There’s really no practical reason anyone needs to own a high-powered green laser pointer (sorry stargazers, not buying it), but that doesn’t make them any less desirable. Especially now that Wicked Lasers has just revealed the Evo, which can be customised and controlled via an app on your Android or iOS smartphone.
Boasting around 100mW of power the Evo isn’t the most powerful handheld laser that Wicked Lasers sells, but it’s still more than capable of burning paper and causing serious eye damage if handled irresponsibly. It also means you can squeeze about an hour’s worth of playtime from a pair of easily replaceable AA batteries.
On its own, the $US200 Evo is your standard on/off push button laser pointer, but when you attach the included Smartport you can actually control it from your smartphone using a standard audio cable. Or, for an extra $US40 an optional Bluetooth module lets you go wireless. The accompanying Smartport mobile app lets you switch between four different operating modes, or dial in an exact intensity for the beam.
And extreme tinkerers will appreciate that Wicked Lasers has made the Evo’s firmware open source. With an optional $US30 cable they can actually reprogram the laser however they see fit, making the Evo an ideal tool for researchers or those conducting experiments — not just Star Wars fanboys hoping to live out their lightsaber fantasies. [Wicked Lasers via SlashGear]