The time has come to dethrone Mimoco as the de facto manufacturer of Star Wars flash drive figurines. Funko is ready to jump into the arena as a formidable contender with 2GB flash drives based on four iconic Star Wars characters: Yoda, Darth Yader, Stormtrooper and Boba Fett. Their USB connector is revealed by pulling out their head which doubles as a cap. In comparison, Funko has paid more attention on the details and its drives are more faithful to the original characters while Mimoco designed Mimobots, whose shapes are almost identical with each other, to work better as a flash drive than the Funko's and there's also pre-loaded content and more capacity choices. Funko will ship all four models in October at a price of $24.99 apiece. Permanent Link
The sheer number of choices for USB sound cards tells us there's not much room for innovations, but someone manages to teach the old dog new tricks. Rather than a dongle form factor, the USB Tube Delight Audio is a vacuum tube-lookalike whose LED glows in blue when plugged in. 3.5 mm headphone jack and mic-in are elegantly placed opposite to the mini-USB receptacle, and the mic-in can be disabled to switch to line-in via software. Granted, this isn't exactly designed for portability and the fade-in and fade-out effect is also a minor annoyance when watching movies. The "sound tube" deserves credit for bringing us a small surprise. Like many USB gadgets, the USB Tube Delight Audio is sold exclusively at Brando for $32. Permanent Link
Even after Open Mobile Terminal Platform and GSM Association had agreed to switch to micro USB as standard connector for smartphones, Apple still didn't bow, and insisted on milking its iPod dock connector. Now top mobile phone suppliers have agreed with European Union to standardize micro-USB on smartphones, and hope to achieve this by 2012. EU said this the move is strictly voluntary, but since Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, RIM and LG have pledged support and they together command over 90% of market share, the rest will likely follow suit due to peer pressure. Interestingly, the defiant Apple now also makes the switch, in its own way. The fruit company has confirmed while it intends to support micro-USB connection, Apple will likely provide a dock adapter to meet the compatibility goal. So we won't be kissing Apple's dock connector goodbye in the next iPhone 3G 'whatever'. Permanent Link
Having a big screen laptop without Blu-ray is kinda like missing an opportunity to cruise down an empty highway. Granted, you can download HD content, but if you are geeks like us, there's an urge to fully leverage the full potential of the notebook. For whatever reasons you are getting Blu-ray, the USB-powered Asus' slim & sleek drive has you covered. It has upped the max. read speed to 4.8x for BD-ROM/RE which should relieve the agonizingly slow Blu-ray disc loading time. This however doesn't help with writing Blu-ray as the Asus SBC-04D1S-U is only a BD reader, a tray-loading one. What we also like about the BD reader is the big glowing 'X' on the side, making it far more aesthetically pleasing than the FastMac. A copy of CyberLink is bundled for movie playback. Keep in mind you can only output the HD content given both the laptop and the LCD screen have either HDMI or DVI (HDCP). Permanent Link
There's a rumor circulating in the blogsphere that MS is planning to offer Windows 7 on a flash drive which would make it third way to get the OS without buying a new PC. The other two are through download & retail DVD. While the decision is still being made, this move is being considered in the first place to appeal to the ever growing netbook crowd whose under-powered machines usually lack any optical media drive. Having said that, thumbdrives logically become the easiest, not to mention fastest route to get Windows 7 running on a netbook. In fact, they have already become the unofficial install method for XP, Vista and now 7 if you are comfortable with command prompt. If tweakers can teach newbies to do it in 10 minutes, it should be dead easy for MS to get a Windows 7 thumbdrive package ready. Permanent Link
Razer's much anticipated USB gaming headset Megalodon - named after a prehistoric shark - will begin shipping on June 30th at 10am; that's approximately 10 months after the product was first announced last year, and that maybe how long it may take to excavate the real Megalodon (if complete fossils were to be found). We aren't certain why Razer waited this long, perhaps to wait out for the economy to recover. What separates the Megalodon from the rest of the pack is its ability to virtualize 7.1 channels, and its Maelstrom audio processor to make simulated surround more believable. There's the remote control, which combines the Megalodon's on-audio processor with volume controls, a noise gate, and a mute button. The same pod also allows switching between 2.0 stereo and 7.1 surround mode for applications that don't need the extra directional sound. The direct competitor to the $149.99 Razer Megalodon is obviously the Logitech G35 headset which relies on Dolby Headphone 2.0 to create the tricks and is equally expensive ($120 street). Permanent Link
RCA Small Wonder EZ300HD 720p camcorder is a nice try, but it just isn't as aesthetically pleasing as all the otherones, and that seems to be a problem for all the company's gadgets, which appear to be designed by someone from the 1980s. Not repeating the same mistake, the new Small Wonder EZ209HD is really slim and sleek - measuring roughly a half of an inch thick. The LCD display is downsized to 2" due to the camcorder's new form factor. 256MB internal memory gives you a head start, and if you need to capture everything into 720p, Micro SD slot is at your disposal. With a 16GB card, the EZ209HD can record up to 8 hours of HD content in YouTube-friendly H.264 format or 40 hours in web quality. You can jump between modes with the flick of a switch. This Small Wonder also has a dedicated photo shutter button for up to 8MP still picture capture. Internal battery isn't USB rechargeable; instead it has another charging adapter. Last but not least is the HDMI interface. MSRP is $120, but there is discount everywhere that brings the price to around $90. Permanent Link
As convenient and versatile as laptops are, they aren't far from perfect, especially in the ergonomic department. Back pain, stiff necks, sore shoulders and alike are often bad side effects associated with prolonged laptop usage. This nifty Thanko articulating laptop riser (a.k.a. Easy Desk Cool 2) with fans should be just what you need to eliminate those problems. You could refer this ergonomic gadget as a desk, which comes with three joints and folding legs so you can adjust the viewing angle of the notebook to the most comfortable position whether you are lying flat or sitting upright. When not in use, you can fold the legs together, and store it anywhere. A pair of built-in USB fans and the aluminum desktop surface work together in active and passive cooling method respectively to dissipate heat better from a notebook. If the $92 Thanko is a little overkill for you, you can check out these coolers from Antec, Belkin and Logitech. Permanent Link
Samsung S2 mobile hard drive series is unique in its own right. The S2 is different from other portable drives in that it relies on on-board USB technology to reduce the length of the chassis, making it very compact (smaller than a typical passport, according to Samsung). We have to assume the engineers have taken out the SATA native interface and replaced it with USB. So this doesn't look like you can gut the S2's shell to remove the drive for other applications. Available in 4 different colors (piano black, snow white, wine red, chocolate brown, sweet pink & ocean blue), the S2 is also anti-slippery with leatherette back cover. Other features include auto-backup, software data encryption & capacity gauge. It would appear Amazon has started carrying the S2 at around $109 for 500GB; $85 for 320GB; and as low as $65 for 250GB. Permanent Link
OLED applications aren't just limited to photo frames and MP3 players as you may think. Recent novelty gadgets such as fingerprint flash drive and keypad also make use of OLED. And now, OCZ finds new use of OLED to sell its pedestrian keyboard, Sabre. OCZ Sabre is touted as a professional gaming keyboard, but oddly, the keys here aren't backlit like that of G19, G15 or even OCZ's own Alchemy Illuminati. The 9 customizable OLED buttons also have an amber color scheme. The bundled software will convert any digital image into icon for the OLED hotkeys, and the best part is that you can store as many sets of icons as you see fit for different applications. That is of course, if you bother finding icons closely associated with the functions you often need quick access to. Those OLED hotkeys will also change on-the-fly as you alternate between programs. Lastly, the Sabre is complete with a blue LED side-lighting. Check back for the MSRP as OCZ could be still trying to figure out the price in this troubled economy. Permanent Link
SmartFish is no stranger to ergonomic peripherals (still remember their keyboard?). What we didn't know until now is that it's interested in PC gaming market. Its latest Pro:Motion is the first controller of its kind that emphasizes more on preventing hand fatigue than improving your performance. Unique to the "batwing" gamepad is the ergonomic shape. Instead of a conventional "fixed position" design, the Pro:Motion relies on robotic technology that tracks your usage pattern, and it will actually reposition itself (vertical & horizontal wrist rotation) using its built-in motorized parts. So, the dynamic positioning gamepad in aluminum finish is literally made for everyone. Besides its sophisticated ergonomic features, the Pro:Motion comes with two analog sticks, triggers, and D-pad as well as vibration feedback. Its 5-year warranty reassures us that the doctors are quite confident about the product, or they could be hit with a heap of lawsuits. Permanent Link
Long, hot summer looms heavily upon us. While we often concern about computers getting overheated, we should actually worry about overheating ourselves in a room cluttered with NASs, overclocked rigs, and alike. USB fans are one eco-friendly way to keep ourselves cool while we are at our desk. They come in all types of style, from classic to LED illuminated. Now, we have the ultimate USB fan that pretends to be a packaged terminal air conditioner (PTAC). Even if this isn't the real thing, the dual fan "AC" can be mounted on a wall and comes with a remote for power control. As soon as USB 3.0 arrives on PC, we may even see a quad-fan model. Fly to Japan if you really want this fake AC, or instead wait for a gadget importer. Permanent Link
Tengu - the interactive USB-powered gadget character - really doesn't do much except reacting to sounds and then responds by making animated faces through LEDs as if it's lip syncing. Its LEDs can show 14 different facial expressions. To wake up Tengu, simply blow. And when Tengu doesn't detect any ambient noise, it goes to sleep. As cool as the USB toy is, things can get quite boring after a while. The developer now tries to extend Tengu's life through personalization, and he names the new series, All Stars. The three Tengu's are Rotten, Stardust and Woodstock, all of which are technically the original version. Each box set contains a wig (if you can call it that) and stickers (e.g. sunglasses, tattoos, eye patch) to give Tengu's personalities. For those who haven't already been trying to dress their Tengu's, the All Stars series is now available for $40 each. Permanent Link
