Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

One of the main complaints you see with the Kindle, or just about any eBook reader is the lack of an available backlight.  That means it becomes the task of third party accessory makers to fill in that gap.  The latest accessory comes in the form of a Lighted Folio from Periscope.

The Lighted Folio includes a twin LED light that is said to offer 40 hours of light from three AA batteries.  Additionally the folio offers space for a 5 x 8-inch notepad along with a pen holder.  If interested, the Lighted Folio is retailing for $49.95.  It is currently available as a pre-order item with delivery promised for December. 

Interested in a Kindle?  Click here for Gadgetell’s Kindle review.

Product [PeriscopeLight]

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• Feelin’ Blu?
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It would appear that the in word at the moment is ‘Blu’ as yet another product with the prefix of Blu emerges, this time in the genre of health.  The goLITE BLU is essentially advanced light therapy to fight against S.A.D. (seasonal defective disorder) as well as the general winter depression.

Surprisingly, though this is not made by Sony, rather by Phillips who appear to have hijacked the poorly spelled color in their product name.  Beneath the fancy wording and scientific explanations is the fact the device is an alarm clock that uses new light technology (yes you guessed it, blue light) to sight against S.A.D.  Continued after the break.

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You probably remember sitting in a movie theater, wearing those crazy blue and red glasses, the big monster seeming to come off the screen right at you.  Well, 3D has come even further, and is even more amazingly lifelike.  And one of the latest steps forward is actually a step into the past to Ancient Egypt.

Dolby Laboratories just announced yesterday that their 3D Digital Cinema was chosen to present the Giant Screen Films’ “Egypt 3D: Secrets of the Mummies.“  This is a companion movie to “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age,“ the National Geographic exhibition that tours all over. 

Read more to find out about what tech Dolby is using with 3D movies.

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Vehicular accidents due to sleepy drivers are a leading cause of death in the United States (or the world, for that matter). And it surprises me to know that not many people give thought or try to find ways to prevent such things from happening, even though the next person to doze off behind the wind shield could be them. But Mariana Figueiro and her colleagues at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York suggest that drivers take 30-minute blue light “baths” at truck stops and gas stations to keep them from falling asleep while driving. That would work, only you first have to find a way to build the blue LEDs in the cars to have the most efficient set up possible.

This suggestion is based on the knowledge that light has an indirect effect on our body’s internal clock. And research has found that short wavelengths have the strongest effect on people. That’s why Figueiro’s team is eager to find out how the body would be affected by blue LED light, in terms of alertness of people lacking sleep. When this concept materializes, I hope they remember this suggestion: build the blue LED lights on the tail lights of cars so that it beams directly to the driver right behind you, and would therefore keep him from falling asleep, just in case he felt sleepy.

Via [New Scientist]

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A new method for creating very efficient LEDs has been devised by scientists over at Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey. The team of brilliant researchers, headed by Hilmi Volkan Demir, have been able to produce energy efficient LEDs that emit a warmer and more natural looking white light than any kind of LED (or any other man-made light source, for that matter) available today.

Using a special layer of nanocrystalline coating, the researchers were able to build an LED that produced whiter light than ever without sucking up more power. This is a huge step in the right direction for the LED light researchers, who have been spending the last decade looking for a way to make LEDs emit “natural light” without sacrificing the unit’s efficiency.

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