Everything USB... We Mean Everything!

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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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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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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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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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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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.

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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.

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