The FreeAgent series (i.e. XTreme, Go, Desk, Theater) has long been Seagate's cash cow. So when the manufacturer rolls out new, bigger drive, the FreeAgent will be the first to get it. Seagate's own website provides a teaser on what appears to be the largest FreeAgent Go ever, equipping with a 640GB 2.5" drive. Before this, 500GB is the max. capacity offered by anyone in the laptop-friendly HDD form factor. So, this product page sheds light on what is to come. As a consumer storage line-up, the FreeAgent Go comes in 250GB, 320GB and 500GB as well as the unannounced 640GB. While all the other capacities are available in at least 5 colors, the 640GB will only get two (titanium silver and tuxedo black) for now. In-house developed backup software is for Windows only and oddly works with Seagate drives only. And a 5-year warranty is about as good as it gets for a portable USB drive. Permanent Link
Trying to burn CDs or DVDs individually is such a chore, not to mention the inherent inefficiency. That's why auto-loader exists in the first place. You can feed more than a dozen of discs and let the loader proceed with content duplication in batch. While this kind of device has been around for a while, Nimbie from Acronova raises the bar on the device's versatility to appeal SOHOs and organizations . Nimbie comes in three varieties: one that writes regular CD/DVD; one equipped with Blu-ray burner; and another version specifically optimized for LightScribe. What distinguishes the Nimbie apart from others is the top-feeding loader that allows you to refill discs as simple as adding more on top, making it possible to duplicate unlimited number of discs. Also worth mentioning is the independent loader that shortens the cycle time, hence reducing production time and increasing productivity. For audiophiles, the Nimbie can work together with bundled QQripper to automate music ripping processes for up to 100 CDs at time unattended. The plug-in will also fill in all the ID3 tags as well as you are importing to iTunes or Windows Media Player. The regular Nimbie goes for $599 MSRP, and the Blu-ray version goes for $1,199 MSRP. Permanent Link
Keyboards are just getting better not just in the ergonomic aspects, but also the bells and whistles that come with them. So far, we've seen keyboards with a LCD screen, a USB speaker, a cooling fan, and even a motor that can slowly rotate itself to adapt your typing style. It shouldn't be a surprise when someone decides to throw in an iPod / iPhone dock. The iConnect Media Keyboard from iHome has a prominent display of slightly elevated dock. It comes with 3 inserts to fit everything from iPod nano 1G to iPhone 3G (oddly, iPhone 2G is left out). The play button is below the dock, and we have no idea why it isn't together with the illuminated touch-sensitive media keys on top of the keyboard. The volume control section can also detect finger swipe. That's kinda cool. You will also find a rubberized wrist rest as well as a rotating 2-port USB hub. Oddly, flipping through the manual reveals an auxiliary power connector which iHome explicitly warns users must connect the supplied AC adapter to use the "Works for iPhone" keyboard. At MSRP of $149.99, most of keyboard revenue may go into Apple tax department. Permanent Link
This rather industrial looking USB hub distances itself from designer qualitycounterparts such as ones from LaCie. The latest Buffalo 'expansion bar' provides four USB ports, whose power can be controlled individually by a switch. So, if you don't need that peripheral to operate 24/7, you can save some power and hence reduce some carbon footprint by turning off the device. This comes in very handy for those novelty USB gadgets without a power switch so you don't have to unplug it every time you want them to stophumping. Permanent Link
Archos might have turned its attention to netbooks and tablets, but the France-based company wants us to know it's still in the PMP game. The recently leaked Archos 3 PMP whose product name hints on its display - a 3" tactile touch screen. Archos is keeping quiet on the specs, but what we know is that the 3 comes with built-in accelerometer, virtual wheel for navigation, integrated 8GB memory, and a very affordable price tag (as low as $100 MSRP). Battery will last for about 14 hours. That's pretty much it for now. But it has become obvious the software is increasingly more important as it is what creates the virtual on-screen buttons that replace physical controls. Well, if you can't afford an iPod touch, Samsung YP P3 or Sony Walkman X1000, Archos 3 PMP might be the next best thing for the buck. Permanent Link
Let's face it - you can't get enough of storage. When you think your brand new 32GB flash drive has you covered, you will soon find new ways to fill it up, such as backing up the whole system for data recovery on the go. Before you know it, you will be googling your next thumbdrive again. Kingston will be shipping a 128GB flash drive - the largest capacity yet as of this writing. Designated DT200, the series also comprises of 32GB and 64GB, has a capless design, comes with five-year warranty, and includes data protection that is less likely going to rival that of Ironkey. It's not going to matter anyway since most recovery software already incorporates some form of AES encryption. Keep in mind the 128GB is build-to-order only, and Kingston asks for a staggering $546, not to mention the drive is limited to USB 2.0. (Where is SuperSpeed USB when we need it?) As for the other two, the same company has been selling 32GB and 64GB that belong to the DT150 at a relatively attractive price. Permanent Link
Ask any moderately serious iPhone 3G user about the device's biggest weaknesses and most will say battery life and the unit's susceptibility to scratches. Mophie's Juice Pack Air iPhone battery pack attempts to address both of these issues simultaneously, with a companion product to the very popular Juice Pack for iPhone 3G. I take my power-hungry iPhone 3G for a spin with the shiny new Juice Pack Air to see if for $79 you can have it all. Permanent Link
The lines between household appliances and offbeat gadgetry seem to be getting slowly blurred with inventions such as USB fridge, massager and humidifier. But have we gone too far with USB gadgets? This USB microwave oven co-developed by Heinz and GAMMA is actually a working prototype that uses phone radio frequencies to produce heat for cooking the food (tomato beans in this case, as shown in the picture). Heinz strongly believes there's a market for this as there is unfortunately no shortage of workaholics who have to spend their lunch time working in their cubicles and as USB ports nowadays are more readily available than electrical outlets. So, this computer-tethered microwave - already given a name, Beanzawave - could help with lunch preparation. The miniaturized USB microwave reportedly only works with Heinz's "Snap Pots". Let's hope the food selection isn't limited to pre-cooked beans. Some sources say a retail Beanzawave unit will cost as much as $200. If so, Heinz may want to consider giving away a bunch of "Snap Pots" since its customers aren't likely able to afford the food after bringing the microwave home. Permanent Link
There is no shortage of mini-USB monitors, especially in Japan and Korea. In USA, Korean company Nanovision's MIMO-series seems to have dominated the market albeit small and niche with its bus-powered but relatively pedestrian 7" USB monitor (UM-710). Its more talented sibling - the UM-740 - gets much more interesting with touchscreen capability and integrated webcam. If you drop $30 on top of the $199.99 MSRP, you get full Mac support. Unfortunately, the MIMO UM-740 sold out almost as soon as it went on sale in February due to overwhelming demand (or severely limited supply). But fear not, the USB touchscreen mini-monitor is once again available. Grab one before it goes out of stock again; that is if you need the extra 800x480 pixels to play YouTube video full screen, or to put away your widgets, IM client, Gmail on a secondary display. Permanent Link
The fourth series of Mimoco's Star Wars Mimobot line of designer flash drives has landed. Without much fanfare, the latest installment of the series celebrates the tenth anniversary of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace although none of the characters featured in the themed drives appeared in the said movie. Mimoco brought back Darth Vader, and cut his ears that were found on the original version in the first of the Star Wars themed Mimobot series. This should be a relief for fans. Unmasking the Darth Vader reveals the scarred countenance of Anakin Skywalker, as played by Hayden Christensen. And one in every six Vader's will have the classic Anakin face. Either of them is simply more authentic and better looking than the original Darth Vader with dreadful pointy ears. The series also comprises Darth Maul, and Captain Rex whose helmet can also be removed to find the clone's face beneath. Mimoco so far has created sixteen different Star Warsthemed collectible drives. Permanent Link
In search of a pair of decent PC speakers to connect to a notebook or netbook, USB and optical SPDIF come to mind. However, rarely do a speaker set offers both interfaces, let alone a classy design and a class-D amplifier. The Edifier Luna 2 speakers come with all these in addition to an analog auxiliary input, and on top of these, they even add a touch-sensitive panel (interfaced with a computer by none other than USB). These speakers with a black and silver color scheme look more like a pair of sculptures, and they weigh 2kg each. It's suffice to say they don't belong in the same league as LogitechUSB speakers. The touch panel will detect swiping, and will work with most media players; though, you need to bring the app to the forefront on the desktop for the controls to respond. In the acoustics department, each of the Edifier Luna 2 unit contains a 88mm full-range driver and a 17mm tweeter. The pair can pump out a lot of volume as they are rated at 30W RMS which strike us as odd for a pair of desktop speakers. As good as everything may sound, the minimalist 2.0 audio system carries a price tag of 250 pounds, and appears to be available in UK unless you can find a distributor in your area. Permanent Link
You'll see the iPhone 3G-S coverage on almost every news channel, from America to Europe and China. We've a feeling an iPhone launch has already become an international event. There's insanely high expectations for the new iPhone models, but most people's attention largely focused on the version 3.0 platform. In a sense, iPhone 3G-S (S denotes 'speed' BTW) is stunningly good but not groundbreaking. To begin with, it's mostly the same phone. Granted, it's reportedly twice as fast, takes better pictures, records video, connects to the Internet at greater speed, has double the storage (if you choose the 32GB), and even boosts better battery life. And on top of all, the new iPhone 3G-S retails for $100 less than its predecessor. While all these will certainly make customers happy, the current iPhone 2G and 3G users are the ones who are going wild. This is all because they are getting a free update, which will be made available on June 17th. You just couldn't ask for a better feature list (not sarcastically speaking): MMS with forwarding; cut, copy & paste; stereo Bluetooth audio; Internet tethering; phone-wide search; push notification (for instant messaging); auto Wi-Fi login (this will kill half a dozen of related apps); shake to shuffle (like that on the iPod nano 4G) and lost phone locator for Mobile Me users. Apple could probably have thrown in video capture and hardware encryption for Exchange if not for the relatively slow ARM processor. Whether you already own an iPhone 2G/3G user or plan to switch from a Nokia or Sony Ericsson smartphone, there is a lot to look forward in the next week. Permanent Link
