It has 12 different Star Trek LCARS (Library Computer Access/Retrieval System) interface themes, and the site says more will be available for download. File format support is listed as MP3, MP4, AVI JPG, BMP, and WAV.

What gave me goosebumps: Seeing that beyond the TR-590 Tricorder X-style design, there are also Medical, Borg, Marine, Workbee and Troi-styled models available. The starting price of $349 might bring you back down to earth, though. [AmeralisGrafx — Thanks Junior!]

Available at Amazon on June 4, this $50 piece of retro goodness is the tricorder that started it all, and is the perfect gift if you're the kind of Star Trek fan who thinks Abrams is the devil.

As you fume silently at the screen when Chris Pine tears down years of your life by reinventing Capt. James T. Kirk, press a button or two on the comforting facade of this piece of television history. Then coo softly as the tricorder beeps and boops with sound samples from the original series. Sigh heavily as your fingers catch on its sharp sides. It's pain, yes, but it's a good pain!

When Spock and Uhura lock lips in a display of love that's an affront to the WAY THINGS OUGHT TO BE, simply remove the detachable scanner accessory and go on an extended away mission to the local 7-11. You'll feel better immediately.

And remember, this is a "role play" replica, meaning it's convention and cosplay approved!

But seriously folks. As Leonard Nimoy himself said of haters on SNL last night (alongside Pine and Zachary Quinto), "to not like [Star Trek] would make them dickheads." Fascinating.

[Amazon via Retro Thing viaCoolest Gadgets]

As if there was any doubt, the device would use nanotechnology to decipher what kinds of contaminants are present on any surface it scans.

The idea uses a thin layer of metal drilled with nanoscale holes, laid onto the surface being tested. When the perforated plate is zapped with laser light, the surface plasmons that form emit light with a frequency related to the materials touching the plate. A sensitive light detector is needed to measure the frequency of light given off.

Better still, the team, led by Kevin Tetz and members of the Ultrafast and Nanoscale Optics Group at the University of California, says the devices will be small and portable. They'll work on low power (green Tricorders!), and would work on a range of substances, from explosives to bacteria.

There's one tiny problem with the device, if you'll pardon the pun. In layman's, totally unscientific terms, the device spits out Spanish to a group of people who only speak English. In other words, the device, while sound in theory, needs a system that can decode the light signatures it produces. [New Scientist via Slashdot]

You charge the RC Enterprise with a=the tricorder-shaped charger seen above (sorry, no space dock just yet). After a 15-minute charge, the Enterprise is ready to fly again. [Entertainment Earth via Geek Alerts]

The result is a medical scanner that is ultra-portable and inexpensive enough to make an impact in developing countries. Tests have also determined that the amount of data sent should not prove problematic for the system. In fact, the size of the data in a recent study amounted to less than 6 kilobytes. That having been said, the researchers behind the project hope to go a step further and couple ultrasound scanners with cellphones, which could potentially reduce the cost of a typical $70,000 machine to $1000 or less. Ultrasounds for everyone! [LiveScience]

Purdue researchers have invented a real-world "tricorder". It utilizes a mass spectrometer to analyze the information received from an ionized water vapor (that contacts any substance under study). Not only does the unit provide results within minutes—it only weighs 20lbs, which should be an attainable lifting goal for most Star Trek fans before the next conference. – Mark Wilson

Scientists Invent Real-Life Tricorder [via scifi tech]