USB (or Universal Serial Bus) is a 13-year old standard that was originally designed to connect then smart phones to PCs in the mid-90s. It later became the de facto standard for connecting any external, thanks to USB's built-in power supply and relatively fast speeds. The then-unique one-cable approach sparked a revolution that spawned everything USB (no, not this site) ranging from flash drives, hard drives, speakers, TV tuners to webcams. All these top at 12Mbps, at which speed is only good for mice and keyboards; so the official USB body upgraded the specs to USB 2.0, adding Hi-Speed USB mode operating at 480Mbps. As more applications moved on to wireless thereafter, the same group decided to follow the trend by cutting the wire in the latest Certified Wireless USB 1.0 standard, completed in 2005. And now, we are currently in the pre-WUSB era.
Latest from the Official USB Wonderland
In USB Technologies
News: Window of Opportunity for Wireless USB Slowly Closing?
Wednesday 7th May, 2008


Ultra-wideband (UWB) has been in the market since 2006, yet only a handful of consumer products based on Certified Wireless USB of WiMedia's UWB radio platform exist. In fact, there isn't even one native peripheral to date. The only application we've seen so far is some WUSB hubs plagued by sub-par performance. So, where is Wireless USB heading? IMS Research believes UWB and all the protocols that rely on the platform are at a cross-road, and 2008 may very well be pivotal year for them. The key is in getting more first tier manufacturers to ship WUSB integrated with their notebooks, and this should ramp up the production, hence driving the cost down to below $5. (The UWB IC prices currently remain at around $10.) Even though Dell, Toshiba and Lenovo are getting onboard, the rest is skeptical about UWB future, and has expressed concerns that half of the eco-system has been disappointing. IMS Research isn't all pessimistic, reassuring that UWB market volume will increase eventually as portable electronics move on to wireless option whose only choice is Wireless USB.

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In USB Apps for Flash Drives
News: Halo, Office 2007, Safari Now on U3 (With the Help of One Man)
Wednesday 7th May, 2008


While everything surrounding U3 has stopped, here's a webmaster who keeps all the U3 apps coming. This guy - not affiliated with Sandisk and U3 - basically repackages high-profile software titles to U3-compliant software that allows users to run them on their U3 drives on the go. After checking the site out, you can find quite a large number of titles ranging from the latest OpenOffice (2.4) to FireFox beta (3.0), Safari (3.1.1), Microsoft Office 2007, PS2 Emulator, PhotoShop and even Halo Combat Evolved. Even though we don't know the reactions when the publishers find out their titles are being ported to unauthorized platform without permission, the website is indeed the most populous U3 community out there. If you are still interested in the whole U3 idea, check out MS' StartKey which is fundamentally based on U3 except MS will do all the hard work of making software portable.

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In USB Video Capture / PVR & USB Video Cards
News: EVGA USB Video Cards to Go for Well Below $100
Tuesday 6th May, 2008


EVGA - the company that traditionally manufactures overclockable GeForce cards - has ventured into the low-end market with two external GPU-less USB video cards. Belonging to EVGA's UV Plus+ family, the stackable UV12 and UV16 DVI graphics adapters are based on none other than DisplayLink's USB video technology that also powers Samsung 940UX 19" monitor, IOGear USB VGA card and Kensington USB Video Dock. The UV16 is the high end model supporting a maximum resolution of 1600 x 1200 (1680 x 1050 widescreen) while the low model UV12 tops at 1280 x 1024 (1440 x 900 widescreen). Like all other DisplayLink products, the UV12 & UV16 support Vista's Aero 3D and Apple Leopard. Both adapters will go for well below $100, at which price point should appeal to workaholics maximizing productivity across multiple monitors.

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In USB Headsets & USB Speakers
News: CuPhone "Echo Free" USB Phone Adapter
Tuesday 6th May, 2008


CuPhone "Echo Free" USB Phone Adapter - available as platform independent - is for those who already has a preferred choice of their regular phone that they would like to use Skype with. In one end, there's a USB plug, and the two RJ-11 ports connect to wall jack and a standard telephone. Basically this lets you to accept both landline and Skype calls from the same phone. It can also automatically route incoming Skype calls to your cellphone or any pre-specified number, and supports three-way conferencing. Other similar products provides call-waiting feature for switching between Skype and landline calls, yet the CuPhone may lack this function.