As far as ergonomic peripherals go, we've quite a few mice and keyboards that can minimize fatigue and discomfort, yet they are bulky and occupy too much of our precious desktop real estate. Now looks like Combimouse has combined the two primary PC input devices together successfully, or so testers at Witchita State University said. On the left unit, there are some keys on what looks like a normal keyboard cut in half. And the right unit appears to be an oddly-shaped keypad (Logitech G13 gameboard actually looks down to earth in comparison) doubling as a mouse. What strikes us as odd about the Combimouse is that the right unit lacks any buttons for it to function properly as a conventional mouse. Turns out the magic lies within the 'contact switch' that activates the 'mouse' within the keyboard and I, O, J, K, L, < become click buttons. This all happens as soon as the user grips the right unit. We suppose this will definitely take some time to relearn what most of us already know by instinct. There's no word on pricing nor availability. Even if it ends up in some niche ergonomic product store, the Combimouse should still be worth a look. Permanent Link
The guy who came up with the toaster-style USB hard drive dock should really deserve a medal. No longer do we need to figure out what to do with those old drives. We can easily jam in the spare 2.5" and 3.5" drives, and eject them like Nintendo cartridges. Ever since the first dock shipped, we've seen no less than a dozen of ambitious, yet practical designs that expand on this cartridge system idea. However, those who are stuck for ideas simply copy the idea of a multi-slice toaster, and put as many as five slots like this extra-wide USB dock from Icy Dock. We couldn't think of any viable way of putting this dock into good use besides creating a JBOD; perhaps this is just for show to spice up their Computex booth and won't be in production. Permanent Link
LaCie LaCinema Classic by Neil Poulton is undoubtedly one classy-looking DivX media extender with its glowing blue strip and minimalist glossy black plastic case, but even that may not be enough for you to drop $160. How about if it's $99? LaCie has taken out the 500GB from the LaCinema Classic and adds Bridge to the existing name. The LaCinema Classic Bridge essentially promotes as an affordable way by LaCie to add media playback capability to your existing storage devices. If you decide not to install your own internal SATA drive, the unit's front USB port can already start streaming content from a USB hard drive or flash drive. Being a DivX 6-certified device, LaCinema's video and audio compatibility aren't the best out there with the lack of support for AAC, H.264 codec and .MKV container. You will find HDMI 1.1, SPDIF and stereo RCA as well as composite video on the back. Good thing about this box is that the built-in upscaler should convert all SD content to 1080p. Permanent Link
Someone must be a fan of Fullmetal Alchemist's Colonel Mustang, and probably is inspired by the way the state alchemist can take out his enemy by flicking fingers to create explosion and flames. He actually started a company called Peregrine some five years ago, and began engineering a nifty USB glove which basically allows him to give commands depending on how he contacts the 30 touch-sensitive buttons located all over the glove with his thumb. While this isn't exactly flicking fingers, there are bound be some differences from conception to reality in product designs. While Peregrine intends to heavily push the USB glove of the same name as the company to PC gamers, the glove can be just as useful in Photoshop or perhaps other professional software. The Peregrine, however, doesn't offer gesture-based control so we guess you couldn't really punch your enemy in a FPS game with this glove on. We do like the magnetic breakaway USB pod that attaches to the glove. This virtually eliminates the chance of ripping out the wire. This maybe not the perfect power glove, but the Peregrine maybe worth a try if you are a heavy RTS or WoW fan. It's available for pre-order at $100 and ready for delivery this Fall. Permanent Link
You can find no less than a dozen of flash drives in disguise on Everything USB. Among them are Autobots, Canon DSLR, Resident Evil chainsaw, Beijing Olympics medallion, LaCie CurrenKey, and classic Mahjoing tile. Today, Tokyo-based Solid Alliance adds one more to the list with its USB bookmark drives. Actually there are two of them: one mimics a pair of glasses (a.k.a. Four Eyes) and the other is shaped like a feather (officially called Wisdom). Both have 2GB memory, and have a very slim profile for obvious reasons. Both will be sold for 3,890 yen (or $40 USD) at which price you can get a uber-fast 4GB flash drive. Permanent Link
The successor to Logitech's iconic G15 is finally here, and though it pickpocketed my wallet on the way back home, I can't help but feel a sense of compassion for the G19's charm and tender glow. Walk with me as I recount the memories of macros, color LCD applets, custom backlighting and a power supply(!) through my insanely in-depth review after the jump. Permanent Link
You may have a perfectly good scanner that can scan receipts, name cards and documents, but just only one a a time. If you need to digitalize a whole batch, NeatDesk has you covered. The compact elevated automatic document feeder (ADF) scanner's three-slot paper tray allows you to scan up to 10 receipts, biz cards and standard-size documents in a single batch. You can also remove the tray and scan up to 50 A4-sized papers. NeatDisk's crown jewel is the Quick Scan Center where it extracts and organizes the information for you in a program of your choice. Native compatibility includes Excel, Word, Outlook, Quicken, TurboTax, QuickBooks and Plaxto. After NeatDesk is done with the electronic possessing with its built-in text recognition, you can then search anything based on keywords (e.g. amount, date, company name). Even though NeatDesk loves Mac as much as it loves PC, it wants to charge extra for the software if you want the ADF to work on the other platform. Besides that, NetDesk has a hefty price tag: $449.95 (and that's after a $50 discount and free shipping). Permanent Link
Logitech's G-series comprises of top-of-the-line gaming peripherals. While it might already given us mice, keyboards, racing wheel, game board, headset and speakers, Logitech now throws in Flight System G940 for flight sim enthusiasts to complete the G-series. As the company's first flight sim controller, the G940 is designed to let you maneuver the virtual plane like you do with the real thing. The three-component system features a dual split throttle that can be locked into single mode depending on the aircraft you are controlling. There are also no less than 250 programmable button options; rubber pedals with toe brakes; and a contact-less joystick with palm rest. Most important of all, the G940 is equipped with force-feedback so you feel every bump on the runway you take off as well as the plane's reactions to the turbulence and missile explosions. The flight sim system package comes with out of the box compatibility with MS Flight Sim X, IL-2 Sturmovik: 1946 and Lock On: Modern Air Combat X-Plane 9. As good as everything may sound, the Logitech Flight System G940 will launch with a MSRP of $299.99. Permanent Link
One of the most requested features for iPhone / iPod is wireless sync, and Alereon might be the one to fill the void. The company is now showcasing a peripheral reference design based on its low-power 90nm AL5301 chip that enables wireless USB connectivity through a typical iPhone or iPod's edge connector. The performance should be around 130Mbps (that's bits) since iTunes synchronization belongs to native mass storage applications. Alereon also goes on to say future enhancements will bring connectivity to HDTVs for photo slideshows & video playback. We reckon companies like Mophie might probably consider building it into its Juice Pack series as the bulky external battery pack can house the Alereon single-chip UWB WUSB solution. Permanent Link
To match the number of ports on this so-called hub module, you would need seven Belkin 7-port USB hub or LaCie Core7. This massive USB hub board (warning: PDF) even requires a standard ATX power supply to feed enough juice for all full-powered USB ports, each of which can draw as much as 500mA current. So, the million question is... who would need 49 USB ports on his desktop? Sarcastically speaking, it's unlikely you have 49 USB batteries to recharge simultaneously, or to warm up the feet of 49 people at the same time. But on a second thought, this 1.1 lb. USB module is just something flash driveduplicator companies may drool for. Permanent Link
When it all comes to maneuverability in a racing game like The Need for Speed, you can't go wrong with a gaming wheel that lets you take those hairpin turns with ease. However, if you can't afford to drop $250 on a Logitech G25 wheel, perhaps Genius TwinWheel FF is something you should check out. The TwinWheel FF, priced at just under $90 MSRP, features 12 programmable buttons and a rubberized wheel as well as Immersion TouchSense force feedback that allows you to experience bumps, crashes and collisions. 4 suction cups and a C-clamp will let the TwinWheel FF fits and mounts on most tables and desks. Genius omits a clutch pedal and a shifter module to bring down the MSRP. And like many gaming wheels, the TwinWheel is compatible with PS2 as well as PC. Permanent Link
Photo buffs will agree that bigger is always better when it comes to photo frames. Featuring one of the largest LCDs in its class, the Samsung SPF-107H photo frame houses a 10" LED-backlit LCD in a slim body; it has also trimmed off some fat from the body all around to just an inch thick. The frame is also the first to come with Samsung's Touch of Color; though we aren't sure what it really does to improve color accuracy. Compared to its sibling, SPF-105P, the SPF-107H has moved the controls to the back of the frame, and the touch sensitive controls are replaced by physical buttons. Built-in battery and speakers are also taken out. SDHC and USB slave now become the only media slots. Lastly, brightness is reduced to 250cd/m2 from 300cd/m2. These decisions are likely to save cost as the 105P is still close to $200 in retail. Similar to the 105P, the SPF-107H can pull double duty as a mini USB monitor with a maximum resolution of 1024 x 600. Permanent Link
