Laser vs iPad!

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

More details here:

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Wicked-L...ews-14580.html

Surely,a handheld laser is not that powerful,so, I am not entirely sure I believe it ATM.

Edit!!

Here are the specifications of the models used:

http://www.wickedlasers.com/index.php?route=common/home

One of the lasers is rated at 1W and the torch is rated at 100W.

[g8ina]

A one watt laser will do just that....

https://www.google.co.uk/search?ix=s...one+watt+laser

[peterb]

Well, that's the clincher - it will be an android_device for me.

[shaithis]

Oh....this so makes me want to get a laser....and be really naughty to iPhone/iPad owners!

[g8ina]

Im not totally sure what power level is legal in UK, I know you can get 50mW green pointers for astro work, but above that ??

[Biscuit]

Thats brilliant. It made me think of that laser based anti missile defence weapon the US have in development

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS40LpYpQss

[TooNice]

I am not surprised, the "lightsabers" notoriously made the news some time ago (http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/...-wicked-lasers), http://www.dailytech.com/WickedLaser...ticle18681.htm

[Lucio]

Gotta love modern society, we'll happily waste £400 worth of gadgets, just to make a video that gives 20 seconds of entertainment....

[MiniMelchett]

Get laser, then goes down to local apple store

[Larkspeed]

Im not totally sure what power level is legal in UK, I know you can get 50mW green pointers for astro work, but above that ??

you can get 300mW lasers in the UK.

They will burn things if held still.

I have a 1mW red one that I use as a cat toy and I also have a 5mW Green Visible beam one on order.

[Tumble]

Well, that's the clincher - it will be an android_device for me.

What makes you think that the operating system willl have any bearing on the flammability of the device??

And also, just why would you do that? It's not like the government will suddenly start blasting Apple user's devices with space-lasers or anything.......

/tinfoil hat

[g8ina]

Certainly for astronomy as a star pointer the 50mW greens are fantastic.... I'm actually looking for one in the long term, no rush though.

[watercooled]

a 1W laser will eat through plastics with ease, at the same power, shorter wavelengths also tend to be better for burning, for example a 100mW 680nm red focused to a point won't burn through white paper any time soon, but a 405nm blu-ray at the same power will.

There's no legal limit on lasers anywhere in the world AFAIK, you will have a ~300mW 680nm diode in a DVD burner for instance, and those 1W 445nm diodes are used in projectors, the restriction is on these massively overpowered 'pointers' which retarded kids get hold of and awave round like they're a toy - at 1W you can cause serious eye damage even viewing the dot on a matte surface. A direct hit will case instantaneous, irreversible eye damage. These things should be treated like guns, they have the same potential to ruin lives and cause damage at close range with 'ricochets'. Legally, in the UK, a class 2 (<5mW) is the highest you can call a pointer. Anything above that must have multiple redundant safety features to prevent accidental exposure, and should never be used as pointers, expect for astronomy as long as you're careful to avoid planes. Even beyond the range you can make a human out, these can still cause eye damage, for example if you're pointing at a mountain 3 miles away, you might not make out someone climbing it but the light would still be intensive enough to cause damage depending on divergence and output power. So please, please, please, don't buy one if you don't understand exactly how to use them. And if you do, goggles are mandatory both for burning at close range, and if there's even a remote possibility of a direct/reflected hit from a high power laser. As I said, show them no less respect than you'd show a gun.

Oh and for anyone looking to buy a cheap green laser, they work by pumping a crystal with an IR diode to double the frequency, but this means you get tons of IR along with the green light out the front. Quality lasers will have IR filters to remove it, cheap ones don't. While it won't be much of a problem for pointing out stars, having possibly several times the visible output again in IR is obviously hazardous if you're viewing the dot, and goggles designed to protect against the green light won't necessarily protect you either.

Sorry to be a party pooper, but it's frightening how many people treat them like toys or deliberately aim them at planes. However they can be fun, It's a hobby of mine, except I tend to build them from scratch, both much cheaper and more rewarding.

[peterb]

What makes you think that the operating system willl have any bearing on the flammability of the device??

And also, just why would you do that? It's not like the government will suddenly start blasting Apple user's devices with space-lasers or anything.......

/tinfoil hat

Sorry - forgot the <irony> tags

<---snip

Sorry to be a party pooper, but it's frightening how many people treat them like toys or deliberately aim them at planes. However they can be fun, It's a hobby of mine, except I tend to build them from scratch, both much cheaper and more rewarding.

I looked at the web site for the lasers - frightening that something that potentially dangerous can be bought so easily. It is the instantaneous eye damage (ie, blindness) that I find so scary.

[g8ina]

Infrared ? Perk