February 2007 USB News

I find it a bit disturbing and very weird that someone put so much time into tracking runners nearby via Nike+iPod gear. I don’t see why you would care where people are running near you so long as the running people aren’t serial killers or zombies. The kit uses a serial-to-USB adapter that listens to all foot pods in range and displays the raw data including the foot pod IDs. Stalkers won’t track the runners for long though as the range is only 60 feet. If you are the creepy voyeur type this thing is right up your alley. Pricing is $22.46 per unit but they have to be bought in lots of 12. I’m betting all the Nike+iPod runners will find you a bit out of place standing on the trail with your laptop in hand.

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RFID is a pretty cool bit a technology that typically costs some bucks to get into. ThinkGeek has an RFID kit that you can buy and play with that includes a programmable USB RFID reader and about fifteen read-only RFID tags you can put on your stuff. They even include an implantable RFID tag that I don’t suggest you attempt use. What you will do with the RFID kit is up to you. It seems a key fob is included so you can forget loosing your keys. You could even RFID your Twinkies if your roommate likes to swipe your snacks. An included book tells you how to program some cool stuff like an RFID door lock, Windows log in and some other stuff. The read range of the tags is approximately four inches, so don’t plan on finding things that are too lost.

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Inherited the rugged rubber casing for easy grip, shock resistant and water proof, the new Corsair Flash Voyager GT is revamped with speed rated at 34MB/s read and 28MB/s write. This is only rivaled by Patriot XPorter XT2 with claims that reach up to 39MB/s read. CrunchGear got words that Corsair 'hand picks the NAND flash for each one and is using a new flash controller with enhanced dual channel and interleave memory technologies.' It would be interesting to see if the Flash Voyager GT will deliver. After all these, I don't understand why Corsiar won't throw in a hardware-based encryption controller. The GT is still stuck with software AES 256-bit encryption. It is backed by a 10 year warranty and starts at $29.99 for the 2GB to $119.99 for the 8GB.

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Here's a guide on how to install (not run) Windows Vista from a USB flash drive. The primary reason for choosing a flash drive over the default DVD disc, Gigabit Ethernet and even some external USB drives is performance. The access speed and transfer rate of a high-end USB thumbdrive are quite impressive as the popular flash media well exceeds 30MB/s already. The guy didn't mention the size requirement of the drive. I suppose 4GB should be quite enough. The procedures to moving Vista install files requires you to format the removable drive partition in command prompt, followed by copying the Vista DVD content to the USB stick with this: xcopy d:\*.* /s/e/f e:\. If everything works as claimed, a typical Vista Ultimate install will be cut to less than 5 to 10 minutes from 20 to 25.

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If you are a console gamer that wants to be able to play console games on your PC display Adaptec makes it possible. The Adaptec GameBridge allows you to connect your console to a PC display for some frag time at the desk or on the go with your notebook. Personally I have never felt the need to console game on my PC, but I guess if your wife wanted to watch girly shows about weddings or cooking and you needed to blow some stuff up, yet only have one TV the GameBridge could be useful. The device is a small AA powered box that outputs console video to your PC screen at a measly 1024 x 768 screen resolution via S-Video and composite connections. The entire device connects to your PC via USB and you can also use the device to record TV on your PC if you spring for the 1410 model as opposed to the 1400 they reviewed. Bad news is the GameBridge pegged the reviewers CPU at 100% which will kill battery time, then perhaps his CPU just sucks he didn't mention system specs.

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Judging from all the teeny tiny digital photo viewers we have been seeing lately they must be popular, yet I have never seen anyone with one nor known anyone who uses them. I can’t envision myself squinting at a tiny 1.4” screen with 108 x 80 pixel resolution to see shots of my kids. Storage space is only 8MB and can hold up to 56 images. To get images to the Digital Photo Keychain software is included that works by simply dragging and dropping the images to the viewer. A built-in USB rechargeable battery powers the tiny show with a claimed 2.5 hours of viewing time. Pricing is sat at $50 and the little device is available now for purchase. If you get one just be sure that you and the folks you show the pics on the keychain off to have good vision, and most likely a magnifying glass.

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Corel is introducing today the first public Beta of their new WordPerfect Lightning software. The application is small at 20MB and intended to be downloaded to a USB drive and carried with you on the go. Once installed, Lightning gives you full word processing capabilities and note taking ability that ties into the full WordPerfect Office suite. Corel says the software addresses a gap in the work processing market and is designed to accelerate productivity tasks and offers free access to online storage services.

The company believes that by leveraging the desktop and web based services we can be more productive. Users of the application get 200MB of free online storage space and coworkers can share data and collaborate on projects online. Lightning sounds a lot like Google spreadsheets to me, which still needs a few kinks ironed out. Naturally there are lots of upsell opportunities for Corel here so if you use it expect to see lots of ads trying to get you to upgrade.

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Any professional graphics type geek can tell you that what you see on your PC display is not always what you get when you print the image out. LCD displays are notorious for not reproducing colors accurately which is where the Pantone hueyPRO Color Calibration device comes in. Wired says the device works shockingly good in a review they did recently but note that it sometimes falls of the display due to not sucking enough. Seriously, the suction cups…ummm… suck. Pricing for the color calibrated goodness the hueyPRO delivers is reasonable at $129. What’s another $129 after your dropped thousands on your photo editing PC, the giant LCD display and SLR camera? What the hueyPRO does is allow you to calibrate the gamma and white point on your display as well as the colors to ensure that what you see on screen is what prints on your printer.

