

Further Information:
Wikipedia Blu-ray
Wikipedia HD DVD

Professor V Renugopalakrishnan (yeah I didnt bother either), of the Harvard Medical School in Boston, claims to have developed a system that will allow the capacity of DVD’s to increase to an exponential 50 Terabytes using a thin layer of a protein named Bacteriorhodopsin (bR).

From the Yahoo article, “The light-activated protein is found in the membrane of a salt marsh microbe Halobacterium salinarum and is also known as bacteriorhodopsin (bR). It captures and stores sunlight to convert it to chemical energy. When light shines on bR, it is converted to a series of intermediate molecules each with a unique shape and colour before returning to its ‘ground state’.”

Its almost that time of year again when we all don our Red Hats and Slacks and make our way to London. This years LinuxWorld Expo will offer 26 hours of Open Source topics as well as 16 top name industry speakers, by the likes of Bruce Perens, Alan Cox, Ian Pratt and Chris DiBona.

For more information and registration, please follow this link for the LinuxWorld Expo 2006

Despite failing to see the Vaio U70 Micro PC in the UK, Sony have recently released their latest effort in the handheld computer market. Currently available in the states, the Sony Vaio UX180P Ultra Mobile Personal Computer (UMPC) features all the spec of a full blown notebook reduced down to a size that will fit comfortably in a large jacket pocket. With the xBlack screen a mere 4.5″ in size, the UX180P boasts a huge 614400 pixels (1024×600 widescreen aspect).

The unit runs XP Professional ontop of the new 1.2Ghz Intel Core U1400 processor. With a more than ample 533FSB, the UX180P ships with 512MB of DRR2 RAM and a 30GB hard drive. Connectionwise, the unit is provided with a standard ethernet port, Bluetooth, 802.11a/b/g and a docking station, as well as all the usual USB ports.

The spec is fairly impressive for a unit that only measures 6 x 3.74 x 1.27 inches. But the features don’t end there. Being a small compact PC, capable of carry sensitive corporate data, security is somewhat of a concern. To this end the UX180P incorporates a biometric fingerprint scanner for file and OS control and comes bundled with our favourite bloatware - Norton Internet Security.

With a full set of features, including a touch screen, both front and rear facing cameras and a backlit thumb keyboard, the UX180P doesnt come in cheap. Retailing at $1,799 in the states the unit is expected to be available at around £1,000 in the UK.

More information can be found on the Sony Website
More pictures provided by Google

US company Freescale, have developed a new form of storage, dubbed Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory, or Mram. The chips are able to hold information even after the power has been switched off, but unlike flash memory, Mram has a much much faster read/write speed and degrades at a much slower rate.

“This is radically new technology. People have been dabbling in this for years, but nobody has been able to make it in volume.”

Engineers are predicting the use of Mram to store computer operating systems, allowing for faster startup times.

Of course, with faster more powerful machines, comes fatter more bloated software.

A Niue website is offering unlock codes for numerous models of Nokia and Samsung mobile phones. Whilst I havent checked it out yet, it’s probably worth a quick look. The Nokia side of things presents a small form to fill in, requiring the IMEI of your phone and the serial number. The Samsung page is pretty much the same and, although in Maori(?), is fairly straight forward to follow.

Nokia Unlock Procedure
Samsung Unlock Procedure

Slashdot is reporting that the encryption in the Galileo GPS signal has been broken. The pseudo random number generator used to obscure the information stored in the Galileo GPS signal has been broken. From the article: ‘Members of Cornell’s Global Positioning System (GPS) Laboratory have cracked the so-called pseudo random number (PRN) codes of Europe’s first global navigation satellite, despite efforts to keep the codes secret. That means free access for consumers who use navigation devices — including handheld receivers and systems installed in vehicles — that need PRNs to listen to satellites.’”

Source: Slashdot - Cracking the GPS Galileo Satellite

TheRegister is running an article on a new protection method for mobile phones. The aptly named “skins” protect your mobile from mudd, blood, sweat and goo - perfect for painters, decorators and those of you who cant go swimming without your beloved mobile phone.

As well as some very enticing desktop wallpapers, more details can be found at www.skins-mobile.com

Slashdot is reporting on a new system of landmines that will communicate via a radio network in order to reform the minefield in order to be more effective.

Termed the “self-healing minefield”, the individual mines are capable of detecting an enemy breach and then moving to seal the gap.

http://hardware.slashdot.org/hardware/06/07/03/217251.shtml

“A patent has been filed for bullets with built-in encryption. Pulling the trigger sends a radio signal to the cartridge in the chamber, but the charge only goes off if the right encryption key is sent. The aim is to improve civilian firearm security.”

http://it.slashdot.org/it/06/06/27/1544203.shtml