Here's one straight from the bizarro chapters. Dozens of individuals that attended an all night dance party near Moscow have been "partially blinded after a laser light show burned their retinas," according to Russian health officials. Apparently someone responsible for erecting the equipment decided to aim a few lights powerful enough to brighten the night sky down at the crowd (after rain necessitated a makeshift roof, we're told), with some of those who stared too long losing up to "80%" of their vision. We're not exactly sure what will happen to the promoters of the event, but at least now you have a valid excuse to rock those face-engulfing sunglasses (or a welding mask, if you're really paranoid) in every night club you waltz into.

[Via Switched, image courtesy of iGouGo]

According to a report in the Economic Times, Sony will be introducing a slimmer (well, "slimer" if you want the direct quote), sleeker, and "more suave" version of the PS2 in Indian and European markets come Fall. If you believe what you read, the new system will include a built-in power supply, will make its debut by Diwali (which falls on October 28th), and will keep the current sticker price of Rs 6,990 (or about $162). The article also claims that Sony will bring its PlayStation Network to India by the end of the year, which should make a lot of competition hungry gamers very happy. Sony reps say that the move is driven by the belief that, "Console gaming is in its nascent stage in India," adding, "We have no plans to phase out PS2 anytime soon." The PS2: you just can't kill it!

[Via Joystiq]

Sure, we've seen the occasional loony look down upon open WiFi access, but Russia is apparently out to really slow down wireless adoption with its latest directive. Reportedly, the Russian Mass Media, Communications and Cultural Protection Service (or Rossvyazokhrankultura for short -- no seriously, we swear) is looking to have every user of a WiFi-enabled device obtain permission and register said device before hopping on the world wide web. Even worse, it seems as if every single wireless transmitter and device must be registered, meaning that technophiles will be filling out heaps of paperwork in order to get their handset, laptop, DS Lite, PC and hacked-up Foleo online (legally) via their home-based access point. We're hearing that registering a single PDA or phone would take around ten days, while signing up a new home network would be even more painstaking. We'll spare you the snide In Soviet Russia... remarks, but feel free to concoct your own below.

[Via Wi-Fi Net News]

Though not nearly as sexy (or well-spec'd, for that matter) as Sony's recently-unveiled HDR-TG1, AgfaPhoto's DV-5000Z still manages to hold its own on paper. Measuring in at 4.7- x 2.75-inches (12- x 7-centimeters) and weighing just over 7-ounces (200-grams), this HD camcorder features a 5-megapixel Micron CMOS sensor, 2.5-inch flip-out LCD, 3x optical zoom and an SD / SDHC slot to store everything on. As for shooting capabilities, it'll capture clips at 1,280 x 720 (using H.264 compression) and snag 16-bit stereo sound all the while. You'll also find USB connectivity, a rechargeable Li-ion and video out, natch. Unfortunately, there's no mention of this €249 ($393) device ever coming Stateside, but it'll be ready to roll in Russia later this month.

Well, what do you know? We heard that RIM was gearing up to ship BlackBerry handsets to Russia in 2008, and lo and behold, the addiction is indeed sliding over to the world's largest country. British American Tobacco became the first client of BlackBerry service in the nation, and it's being provided by the beautifully-named Vimpelcom. As expected, Vimpelcom's customers will be handed the same 8700g model that was introduced to Chinese users when RIM broke into that territory last July. As it stands, the aforesaid operator is already in talks with some 40 more potential corporate clients, and rival Mobile TeleSystems is also getting set to unleash BB service with 30 corporate clients. Kudos, Russia -- prepare for splintered relationships, 24 hour work days and a feeling of anxiety you can't even fathom when service collapses for even a moment.

It's not the first time it's dabbled in subscription-based PCs, but Microsoft looks to be taking things up another notch, with it now making a fairly big push into Russia. To that end, the company's teamed up with Russian cellphone operator Mobile TeleSystems OJSC, which will be offering the subscription-based PCs to all 85 million of its customers as part of Microsoft's Unlimited Potential program, although there's no word on exactly what the PC's will cost just yet. Details on the PCs themselves are also expectedly light, although they'll not surprisingly run Windows Vista, and will reportedly pack built-in mobile broadband access, which certainly makes sense given that it's a cellphone company offering them. According to The New York Times, the two companies are also working on some unspecified "mobile communications services" that'll be able to be accessed using the PCs, but it seems we'll have to wait for the June launch date before we know much more about that as well.

