Earlier than expected (and a little pricier than we'd hoped), the BlackBerry Q5 will go on sale tomorrow in the UAE. We know that its radios are primed for AT&T 3G and while the build might not rival the flagship BB10 device, it's another option for any that can't relinquish the tactile joys of a physical keyboard. It will launch, priced at 1,499 AED (just above $400), which nets you BlackBerry's latest OS spread across a 3.1-inch touchscreen with the aforementioned keyboard nestled below. Interested in hopping on a red-eye flight for the third device since the company's name change? Then we'd recommend reacquainting yourself with our first impressions.

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Researchers create microbattery using 3D printing

We often hear about the coming nanobot revolution, but just how are they planning on powering those future marvels? Well, researchers from Harvard and the University of Illinois may have found the solution in a 3D printed battery: it's smaller than a grain of sand, yet has areal energy and power densities comparable to your cellphone battery. The scientists used a custom 3D printer with a 1mm wide nozzle to deposit two separate lithium metal oxide pastes into comb-like shapes, which then hardened to create an anode and cathode. After adding an electrolyte, a sub-hair-width cell was created with "performance comparable to commercial batteries in terms of charge and discharge rate, cycle life and energy densities," according to the team. Those could someday wind up in medical devices, wearable electronics or tiny flying drones, for instance. To see how they did it, check the video after the break.

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Since surveillance culture is at the top of the news agenda, this new invention from Japan's National Institute of Informatics couldn't be more timely. It's a pair of goggles that blocks facial recognition algorithms and ensures no-one can snap a pic of your mush without your permission. The wearable uses 11 near-infrared LEDs which shine a bright light that's invisible to humans, but will dazzle any passing cameras. Admittedly, the technology is useless for cameras that aren't sensitive to infra-red, which is why the institute is also working on reflective materials that'll work with any imaging sensor -- but that, unfortunately, isn't quite ready for prime-time. Curious as to see it in action? Head on past the break for the video.

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LG launches TV set and allinone PC with 29inch 219 ultrawidescreen

Remember LG's EA93, that eye-catching 29-inch 21:9 "ultrawidescreen" monitor we played with at IFA last year? Well, it's just spawned a couple offspring. Today in Korea, the company launched a TV set and an all-in-one PC which use the same 29-inch IPS panel with the same 21:9 aspect ratio, 2,560 x 1,080-pixel (WQHD) resolution and 178-degree viewing angles.

LG's new all-in-one PC boasts a standalone TV tuner with instant-on (no booting required) and simultaneous PC and TV operation (PiP and several split screen modes). Details are few, but we know it features an Intel Core i5 CPU, NVIDIA GeForce GT640M GPU (3D capable) and HDMI / MHL inputs (to use the display as a monitor). The PC comes pre-loaded with an instant messaging app (and matching mobile version) which lets users watch television while chatting.

The TV set supports PiP and split screen, including a 16:9 plus 5:9 mode (HD broadcast plus connected smartphone), and offers a comprehensive set of inputs (DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI and MHL). Pricing is 1.49 to 2.29 million won ($1,315 to $2,021) for the PC (based on configuration) and 690,000 won ($609) for the TV.

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Anyone who's tried to tether to their iPhone or iPad will recall how iOS manages to craft its own passwords when used as a personal hotspot. The aim is to ensure that anyone sharing their data connection will get some degree of security, regardless of whether they tinker with the password themselves. However, three researchers from FAU in Germany have now worked the structure behind these auto-generated keys -- a combination of a short english word and a series or random numbers -- and managed to crack that hotspot protection in under a minute. To start, the word list is listed to around 52,500 entries, and once the testers are able to capture a WiFi connection, they used an AMD Radeon HD 6990 GPU to cycle through all those words with number codes, taking just under 50 minutes to crack with rote entry. Following that, they realized that only a small subset (just 1,842) of the word list was being used.

Factor in an even faster GPU -- a cluster of four AMD Radeon HD 7970s -- and they got the hotspot password cracking time to 50 seconds. The Friedrich-Alexander University researchers added that unscrupulous types could use comparable processing power through cloud computing. ""System-generated passwords should be reasonably long, and should use a reasonably large character set. Consequently, hotspot passwords should be composed of completely random sequences of letters, numbers, and special characters," it says in the report, which outlines the trade-off between security and usability. However, as ZDNet notes, Apple's cycled password approach still offers more protection than static options found elsewhere. Check out the full paper at the source.