The people at Displaylink must be all work no fun type workaholics. All they have been trying to do is increasing the number of pixels available on our computer desktops so we can become more productive like them. Well, that's just fine because guys behind Lenovo are just the same as Displaylink's engineers. Having said that, it's really not a surprise that Lenovo would pick Displaylink's new HD-capable DL-195 to power its USB-to-DVI video card. The duo-core DL-195 boosts resolution of the Lenovo adapter to 2048 x 1152 in 16:9 ratio and 1920 x 1200 in 16:10. It includes native HD res support at 1080p as well, but don't expect to watch any HDCP-encrypted on the secondary monitor. Best of all, you can connect six of these to one PC. For Lenovo, the USB HD video adapter seems like a perfect match to its corporate desktops with limited expansion options and slot-less thin clients. We just feel sorry for the already stressful cubicle workers whose boss will surely expect increased productivity as soon as those adapters are in place. Permanent Link
Who has the biggest external drive? The race will never end. Western Digital has the lead so far with its 2TB already making its way into My Book Essential. Designed to look like a standard hardcover book, the Essential 2TB like others in its series has a glossy black finish and features vent holes on top that spell out a message in Morse code. The My Book comes with a standard WD Caviar Green 2TB with 32MB cache. The eco-drive is smart enough to stop drive platters after 10 minutes of inactivity, and the unit can also turn and off with the PC it is connected to. The drive's capacity is however pushing USB 2.0 to the limit as trying to fill up the 2TB at 35MB/s+ transfer rate is a test of patience. Let's hope USB 3.0 will be here before drive hits 3TB. The My Book Essential lacks visual gauge and backup software, but if what you are looking for is pure storage, this is the one to go for. We can expect Seagate will try not to fall behind much, but for now, Xtreme 1.5TB is still the largest the company offers. Permanent Link
MS Zune has been fighting an uphill battle ever since it made debut in late 2006. While the PMP hasn't even made a dent on iPod's market share, it won't stop MS from pouring more cash into reviving Zune's lackluster sales. (And you can't really rely on special edition Zune to boost sales.) So, what's up MS' sleeve this time? Redmond has just confirmed and spilled some info on Zune HD. Since anything less than a multi-touch big-screen PMP will be a total flop, Zune HD will come with a 3.3" 16:9 OLED displaying 480x272 resolution. And it will be on of the few PMPs that can play 720p (likely WMV HD). We were also told to expect a portable version of Internet Explorer to take advantage of built-in Wi-Fi. Zune HD will bring digital radio as well as high-def video out through an optional dock. Perhaps the most important news here is Zune HD's integration with Xbox LIVE video marketplace, which makes perfect sense as console users still have no means of enjoying the purchased and rented video content other than on their big screen TVs at home. Zune HD is going to make a lot of 17 million Xbox fans happy if the integration works as expected. MS is however keeping its mouth shut about bringing Xbox Arcade games on the Zune HD and about the PMP's pricing. Guess we have to wait til Fall. Permanent Link
LaCie's USB hub with its round base allowing it to wobble back and forth certainly raises eyebrows. While it certainly is high in artistic value, but unfortunately scores low in usability tests. But the peripheral maker hasn't given up yet. It now returns with a USB hub designed with users in mind. The aptly-named Core7 7-port USB hub isn't quite as eye-catching as its predecessor, yet it comes with several user-friendly features as well as a recession-proof pricing. For starter, the Core7 sports the same compact design as Little Disk; it can be laid flat on a desktop can be hung on a wall. Five ports are located on the recessed area beneath the Core7; one port on top is for flash drives and portable hard drives that require quick and easy access. A tethered mini-USB cable which replaced one of the ports can recharge compatible MP3 players and cellphones, but it can also connect to USB gadgets with a mini-B interface. Perhaps what's most important here is the pricing. At 19.99 MSRP, the Core7 hub will appeal to a lot more people than the wobbling hub. Permanent Link
While ever more miniature digital projectors have been hitting the market for years now, these compact units have always had limitations that kept them from making that leap from nice idea to truly useful. This time around, BenQ packs impressive specs into its new GP1 pico projector - while targeting mainstream, media saavy consumers. While its size and weight are impressive, it also boasts 100 lumens of LED brightness, with a world's first integrated USB reader and the ability to decode video and audio streams on the fly, without a PC attached. Read on for the full review. Permanent Link
Even though USB 3.0's top speed is 4.8Gbps, we may not have to wait for USB 4.0 to reach even faster speed. According to Jeff Ravencraft - the chairman of USB Promoter Group - was discussing the possibility of increasing the speed of USB 3.0 without a complete rewrite such as USB 3.0 itself and 2.0. He claimed USB 3.0 was designed with transmission protocol to support speed of up to 25Gbps. While he couldn't specify when USB 3.0 (aka. SuperSpeed USB) will hit that mark, he did imply the current 4.8Gbps speed will be enough for the next few years (likely within 5). It's very possible that SSDs will be mainstream by then, and they are going to easily saturate USB 3.0 bandwidth. Perhaps we might only see a minor upgrade to USB 3.1 yet speed boost could be 3 to 4 times faster than what USB 3.0 currently offers. Permanent Link
Traveling workaholics like to travel light yet they still need two things that they likely need on the road. One is laptop cooler, and the other is a pair of portable speakers. You can get both without breaking the bank, but packing them in your laptop carrying bag could be a challenge. Titan's USB Audio Cooling Pad can now kill two birds with one stone. As a passive notebook cooler, it can raise the back of your laptop about several inches from the table to allow for air to move underneath the system. Titan claims it has the advantages of dissipating heat from your laptop and solving noise problem caused by running fan(s). Its retractable design will fit wit 10" netbooks to 17" desktop replacement notebooks. When also connected to a USB port, the hybrid functions as a stereo USB-powered speakers. No words yet on pricing. Permanent Link
MS probably has seen some success with three BlueTrack mice for traveling workaholics and hardcore gamers. Now, Redmond hardware department is debuting two more BlueTrack mice, and this time, it wants to appeal to the lefties as well with a more friendly ambidextrous design. The more interesting of the two is the Wireless Mobile Mouse 6000; it has MS' first nano receiver (0.8 cm in length), which makes it safe to plug it into a notebook at all times. (Yawn... Logitech has nano'ed the VX nano mouse's USB receiver back in 2007.) In addition to the BlueTrack tech that allows the mouse to work virtually any surface (besides mirror), the Mobile Mouse 6000 also boasts 10-month battery life; 30-foot wireless range; rubber side grips; and three years of warranty. While the 6000 is designed with portability in mind, the Wireless Mouse 5000 is meant to be used on a desk. The sibling is a tad larger, and comes without the nano USB dongle. The Mobile 6000 is powered by a single AA, and the regular 5000 needs two AAs, making it heavier of the two. Neither mouse can recharge via USB, unfortunately. Permanent Link
Well there have to be hundreds of sites using the now classic "caption this image" or "photoshop this item" contest, but this one has piqued our interest for obvious reason. USB Conquers the World. This site has asked to see what lie in the imaginations of the masses regarding USB uses. Surprisingly, many of the renderings match products that are already trying to make their way to market... ... USB flower hub... USB man replaces finger with drive... (quite a few stories from recent that have analogs there.) So, what are you waiting for? Head to the "photoshopped" USB concept gallery, and enjoy your Friday morning. Permanent Link
Coming just in time to greet the Transformers' Sequel trailers is this Ravage Transformer flash drive. Movie tie in flash drives are becoming common place and may some day be just as important as a mouse. One of the best things about custom flash drives like this is the ability to separate them visually and keep track of what data is on them. My NIN MP3 collection would definitely be on the Resident Evil Chainsaw drive and Rampage here would have to hold our Portable Anti-virus software. We're not sure what data goes on a USB Sushi drive but once you decide on it you're bound to remember it. This new transformer drive makes these old ones look like Go-bots. Cold, but true. Ravage holds 2GBs of data and is rated for USB2.0 connections. Actual memory speed is unknown. Of course you can probably expect much better throughput if you connect Ravage to Optimus Prime. Manufacturer's warranty is void though if you merge him with the All Spark. NB this is an adult toy, not made for children, more for collectors. To suite the collectors they offer special shipping that guaratees the quality of the packaging for those out there that aren't looking to play with it or use it out of the package. Either way you order it, it's not due to arrive until September but will only $42.99. Permanent Link
If there's one thing I love, it's product reviews that shatter my pre-existing conceptions of how things work. Logitech's G35 Surround Sound Headset for gamers does just that, offering an immersive 7.1 soundscape over two physical channels that you wouldn't believe until you've actually heard it. We've documented to great lengths the strengths and pitfalls of this particular headset and you can read all about them in our review @ Everything USB, right after the jump. Permanent Link
Displaylink - the pioneer of the USB video technology - has pushed its GPU one step further after enjoying a degree of success with over a million DL-120/-160 ICs sold. Its all new DL-1x5 USB video chip family has received a completely re-written compression scheme and improved dual core decode engine for delivering higher resolution while keeping lags to a minimum. The series comprises of the DL-195 for high-performance monitors and docking stations, the DL-165 for HD-ready display and the entry-level DL-125 for mini monitors. All three models are compliant with DVI, analog as well as LVDS for direct connection to a LCD panel and connectivity to DisplayPort and HDMI, but there's no mention of HDCP. DisplayLink could be waiting for USB 3.0. Intel co-developed both USB 3.0 and HDCP so it shouldn't be too difficult for the chip giant put the two together. Of particular interest is the DL-165, which is what driving the Samsung SyncMaster 16:9 Lapfit 18.5" LD190G and 21.5" LD220G. The latter of which has a max. resolution of 1920 x 1080, the highest ever achieved by a DisplayLink-powered retail product. Product chart after the jump. Permanent Link
