Ken

As the race to find real renewable energy keep increasing its pace, some really innovative ideas have come out of some pretty poisonous materials. Take the University of Southern California’s development with cadmium nanocrystals that are stable enough to conduct electricity and are able to float in a liquid solution, making them printable. This means “solar paint” is nearly within reach.

Not to get too sciency (it’s a real word, I swear!) with it, but the main obstacle to nanocrystal infused solutions is that in order to make them stable they are paired with what’s called a ligand. (in essence, molecular glue that allows the creation of a larger complex via atomic binding). This pairing causes a significant reduction in electronic conductivity, usually to the point of ruining the bonding to begin with. There’s also the fact that the most common agent to create this bond is cadmium selenide, which is a pretty toxic compound.

David Kappos, the director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, received a friendly reception from a House committee yesterday as he offered an update on the agency's progress in implementing the landmark patent reform legislation enacted last September, a billed hailed by many tech firms as a major achievement for their IP-heavy industry.

At the same time, Kappos told the panel that the patent wars common to the tech sector -- and particularly smartphones -- are hardly a sign that the system is broken, but rather a hallmark of robust innovation.

When Lenovo's 7-inch Android tablet launched last year, we dubbed the initial 2GB IdeaPad A1 a bargain. But now models with much more storage capacity are available, and they're great deals. For example, Lenovo has been selling the 16GB IdeaPad A1 for $199 with an eCoupon--but Newegg.com has it for even less, only $190 with free shipping.

As you've probably learned in school or through various films and books regarding the "final frontier," space is a dangerous place. Between wandering "extinction level event"-sized asteroids, nearly invisible black holes, and stars exploding all over the place, it's a wonder anything is alive in the big old cosmic soup. And if those things weren't enough, here's something else to worry about: cosmic rays.

In an ideal situation, the sun would be protecting us from potentially harmful cosmic rays by hurtling through space so fast that it created a wake of sorts ahead of itself, physically pushing cosmic clouds, dust, and everything else aside as it went. Unfortunately, our Earth, according to research reported on by New Scientist, isn’t moving fast enough through the galaxy to do that.

HTC's recently launched One X Android phone inspired deep feelings in our reviewer, who declared his love in a four-star review. Normally the smartphone costs $200 with a new AT&T contract, but at the moment AmazonWireless is selling the One X for only $129--and the offer stands for current AT&T subscribers as well as new accounts.

Dell's Inspiron 14z isn't exactly inspired, says our reviewer, but it is a light, attractive laptop that offers good performance for the price. The 14-inch laptop sold for about $600 when it came to market last October. Right now, though, Dell Online has dropped the price for an Intel Core i3 model to $480 (with free shipping), and it's throwing in Adobe's top-notch Adobe Elements image editor and Premiere Elements video editor.

Scott Thompson

Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson, who's been under fire amid questions about whether he padded his resume, plans to step down from his job, according to a report today by All Things D.

The search company apparently plans to say Thompson is stepping aside for personal reasons.

The 16-megapixel Pentax Option WG-2 is waterproof, dustproof, can withstand temperatures well below freezing--and comes in sporty colors. It launched at $350 in February, but you can get it for only $289 at Abe's of Maine with a $49 instant rebate and a coupon code (LOYALTY10) that takes another $10 off at checkout. Use coupon code FREESD32 to add a free 32GB SDHC memory card if it's not automatically included. (You may need to search for the WG-2 at the vendor's site.)

Alienware's X51 gaming PC delivers impressive performance in a compact package, and it earned an equally impressive 4.5 of 5 stars in our review. The Intel Core i7 model starts at $1147--but you can save $100 at Dell's checkout if you use coupon code 69J9NR44TMZ6V2.

Samsung's recently released 7-inch Galaxy Tab 2 received a positive review from our tablet expert, Melissa Perenson, who considers it a good buy for first-time tablet purchasers. The Galaxy Tab 2 runs Android 4.0, which means it can run standard Android phone and tablet apps. The Galaxy Tab 2 usually sells for $250, but Macmall is currently selling it for only $220 on eBay--and shipping is free. Note that while the tablet is available as I write this, supplies are limited.

Wireless heavyweights Samsung and Qualcomm have joined forces with five other firms to form a coalition that will work to address an array of issues surrounding wireless power chargers.

The Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) is seeking to develop a new wireless charging technology that will enable users repower a broad range of devices in cars, on tabletops or in airports, for instance, and to charge multiple devices at once.