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What if you want to set up webcams around your home to keep an eye on your kids or your pets from your computer while they romp around the house? The problem is webcams are typically tied to your PC with six feet of USB cable at most. You can use the mini USB-2 extender which allows you to use any USB device up to 150 feet from the computer. The extender uses CAT 5 cable to transmit the USB signals between the PC and the device. You can even use it for your mouse and keyboard. Throw in one of those USB displays and you can hide the computer away in a closet and run your display, mouse and keyboard anywhere in your home. The catch is that the system works with USB 1.1 speed only and it’s expensive at $199. You can buy the extender now at the manufacturer’s website.

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Parents who want to keep an eye on their children or employers looking to watch the employee use of the PC more closely the SnoopStick is here. You plug the snoop stick into the USB port of the computer you wish to monitor and install the monitoring components which takes less than 60 seconds. Once installed you can monitor all IM conversations in real time from any PC in the world and see what email was sent, where it was sent and who received it. You can also see what websites are being visited all with no signs to the user that the computer is being monitored as well as block all social networking sites automatically like My Space. SnoopStick is Windows compatible only. If you bust your kids doing something they are not supposed to you can even send them a pop-up telling them they are grounded.

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If you have a gamer in your life or you are a gamer that is really into racing simulation games, this is a fantastic racing peripheral. The Logitech G25 is a solid racing wheel that offers force feedback and much more for realistic driving experience than other wheels on the market. Read on for the full details on the Logitech G25 Racing Wheel.

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Losing your iPod, flash drive or digital camera really sucks, getting them stolen is even worse. A company called Gadget Theft Recovery System has a software application that you can install to the root of any USB device once registered. If you ever loose registered devices you come back to the Gadget Theft site and flag the item as missing. The next time the thief plugs your USB gadget into their system you get an email with information that can help you and police find the their. The data you get includes the offenders private IP address, location (country, city, state and zip), username, computer name, host name of ISP and internal network IP address. Personally I’m not sure how prone to help you retrieve your iPod the cops will be even when you are equipped with this data. At least you will feel better knowing you did all you can by using this service.

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If you really like to take movies with you on the go and don’t have an aversion to tiny screens and big ugly watches you are in luck. The MP4 Watch is available in 1GB and 2GB capacities and sports a 1.5” 128 x 128 pixel, 65,000 color display. That screen size is smaller that what you get on most cell phones. You can transfer music, images and full motion video to the watch from your PC via USB. For some reason it uses an odd 2.5mm headphone jack, so your favorite headset you use for your iPod is out. Other oddities are the fact that you have to convert video into .NVX format and photos into .RAW to display on the watch. GeekStuff4U has the watch for 161.81 for the 1GB model and $199.6 for the 2GB model.

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Retro is still in which is a bit strange when you are talking about computer gear where we typically want the latest product out there. What does a geek with some time on his hands, and old typewriter and a clicky old IBM keyboard do with himself? He makes a custom modded brass USB keyboard that can be typed on all day by a touch typist naturally. This guy gave the custom keyboard the full monty with fancy brass work and all. The finished product looks great though I have to wonder how comfortable it is to use. It looks like those keys stick up a lot. It appears from the project page that this was quite an involved process. I’m not so sure I would want my keyboard to require polishing. It’s pain enough to me to clean the Cheetos out of my keyboard every now and then.

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We have talked about LightSnake cables before that are used to connect musical instruments to the USB port of your computer. Now SoundTech, the makers of the Lightsnake cables are announcing they are designing a line of computer cables with the same Live when Lit technology used in the original musical cables. SoundTech is going to be selling USB-A to USB-B high-speed, USB-A to USB-A high-speed, USB-A to USB 5-pin mini-B and a USB-A to USB-A extension cable. All of these cables will light up when the devices connected to the PC are hooked up showing the user that the connection is good. All the cables will use gold plated copper contacts and extra flexible cables for easy installation. Availability is slated for Q1 2007 and pricing will start at $49.99.

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For the guys out there that forgot to get your girl a V-day gift or if you are trying to make it up to her form playing WoW for 12 hours straight, we have your back. What you need to do is give her your heart, even if your heart is a USB drive that only has 256MB of storage space. The heart shaped drive breaks in half revealing the USB connector for you to connect to the PC. You can fill the drive up with MP3’s of power ballads from White Snake if you so desire. After all we have established the fact that you are a geek already have we not? The USB heart comes on a chain so your honey can take it with her everywhere.

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The European Commission said Wednesday that European markets must be open to Ultra-wideband (UWB) over the next six months. All 27 states of the European Union are on the same time table. Products destined for the EU will have to make due with less frequencies than those of us here in the US will see UWB products on though. The US has approved UWB to operate with flat power levels on a continuous frequency band from 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz. EU UWB users will be limited to a tighter frequency spectrum meaning UWB products designed to operate in the US will not be able to be imported into the EU.

The commission says they instituted this fixed time frame to help prevent consumers from illegally importing non-approved UWB devices into the EU. This move early in the game will most likely mean those of us here in the States will only see UWB devices that use the same spectrum that the EU is allowing so device makers don’t have to make different versions for each side of the pond.