Thanko's released a new super tiny camcorder the "video water" that'll make you struggle to find a use for it. This finger sized water-tight video recorder can be easily attached to anything and can ride-along capturing video. The camera functions just fine under water at depths of up to 20 meters. This is actually a bit too deep to be plausible. We reckon there's a typo or a problem with the Japanese translation from thanko's site. Resolution isn't great at 320x240 which is about the same as what you find on most cell phone displays but it can record up to 6 hours. Video's encoded in the .3gp format and the 2GB of onboard memory can hold over 6 hours video. Unscrewing the rear cap reveals the mini-USB port that can be used to download the files as well as charging the battery. The interface is only of the USB 1.1 variety so if you record any great amount of time expect to spend a bit more offloading the files. Charge time to usage is about 1:1 maxing out at 3 hours to get a full charge for 3 hours of use. Sample videos should be on their site soon and at a $133 you should probably wait to make sure the quality matches your requirements before making the purchase. Permanent Link
Manufacturers are already gearing up for SuperSpeed USB with NEC being the first to announce the first USB 3.0 host controller, which is about one of the few silicon products that will guarantee instant success in this economy. NEC Electronics expects external hard drives, SSDs, flash drives and of course the computers themselves will be the first to receive the SuperSpeed USB upgrade. A demo by Seagate at CES 2009 has already shown that even a prototype can reach upwards of 165MB/s which in perspective is almost 5 times faster than the fastest USB hard drive or flash drive. If USB 2.0 chip optimization history is any indication, we are looking at USB 3.0 hitting top speed in two years. Designated µPD720200, the world's first xHCI-compliant host silicon will also be backward compatible with USB 1.1 and USB 2.0. Samples of the chips will become available in June 2009 at $15 USD, along with free Windows drivers. NEC anticipates monthly production to reach one million units by September of this year, and rapid adoption in second half of 2010. Permanent Link
That's right, since everything on the planet seems to be on twitter, we can't beat 'em so we're joining 'em. twitter.com/everythingusb will hold our real time updates on the exciting world of USB news. You can follow twits about surgery progress or have your plants talk to you but wouldn't you rather keep up on the hottest newly released products and in-depth reviews of the most talked about new releases. Now we can't promise you pictures of Demi Moore's posterior a la Ashton Kutcher but SuperSpeed USB releases are almost as tantalizing and twice as relevant. We can always promise that our reviews will never fit in a single tweet but we'll use it to keep you up to date on the world at large at least as far as it concerns new technology in the areas of USB and WUSB. So tune in and prepare to be twittalized by twitastic information from around the tworld (in 140 characters or less of course). Permanent Link
We're not quite sure what the dot is for in the .Audio 995 headset but despite the marketing puzzle this new VoIP focused headset has a lot to offer. The wireless .headset uses a USB adapter to wirelessly send stereo audio to the headset. The pivoting boom microphone sports noise canceling abilities and automatically .mutes when it is flipped up into a standby position. The 40mm drivers offer a wide dynamic range suitable for music and multimedia listening as well as less needy VoIP calls and Counterstike ghosting. The headset also has media control buttons mounted on the side of the ear cups. The control buttons are the standard; play, fast-forward, rewind, stop, etc... Nothing new but nice to have them with you as you are roaming. Roaming .range max's out at about 40 feet. The over-sized, easy to use buttons aren't unsightly and actually fit into the frame very well. The only sorely missing detail that's missing from it's specification sheet is the charge information. There's no word on how long it takes to charge or how long a .charge lasts before needing to be replenished. You also can't .tell how it recharges. Power cord, USB cord, batteries? If you can live with that uncertainty, it's available .now for $109. Permanent Link
In a move that has the Open Source movement cheering, DisplayLink has released the source code for the Linux port of its software. DisplayLink makes the hardware that supports the majority of peripheral video devices in the personal computer world. Responsible for USB video adapters, USB monitors and USB docking stations with video support, DisplayLink has also been responsible for developing the device driver s for their hardware. Their disclosure will allow the Linux community to pick up the development of the drivers at whatever pace public interest warrants. Currently the Linux community has to wait, and usually comes last if at all when it comes to hardware driver support. Having a very small, but constantly growing user base, Linux usually represents too small of a revenue share for companies to invest too much time and money developing drivers to support them. The frustrating part is that the Linux community, rife with developers of their own is perfectly capable of supporting themselves. This release will give them what they need to support themselves. While open source market share is very low, innovation is very high and many popular software packages started as Open Source projects which were commercialized after they gained enough popularity. Hopefully this move will yield exciting new uses of an already useful product space. Permanent Link
What's YuuWaa? Despite an awkward name, YuuWaa from Gemalto is an all-in-one USB flash drive complete with cloud storage offering online data backup service. As soon as you bring home the YuuWaa (either 4GB drive with 8GB online storage or 8GB drive with 16GB cloud space) and plug it in, you will be prompted to register, and new files will automatically be backed up to Gemalto's servers via a secure link. You can select which files to share with your friends. This comes in handy if they are video or anything larger than what most email providers can handle. If you lose the YuuWaa, you can still access the content from a PC, but Gemalto didn't mention if you can wipe out the flash drive's content remotely. So, this is very obvious the company is more interested in generating recurring income from the cloud storage subscription (£1.79 for 8GB or £3.99 for 16GB per month after 6 months of free trial) than making money from the drives. Sandisk Cruzer Titanium Plus earlier has offered Beinsync data sync with Amazon servers, but it wasn't particularly successful partly due to the pricing. Permanent Link
In a move to streamline business, Avid Technology has sold Pinnacle long standing PCTV line to Hauppauge. The decision was made late last year, but the sales has just been completed recently, and Avid apparently made $1.9 million from the deal according to a filing. Now, PCTV Systems was founded under the control of Hauppauge, and it has become a separate entity. Rest assured the new company will continue to support your tuners and to sell existing models (e.g. HD mini Stick and Ultimate HD Tuner) under the name of the product line series. We suppose Hauppauge or PCTV Systems will continue to license Pinnacle's Media Center as the TVCenter Pro TV software, and looks like everything from retail packaging to the actual product has to be reprinted with the new logo. Permanent Link
To the unenlightened it is still a fashion faux pas to have an ugly drive constantly slung around your neck. But to those of us who can't be without our portableapps suite it's a necessary evil. Today Brando's giving us a more fashionable way to wear our flash drives around. It's a little on the glitzy side but it's a big step towards social acceptance. The drive sports 8GB of flash memory encased in a bejeweled cockroach (or beetle). The crystal encrusted coleopteran conceals the drive and it's retractable USB plug. Accept my apologies for all the alliteration but the cockroach's shiny shell has me a horribly hypnotized. This is the flash drive that Liberace would endorse followed shortly thereafter by Mr. Elton John even by itself it may have you looking a little out of place. It's up to you to decide on your own dress code best practices. While this may help you get your prized files in and out of security checkpoints but you may end up with a fashion citation as opposed to a pat down. The flash memory isn't particularly fast though and won't be winning any speed competitions but it is affordable at paltry $33. Come on, you've had plenty of bugs in you code. Now you can put your code in a bug. Permanent Link
Throngs of gamers are waiting for E3 expo in June 2009. That in itself is no surprise to anyone. E3 Demos tons of new game technologies but one of the new releases has more than a few non-gamers upright and interested. 3DV is rumored to be showcasing its new 3D camera system, the ZCam, as an add-on for the XBox 360. Their system uses an infrared sensor integrated into the camera's regular sensor that. This sensor system is capable of measuring distances between 1 and 3 meters and should compete with the Playstation EYE but be much more, well, 3 dimensional. The EYE can only track motion in 2 dimensions but the Zcam will be able to use all 3 for a much more immersive experience. Now while this first hopeful release is only for the Xbox their original concept model was a USB 2.0 and PC based. This brings hope for business applications and assistive technologies as well. The only major drawback is that this is still very speculative. The Xbox release will likely not happen until mid-2010 and the PC version would likely trail that release depending on its success. The best news however is the projected price. 3DV says that they are able to manufacture these units for the same price as regular web cams. The ability to stay under that all important $100 price-point is a major advantage for any new product. Permanent Link
Resistance is futile. Until USB 3.0 arrives, eSATA will continue to take over USB 2.0 ports. MSI now seems to take one step further by marrying USB 2.0's bus power and eSATA port to form what it calls Power eSATA. The mobo maker decides to go ahead with this because eSATA cannot supply power whereas USB can feed 500mA current needed to feed an external drive. The main advantage of this is that users won't have to look for a power-only USB cable to leech power from a nearby USB port. The obvious downside is that there are hardly any peripherals supporting this other than OCZ Throttle eSATA SSD. MSI has started shipping AM3 motherboards as well as eight notebooks with this proprietary connector. Let's see if others will follow suit, but this is as a temporary fix as it gets. Permanent Link
Marking a rising tide of distributed peripherals, DisplayLink announced it had reached its one millionth USB graphics chip sale. Having been incorporated into more than 30 consumer and business devices DisplayLink is the leading embedded USB graphics chip maker in the world. Expected to grow to 12 million in 2 more years. USB monitors first started showing up in limited fashion in docking stations and eventually into specialty projectors. Docking station applications are currently the most favored use of the graphics chips. The mini type USB monitors are currently picking up steam alongside the application specific versions like digital picture frames.
