January 25 - 9:25am EST   Sony today revealed a new Blu-ray laser technology that it says should lead to thinner, smaller notebook drives. Through a new, extremely accurate and more reliable laser system, Sony and its development partner Nichia have produced a laser reader whose packaging is just 3mm (0.11in) thick without sacrificing features. A Blu-ray drive using the laser technology can both read and record as with earlier, thicker drives. It can also recognize discs printed using a newer organic dye that makes them cheaper to produce than most current discs, Sony notes. [full story]