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Ah those Vodka loving Russians! It seems that Vodka swilling is an important part of Russian culture. Yet it also seems that a rule of said Vodka consumption is that you don’t drink it alone. I suspect this rule goes back to the Cold War era when there needed to be at least one other person present during the inebriation in case one of the partakers uttered anti-government statements. For those geeky Russian types that are stuck at their computers or for when it’s just too cold to waddle down to the bar a Russian company called e-generator.ru has made a virtual shot glass that ties the drinker into a virtual bar for some partner drinking. The glass plugs into the USB port of the computer and it tracks the amount of liquid drank from the glass to report it to other users. Presumably this is so the drinking games can still be played though it appears the glass can’t tell the difference between water and Vodka.

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Canon is stepping up and pimp slapping the other tiny HD camcorder makers with a newly announced product called the PowerShot TX1. Canon packed in a 7.1mp CCD and the cam can capture 720p HD resolution video, upscalable to 1080i. As small as the camcorder is it still has 10x optical zoom, 4x digital zoom and ISO settings of 80 to 1600. Rolled into the camera is also Canon’s Digic image processor, advanced face detection, red eye reduction, fourteen shooting modes and a sensor called the Intelligent Orientation Sensor. This sensor is supposed to keep the display looking right no matter how you hold the camera. No release date is set, but it looks like Canon is aiming directly at the Sanyo HD2 which is priced $200 more than the TX1. The TX1 stores to SD, SDHC, MMC, and MMC Plus memory cards and transfers to your PC via USB or a card reader.

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CoSoSys has what they are calling the first 'USB Firewall' for Windows Vista called Secure it Easy. The application is designed to help network admins keep unauthorized USB drives off the network. The software only allows USB devices authorized by an administrator to connect to the PC for data transfer. Any device that the admin classifies as a trusted device can be connected and work normally. Additionally the software can be set up to send email notices to an admin when unauthorized USB devices are attached to the network. Carry it Easy Plus also works to protect data on authorized devices with 128 bit AES encryption in case the drive is lost or stolen. Pricing is set at $44.95 per installation and can be downloaded as a 30-day trial.

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Last week, Lexar debuted 4GB SDHC and 8GB UDMA CF card with a write speed at 133x and 300x respectively. The CF is primarily aimed at photogs who will be shopping for a DSLR as UDMA support won't make it to the cameras until later this year. To match with the cards' higher transfer speeds, the company also announces the release of the the Dual-slot Reader with compatibility ranges from SD/SDHC to CF/UDMA-CF. All these guaranteed write speeds don't mean much when you are transferring the photos back to the PC. However, if the sequential write speeds can reach this level, then read speed can't be far behind. The SDHC gives you 20MB/s (133x * 150KB/s) whereas UDMA CF hits 45MB/s (300x * 150KB/s). No wonder Lexar makes a FireWire 800 version of the reader as well.

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At CES 2007 Wisair, the wireless USB folks, polled the geeks that came by their kiosk about some of their opinions on wireless USB equipped products. What they found was that about 44% of those polled said they would pay up to 15% more for phones and electronics that were equipped with wireless USB. Only 16% of the respondents said they would not pay more for gadgets using wireless USB connectivity. 30% of the survey respondents said they would pay 25% more and 10.5% said they would pay 35% more.

The survey also covered some uses people expected for Wireless USB. Wisair polled how useful folks felt the ability to send photos from your wireless USB equipped phone to your printer would be, and 21% said it would be useful, 17% of respondents did not care, and only 7% said they saw wireless USB as not beneficial in phones. 63% of those polled thought that a PMP was the place for wireless USB and 65% thought using wireless USB to connect camcorders to external hard drives was a good use.

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Details are sketchy at this time but Samsung hints that they intend to introduce a 19"computer LCD display at CeBIT next month called the SyncMaster 940UX which is slated for a May launch. What is interesting about this display is that it uses neither VGA nor DVI connection; rather it connects to the PC via USB and we are talking a real display not a limited use display like we typically see on USB ports. This means that to add more display screens to your computer will require no additional video cards, which is great news for those running integrated graphics. The catch is that Samsung does not say how they intend to process the graphics. Odds are the graphics for the USB display will be processed on the CPU. That means less performance for both graphically demanding applications and the PC as a whole will take a performance hit. The CPU is not the place to process graphics that require lots of floating point operations that the CPU is not designed to run. If you aren't ready to shell out for a new USB-only display, then an external USB video card maybe a more logical choice.

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The good news is that U3 launchpad version 1.4 and higher supports Vista. The bad news is that the update can only be obtained from the U3 drive manufacturers as U3 does not distribute Launchpad updates. If they are slow at adopting the new U3 core, then you will have wait longer or perhaps will shell out for a new drive instead. There are more complications due to Vista compatibility with the mobile apps themselves and the legacy hardware issues that prevent launchpad upgrade for some U3 drives. For example, Sandisk U3 drives with firmware 2.1.5 and 2.2.1 support Vista while firmware 2.1.6, 2.1.7, 2.1.8, 2.2.0 do not. No words about status from Verbatim, Memorex, PQI on their upgrade timeline, but Sandisk will post 1.4 updates in March.

