Canon's 8-inch CMOS sensor can record SPACE at 60fps

For whatever reason, Canon seemed more concerned with showing off its engineering prowess than finding a use for the giant 8-inch CMOS sensor it created last year. Fortunately, the super-powerful snapper has found its way into the 105-centimeter Schmidt Telescope at the University of Tokyo's Kiso Observatory. The sensor's size makes it a perfect fit to record in low-light; capturing the wonders of the universe in 0.3 lux at 60 fps. The University will premiere footage from the experiment, possibly with nibbles, after September 19th -- presumably in a theater with a blanket ban on people muttering the introduction to Star Trek as it plays.

AT&T flips 4G LTE live, nearly 97 percent of America wonders where the party is

According to Ma Bell, AT&T covers 97 percent of all Americans. Of course, that's including those "one bar of EDGE" places that are uncovered so far as reality's concerned, but regardless of all that -- there's no denying that AT&T's LTE launch is on the subdued side. With Verizon rolling out five times more LTE markets this month than AT&T is even launching with, the country's largest GSM carrier definitely has some catching up to do. Regardless of the standings, the company appears to have (quietly) gone live with five LTE markets as of today, with Chicago, Atlanta, San Antonio, Dallas / Fort Worth and Houston getting first dibs. The source link below takes you to the new coverage map, as well as to a promise from the carrier to expand "4G LTE" (not to be confused with the other 4G, more accurately known as HSPA+) to 15 major metropolitan areas by the year's end. Notice how rural areas aren't mentioned, despite plenty of grandstanding near D.C.? Don't worry, guys -- it's just Rethinking Possible.

Tiny infrared LEDs could find a home in ultra-thin multitouch screens

A company called Osram Opto Semiconductors has created a new infrared LED that can be used in conjunction with detectors to create ultra-thin touchscreens. We've seen infrared used in touchscreens before, most notably in Microsoft's Surface and recent e-readers from Barnes & Noble and Kobo. But, Osram's solution is complex enough to work in a multitouch tablet, while being as space-saving zForce. At only 0.45mm tall the diodes and sensors can easily be crammed into a bezel around a screen and sip just 35mW during regular use. Now the company just has to convince someone to put the tiny IREDs in their products.

Switched On: The great slate debate of Windows 8

Just as Windows Phone 7's "touch-only" interface threw away the past to create a streamlined, more approachable experience, Microsoft is creating a "touch-first" experience for Windows 8 that has more in common with its new phone software than previous versions of Windows. This "Metro-style" UI will be able to run on virtually any modern PC, with screens from 10- to 30-inches and above. The touch interface will be only occasionally relevant on desktops, though, more so on laptops. Where it's obviously meant to shine is on pure slates -- will consumers really flock to Windows 8 for such slates, though?

Inhabitat's Week in Green: sun-powered homes, retro robots and a solar laptop chipset

This week Inhabitat shined a light on the future of high-tech architecture as we brought you 20 stunning sun-powered homes that are getting ready to battle it out in this year's Solar Decathlon - including Team New York's prefab Roof Pod, Canada's TRTL solar shell house, and China's Y Container home. We also brought you exclusive photos of the recently unveiled 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero, while the Empire State Building soared to new heights as it achieved LEED Gold certification. In other NYC news, we covered an underground park in the Big Apple which is to be illuminated entirely by fiber optics. Vincent Callebaut also unveiled plans for an incredible self-sufficient skyscraper for Taiwan, and we learned that scientists are planning to build a fake volcano for climate change research.

It was also a hot week for energy-generating tech as Intel unveiled a solar laptop chipset that can be powered by a desk lamp and MIT developed a tiny kinetic generator that can produce 100 times more power than previous devices of its kind. Meanwhile, Google invested in the power of pig poop and researchers rolled out a new inexpensive, powerful, and lightweight jelly battery that could one day power laptops and electric vehicles. Energy infrastructure also got a boost as a UK competition showcased six designs for next-generation power pylons, and New Mexico announced plans to build an entire city for the sole purpose of testing green technologies.

In other news, this week we spotted several pulse-pounding electric vehicles: a streamlined carbon fiber jet ski and an incredible mirrored motorcycle. We also went back to the future with a look at Nike's new pair of LED studded kicks, and we spotted a slick set of retro robots made from salvaged materials. Finally, we shared a bevy of tips for living a more sustainable lifestyle -- check out these seven gadgets that can improve your health and five ways to green your home entertainment system.

Galaxy Tab 8.9 WiFi shipments arrive at Best Buy, will go on sale this week

See that there? That's a Galaxy Tab 8.9 WiFi, and after months on end of mystery, it seems as if the wait to procure one in the US of A is just about over. Shipments are arriving at Best Buy stores across the nation, and according to our sources, they'll be stocked and ready for purchase starting September 22nd. We're still waiting to hear back on a retail price, but those who'd like to hazard a guess can extrapolate from those UK figures. So, did your Tuesday plans just get made?

