One end of the broom is a straight line of optical threads that sit beneath the glass slide.

FORBES: On The Cover/Top Stories

Both new members of the CE line feature those standard 3x optical zooms that have become so tiresome along with 2.36-inch TFT LCDs (no viewfinder here), while the 5300 sports a 2.0-inch LCD and seemingly no optical zoom.

ENGADGET: Three more digital cameras from Acer

The Bell, however, says Cisco sold it old-line routers, not the new optical wares.

FORBES: Cisco Kidding?

The galactic centre can only be observed at certain wavelengths - such as X-rays - because large amounts of dust lie in our line of sight, blocking out optical light.

BBC: Arches Cluster, Leicester

On the downside, they found the system to be "somewhat noisy, " and the slot-loading optical drives could limit upgradeability further on down the line.

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Stereo line-in and out ports, plus optical in and outs, should allow you to connect this PC with your stereo system and other stereo components.

FORBES: Magazine Article

While we're at it, we might as well mention the company's newest addition to the mju line: The mju 7010 sports a 7x optical zoom, but otherwise looks pretty much the same (12 megapixel, 2.7-inch display, advanced face tracking and intelligent auto mode, magic filters, etc).

ENGADGET: Olympus announces new FE and mju range 12 megapixel shooters

This overall decline in optical disks distribution is the result of fast and convenient on-line distribution.

FORBES: What is the Future of Optical Disc Technology and who will Use It?

Plus, the line was developed to support new technologies as they become more widespread, such as Blu-ray optical drives for enjoying the latest high-definition movies.

ENGADGET: Gateway trots out bargain-minded 15.6-inch MD Series notebooks