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Logitech is notorious for ignoring Mac support in their QuickCam USB webcams. Now that Apple introduces USB Video Class (UVC) support to Tiger (10.4.3 or higher), the latest revision of the Logitech cameras featuring RightLight 2 now installs without additional drivers with the platform. The driver-less cams include the QuickCam Ultra Vision, 2nd gen. Orbit MP, QuickCam Pro 5000, Fusion and Notebooks Pro. Technically, Creative Live! Cam Optia, also UVC-compliant should work as well, but ecamm hasn't received report of success with this particular model. Though, you'll need iChatUSBCam 2.2 - a $9.95 utility - for these webcams to interface with iChatAV for video conferencing. I'm sure a lot of Mac folks will find this iChatUSBCam update useful as iSight replacement in the future.

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If the Borg were into tiny-screened photo viewers, this would no doubt be their favorite. The Desktop Digital Photo Cube has a screen so small at only one inch that I seriously doubt you would be able to see anything in images displayed, other than hair and a burry face. The USB connected device can store up to 30 images and has a mood light built-in. The entire photo cube only measures in a 2 5/8” x 2 5/8”. Pricing is $51.34 if you buy at least 25 of the cubes, which seems a bit expensive to me. I’m guessing these things will be popular with pharmaceutical companies that like to hand out mostly useless stuff to the staff of doctors offices.

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I’ve been poking fun at some of the weird USB gadgets that eNeccessities is purveying today and finally we come to one that I potentially useful. If you live in a warmer climate as I do here in Texas, a nice desktop fan rally helps in the summer months to keep you cool. This Premium Desktop USB Fan with Three Speeds fan is completely powered by the PC USB port so I don’t have to decide between sweating like a pig and charging my cell phone thanks to a lack of AC outlets in thee office. Contemporary design isn’t what comes to mind when I look at this thing, it looks like a fan my grandmother had when I was little from the 50’s. Measuring in at only 6” x 12”, I’m not sure how much air the thing can move. I think when summer hits I’ll stick with my giant box fan. If you need more flash in your fan, check out the Antec Fanpal.

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It seems that just about every possible desktop accessory is now endowed with USB ports. Case in point is this tape dispenser that has three USB ports. The image clearly shows four USB ports, but one if them is obviously the connection to the computer. You can connect flash drives, mice and other USB peripherals directly to your tape dispenser for use. Cool in an ugly sort of way. I’m not too sure about this device, I don’t see myself walking into Office Depot, and thinking, wow I must have that tape dispenser. Overall size is a largish 17” x 11” and the device is designed with co branding in mind as evidenced by the 2 ¾” x 1 ¼” imprint space. No word on pricing or why they felt we needed a tape dispenser with a USB hub built in.

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USB shavers are really weird devices and this one isn't the first shaver we have seen. Then again, if you are anything like me and are at your computer most of the day five or more days a week perhaps they can be useful. The Rechargeable USB Travel Shaver is wireless and recharges via the USB port and comes packaged in a gift box along with the cleaning brush. The shaver measures in at 4 ½” x 2” so it is quite small. Naturally, the shaver is compatible with both Mac and PC since all it needs is the ubiquitous USB port for charging. I’m just not sure about shaving at my computer, seems like the little whiskers would end up falling into my keyboard. What we really need is a USB powered pizza oven, now that would be useful. No word on pricing or battery life but I wouldn’t expect the shaver to be too costly.

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There is certainly no shortage of gaming mice on the current market and now there is one more for you to choose from, this time from OCZ. OCZ has launched their first foray into gaming peripherals with the new OCZ Equalizer gaming mouse. The Equalizer is different form the other gaming mice on the market in a couple ways; first it has a 2500 dpi resolution for faster movements and second it integrates a button OCZ calls “Triple Threat” which allows you to fire three times with one button click. When not fragging noobs you can also use the “Triple Threat” button to open applications and links that typically require two button clicks with one click. The USB powered laser mouse has a dual laser engine for use on a variety of surfaces as well. There is no word on pricing at this time nor when the mouse will be available. OCZ has two different sizes with a larger mouse aimed at desktop users and the smaller mouse aimed at mobile types. Both versions will share the same specs and features.

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Yes, just what the world needs a USB powered filtration mask. Supposedly, you plug this thing into the USB port on your computer and fans inside suck air into the filter and clean the air before it gets to your lungs. The only thing I can say is it looks really stupid. I’m not sure what the captions with the pictures say, but allow me to translate anyway.

1. My boss is so disgusting; I have to wear this mask to keep the stench of his Old Spice out of my nose.
2. Boss says, “You look dead sexy in that mask, try this much uglier one instead or I’ll fire you.” Secretary says, “Please no! Last week you made me wear those ugly USB heating gloves!”
3. Nooo…I look like a Storm Trooper! Someone kill me now!
4. Later today, I plan to pee in my boss’s coffee!

Perhaps my translations are off, nonetheless if you wear one of these you deserve to have someone pee in your coffee.