Up to 58 million more chip sales are projected as USB 3.0 devices are released in the next 3-4 years. These are expected to really expand the functionality of higher bandwidth peripheral applications like attached monitors and remote video devices. USB to DVI adapters should be able to continue to flourish as a fast and economical way to add multi-monitor function to desktops and laptops. USB 3.0 bandwidth should allow for add on video solutions to approach the quality and responsiveness of PCI and AGP video cards. Congratulations guys, here's to the next million. Permanent Link
Pricing for the much anticipated NWZ-X1000 has surfaced on Sony Hong Kong website, and it's not pretty. The 32GB will retail for $3680 ($471 USD), and the 16GB for $2780 ($356 USD). Local Sony has started to accept pre-orders, and both PMP models will begin shipping in late May. Considering how competitive the PMP market is in area, we believe the X1000 to be priced similarly in the US. To put the prices into perspective, the X1060 (32GB) and X1050 (16GB) cost about $70 and $57 USD more than the iPod touch 2G of the same capacity. You could argue Sony has a gorgeous 3" OLED, superb battery life (33 hrs. music, 9 hrs. video), and a decent pair of nose canceling headphones as well as a host of audio fidelity enhancements, but the X1000-series may have a harder time winning back some iPod touch fanboys when their beloved PMP can run Need for Speed at full 3D and make long distance call with Skype. What we are most concerned about is the video playback compatibility (max. 2GB file size - 768kbps bit-rate at QVGA for H.264... sigh) and the Netfront browser rendering speed. We are keeping our fingers crossed. Permanent Link
Whether you have an iPhone, iPod nano, shuffle or touch, you may find Apple cannot get anymore stingy with their accessories. The fruit company has long taken out the dock from the all the iProducts which have been shipping with just a USB cable and a dock adapter. On the bright side, this is an opportunity for third party manufacturers to come up with creative iPhone/iPod dock and to make a living. The "Works for iPhone" Dexim Premium MHub Dock Station - similar to the Griffin Simplifi - can de-clutter your desktop with its 3-in-1 design which combines a iPhone/iPod dock, SDHC card reader on the side and a 3-port USB hub on the back. The station in an aluminum chassis also bundles with a variety of phone charging cable for mini-and micro-USB handsets. Its one-size-fits-all adjustable bracket seem to best Apple's own dock adapter, and Dexim ships with four electrical plugs for customers from all over the world. You can get all of the above for $74.99 (Apple tax included). Permanent Link
Another great one for your travel bag, this Digistor USB Blu-Ray burner from Sunland International is right-sized for travel. The Blu-Ray Burner is a slot loading type and is powered by a single USB or double USB connection. The Drive really requires more juice than a single USB connection can supply but they have come up with a couple of nifty solutions to get around those needs. The best way would be to use the included double USB connector. Here's the really unusual part, if you don't have 2 available USB ports you can get by on a single USB connection with the help of the built in Lithium Polymer battery. While the drive is not in use the battery trickle charges off of the USB connection. As soon as the drive needs juice the battery kicks in. The battery is good for about 3 hours worth of use on a full charge. Unfortunately this flexible system looks to set you back 6 large (there are some cheaper options). If you want to buy an AC adapter to help speed charging there's one available for another $15. So if you've got $599 and are yearning to take your BD collection on the road with you this is for you. Permanent Link
AMtek's USB docking station has to be the most feature packed docking station ever. Packed into a tiny package that would actually fit under most netbooks and bring them into a comfortable viewing height on your desk. There's both VGA and DVI connections for USB video output. USB audio output along with a microphone input rounds out the multimedia package. There's a drive bay that will hold an optical drive or a hard drive of the SATA variety. Just considering those features it's a nice netbook companion to combat the small screen, storage and volume that plagues netbooks as a matter of course. There's still more to be had with this heavy hitter. An whopping 6 USB ports adorn the back but sadly none on the front which is an odd omission. There's also the true necessity of an RJ-45 network adapter available for connectivity. Blasts from the past serial ports and parallel ports are available as well if you happen to be stuck with some old peripherals that need them. There's no word on price or availability yet but with any luck it will make it out of Taiwan shortly. Permanent Link
Intel just kicks off its multi-year global campaign with the goal of conveying a message that how far the computing industry has advanced with the chip giant's technologies. The first ad that appears on YouTube focuses on the co-inventor of Universal Serial Bus (USB), Ajay V. Bhatt, who holds several patents on the most broadly adopted external bus standard. The ad begins with him going for a cup of coffee. An adoring fan show his appreciation with his home-made Ajay tee shirt, and several others surround him trying to get an autograph from the Intel Fellow and Chief Client Architect. The campaign agency for some reason found an professional actor to personify the star engineer. Perhaps Bhatt is just a very down to earth guy who doesn't really want real fans (like us) to recognize him in the public. Ad video after the jump. Permanent Link
Flashdrives have reached the capacity that most people will find enough for a full data backup. A problem is that those of us who lack the will to organize files will find it extremely difficult to backup everything to an external drive in a timely manner since they don't keep things together. Well, ClickFree Traveler is the answer to this. It doesn't require any kind of software installation. As soon as you plug in the credit card-sized flash card into a PC, it automatically finds documents, video, photos, tax returns, favorites, or any of the 400 file types on your system, and then copies them onto the ClickFree Traveler. Next time you hook it to the same PC, it will begin incremental backup, and only grabs the modified files as well as new ones. Also unique to the ClickTree Traveler is Apple compatibility so you will be able to restore PC files on a Mac. The company however never mentioned data encryption since that is of paramount importance. Permanent Link
Who doesn't love puppies? If you love them so much, then these puppy USB speakers must be for you. Touted as "Wonderful Speakers" by Japan Trust Technology, this pair of USB-powered speakers hide the drivers underneath the dog's belly. The sound will supposedly bounce back from the desktop so it won't sound muffled. For your information, the left speaker is a cavalier king charles spaniel while the right one is a dalmatian puppy. Also unexpected is the guitar-lookalike USB sound card that doubles as a volume control. It's not the first time a pair of speakers is mistaken for decorations; here's a pair of photo frames that actually hides speakers on their back. For all rest of us, there are plenty of options to choose from. Permanent Link
PC gaming has had a bit of a mixed history with initial gaming input starting at game pads, moving to keyboards, then to mice, then back to game pads and finally back to both keyboard and mouse combination. Today I explore Logitech's answer to all of our gaming dilemmas with a dedicated gameboard that can tie all these inputs together into one neat, gamer focused package and hopefully enable you to score beyond your normal ability. Read on for the full Logitech G13 gameboard review. Permanent Link
No this isn't a transmission from Orson to Mork but this tiny reader of tiny flash cards has just touched down from outer space. Dry off your drinking finger because you are going to need it to work this ultra tiny card reader. You really can't get any smaller than this. At 17mm long there's just barely enough of the EagleTec reader sticking out of the USB slot to get a hold of it. An ideal netbook companion this drive can extend your limited HDD or SSD storage space without needing to be unplugged when transported. Toss this in a tiny bag with the rest of your
nano peripherals. It's plug-n-play and PC and Mac friendly.
