For $400, 250GB is also a good amount of hard disk space, and Windows 7 (Starter) is a plus, though that means it won't be available until late October.

There are some nice design touches, too: a glossy motif on the lid, chiclet-style keys, and custom software to manage driver updates, Webcam, and Wi-Fi management. OpenOffice.org V3 is also pre-installed. Not bad at all. [Hercules]

• Windows 7 Starter operating system with Windows Live® Suite: Messenger, Mail, Photo Gallery, Movie Maker & Media Player
• 10.1" high-brightness screen (1024x600)
• Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz Processor
• 1GB Ram
• 250GB HDD Storage + an extra 50GB of online storage
• Comfortable chiclet keyboard with separated flat keys
• WiFi N technology
• 6-Cell 4400 mAh battery
• Built-in webcam with microphone
• Connections: 1x VGA, 3x USB, 1x headphones, 1x microphone, 1x LAN RJ45, 1x DC-in 12V, 1x card reader: SD/MMC/SDHC/MS

"If you could hold a giant magnifying glass in space and focus all the sunlight shining toward Earth onto one grain of sand, that concentrated ray would approach the intensity of a new laser beam made in a University of Michigan laboratory." - Physorg

The beam is sustained for 30 femtoseconds, with one femtosecond being equivalent to a million billionth of a second. So, it lasts longer than you do in bed, and it also performs a little better, too. However, this isn't Dr Robotnik having a wacky time for no use, it is hoped that the research will give rise to powerful cancer treatments, and when we say powerful, we do mean 300 terawatts of power, with an inconceivable, 20 billion trillion watts per square centimeter. What is that equivalent to? An astonishing, 300 times the capacity of the U.S. electricity grid. All of that energy is concentrated into a 1.3-micron point, which is roughly 100th the diameter of a human hair.

Victor Yanovsky, who spearheaded the laser's development, says the HERCULES is around two orders more powerful than its nearest competing laser. A beam can be generated once every 10 seconds, and the entire contraption accommodates several rooms, is constructed from titanium-sapphire and the light that enters at one end is processed by mirrors and other optical elements. This results in an increase in the energized quality of focused light.

The high intensity light, beyond medical uses, could also be implemented in crazy physics based procedures called "boiling the vacuum," which will apparently result in spontaneous matter generation. Crazy. Let's hope no one hell-bent on world domination starts attempting to put together a real Death Star, or we'll all be screwed. May the Force be with you. (Note to self: End more articles with that line.) [University of Michigan via Physorg]

The system is designed to hold the iPod video 30GB and 60GB, iPod nano and iPod mini. The front of the speaker has a clear door that allows you to see the iPod inside for track information. On the outside are buttons that give you access to the controls of the iPod while it is docked. External controls include play/pause, forward, back, and volume controls. A power button and a button that controls the speaker mode are included as well. The i-XPS 120 ships with an AC adapter and a car DC adapter, obviously it's not waterproof when using either of these power options. For use outside you power the speaker system with four C-cell batteries. The unit is waterproof to IP53 standards.

Inside the docking area for the iPod is a 3.5mm headphone jack. This and a short included 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable is supposed to allow you to use any MP3 player with the speaker. However, I found that the angled adapter wouldn't allow the door to close fully with the Sansa e280r I tried with the headphone port. I could have used the i-XPS 120 inside, but without closing the door, the water resistant design is not functional.

Sound quality was good, though lacked bass for my tastes. Peak power is 24 Watts RMS with an effective output of 2 x 6 watts RMS and the system uses a pair of 3-inch drivers. Dimensions for the speaker are 200mm x 320mm x 160mm (H xWxD). If you are the outdoorsy type looking for a decent speaker system that you can use for your iPod while you do, whatever it is people that go outside do the iXPS-120 works well. The i-XPS 120 should go on sale this month for $129. This would have been just the thing for the "camping" trips in my college days where more beer was involved than anything else and someone always seemed to end up peeing on something.

The clamp on the bottom allows you to attach the webcam to both LCDs and CRTs so it won't fall off mid-show. The bundled software, "Station Evolution", gives you features like "Burst Mode, Infinite Images, Emotion Delayer, and Travelling-Zoom."

Give me a call when it's available in October and I'll even be a guest. – Jason Chen

Hercules webcam combines great features with a small price [Pocket Lint]

I don't know who really uses these pathetic "user-friendly" DJ packages, but here's yet another one to let any moron mix his own music on the PC. The Hercules DJ Console Mk2 mixing controller looks like the real deal, with two jog wheels emulating two vinyl turntables, a cross fader slider and two volume sliders, eight EQ and pitch knobs and 28 action buttons. All this to let you personalize (i.e. hack up) your own music and make set-lists for any party you want to scare people away from. The two stereo inputs also let you hook up to two turntables or CD players and the two stereo outputs let you play your concoctions over amplified speakers or redirect the sound to an effects processor or external mixer. Oh, and don't miss the microphone input with a "talk-over" function, cause we all know how fun that can be. Just $142.

Hercules MP3 Mixing Deck [Bios Magazine]