Update: Select stores may be ushering them out on the 22nd, while others will be force to wait until the 25th. As for pricing? It's "listed" at $399.99, but we've certainly seen Best Buy placeholders be wrong before.

OWC unleashes Mercury Aura Pro Express 6G SSD, peps up your 2011 MacBook Air

So, you've got a 2011 MacBook Air, and you say its SSD's read / write speeds are letting you down? Well, Other World Computing would be happy to quell your woes with its SandForce-equipped Mercury Aura Pro Express 6G. The company's latest storage upgrade steps things up from its 3Gb/s versions, promising to get your tasks zooming with consistent speeds of "over 500MB/s" (achieved by utilizing the '11 Air's SATA Revision 3.0, 6Gb/s bus). The 120GB variant will set you back a wallet-thinning $350, while 240GBs will cost you a whopping 600 bones -- hey, no one ever said performance like this comes cheap.

Editorial: Reed Hastings' Netflix spinoff isn't about DVD success, it's about hedging the stream

If you've just casually glanced over the mass reactions to Reed Hastings' decision to split the DVD-by-mail business of Netflix into its own brand and company, you've probably been duped into thinking that it's the second questionable move that the world's most famed movie delivery service has made this year. But is it? Is a man who turned a red envelope into a symbol of near-immediate gratification really a moron? Did he really just bury the company he worked tirelessly to create? I highly, highly doubt it. Knee-jerk reactions are always fun to watch, but they're rarely on-point. As with most things in life, the truth usually resides somewhere in betwixt the extremes. And in the case of Qwikster -- the DVD-by-mail service that precisely no one asked for -- the truth is hiding in exactly the place that Reed said it'd be: the future.

LG unveils Optimus Q2 QWERTY slider, slated for Korean launch next week

LG's fleet of Optimus handsets got slightly larger yesterday, with the announcement of the Optimus Q2 -- a follow-up to that LU2300 QWERTY slider we saw last year. Powered by a 1.2GHz Tegra 2 processor, this forthcoming device runs on Android 2.3, boasts a spacious, four-inch, IPS-based LCD with 700 nits of brightness and features a five-megapixel rear camera, along with a VGA front-facing shooter. The Korean manufacturer added that the Q2 will be about a tenth of an inch thinner and 0.35 ounces lighter than its 3.5-inch predecessor, and that it will ship with a wider keyboard. LG is expected to launch the handset in South Korea next week, though pricing and plans for a wider release remain a mystery.

The Electree: finally, a bonsai tree that uses solar power to charge your gadgets

So you're tres green chic with your solar-charging jacket, and that Ralph Lauren backpack keeps your gadgets energized even off the coast of Martha's Vineyard. But what about stylish photovoltaics for your home, dear earth-friendly aesthete? We humbly submit the Electree, by French designer Vivian Muller. Shaped like a bonsai tree, each of its 27 leaves is a solar panel that helps charge a 13,500mAh battery. A concealed USB connector and A/C outlet will feed your gadgets while minimizing unsightly wires, and rotatable branches let you customize the look. Muller's looking for 400 presales to make the Electree a reality: for early birds, the price is €269 (about $370). If this sounds like the sort of thing you'd put on your windowsill, hit the source link to commence with the purchasing.

Pantech Breakout finally does just that, available from Verizon starting September 22nd

Adding to Verizon's ever-expanding selection of LTE phones, Pantech's Breakout will be its first sub-$100 LTE handset, sneaking into the mix at $99.99 on a two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate. After an in-the-wild spot, the Breakout finally looks set to arrive on September 22nd -- a date that may sound pretty familiar. For the price, it still packs that LTE punch, and the ability to act as a mobile hotspot for up to ten devices. Compared to its pricier Verizon stablemates, the Thunderbolt and the Droid Bionic, the Breakout has a smaller 4-inch screen, but runs on a respectable 1GHz processor. There's also a 5 megapixel camera at the back capable of 720 HD video capture, and a VGA cam up

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 WiFi gets US pricing, 16GB model starts at $469

Samsung's latest Android Tab has already gotten the in-box hands-on treatment from the blue shirts at Best Buy, but now we have official word on pricing for the 8.9-inch WiFi-only model, set to hit stores as soon as Thursday. Willing to settle for the 16GB flavor? Get ready to hand over $469 to take one of these slim slates home, or pull out another Benjamin to double capacity to 32 gigs -- that beefed-up model will run you $569. You'll also get Android 3.1 Honeycomb with "the freedom of TouchWiz," a 3 megapixel camera on the rear with 2MPs up front, and a dual-core 1GHz processor. Check out our Tab 8.9 hands-on, or hit up the source link for the full feature rundown from Sammy.