MicroSD cards have become the de facto standard for cell phones, GPS and MP3 players and are actually starting to show up in digital cameras so it looks like it might be time to switch out your gigantic SD/MMC card collection for the peewee microSD form factor. MicroSDHC capacity currently tops out for the reader at 32GB. Brando offers it with 8 and 16 GB microSDHC flash cards as well as unloaded for $31, $67 and a mere $13 respectively. It's a great deal if you can manage not to lose it. No warranty is provided if you accidentally absorb it through the pores of your skin. Permanent Link
The WeraMouse doesn't exactly qualify as wearable but it's definitely a step in that direction. the two new product offerings consist of a handheld trackball and a touchpad. Both of the devices are intended to be operated while being held coffee mug style and operated with your thumb. There are 2 standard mouse buttons on the top of the device which look like they might be a serious stretch to press with one hand. Fortunately there's a trigger button as well. The rechargeable battery is good for 28 hours of use and charges by USB connection. The setup is wireless and should reach out to about 25 feet. The concept has actually been around for awhile and very similar designs of the trackball version predate USB. The touchpad version, which isn't for sale yet, is pretty novel and might be able suitable as a multi-role device. The trackball is almost too small to be used on a desktop. This is a bit more pedestrian than the Logitech MX Air but air considerably less expensive. Still a little on the high side at $99 the trackball is available now and hopefully the touchpad will follow soon. Permanent Link
Apple's 3rd generation 4GB iPod shuffle once again breaks new ground, this time by eliminating its trademark circular control ring and shrinking its physical size to unbelievable proportions. Truly a sight to behold, and now with double the capacity, Apple's entry-level iPod packs its slim feature set into an even slimmer aluminum body. With the headlining new multi-lingual VoiceOver feature, is it enough to make you part with your cash? Read on and find out. Permanent Link
Perpetual technology tease Yanko Design has unveiled its latest rendering that should breathe a breath of fresh air into your quality of life. This concept device, a USB air quality analyzer which looks like an upside down cereal bowl with a clear blue wind up key sticking out of it, samples air quality for you and let's you know what you are breathing in. The small holes on its surface test the air quality, allergens, pollution and smoke and radiate pink or blue light to quietly pass judgment on your air. the blue light is normal in a pink light lets you know that you're in trouble. what action you decide to take is up to you at the very least you have some forewarning of something foul in your air. The design is still purely conceptual but theoretically it could send more detailed information to your computer over the USB cable that powers it. Depending on how sensitive this device could actually be, over time you may gather some really interesting data about your environment. is to be a great way for people with allergy problems to scope out potential places to live. Price and availability will only be available if someone decides to option this design. Don't hold your breath. I'm still impatiently waiting for their Tetris watch to become available. Permanent Link
While Netbooks continue to offer great prices, portability and battery life over the traditional notebooks you can't say it's been without some sacrifices. No optical drive, tiny SSD drives, cramped keyboards and peewee processors have been the necessary evils of the lovable ultra-portable netbooks. Seems Century has decided to lessen these evils with its USB 3-in-1 docking station. Roughly the same size as a netbook, this USB dock would make a perfect traveling companion for any road warrior. It appears to come with an DVD/CD burner stock and an internal SATA connector for you to add your own 2.5" SATA HDD or SSD. You also get 2 extra USB ports for adding any other devices your heart desires. If your greedy heart is desiring any really power hungry devices you better make sure you attach the included AC adapter otherwise things might get a bit dicey. They've also included a 4 cm fan to help cool the laptop/netbook while it's running. There's only 2 things that you may end up missing. Lacks the ability to turn off the internal devices individually. Having both these devices connected running on bus power (No AC adapter) can decrease battery life. A PCMCIA or ExpressCard reader might also have been a nice touch. While Bluetooth data connections are do-able you can't really touch the speed of a hardwired connection via USB. You may be able to mod this into one of these if you are so inclined. At only $100 it could be a great addition to your gear bag and has plenty of potential for custom work. Permanent Link
The Samsung Story is here looking more like a high-end home stereo component than a desktop peripheral. Don't let its rigid looks fool you it's actually meant to be a very user friendly 1.5TB backup device for all your favorite files. The machined aluminum casing houses a single 3.5" SATA hard drive. Aluminum cases are notoriously good at dissipating heat which large fast drives generate in abundance. The Story is USB 2.0 enabled for fast transfers and speedy backups. Backups and Data Storage are what this monster is really about. The Story comes with three extra features to solve your data storage needs. not just data storage and protection is the main focus of the software packages provided with the drive. Samsung provides a timed backup software package which can optionally include the backup sets with a password key that you supply. they also provide their own version of a Truecrypt type functionality. This program attaches an encrypted virtual drive to the host computer and all files stored within it are automatically encrypted. It's available in 500GB, 1TB and the mammoth 1.5TB version but there's no word yet on price but it should be available in May. Permanent Link
Ennova Direct an IP company has been granted today a patent for an OLED lit fingerprint scanning thumbdrive. The flash Drive sports an OLED sensor screen capable of reading and storing fingerprints. Once the drive has been biometrically unlocked the OLED area can also be used as an interactive display. Consider it effectively an Optimus Micro if you will. The display will let you select which files you wish to unlock. The display to also be used to read out status information like remaining capacity or battery level. The clever flip cap hides and protects both the USB connector as well as the OLED screen. Ennova Direct has been in business for five years now patenting device concepts. Their most recognizable patent is the retractable USB flash drive. Their concept picture looks strikingly similar to the Cruzer Contour flash drive. they also hold patents on Bluetooth audio devices, specifically for portable audio devices. Some other more pedestrian holdings aren't as clever like their 'flashlite' flash drive plus rechargeable flash light, illuminated mouse pad and an illuminated mouse. I wonder how much money Brando has had to pay to these guys. Permanent Link
Windows Vista and XP's Autorun have become a hotbed for virus & malware activity, notably the Conficker worm spreading primarily via USB flash drives. To put a halt to the spread, Microsoft said it's making a change to the default way of how Windows 7 handles USB drives. The first release candidate version of Windows 7 that will soon be released will stop any AutoRun tasks from tricking unsuspecting users into launching the apps. CDs and DVDs as well as so-called "smart" drives (i.e. U3) that emulate a DVD drive will continue to use AutoRun. An old school way for all of us is perhaps to hold SHIFT key when plugging a drive or inserting an optical disc. Microsoft also intends to make this update available to Vista and XP users eventually. Permanent Link
The Flip Video Mino Ultra HD still seems to be playing hide-and-seek in limited Best Buy stores but people are seeking it, with good reason. The latest from the Flip Video line but the first since the acquisition of the parent company by Cisco has doubled up on most of its specs added a few features but kept the price the same. That's a nifty trick lately and one that's hard to ignore. Supposedly found at $199 now its predecessor is still listed online for more. This updated model boasts the same 720p high definition recording but twice the storage space fo the original. Enough room for 2 hours of capture. While the storage is fixed and not removable-card based like comparable models the power has been set free. The internal rechargeable lithium battery is removable and fits AA batteries for power extension on the go. Once you're done filming you can use the HDMI output that's been shoe-horned into this tiny package. As soon as they find a shelf tag big enough to host this thing's entire name you should be able to pick one up. Let's hope they come up with a better way to name the next one or we're gonna run out of room for our titles. Permanent Link
So you're on a midnight stakeout, waiting to catch that cheating spouse/celebutant/drug smuggler in the act. You've got your best telephoto lens hooked up to your 25 mega-pixel, ultra low-light DSLR. Then, Uh-oh, your camera's memory is full. Your car's dark and you don't want to switch on the interior lights. Fumbling with the camera in the dark is likely to cost you your camera or your shot may just pass you by. Then you remember, YES, you picked up the awesome, Thanko USB SD card-reader/flashlight. You quickly get the card out of your camera, move pictures off of it, reinsert the card and start snapping again. Bingo, got the money shot. So that story may ring true for stalkers, P.I.'s and paparazzi but probably very few other people are really going to need a flashlight handy while they are moving files back and forth from flash memory. A niche device if ever there was one, this 3 LED mini flashlight which is powered by a rechargeable battery inside the card reader's chassis challenges the imagination to find a good use for these 2 functions together. On the upside the 40mAh battery probably only takes about 30-45 minutes to fully charge and can probably run the LEDs for an hour. It is able to read SD, SDHC and any other card that is small enough that an SD adapter exists for. With that kind of flexibility and utility who wouldn't shell out the $12.99 to have one of these handy for that next secret mission? Permanent Link
What does an iPhone have anything to do with a USB Missile Launcher? These guys from Newo will tell you an iPhone (or iPod touch) can become a remote console for the rapid foam launcher with their new iLauncher app. At $2.99, iLauncher breathes new life into rather dated USB weaponry by letting you fire harmless foams at unsuspecting colleagues as long as you are connected to the same WiFi network as the PC that is controlling the infamous Missile Launcher. Unfortunately, this will only work with PC (Mac and Linux community will have to wait). Permanent Link
No matter how great a backup solution is, hardly anyone will use it (regularly) unless it's extremely easy to use even if it can his or her life. Nearly every external drive whether it is a portable or desktop unit ships with sophisticated backup software, yet it is not often put to good use especially for those of us who are just plain lazy. People want a "set it and forget it (until disaster strikes)" backup solution. This is where Seagate Replica may come in handy. Available in 250GB single-user version for $130 and 500GB multi-PC for $200, the USB-powered Replica is built around Rebit 500 backup drive. Upon installation on any 32- and 64-bit XP or Vista machines, the aptly-named Replica will likely take a couple of hours to backup all partitions, including everything from OS to applications and user data. It comes with a system recovery disc that will bring your PC back to its previous healthy state when Vista dies on you. The Seagate Replica will also continuously backup all file changes as long as you keep it connected. So retrieving deleted data from several days ago should be only be a few clicks away. However, beware it only works with NTFS. Permanent Link
The Leyio UWB file sharing device was released in London this week and the chaps over at eWeek Europe got a chance to give it a once-over. This long-awaited device has finally made it to distribution writing the first implementation of UWB technology to the consumer in a mobile format. The only other notable devices making use of ultra-wideband technology are high definition video signal transmitters. We're happy to see the Leyio come and hope many more devices make use of the high-bandwidth UWB standard. This application however doesn't have to do Certified Wireless USB, which lets peripherals to a PC wirelessly even though WUSB uses the same UWB radio platform. The Leyio is designed to be a mobile data sharing device which can partner and transfer files with other Leyio owners. When the two of you meet up, you perform a kind of secret digital handshake involving the fingerprint scanner and accelerometer. Then whatever files you have chosen to share will start jumping across the airwaves at up to 80 Mbps. The Leyio holds up to 16GB of data and can be replenished by a 2GB USB drive that they call "The Shuttle" or via USB cable. now while you can move all manner of files the Leyio only has the ability to display images. It cannot display documents nor play music files at all. Hopefully later versions will at least have the ability to play MP3 files because at more than $200 it will have a hard time catching on otherwise. Permanent Link
Some of us couldn't live without his/her iPhone for a few minutes, let alone hours. Had we stopped trying to beat Rolando and to set never-ending new record in Zombieville, iPhone battery life is decent, to say the least. However, if you are the kind of person who cannot accept tradeoff between game time and talk time, Incase says you need a secondary battery like their Power Slider. Incase Power Slider directly competes with Mophie Juice Pack Air; it offers case protection while extending iPhone up-time through its integrated 1330mAh Li-ion polymer battery, which equals to 120% of phone's battery capacity. Built-in cell technology also prevents overcharging and short circuiting. The Incase provides 5 light LED battery status indicator that is found on the Mophie as well. According to the company, the Power Slider can manage to squeeze between 1 to 6 hours of battery life more than the Juice Pack Air depending on your usage.