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When the military needs a USB drive, they need it to be strong, really strong. In fact, the IronDrive is so strong that it is designed to survive nuclear stresses. I guess that means that if you had this flash drive and you were nuked that your MP3s would be safe, so long as someone were around in 100 years when the radiation goes away to get them. I bet that pisses RIAA off. The IronDrive is also designed to resist high temperature, shock, vibration, submersion, EMI and caustic agents. I guess if you were on a submarine that was nuked whilst under chemical attack by a large vibrating electric eel your data would be safe. I don’t know about you but that makes me sleep better at night. Plus if you ever resort to hand-to-hand combat the drive is so much larger than normal flash drives you could use it as a blunt weapon.

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Oh, crap. I can see it at next years CES show, all the flash drives they hand out with press kits on them will play sales pitches when I plug them in. The only thing I need less than another flash drive to add to my desktop pile is one that talks to me every time I plug it in. This thing is aimed at advertising and comes packaged with a lanyard and a built in speaker so the message plays even if the PC it’s plugged into has no speakers. The sound file can be set to play for 10 or 20 seconds once the Sound Drive is plugged in. It can play WAV, AIFF and MP3 files and works with Mac and PC. Lucky us.

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I remember the days when our hard drives looked like hard drives. Now they look like artsy crap that your girl friend would buy, not a place for you to store manly stuff like porn and your Barry Manilow collection. If you are tired of froo froo looking external hard drives and want your hardware to look like hardware and you have a 2.5” HDD lying around we have your enclosure. The 2.5” Hard Case Hard Disk as its called measures in at 84 x 134 x 12mm, works with Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, and XP as well as Mac OC9.2 and up. No drive is included but the case itself is cheap with a price of only $24.68. The site doesn’t say that a USB cable and power adapter is included but you would think that at least a power supply would come with the thing.

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Most of the USB loving readers of this site have heard of the USB flash drives that claim to be bullet proof. Some foreign geeks (I’m not sure where they are from) got their hands on a Pretec USB drive and decided to give the bulletproof claims their own test, at the local gun club. The shooter shows off his guns that will be used for the test a 9mm, a .357, a .44 and a .500. You have to watch the video to get an idea of how large the bullets that the .500 shoots are. I will admit I was quite surprised that the Pretec drive stood up to everything, until the .500 anyhow. The flash drive came out of a direct hit with a 9mm without a scratch, shrugged off the .357 and was dented by the .44. When the big .500 hit is directly there wasn’t much left of the drive. The moral of the story is that so long as hackers don’t come at your data with a .500 Magnum your data should be safe.

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This Newsoft Biz Card Reader would have been a seriously nice device to have in my pocket at CES this year. Too bad it’s Mac only since I use Windows based systems. At any rate if you are a Mac user that collects lots of business cards through your daily business travel this is the ideal gadget. You simply feed the card through the reader and it digitizes the information for you and inserts the data into the correct fields in the accompanying software so you don’t have to do a thing. After the scan is complete, you have a pristine digital copy for searching and filing away rather than a drawer full of the old-fashioned paper cards. Pricing is set at $130 and includes the reader, software and the USB cable as well as a calibration card to get you up and running.

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Gamers to young to recall the original Mario Brothers console game may wonder why this Mario mouse rendition is so blocky looking. The answer to that is that Mario looked exactly like that back in the day. These mice are for the collectors only; if you buy one to actually use you should be kicked. With a whopping 400 dpi maximum sensitivity and the fact that these things appear to be BALL mice pretty much limits them to sitting in their boxes and looking some what cool, to geeks anyway. BPS, the makers of the Mario mouse also added a mouse to commemorate the most sought after item form the game, the invulnerability star. Both mice connect via USB and suck equally bad at gaming. If you actually want to game with your mouse shop elsewhere.

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I have a couple of the R2 Gaming Mouse Mark II’s around my house and they are great mice. The round design of the mouse allows you to control movement with your fingers rather than your wrist like a normal mouse for more accuracy. I used the mouse with the same manufacturer’s mouse pad called the KillenFloor. Couple the two and the R2 mouse feels like you are gaming with an air hockey puck in your hand, it just feels like the mouse floats on air. The only thing I could not get used to was the lack of a scroll wheel, though the buttons on top do act as a scroll wheel. The sensitivity goes up to 1600 dpi and you can program the button flashes as well. You can even map commands to the mouse lift function so picking the mouse up activates an in game command.

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Any parent knows that you have to watch where you child goes and what they do online these days. The problem is that parents are not always around to monitor children and not all passwords are secure. A new product called KidSafe uses a USB token that works with the Windows logon system. With the KidSafe key installed, the PC is usable, but without the key in the system, you cannot access the PC at all. The PC does not have to be on a domain to use the KidSafe key, the device uses strong RSA encryption, and there are online key management services in case the key is lost or damaged. Even safe mode booting is disabled when using KidSafe.

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If you happen to think form is more important than function and the dog is you preferred form we have your webcam, the USB RoboDog Cam. This silver robot looking dog has a webcam in his little nose. The cam can shoot video in 640 x 480, 320 x 240, and 160 x 120 at 30 frames per second. The video is captured in 24-bit color as well with its VGA 350k pixel sensor. Sure, you can get better webcams, but this little cam only costs $22, which will make it a good cam for kids or serious dog lovers. The little dog is articulated too so you can make it sit, crouch and lay down. Here’s hoping it doesn’t pee on your desktop. Personally I find the Panda Cam cuter.