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Raspberry Pi gets XBMC and controller kit for speedy home theater setup

Behold, a ready-made answer for those who own a Linux-powered fruit machine but who are still looking for new ways to use it. It's a simple media center starter kit, fresh out and shipping today, which makes it easy to hook your Raspberry Pi up to an HDMI display and use it to play video or music from the internet or your home network through the wonders of XBMC. Known simply as "XBMC Solution," it consists of the Raspbmc software on a bootable SD card (this is an all-in-one install that combines XBMC with a lightweight Linux distro), a rechargeable RF controller with a small keyboard and touchpad to aid navigation (it's generic, unbranded, and even has a "Win" key, but it works fine), plus Ethernet and HDMI cables in case you don't have any going spare. Read on for more.

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Bloomberg Next Surface RT will use Qualcomm chip, come in multiple versions

How's about this for a coincidence? We've just benchmarked the Snapdragon 800 reference tablet, with some very nice results, and now Bloomberg is reporting that Microsoft will use a Qualcomm chip in its next refresh of the Surface RT. The report, based on insider sources, doesn't stretch to detailing whether we'll be looking at the flagship 800 processor specifically, but that'd seem like a logical upgrade for the current hybrid which runs on NVIDIA's Tegra 3 and already feels underpowered. As for NVIDIA, the same unconfirmed report suggests that the company will still have a role to play as a supplier "for some versions" of Microsoft's product. That's a curious notion, because it implies we might see multiple iterations of the Surface RT to suit different price points or markets (e.g., those with or without LTE), and at least one version of those could house a Tegra 4. Or it could simply be a diplomatic way of saying that the existing RT products will continue to be sold and supported for a while. Either way, if Microsoft doesn't implement the full force of Snapdragon, someone else hopefully will.

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DNP Evernote Gmail clipper

Keeping your Gmail account organized isn't that hard when you can tag and Star emails. Evernote Web Clipper's new function, however, promises easier access to missives you deem particularly important. Once the Chrome extension is installed, it saves any message you want along with its attachments in just one click. One note though: you'll need a premium account to search through any attached documents. Note that the Gmail clip will look like a garbled mess (especially if it's a lengthy thread) on Web Clipper's preview screen, but on the Evernote app or web portal it will appear nicely formatted. If you think this new function can help you wrangle an increasingly unruly Gmail account, hit the source link below for more info or look for the extension on the Chrome Web Store.

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Tokyoflash Kisai Intoxicated watch

Many partygoers want to keep their alcohol in check, but we don't know many who want to lug around a dedicated breathalyzer, no matter how small it may be. Tokyoflash may have found a happy medium for those drinkers by tucking a breathalyzer into its new Kisai Intoxicated watch. Blow into a sensor and the LCD will change to a color reflecting the alcohol intake: green is sober, yellow is buzzed and red is well over the line. There's also a mini-game to test reflexes in those less-than-certain moments. Buyers seeking some temperance in their lives will want to act quickly, however -- Tokyoflash will only sell the Kisai Intoxicated at a discounted $99 price during its first 48 hours on sale.

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HTC Butterfly s revealed 19GHz Snapdragon 600 processor, UltraPixel camera sensor video

HTC's just pulled back the proverbial curtains on the Butterfly s at its Taiwan launch event. It'll arrive boasting a familiar-sounding 5-inch 1080p display, front-facing BoomSound stereo speakers and Sense 5 as expected. When it comes to internals, the Butterfly s runs Android Jelly Bean on a quad-core 1.9GHz Snapdragon 600 (faster than the HTC One), an impressive 3,200mAh battery, quad-band HSPA/WCDMA radio, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of built-in storage, expandable once again through microSD. As for imaging, alongside that primary UltraPixel camera and Zoe software features, there's a 2.1-megapixel wide-angle shooter on the front. It's currently scheduled for a release in July in Taiwan, accompanied by a NT $22,900 (roughly $766) price tag, but no word when (or even if) it'll reach foreign shores.

Update: Our Chinese sister site just spent some hands-on time with the device. Check out their first impressions right here. We've also added an official video right after the break.

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