Everything USB... We Mean Everything!

Today may mark another landmark in the evolution of electronics, the death of the button. While it may be premature to pronounce buttons dead, the iPhone and now the Canon SD3500 IS have all but removed all buttons from their devices. Canon's latest camera doesn't support multi-touch, but it does have gesture support, similar to the one found on Samsung DualView. The menu system is completely touch driven and intuitive functions like picture playback are easily controlled with finger movements. Defined gestures allow you to move from menu to menu with ease. The design is so unusual that it's looks wrong somehow. While the front of the Canon looks like most of their current sub-compacts, the back is all LCD. 3.5 inches of touchscreen and that is all there is to the back. There are still a few buttons on the top but the back is void of features.

Turning the camera on reveals menus and controls galore but we have to wonder whether holding the camera by the touchscreen will cause problems. Canon also adds a new aspect of face detection with the Wink Self Timer. Once in the shot and situated the photographer, now the subject, winks at the camera and the camera detects this facial expression and snaps the photo 2 seconds later. It can also be set to wait for a new face to enter a group and capture the image then. Up to 35 faces can be tracked at once in up to a 24mm wide angle shot, making for a much simpler group photo experience. Canon also improves support for the popular Eye-fi SD cards that helps transfer photos wirelessly once in range of your home network. The polished SD3500 IS sub-compact should hit the streets this month for around $330.

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If you are already missing Michael Jackson like the rest of us, here's a chance to get a piece of his legacy for you to have on hand always. The 2.5 inch 500GB Gold hard drive has a DRM protected copy of the "This is It" video pre-loaded on it. This is a movie compilation of the rehearsals and outtakes from what might have been his comeback tour. The so-called movie was made during his final months, showing the rehearsals and creative work that went into the sold-out London concerts.

The movie will likely only take up about 9GB of data which should leave you plenty of room for storing your other files and media. Accessory programs for backup and cryptography are easily found and installed for free to extend the function of this memorable high speed drive. There's no current detail about what form the DRM comes as, but you should be able to redeem it as soon as your drive ships. (Beatles on the other hand has gotten rid of DRM altogether with their re-mastered digital album in lossless FLAC format.) This may be a little loud in style, and will probably be a choice target for those with sticky fingers so keep an eye on it. It's currently around $90 dollars and shipping from Europe worldwide.

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A device that might just be a little too late to be useful has shown up recently, a USB Key Impressioner. This James Bond wannabe gadget can be inserted into a car lock and electronically map the interior of the lock. The device scans the position of the tumblers and transmits that information to a computer via USB. The software then takes that information and creates a pattern for a key cutter to make a perfect key for that lock. While this sounds pretty nefarious, unless you factor in common sense, it's not all that useful.

It's also not exactly a quick process and there's nothing really stealthy about a key cutting machine. You won't be gone in 60 seconds, but it could mean less of a problem the next time you lose your car keys. One quick insert and a few hours later you have a new set of keys. So far, the USB Key Impressioner only works on older model Fords with simple metal keys. Even if you had the desire to use this for evil, most modern cars already have this beat with advanced locks and microchip keys. This won't be available to the public at any point. That's just as well, unless you are repo-man working for a used Ford dealership.

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Anyone using a PC as a multimedia device knows how quickly USB devices start to add up. Here's a possible solution for that mess of cables you have to deal with every day. It's a normal sized USB hub with an amazing amount of ports. Altogether, this new USB hub has 13 total ports to get all your cords into one spot and all plugged in at the same time. Not having to juggle multiple hubs or swapping devices in and out due to port limitations should easily be worth the $33 it costs to get one of these home. The 13 port hub has 4 USB ports on each of its 4 sides except one which presumably has power and the upstream connection to your PC. There's also a flip up 13th port on top for quick access to flash drives or any other connection you make and break often.

There's only a few drawbacks to this great new toy. The 12 main ports are packed pretty tightly together, over-sized dongles will have trouble fitting or may completely block 2 adjacent ports. This is great for keeping devices all connected, but not if you plan to use them all at once. Even with USB 2.0's generous bandwidth, 13 devices running on one pipe your PC would fill up pretty quick. Of course, this kind of hub seems to be better fit if the interface is USB 3.0 rather the aging USB 2.0. Hit their store to pick up yours if you have the need.