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The Sprint Novatel Wireless Ovation U720 is the new gangly black USB dongle that is supposed to bring blessed broadband speeds to geeky types using the device in Sprints Rev A EV-DO network. I used this very device in Vegas for this years CES and was more than a bit disappointed with the speeds which were more like circa 1995 dial up that my home broad band connection. Maybe we were just in a bad spot at my hotel but I wasn’t impressed. Nonetheless, I hear others had better user experiences than I and the device was even fast for some of them. You do get a USB cable with the beast that has two USB heads, which they say you need to guarantee the dongle has enough power at all times, though it will work with one but your speeds could be affected.

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OMG! This is just what we geeks need, another USB flash drive that holds a smell in addition to flash memory. Debreu has a new high speed flash drive that uses USB 2.0 sporting not only storage space from 128MB to 1GB , but a bamboo motif cleverly hiding a disk that holds your favorite scent for up to two hours of use. This may be the perfect valentine’s gift for the aunt that smells like cabbage. At least for a few hours anyway she will smell better. That is assuming she knows what a flash drive is.

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My desk is covered in stuff from my card reader to my USB hub to the external hard drive holding my data backup. It would be great to get all this gear in one enclosure and the guys over at ThinkGeek have done just that. You buy this enclosure sans optical drive and HDD and put your own stuff into it. The drive then connects to your PC via USB and even has an extra USB port up front for your flash drives. The card reader works with CF I/II, MD, SD, MMC, and MS/MS PRO. An aluminum heatsink and a fan cool the enclosure and surge protection is built in as well. The Media Tank works with both PC and Mac.

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If the USB powered aquarium was too mundane for you and you really need something at your desk to complement your foil hat the MiniQuarium Alien version should do the job nicely. Fill the tank with water and drop your little alien friends into the tank, plug in your USB connector and watch the spaceships fly around. You kids might like this thing too and at $19.45 it’s not so expensive that you will fear it getting broken. The tank also glows for a night light and can be powered with four AA batteries when away from your computer, just don’t forget your tin foil hat if you take it on the road with you.

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Just in case the PQI Chinese New Year Pig flash drive was too flashy for you, Kingston is shipping a less ornate version for the holiday. The Kingston Chinese New Year DataTraveler has a 1GB storage capacity and is lucky red in color. The zodiac symbol for the year is embossed in gold on the case as are the Chinese calligraphic characters Ding Hai which represent the year 2007. Unlike the PQI drive the Kingston piggy drive is very affordable at $31 and it is available from Kingston’s typical distributors. The small drive measures in at 38mm x 19mm making it more portable than the PQI drive as well.

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Custom gadgets and flash drives set the uber geeks apart from the mere mortal geeks. If you really want to impress your geeky pals check out this limited edition flash drive from Slava Tyukalov. The drives are housed in a slick looking aluminum and graphite composite box that is coated in titanium protecting the drive from water, shock, vibration, and static. Available capacities are 1GB and 2GB and only 100 of the custom drives will be made. Pricing includes worldwide shipping and is $197 for the 1GB drive and $247 for the 2GB version. sure this drive isn't as fun as the custom astronaut drive, but your friends probably won't laugh at you for carrying the Tyukalov drive.

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TEAC America is adding a USB Autoloader to their line of PC hosted disc printing solutions. The AL220U USB Autoloader is to be used with the TEAC p55 photo-quality dye-sublimation thermal disc printer or with the TEAC 4800gpi inkjet printer, which is very similar to the Imation D20 Disc Publisher. The AL220U is a fully automatic disc printing solution that can print up to 220 discs. TEAC claims that the system doesn’t require PRN files. "TEAC's new USB Autoloader makes it very easy and quick to automatically print up to 220 discs. The Advanced robotic mechanism is used to transport discs from the input bins to the integrated TEAC printer and then to output bins. With USB connection, the whole process is extremely quick and very efficient." says Les Luzar, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, TEAC America, Inc. The AL220U USB autoloader system is available now via the TEAC distribution channel. No pricing information was given at this time.

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Tired of your plain old webcam? Looking for something a bit more cuddly and frou-frou to put on your desk than typical webcams? How about a plush USB Panda Web Cam? The lens rotates to adjust focus and the camera works with ICQ, MSN, Skype and other messenger applications. The bear connects to your PC via USB and weighs 133g while measuring 160 x 118 x 138 mm. The sensor is a CMOS 350K that captures at a video resolution of 640 x 480 at 15 fps. You can capture full 30 fps video at 320 x 240 fps as well.

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Many of us are anxiously awaiting the availability of UWB products and to whet our appetites Nokia has teamed up with Wisair to show off a wireless USB camera phone. The phone is a Nokia N series handset with a Wisair 542 chip. Presumably, it will be very cool to transfer images you take with your phone wirelessly to your computer. I wonder how quickly the transfer will happen using the wireless technology. Nonetheless, it sounds pretty cool and I for one hope to see consumer devices on the market soon.

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At first glance, the ZiPhone II might look like another semi useless Skype phone, but upon closer inspection, it’s actually a semi useless VOIP, Skype, and PSTN phone. The phone connect to your PC via USB and normal phone line or VOIP line. You can then answer calls based on caller ID info and record calls at the touch of a button. Using your PC, you can run music or advertising on hold as well as getting personal voice messaging and call logging. The headset in the photo isn’t included but is available separately. This might be a useful product for people who run a one-person business and don’t want to invest in hardware to perform these tasks. No pricing info is given on the website, you have to call to get info probably meaning it’s expensive and you have to listen to a sales pitch but I could be wrong.

