Nerf N-Strike Vulcan for a blast

Ever since one of our CNET Asia members snucked home a Nerf Gun from a trip overseas, we've had a soft spot for this maverick blaster that packs a six-dart rotating barrel. Just to relieve the stress, we would occasionally carry out target practise, not on the boss, but at a DIY bull's eye drawn on the window. That went well till the suction cups on the foam darts lost their bite. These days, the local Toys R Us carries a range of Nerf guns, so there's no fear of running out of ammo.

So imagine our delight to find that the Nerf N-Strike Vulcan (US$43) adding to the family. First featured at a toy fair, this weapon of mass destruction is really more fearsome Rambo than peace-loving Vulcan with its tripod-mounted, motorized, belt-feeding monster cannon. According to specs, this fires up to a whopping 25 Nerf darts without reloading, powered on by six D batteries, with an N-strike clip for additional tactical lights, scopes or sights. With that kind of offensive fire power, your "foes" will soon be eating dust.

Via Uncrate

Economy takes bite out of electronics show

The Consumer Electronics Show has become a mammoth event every January in Las Vegas, but the down economy is paring it back as Cisco Systems, Yahoo, and other companies scale back their presence.

CES remains a useful way for technology companies to meet with retailers, press, and the media. But for some in the current economic climate, it's not useful enough to pay $35 per square foot for a sprawling booth on the Las Vegas Convention Center's cavernous interior.

"This was to have been Cisco's first time as a formal exhibitor," said spokesman Jim Brady. "Given (Cisco's) focus on reducing costs, the company has decided to scale down its participation in CES in Las Vegas in January 2009." Instead, the networking giant is sticking with a more modest space rented at the Venetian Hotel supplemented with videoconferencing technology.

Cisco isn't the only one to scale back. Also on the list are Yahoo, Seagate, Logitech, and Belkin, company representatives confirmed. Philips won't have a space on the CES showfloor, either, though Funai, which has taken over manufacturing and selling TVs under the Philips brand in the US, will pick up some of the slack.
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Water ice glaciers spotted on Mars

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has detected what NASA scientists believe are huge glaciers of water ice lying beneath a layer of rocky debris.

The finding is significant because it helps scientists better understand a feature of the Martian surface that has puzzled them for decades. In the 1970s, the Viking orbiters sent back images that showed what have been dubbed "aprons", or large, gently sloping deposits of debris situated at the base of tall geographic formations like cliffs. Several theories for what created these aprons have been posed over the years. This research indicates that what's just beneath that debris is of much greater interest.

To investigate the planet's surface, the MRO spacecraft uses a radar instrument, donated for the project by the Italian Space Agency, that can penetrate the Martian ground. The instrument detected radio waves bouncing off a layer of material beneath the surface that were consistent with what is found in areas covered with water ice glaciers.
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Zinc fuel cell maker readies portable power pack

A California startup says next year it will introduce a BlackBerry-size box that uses zinc as a fuel to charge electronic gadgets, a move that some people hope is a small step toward a broad zinc-based energy industry.

Three-year-old Power Air was formed to commercialize zinc-air fuel cell technology developed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The core technology--an alternative to lithium-ion batteries or hydrogen fuel cells--creates an electrical current by exposing a zinc solution to the oxygen in air.

The long-term plan for Power Air is to build backup generators and mobile power sources for boats or vehicles.

Its first commercial product, though, is portable power supplies for cell phones, iPhones, and other consumer electronics. It plans to introduce the product line, called ZAFC Powerpacks, at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, according to Power Air CEO Don Ceci.

The power packs are aimed at people who need auxiliary power, such as the businessperson or student who wants to extend power of a cell phone for another hour at the end of the day.

There are other options for portable power, based on alternative fuels.
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Ecosol's Powerstick V2: Power anywhere, anytime

While I still love my iPhone 3G, we've hit some bumps in the road in our relationship--in particular its battery life, or lack thereof, depending on what I'm using it for.

I recall one instance in particular. After using the phone more than I usually do in a day, I went to bed without charging it. The next day I woke up to a dead phone. Luckily this was a Saturday morning, so I didn't particularly need it for the next few hours, but this could have easily happened on a weekday.

And there I'd be. On the bus, on my way to work with no way of checking my email or the news of what happened in the world while I slept. I shudder at the thought.

Ecosol has figured out that this is an area where it may be able to help poor guys like me. With its Powerstick V2, users can charge their USB-compatible portable devices anywhere, at any time. Simply hook your USB compatible device and voila, instant juice.
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