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In Keyboards & Keypads
News: SteelSeries 7G Pro Keyboard Lasts 50 Million Keystrokes
Tuesday 6th May, 2008


Those making a living as a gamer or a programmer are the reason why SteelSeries 7G Pro gaming keyboard exists. Targeted specifically at the world's fastest typists, the professional gaming tool has the most powerful buffer-system, effectively eliminating "anti-ghosting" by simultaneously storing as many keystrokes as there are keys on the keyboard. The 7G Pro durability has been greatly enhanced with a switch lifetime of 50 million operations, which compare with 1 to 5 million keystrokes in a lifetime of a typical membrane keyboard. Carrying a weapon-grade $149.99 price tag, the keyboard also has the largest removable hand rest we've seen to date. It would certainly interesting to see the 7G Pro compares with the Logitech G15 and Razer Lycosa that cost only half as much.

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In USB Webcams , Camcorders & Digital Cameras
News: 1.3MP Spy Camera Sunglasses (Lens Almost Fully Exposed)
Monday 5th May, 2008


This pair of so-called spy camera sunglasses lets you to take snapshots of chicks sun tanning in the beach without getting noticed via a RF remote control. While ThinkGeek heavily touts the stealth mode of the 1.3MP camera, the lens actually is pretty exposed. The sunglasses themselves are made with lightweight frame material, and come with UV400 polarized flip-up lens. The hybrid also doubles as a 1GB MP3 player with built-in ear buds but you have to share the storage with the camera. A embedded polymer li-ion rechargeable provides up to 9 hours of battery life, which is about 1 photo per minute in perspective. A mini-USB port takes care of the re-charging and data exchange.

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In USB Hubs & Peripheral Sharing
News: Talking Optimus Prime USB Hub ("Autobots, Roll Out!")
Monday 5th May, 2008


Here's another Transformers USB hub except this is in the form of Optimus Prime's head. Like the All Spark version, this one also talks, spouting off classic phrases like "Autobots, transform and roll out!", "This is Optimus Prime - do you read me?" and "It's time to stomp some Decepticons!" when you connect a USB gadget. A on/off switch is included so the sound doesn't have to go off. It also looks like it has individual control for the 4 USB ports.

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In USB Flash Drives
News: Ironkey 'Secure Flash Drive' Now Available in 8GB
Friday 2nd May, 2008


Arguably the most secure flash drive in the world just got bigger. Ironkey is now available in 8GB in addition to 4GB ($149), 2GB ($109) and 1GB ($79). Features that appeals to government and corporate alike are tamper resistance that provides physical protection of the memory chip; cryptochip that boosts 128-bit AES hardware encryption; and self-destruct capability that destroys the data after 10 times of failed login attempts. For road warriors, Ironkey ships with a special edition of FireFox that takes advantage of what it calls the Secure Session Service (aka Tor) which enables surfing anonymously on the Internet. And there's also a password manager for storing login info so you don't have to fear keystroke logger when borrowing a net cafe's PC. While all these security measurements are quite assuring, $299 for a 8GB drive might turn a lot of people away. We guess it's better to lose a costly thumbdrive than to risk falling victim to identity theft.

Permanent Link
In USB Gadgets
News: PC Gizmo USB Bot Takes IM Emotes to Next Level
Friday 2nd May, 2008


It's a pleasant development that more companies have shown interest in bringing IM emotes into physical forms, which react to emotions in IM messages. P.C. Gizmo from Blue Box is an evolution of i-Buddy and Availbot. Whereas the latter two are targeted at MSN Messenger and AIM users respectively, the egg-shaped buddy has some new tricks up its sleeves. Besides supporting the big three IM clients (AIM, MSN & Yahoo), it doubles as a visual cues for incoming emails and Skype calls. The gizmo flaps its ears, rocks and turns depending on the responses; its chest also illuminates in different LED light pattern to reflect emotions from the messages. Last but not least is the built-in speakers for all the audible alerts. Video demo after the jump.