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If you work in one of the cubicle farm type offices and the person in the cubicle next door is a bit aromatic, and not in a good way, a device to improve the smell in your little cube if stinky office space might be most welcome. This device looks like a USB flash drive with the notable exception that it has no flash memory inside. Instead of storage a disk holds scents from oils improving the aroma supposedly. The manufacturer of these devices also has neck straps and other things for the Aroma USB. What I am not clear on and the site does not elaborate on is if the USB plug is merely there so you can use your PC to hold the device or if the USB plug heats the oil like the USB Aroma therapy heater we talked about before. No word on pricing or availability but it seems the manufacturer is looking for dealers.

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In a dilemma of choosing between a hard drive and a flash memory-based camcorder? JVC will make it easier for you with this hybrid Everio HD cam. The company surprises everyone by touting Everio GZ-HD7 as the first of its kind to record 1080i / 720p on both 60GB HDD and SDHC. In HD, the built-in HDD can hold about 5 hours of video at 30Mbps MPEG-2 TS whereas a 4GB SDHC card can store only about 25 minutes encoded at 22Mbps VBR MPEG-2. The GZ-HD7 isn't going to be competing with the Panasonic's SDHC-only camcorder in form factor as it can hold more than 7 times more content than using a 4GB card. The JVC will sport both HDMI and Hi-Speed USB which connects to CU-VD40 standalone DVD burner for producing SD movie disc on the go.

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When shopping for a Hi-Def camcorder, you have four choices of media recording: DVD, MiniDV, hard drive and flash memory. Among these, flash memory-type camcorder hasn't quite taken off until SDHC comes along with high capacity format and improved speeds. SDHC can cost you an arm and a leg if you don't invest wisely on the media. ($120 for a 4GB, ouch) So, why should one pick a SDHC camcorder like the Panasonic HDC-SD1? By using flash cards for video recording, Panasonic has the advantage of creating one of the sleekest camcorders, measuring just 2.9" x 2.71" x 5.6" and weighing just 17.4 oz. That's just a tad heavier than the slim DVD burner we covered earlier. As the flash card takes up so little room, the HDC-SD1 has plenty of space for a 3" widescreen LCD, 5.1 surround sound mic and 3 CCDs lens. Digital Trends describes the video quality as jaw dropping. Though, you will be also surprised to find that the bundled 4GB card will only hold 40 minutes of 1080i video and that not one sample video/image is posted in the review.

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Putting anything in the hands of bored students can turn from its legit purpose into their classroom toys. What do we have here today? Oh, it's a Texas Instruments TI-84+ advanced calculator that interfaces with a variety of peripherals ranging from a flash drive to a mouse via USB OTG. As long as the device draws 100mA or less current, the calculator will gladly welcome the new 'slave.' If you ask for what purpose, this video shows a scene from The Matrix playing off a 1GB Lexar drive on the TI's monochrome screen in what seems like ACSII style. Students can also exchange games using a thumbdrive as the cal has no Bluetooth. Now, we know why TI rolled out the high-res like the TI-89.

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Kodak has officially kicked Epson, Dell and the other members of the ink cartel in the stones with the introduction of their new printers. The new Kodak printers are noteworthy thanks to the new print cartridges that integrate the print head into the printer rather than the cartridges allows for lower cost ink. If you guys are anything like me you have probably stood in the store before and realized you could buy a new printer for about what ink for your old one costs. Kodak claims that their new ink system will give about twice as many prints for the same cost as competitors. The new line of Kodak all in one printers uses Kodak’s own ink that runs $9.99 for black and $14.99 for color. My Epson RX700 uses six cartridges that each cost more than $14.99 if you can find the damn things. Kodak claims that with their new printers you can produce 4 x 6 color prints for a mere 10 cents each which is significantly less than what it costs to make prints on HP photo printers.

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Saturn brings visions of large ringed planets to mind which must be the mental image Addonics wanted to conjure when they named their new SATA or USB drive cartridge system Saturn. With a storage capacity of up to 750GB is certainly large though no rings seem to be included with the drive. Basically this system is an SDCS cradle that can install into a 5.25 inch drive bay of a desk top or be used as an external USB drive. SDCS drive cartridges can be had in 300, 500 and 750 GB capacities. Hardware encryption is also available to protect sensitive data. At its core the SDCS system sound like nothing more than a hot swap drive bay system with a starting price of $199.95 that includes one 300 GB cartridge. The system is Vista compatible and compatible back through Windows 98SE and works with Mac OS X and over.

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I have fond memories of my first Nintendo back in the day; those of you gaming long enough will recall the original Nintendo that came with the little robot and those spinning tops. The controller of those old school Nintendo consoles reminds me of this MaxFire Pandora Pro USB game pad. Genius is aiming this controller at gamers that use a notebook for portable frag sessions. Eight action buttons help ensure you can map the controls you need and there is a turbo button on the side that allows you to auto repeat. The gamepad measures in at 9.9 x 4.9 x 1.2 cm and weighs 30 grams. The USB cable is retractable so you don’t have to fight more cords in your laptop bag either and stores in its own case. If you want old school looks, in a beefire controller check out Elecom's gamepad.

