Everything USB... We Mean Everything!

SmartFish's ErgoMotion has finally gone from an actual concept to actual, shipping product, as a mouse. (The keyboard and game controller utilizing the same technology wail have to wait until Q1 2010.) Hardware-wise, the ambidextrous laser mouse features chrome finishing, has a tilt wheel, and ships with a 2.4Ghz nano-sized USB dongle for wireless connectivity.

What's unique about this ergonomic mouse is that it's the industry's first to sport a 3D-axis motion base so that mouse can swivel and pivot to adapt to your hand position. SmartFish claims this promotes a more wave-like fluid moment, so your wrist and hand are never in a fixed position, hence reducing risk of the irritating Repetitive Stress Injury (RSI). While the ErgoMotion mouse may not have glass-tracking sensor and a precision wheel found on Logitech Anywhere MX, it maybe the answer to healthy mousing. The wobbling mouse is expected to be found in retail for $49.99 anytime now, though, you have better chance of getting it from Amazon.

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While it makes us uncomfortable when we hear that a new venture from movie legend Morgan Freeman is called Digiboo, we still love the concept. Those Redbox kiosks all over the place that rent movies (without having to interrupt some pimpled teen text'ing their BFF) has just gone digital. Digiboo, partnering with Freeman's Revelations Entertainment, is launching a digital self service system akin to the photo printing stations found in many stores. They have also partnered with Hollywood video and are looking to launch with a selection of over 1000 movies.

This should be similar to any other trip to the video store except that you won't have a bag at the check-out you'll have a flash drive. Users will be able to complete their transaction by attaching a PMP, gaming device, cell phone, flash drive or any other type of USB storage. DRM is promised to be included which will probably be handled by a combination of the player and file similar to iTunes. Pricing schemes are still being worked out and may change. These would be a HUGE hit in airport terminals or the latest Colin Farrell movie premiere, any place you have a few hours to kill. Look for them abroad soon.

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Casio wants to give you a camera you can take everywhere. The Exilim EX-G1 is shock resistant camera, likened by Casio its immortal G-Shock digital watch, and can withstand multiple drops from 7 ft. unphased. The camera can survive freezing temperatures as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit. As for waterproof, the point-n-shoot can handle being submersed up to 10 feet for a full hour. As rugged as it is, the EX-G1 is merely 0.78" thick. Movies however are recorded in odd resolution at 848x480.

The best part of the EX-G1 is the soft features included with the camera to help you take your wildest shots. The camera has an unattended Interval Shooting that you can set and forget. The EX-G1 will then take pictures every 10, 30, 60, 180 seconds until you stop it or it runs out of memory. It's perfect so you can catch that perfect rail-slide, jump or flip that you've been practicing for weeks. Couple that with the Best Shot scene setting and you've got a recipe for great pictures of all that crazy stuff you do, anywhere you do it. MSRP is a little high at $299, but that should come down sharply after a few months and become a real gem and extreme sports partner/witness.

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Like your coffee shaken not stirred? Well too bad because Brando is going to keep it hot and swirly. The USB Whirl Wind Cup Warmer can heat your favorite beverage to a snappy 40 degrees Celsius. The high tech thermos is powered by a Lithium battery. The rechargeable battery is powered up by USB and charge status is displayed via LEDs on the front. Snap on the lid and take it with you wherever you like.

The heated mug also contains a handy contraption to constantly stir your beverage of choice. The built in agitator can run along with or without the heater. So go ahead and drink your coffee or your kool-aid precisely the way it was meant to be enjoyed. This won't crush ice or stir soup but it should be fine for most drinks. You'll only have to shell out $37 for this java warmer but that's nothing compared to the value of making that free coffee at the office last all the way through the day.

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One of the most obvious avenues for USB 3.0 speed to make our lives a bit better is as an external hard drive access. Sharkoon, of Germany, is releasing an immediately useful SATA hard drive station with USB 3.0 connectivity. The Sharkoon SATA Quickport USB 3.0 is an upright drive station that should make cloning, migration and forensic drive analysis much faster. USB 2.0 drive stations are incredibly popular in those functions today and a 10-fold increase in speed will be welcome to all their devotees. This simple drive station allows for drives to be quickly inserted and removed quickly. Both 2.5 and 3.5 inch drives are supported and quickly locked into place.