Permanent Link
News: Window of Opportunity for Wireless USB Slowly Closing?
Wednesday 7th May, 2008

Ultra-wideband (UWB) has been in the market since 2006, yet only a handful of consumer products based on Certified Wireless USB of WiMedia's UWB radio platform exist. In fact, there isn't even one native peripheral to date. The only application we've seen so far is some WUSB hubs plagued by sub-par performance. So, where is Wireless USB heading? IMS Research believes UWB and all the protocols that rely on the platform are at a cross-road, and 2008 may very well be pivotal year for them. The key is in getting more first tier manufacturers to ship WUSB integrated with their notebooks, and this should ramp up the production, hence driving the cost down to below $5. (The UWB IC prices currently remain at around $10.) Even though Dell, Toshiba and Lenovo are getting onboard, the rest is skeptical about UWB future, and has expressed concerns that half of the eco-system has been disappointing. IMS Research isn't all pessimistic, reassuring that UWB market volume will increase eventually as portable electronics move on to wireless option whose only choice is Wireless USB.
Permanent Link
In USB Apps for Flash Drives
News: Halo, Office 2007, Safari Now on U3 (With the Help of One Man)
Wednesday 7th May, 2008

While everything surrounding U3 has stopped, here's a webmaster who keeps all the U3 apps coming. This guy - not affiliated with Sandisk and U3 - basically repackages high-profile software titles to U3-compliant software that allows users to run them on their U3 drives on the go. After checking the site out, you can find quite a large number of titles ranging from the latest OpenOffice (2.4) to FireFox beta (3.0), Safari (3.1.1), Microsoft Office 2007, PS2 Emulator, PhotoShop and even Halo Combat Evolved. Even though we don't know the reactions when the publishers find out their titles are being ported to unauthorized platform without permission, the website is indeed the most populous U3 community out there. If you are still interested in the whole U3 idea, check out MS' StartKey which is fundamentally based on U3 except MS will do all the hard work of making software portable.
Permanent Link
News: EVGA USB Video Cards to Go for Well Below $100
Tuesday 6th May, 2008

EVGA - the company that traditionally manufactures overclockable GeForce cards - has ventured into the low-end market with two external GPU-less USB video cards. Belonging to EVGA's UV Plus+ family, the stackable UV12 and UV16 DVI graphics adapters are based on none other than DisplayLink's USB video technology that also powers Samsung 940UX 19" monitor, IOGear USB VGA card and Kensington USB Video Dock. The UV16 is the high end model supporting a maximum resolution of 1600 x 1200 (1680 x 1050 widescreen) while the low model UV12 tops at 1280 x 1024 (1440 x 900 widescreen). Like all other DisplayLink products, the UV12 & UV16 support Vista's Aero 3D and Apple Leopard. Both adapters will go for well below $100, at which price point should appeal to workaholics maximizing productivity across multiple monitors.
Permanent Link
In USB Headsets & USB Speakers
News: CuPhone "Echo Free" USB Phone Adapter
Tuesday 6th May, 2008

CuPhone "Echo Free" USB Phone Adapter - available as platform independent - is for those who already has a preferred choice of their regular phone that they would like to use Skype with. In one end, there's a USB plug, and the two RJ-11 ports connect to wall jack and a standard telephone. Basically this lets you to accept both landline and Skype calls from the same phone. It can also automatically route incoming Skype calls to your cellphone or any pre-specified number, and supports three-way conferencing. Other similar products provides call-waiting feature for switching between Skype and landline calls, yet the CuPhone may lack this function.
Permanent Link
News: SteelSeries 7G Pro Keyboard Lasts 50 Million Keystrokes
Tuesday 6th May, 2008