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Got a couple of freebie flash drives with capacity too small for anything useful? Rohos suggests you put them to good use by transforming them into a USB lock key. The $25 software (60 day trial available) in a nut shell replaces traditional password-based Windows login/access with a thumbdrive. Or if you prefer to add another layer of authentication, you can keep using your existing PIN code. Upon insertion, the USB key can unlock a Windows 2000/03/XP and even Vista PC that belongs to Windows logon, Active Directory or Novell Netware configuration. Removing the key will put Windows back to login screen. Another nice touch is Rohos' ability to track daily and weekly work login hours. Last but not all is a much needed copy protection in case someone tries to duplicate your key.

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Feeling left out of the latest DVD technologies? Apricorn EZ Writer yada yada USB 2.0 drive can put your notebook back into the league. The external drive is home to a slim laptop DVD burner that offers both dual-layer 8.5GB burning capability and LightScribe, providing the ability to inscribe images and text on CDs or DVDs. That's pretty much it. The top speeds, on par with drives bundled with recently shipping notebooks, are 24x for CD writing, 8x for single layer DVD burning, 4x for dual layer. The EZ Writer DVD LS requires an AC adapter; the company rather play safe than ship with a dual USB cable for true bus power. You will find Nero OEM suite for DVD authoring as well as CyberLink Power DVD 5 for movie playback. Retailed for $139, the EZ Writer is 12oz. more to lug around.

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The Genius SlimStar 820 is one of a kind keyboard that includes a solar panel to draw on energy from light sources and then to recharge the unit's built-in battery. The panel located on the top right is adjustable to absorb as much light as possible. Other than this unique feature, the SlimStar 820 seems like an ordinary $15 keyboard with tons of multimedia hotkeys. One more thing. The keyboard is hybrid powered. In the absence of any light, the USB cable charger can take over. The solar-panel doesn't recharge the 1600dpi laser mouse which uses 4 AA batteries that are pretty harmful to the environment. The good news is the batteries last up to 15 months.

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I've come to rely on word processing so much that my hand writing, let alone my calligraphy skill, is illegible at best. There are, however, scenarios like interviewing someone on phone that requires me to doodle. Re-entering all those gibberish back to the computer is a chore, not to mention I can hardly read my own writing. Enter the Genius G Note 7100. The tablet allows you to drop notes on any paper, and it records them into the embedded 32MB flash memory that can hold about a hundred pages. Genius didn't say how the G Note 7100 works its magic. You may likely need to use their special pen. There's also no mention of a OCR or power requirement of the tablet. Retailed for $159, the portable tablet is unlike IOGear Digital Scribe that is tethered to USB for it to work.

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USB flash drives are definitely on top of the long list of 'external' threats faced by corporate IT admins. But when a keylogger works together with a flash drive together, that's even worse. Culprits can discreetly daily chain a keylogger to a USB keyboard of the machine they want the password of. After unsuspected employees are done with their PC and log out, their passwords / IDs and every keystroke are already quietly recorded to the keylogger's internal USB memory. If this is one more thing to worry about, DeviceLock, now upgraded with the ability to detect USB keylogger can help root out this threat. Most of these keyloggers register on the PC as a USB HID driver. So, it maybe more difficult to check PS/2 keyloggers, unlike USB ones that have some sort of enumeration. The security software can also block external USB hubs, and set a variety of flash drive rules.

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This guy seems a little more curious on the power draw of each USB device he reviewed. So, he took the matter into this own hands and created a what he called a USB Drawbox that basically is a USB pass-through except the multimeter intercepts the power signal and gives you an accurate current in mA a USB peripheral pulls over USB. This apparently isn't for everyone since this so-called little DIY hack requires extensive tweaking on insulation on the screws as well as testing that there are no shorts to avoid frying a USB port. We aren't certain why one may want this. As we recall, USBInfo does the same thing, of course, for devices that function properly. If you connect a DVD burner or a 7200-rpm 2.5" USB HDD, you'll find out their power request from the Drawbox is way above the per-port allowance (500mA) and your PC likely shuts the device down.

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Mac open-source community is striving with self-less people contributing USB drivers to Windows-only devices. Earlier, Marc Liyanage reverse-engineered the Z-10 USB Interactive Speakers and granted Mac users' wish of a Z-10 Tiger driver. David Wilson now hacked into the missile system and distributed the WMD for SOHO to Mac cult. Some improvements in this version include the missile travel limit; so, rockets won't overshoot your target. There's also a preference for enabling camera on start-up. We aren't so sure why it's there; it's up to you to explore. The free-for-all program also works with both the USB Patriot Missile System and the original USB rocket launcher. Time for another showdown between Mac and Windows.

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Between the Disney's Mix Stick MP3 player and this 'tiny collection' of flash drives inspired by the Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh and Stitch, the latter seems more likely we will showcase it in a glass case instead of subjecting to intense daily use. The aesthetically pleasing trio actually shouldn't be treated the same as a thumbdrive as the Disney characters' pointy ears or surfboard will likely make a hole in your pocket. Buffalo will make 5000 of each character on a limited release based on its 1GB RUF2-E (3,980 Yen). Even though the Buffalo 1GB carries the same price tag as the Stitch, we reckon you will only get 512MB for the Disney collectible.

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