Unlike the mighty all-in-one station, Sharkoon's Quickport is simple and to the point with only 2 LED indicators and a single eject button. Sharkoon only ships with a AC adapter but they probably should include some sort of seat-belt, not for the drives, but just for the break-neck speed we are greedily awaiting. The SATA Quickport should be available next week for about $73.

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Thin client appliance has always been on the roadmap for Displaylink, notable for its USB video invention. Today, Displaylink makes a joint announcement with MS and HP to roll out its virtual graphics for Windows Multipoint Server 2010 and HP MultiSeat Thin Clients. Essentially, they all work together to make thin clients more appealing to cash-strapped schools, which are already struggling with a problem of replacing aging PCs.

MS Multipoint Server 2010 allows any PCs to become a server which is connected to a small group (max. 10) of HP MultiSeat Thin Clients via USB 2.0. Each appliance can have its own keyboard, mouse, monitor and audio. Oddly, the only peripheral connections on the appliance are PS/2, which is effective in preventing hacking by rogue students using USB drives. The package also includes TeachNow for easy system admin and SchoolCloud for tracking students' usage and managing their apps as well as data (e.g. homework). HP MultiSeat is expected to become available in early 2010. There's no word yet on pricing.

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Not to be outdone by Microsoft, Creative launches its own HD USB webcam. The true high-def Live! Cam Socialize is able to stream 1280x720 video at 30fps. That is, of course, HD video streaming to your computer, but not necessarily to the other party in a video chat session due to possible bandwidth constraint.

Together with out of the box cross-platform support (being USB Video class-compliant device) and avatar / voice morphing software bundle, the Live! Cam sounds quite impressive and fun until we found out that its mono microphone, fixed focus lens and cheap plastic build are a let down. MS' LifeCam Cinema, in contrast, comes equipped with noise-canceling stereo mic, auto focus glass lens and an aluminum body for enhanced protection while traveling. Best of all, the Cinema goes for much less than the Creative USB webcam.

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Imation - one of the believers in Certified Wireless USB - is giving UWB-based standard another shot with the Pro WX wireless hard drive. The Pro WX was meant to be released a year ago, but after losing its OEM WiQuest, Imation has put the product on hold, and went on with other projects, such as WUSB Project Link. It wasn't until recently Staccato - one of a handful of survivors in the industry shakeup of last year - that offered to resurrect the WUSB drive. The external drive houses a Seagate 3.5" Barracuda 7200-rpm 1.5TB, and has an antenna sticking out of it. You'll also find a HWA WUSB dongle as well as Memeo backup tool. And surprisingly, Mac support is built-in. Taking account of an early adopter premium, a very large 7200-rpm drive and some costly WUSB components, we can see why Imation puts a staggering $449.99 price tag on the drive.

Performance wise, the Pro WX tops at 15MB/s, and Imation makes sure you see it on the retail box, likely to avoid confusion that some consumers expect the WUSB drive to perform as as fast a wired counterpart. So, 15MB/s is more close to first gen. USB 2.0 storage, however, such speed can only be achieved at close range (between 3 to 5m). Compared to Wi-Fi- NAS, a major advantage of the Imation Pro WX is a dedicated incremental backup connection that bypasses snooping and avoids traffic congestion. But seriously though, Imation needs something close to 30MB/s for this to compete with 802.11n NAS offerings.

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Nexcopy, one of the leading manufacturers of USB copiers, is releasing USB Scrub as freeware today. This tiny package is designed to remove the excess registry entry that flash drives leave behind in Windows. Technically every piece of hardware you attach to your computer creates extra registry entries in windows. The makers of USB Scrub show that 260 registry entries get made every time a flash drive is connected. These entries slow down the process of inserting a USB drive into your computer. In Nexcopy's tests an overused system's accessibility lag went from 45 seconds to 15 seconds. That's the time it takes to go from plugging in a drive and then finally being able to use it.

USB Scrub will go through and clean out all those extra entries. Once you've cleaned out all the superfluous entries flash drive enumeration could be vastly improved. Currently only available for Windows XP but Vista and Windows 7 support are destined to arrive shortly. USB Scrub is completely free of adware and is nag free. It contains a link to Nexcopy's site, and that's it for ads. Available here for all to find.

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