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Looks like Virtual Privacy Machines might finally be getting enough momentum to take hold with the release of SPYRUS' Hydra PC Secure Pocket Drive for mobile workers and the security conscious. This flash based mobile OS already has a FIPS 140-2 Level 3 security certification due to its heavy encryption and tamper evident packing. While relatively unknown to most, these are the folks behind the recent Kingston Data Traveler 5000's on-board security system. This part of the SPYRUS technology protects and encrypts all the data that is being stored on the flash drive. This includes tamper-proofing and destroy the cipher on too many failed attempts.

The Hydra PC expands and modularizes the design, gaining a distinctly future-proof system. Windows Embedded Standard 2009 version is running the show; it will only boot once all the memory and files have been checked to ensure validity. The embedded OS is stored on firmware, and the data files are stored on removable microSD/HC cards. This gives the easy ability for the hardware to grow with the times and be expanded if your needs grow. Up to 16GB cards are currently supported. The Hydra also has technology to pair the USB drive to a restricted computer or group of computers so that the locations of its use are completely controlled. There's no word on price as these are likely sold in bulk to corporations but having the option of Windows is going to be worth quite a bit. We love Linux but sometimes you've got to have Windows.

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High Definition. Those two words are the very soul of what's driving consumer electronics and pushing broadband Internet, and Microsoft's sleek LifeCam Cinema is no exception. As one of the first webcams to boast an magnificent 1280x720 resolution with a price that doesn't break the bank, it won't be long before we're able to marvel at the next Star Wars Kid with each and every one of his clogged pores clearly visible. Now that's entertainment! But to get back to the webcam side of business, we put Microsoft's latest gizmo to the test and found the results to be quite resounding. Find out why after the break.

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Following on the heels of their mild mannered Arc Keyboard, Microsoft launches a similar snoozer keyboard with the SideWinder X4 gaming keyboard. This luxury model has got it all, we're talking A through Z as well as 1 through 9. All these come standard, but the X4 edition even packs the oft misunderstood zero for no extra charge. Additional keys are included for the working types like = and *, but underneath all that pizazz it's really just a plain old keyboard.

Seriously though, this gaming focused SideWinder series has quite a few gaming features that might move you to replace your old one. Its all black keys have adjustable levels of back-lighting for night play (and having a cool accessory to impress friends). There's 6 programmable macro keys which can be programmed to function independently or as part of a key profile. These profiles can be set to favor certain applications and when they are active the keyboard software will automatically switch. With this, mappings for Excel can be different than mappings for BF2142. The other anti-ghosting feature is starting to become popular. The SideWinder X4 is built for games that require several keys to function and be pressed simultaneously. Up to 26 keys can be pressed and transmitted at the same time. Last time we checked there are more fingers, toes and noses that come standard on most model humans, so we aren't certain how one can hit more than 10 at a time, but hey, who are we to argue with MS. The SideWinder X4 should be hitting shelves in March for the reasonable fee of $59 dollars.

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UXSight has a new scanner that is finely tuned to work with pictures of your pearly whites. Working with X-ray films about 2 by 2 inches, this little unit, powered exclusively by USB can enlarge and capture images from standard X-rays. You can interact with them on the screen or just convert them to images for later review. Images can be viewed at up to 50x magnification without loss of fidelity.

This is a consumer class version of what your dentist has already. The effluence of this technology will make it easier to start carrying your own personal medical information with you or online. You'll likely want to couple this new ability with some serious encryption for privacy. So smile big for the dentist and get a few wallet sized prints of those choppers and put the rest on a flash drive to go. Amateur dentists and X-ray-tech hobbyists (do those exist?) can order one of these for $145 once they come off back order.

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Looking more like a pinball on a tether, the SPHEREtouch mouse isn't really designed for retro gaming nostalgia. This highly polished laser mouse ball is a unique sight to behold. Available in satin finished stainless steel, titanium and platinum, they are a little pricey, but definitely make a classy minimalist statement. OreObject's creation has mouse buttons that are part of the smooth form, complemented by its ceramic base which should make for a nearly frictionless contact with your desk.

The price is the only thing that is not so smooth here. Starting at $155 for stainless steel and up to $225 for the platinum plated finish, it's hard to justify for what is probably an uncomfortably small mouse. While there's no denying the slick polish and finish actual use would leave fingerprints all over it. They do include a micro-fiber cloth for cleaning it but it seems like you'll be doing that a lot if you really want to show it off. If you have a strong compulsion for this ball bearing mouse you can get it at their online store.

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