[Via The Open Road]

Russia has announced the successful launch of three additional GLONASS navigation satellites on Christmas Day, bringing the total number of functional units to 18, and reportedly scaring the beejezus out of Santa and his reindeer during liftoff. The GPS competitor -- first begun in the Soviet era and only recently revived after years of post-collapse neglect -- is now theoretically capable of providing coverage to the entire Russian territory, with First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov claiming that the first compatible consumer devices will be available in the middle of next year. By 2010 Russia plans to open the system up to outside nations as well, contributing to an eventual three- or even four-system global market, and ensuring that President and Man of the Year Vladimir Putin will finally achieve his stated goal of being able to pinpoint his treasured black lab Koni anywhere in the world.

It's been a tick since we saw the oh-so-snazzy RoverPC G5, and we must say, the RoverPC P6 cranks up the sexy by a few orders of magnitude. The Windows Mobile 6-based handset, which is sure to make those not in Russian mighty envious, sports a 300MHz Samsung 2442B processor, a 2.4-inch 320 x 240 resolution touchscreen, 64MB of RAM, 128MB of Flash ROM, a microSD expansion slot, Bluetooth, miniUSB, a 2-megapixel camera and a built-in media player to boot. Additionally, the phone checks in at just 15.1-millimeters thick, rocks a dark gray motif and touts tri-band GSM connectivity. So go on, pick one up for around 7990 rubles ($323) -- just don't rub it in when you do, alright?

[Via MobileWhack]

We're going to refrain from the "In Soviet Russia..." jokes and get straight to the point: RIM is bringing its BlackBerry phones to Russia in Q1 2008. Apparently the hang up was with Russian security agencies, but now that the two main carriers, MTS and Vimpelcom, have gotten approval from the FSB, the phones are finally able to enter Russia in acronymical harmony. MTS has had BlackBerry phones in Ukraine since October, any many business customers use foreign phones via roaming, but this is the first time in a while the phones are going legit in actual Russia. The carriers have been granted permission for one year of sales, but as we all know, once a few government officials go CrackBerry, they're never going back.

It's a bit behind schedule, but Russia's GPS-challenging GLONASS satellite navigation looks to have just taken a fairly big step forward, with three satellites now on their way into orbit after hitching a ride on a Proton-K booster rocket that blasted off from Baikonur, Kazakhstan earlier today. According to Reuters, this is also the first launch of a Proton-K rocket since launches were suspended in September, after a booster failed and spilled highly toxic fuel into the Kazakh countryside. No word if Russia still expects the entire GLONASS system to be ready by 2009 as it has said earlier, but it has five more satellites to launch by the end of the year if it wants to keep up the pace it set out for itself.

[Photo courtesy of RussiaToday]

They sure do look beautiful flying in formation during their annual migration, but when one of Illinois's rare Aves Razeruses crashes and burns on a busy Moscow street corner, well, it's never a pretty sight. Check out another pic of the carnage after the break...

[Via Tech Ticker Blog, thanks chirag]

It looks like the long, litigious saga of AllofMP3 is about to take yet another turn, with the company is now promising to resume its music download service following a recent Russian court ruling in its favor. While it apparently isn't quite ready to get all that specific, the company has posted a brief notice on its official blog saying that it expects to resume the service in the "foreseeable future," and that it's doing its best to ensure that "users can use their accounts, top up balance and order music." Of course, AllofMP3 has hardly left all its legal troubles behind it, so there's no telling what may happen between now and the intended re-launch. Either way, we're pretty sure this won't be the last we hear from the company.

[Via The Inquirer]

Yeah, using Avurt's IM-5 launcher and Taser International's C2 stun gun sure seem like more enjoyable ways to injure-but-not-kill the baddies, but there's a certain novelty attached to the vision of an uber-powerful Super Soaker. Apparently, a team of Russians are toying with the idea of crafting a non-lethal weapon based around "electro-hydrodynamical effects." In layman's terms, what we're looking at is a device that relies on water jets to bring down enemies whilst minimizing long-term damage, and while we're not up to speed on all the mathematics that prove this valid, it sounds pretty plausible. And hey, it's not like ammunition wouldn't be readily available in many parts of the world. [Warning: PDF read link]

[Via Wired, image courtesy of iSoaker]

Here's a message for all the young ones out there: crime doesn't pay, not even for Russian semi-legal music semi-pirates. Or at least that's the way things are looking for Denis Kvasov, former owner of AllofMP3.com. Though the site was shut down earlier this month, Kvasov is still on the hook damages to EMI, Warner and Universal, to the tune of 15 million rubles ($590,715 US), and could face three years in jail as well. The amount seems a bit light, considering the RIAA's $750 to $30,000 per song demands here in the States, but legality of the AllofMP3 service is still in question, since under Russian law the site was ostensibly playing by the rules and paying "copyright fees" to all the right organizations. Of course, consumers don't have to look far to find Alltunes and MP3Sparks, virtual clones of AllofMP3, and Alltunes recently won a court case against a Russian agent of Visa that had cut off payments for the online store, so record labels have to be asking themselves how much progress they've really made in fighting this gray market hydra.