Those making a living as a gamer or a programmer are the reason why SteelSeries 7G Pro gaming keyboard exists. Targeted specifically at the world's fastest typists, the professional gaming tool has the most powerful buffer-system, effectively eliminating "anti-ghosting" by simultaneously storing as many keystrokes as there are keys on the keyboard. The 7G Pro durability has been greatly enhanced with a switch lifetime of 50 million operations, which compare with 1 to 5 million keystrokes in a lifetime of a typical membrane keyboard. Carrying a weapon-grade $149.99 price tag, the keyboard also has the largest removable hand rest we've seen to date. It would certainly interesting to see the 7G Pro compares with the Logitech G15 and Razer Lycosa that cost only half as much.
Permanent Link
In USB Webcams , Camcorders & Digital Cameras
News: 1.3MP Spy Camera Sunglasses (Lens Almost Fully Exposed)
Monday 5th May, 2008

This pair of so-called spy camera sunglasses lets you to take snapshots of chicks sun tanning in the beach without getting noticed via a RF remote control. While ThinkGeek heavily touts the stealth mode of the 1.3MP camera, the lens actually is pretty exposed. The sunglasses themselves are made with lightweight frame material, and come with UV400 polarized flip-up lens. The hybrid also doubles as a 1GB MP3 player with built-in ear buds but you have to share the storage with the camera. A embedded polymer li-ion rechargeable provides up to 9 hours of battery life, which is about 1 photo per minute in perspective. A mini-USB port takes care of the re-charging and data exchange.
Permanent Link
In USB Hubs & Peripheral Sharing
News: Talking Optimus Prime USB Hub ("Autobots, Roll Out!")
Monday 5th May, 2008

Here's another Transformers USB hub except this is in the form of Optimus Prime's head. Like the All Spark version, this one also talks, spouting off classic phrases like "Autobots, transform and roll out!", "This is Optimus Prime - do you read me?" and "It's time to stomp some Decepticons!" when you connect a USB gadget. A on/off switch is included so the sound doesn't have to go off. It also looks like it has individual control for the 4 USB ports.
Permanent Link

In USB Flash Drives
News: Ironkey 'Secure Flash Drive' Now Available in 8GB
Friday 2nd May, 2008

Arguably the most secure flash drive in the world just got bigger. Ironkey is now available in 8GB in addition to 4GB ($149), 2GB ($109) and 1GB ($79). Features that appeals to government and corporate alike are tamper resistance that provides physical protection of the memory chip; cryptochip that boosts 128-bit AES hardware encryption; and self-destruct capability that destroys the data after 10 times of failed login attempts. For road warriors, Ironkey ships with a special edition of FireFox that takes advantage of what it calls the Secure Session Service (aka Tor) which enables surfing anonymously on the Internet. And there's also a password manager for storing login info so you don't have to fear keystroke logger when borrowing a net cafe's PC. While all these security measurements are quite assuring, $299 for a 8GB drive might turn a lot of people away. We guess it's better to lose a costly thumbdrive than to risk falling victim to identity theft.
Permanent Link
In USB Gadgets
News: PC Gizmo USB Bot Takes IM Emotes to Next Level
Friday 2nd May, 2008

It's a pleasant development that more companies have shown interest in bringing IM emotes into physical forms, which react to emotions in IM messages. P.C. Gizmo from Blue Box is an evolution of i-Buddy and Availbot. Whereas the latter two are targeted at MSN Messenger and AIM users respectively, the egg-shaped buddy has some new tricks up its sleeves. Besides supporting the big three IM clients (AIM, MSN & Yahoo), it doubles as a visual cues for incoming emails and Skype calls. The gizmo flaps its ears, rocks and turns depending on the responses; its chest also illuminates in different LED light pattern to reflect emotions from the messages. Last but not least is the built-in speakers for all the audible alerts. Video demo after the jump.
Permanent Link
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Device Drivers From DriverAgent
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Mice, Keyboards, Game Controllers
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USB Speakers, USB TV, USB Webcams
Networking
802.11b, 802.11g, Bluetooth,
Peripheral Sharing
Portable Electronics
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Ceedo, MojoPac, Moka5 LivePC, U3
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