Standby time: up to 330 hours
Audio playback: up to 26 hours
Talk time: up to 5 hours on 3G network and 10 hours on 2G network
Video playback: up to 7 hours
Internet use: up to 5 hours on 3G network and 6 hours on Wi-Fi
Kensington may have finally given accountants a reason to rejoice. In what has to be the closest thing to a USB adding machine ever created, Kensington has unveiled a Keypad/Calculator which is sure to be quickly adopted by any and all number crunchers. This USB peripheral which comes in the form of a standalone numeric keypad also carries with it 19-key financial calculator functions. The display is a run of the mill single line LCD screen. While they're actually quite a few calculator keypads out there this is the first we've seen that actually integrates the two functions by the use of a "send key" which could send calculator results to the PC. The keypad also sports a two port USB hub that will allow you to daisy chain other devices through it. since it doesn't include its own power supply he will likely run into power problems connecting devices like extremely large hard drives or web cams. Low-power devices like mice, keyboards and flash drives should be just fine. The keypad should be plug-and-play on both Windows and Apple computers and can be had $30 and is available now. Permanent Link
Draft 2.0 802.11n hardware is now making the rounds and is finally given many people reason to upgrade. As the new standard makes it onto more and more routers many people are seeing enough gain to upgrade their individual PCs with new wireless network cards. If you're still suffering with the range and speed of an 802.11b wireless device and have been putting off upgrading because of high prices, Digitus may have something to help you take the leap. Their new wireless LAN adapter has just been released and supports the draft 2.0 N standard. It also supports the very user friendly WPS security mode for quick push-button connectivity. While slightly larger than most USB WiFi adapters, 90% percent of its body is actually a 3dBi antenna. This is funny since Buffalo has a tiny 802.11n adapter whose USB connector makes up for large part of the dongle. Anyway, this integrated antenna should allow you to get the most out of wireless-N's greatly improved range. The adapter also supports all of the new security standards like WEP, WPA, WPA2. it can be found for about $45 and should be hitting major retailers soon. Permanent Link
Since UWB shelved itself and concurrently transferred its intellectual property to the Bluetooth SIG group, we've been waiting for the release of Bluetooth 3.0. the Bluetooth special interest group released the latest official update to the Bluetooth standard. The new standard promises a eightfold increase in data rate as well as various improvements to stability and power saving functionality. Unicast Connectionless Data increases speed and decreases power drains for longer battery life and better throughput. Enhanced Power Control will help adapt to changing signal quality conditions and reduce the annoyances associated with interference laden areas and changes in distance. The bandwidth increase of up to 24Mbps is accomplished by spilling over into 802.11 radio communications. Many phones are already shipping with wifi capabilities so this shouldn't mean a price jump or major engineering hurdles. Wifi and Ethernet titans, Atheros and Broadcom, are already shipping BT3.0 chips. Of course we were, albeit foolishly, hoping that BT 3.0 might be packing more of a UWB sized punch. Sadly though, it seems reality has let us down again. Bluetooth 3.0 does bring some improvements to the current Bluetooth offering, but they seem minor in comparison to the concept that was Wireless USB. Here's hoping that the various adopting industries will roll out some exciting applications for this new release. Permanent Link
In celebration of Earth Day, we thought we'd revisit a few of the items that take a bit of the load off of Mother Earth. We have organized the ten eco gadgets into three sections: Saving Power, Buying Eco-friendly Peripherals, and Generating Your Own Power. Please take some time today to see what you can do to help as well. Permanent Link
Elgato is back at it again with the latest incarnation of their do-it-all TV tuner for Macintosh, the EyeTV Hybrid (2009). Whereas the 2008 version was already jam-packed with the ability to record analog, ATSC digital, and Clear QAM broadcasts up to 1080i all in a package the size of your thumb, the new model boasts improved HD reception, a much-improved electronic program guide and the addition of FM radio. Walk with me as Everything USB takes an in-depth look at all the new Hybrid has to offer television aficionados, and what needs work. Permanent Link
No need to call in the CSI guys, this isn't the work of the Miniature Killer but it sure could qualify. What has to be one of the most detailed replica USB drives has arrived in the form (bidding has ended... sorry) of Canon EOS 450D. All the way down to the options on the LCD screen no detail is left out. The LCD is also back-lit when plugged in. Accurate down to every detail these are available on ebay now for between $90 to $150 depending on the competition for each one. Okay, they don't really take pictures but it could make a great gift for the Canon fanboy on your list. The only minor detail you'll have to contend with is the odd shape of the drive. If it even fits directly into your USB ports it will likely block any nearby ports with its bulk. Worst case scenario it may not fit at all. Fortunately the seller includes a USB extension cord to help out. The model that's currently for sale is only 2GB but previous versions were 4GB. Check them out for yourself. There may even be a few of the original 5D MarkII's still available if that's your favorite EOS. Permanent Link
Super Talent has come up with a very American USB flash drive that mimics a miniature version of the Statue of Liberty. The flash drive component is inside the robed goddess which sits on a foundation (or a dock in this case). The USB connector is revealed by separating the statue from the base. Even though there's no word on the scale of the model, souvenir shops will surely stock up a bunch of these for the visitors flocking to Big Apple as soon as economy picks up again. Milking on one of the most recognizable icons of United States is perhaps a better idea for a flash drive than paying a hefty sum for The Godfather license to put the name of the epic film on some ordinary looking flash drives. Permanent Link
A problem shared among auto chargers is that it's sticking out of a car's dashboard. Belkin's Micro Auto USB Charger is here to fix that. The low-profile charger fits flush in your cigarette socket, and turns it into a single 1000mAh charging port for the latest generation of iPods as well as iPhone 3G and original. Belkin could be looking at selling at least two of these to every car owner: one for the kids' iPod touch and another one for the iPhone. If charger sticking out doesn't annoy you, the Dual Auto Charger is capable of supplying 1A on the first USB port and 500mA on the other. This maybe what you need should you also have a portable GPS on your dashboard that also needs recharging. The Micro Auto USB Charger will hit retail in May for $15, and the bulkier Dual Auto Adapter goes for nearly $30. Permanent Link
Just because you don't own any of the Apple iPhone, iPod touch or MacBooks doesn't mean you have to miss out all the fun that multi-touch offers. The Diatec SmartTrack Neo USB trackpad straight from Japan can now add this functionality to a desktop PC, and it might arrive just in time for testing on Windows 7 - the first MS' OS with integrated multi-touch tricks. The mini-pad measures at 3" by 1.8", comes with 2 buttons, and supports pretty much the same gesture controls (e.g. pinch, swipe, two-finger rotation) heavily advertised by Apple. The multi-touch USB pad is also meant to be used with both hands. We also need to remind you this is purely for PC, specifically Windows. So, if you have a PowerMac or Mac Pro, you may need to wait for Apple to release something similar or until someone convinces Diatec Mac support for the pad could be wholeheartedly welcomed by owners of pre-2007 Macs. Permanent Link
Fujitsu has continued its innovation in security with the invention of a smart USB drives. Due to the ever increasing threat of data leakage through small portable flash drives system administrators and policymakers are struggling with ways to stem these problems while maintaining their utility. For a brief stint, The Department of Defense actually banished flash drives from their facilities. While devices like the IronKey and other hardware solutions have helped improve some of the aspects of flash drive security MANY holes remain. Fujitsu is developing a software and hardware solution that will start to close the circle around USB flash storage devices and enterprise security. Fujitsu's lowest level security takes the form of inserting a battery and a microprocessor onto the USB drive which can set auto-erase time limits on the flash drive. This way data can be auto deleted after a certain amount of time has elapsed. On top of that, Fujitsu is writing software that will be required in order to interact with the flash drive. Enterprise administrators will be able to specify which computers will be able to access the data on a flash drive and can delete the data on the drive if it access is attempted on an unapproved drive even once. Their new "File Redirect" solution will prevent data from being moved off of the flash drive and only allow it to be manipulated on the drive. As it's still in development there's no word of price or release date. Permanent Link
Spreading like wild fires across Europe and launching in Japan this week, Poken seems ready to take over the world. Cell phone and mobile communications being are huge hit with teens and tweens and nearly every single adult is carrying at least one mobile communications device. Almost everyone from 13 to 30 has embraced text messaging and growing numbers of people are joining social networking services like LinkedIn, FaceBook, MySpace and so on. Poken seems set to bridge the gap between business card and social network. After setting up the Poken upon your computer you simply hold it next to someone else's Poken in a RFID high-five. Once the little hand lights up green, your contact information is exchanged. More specifically your ID within the Poken database is exchanged and you store whatever social information that you want to share in that location. The next time you go online and plug-in your Poken you are connected to the people with whom you've Poken'd. Proper verb conjugation and a US release date are both still elusive, but you can order from international web vendors now and start to Poken all your friends. Pokens are around $20-$25 apiece and are available in about 8 different fun character shapes. Permanent Link
Well, Art Lebedev seems to have let Pandora out of the box. There's been a recent wave of complete redesigns of the tried and true keyboard and mouse. Vive la revolution! The ergonomic 3DConnexion (now owned by Logitech) SpacePilot Pro is almost more of a keyboard than a mouse. Still retaining the same novel design of the original and SpaceNavigator in adds a small LCD screen and a large amount of function keys to its chassis. If you aren't familiar with the design controller functions as a twist-able joystick, basically adding the ability to scroll and rotate at the same time as you are mousing around in the X and Y-axis. Mainly for designers and artists, its intent is to become a left-hand mouse. This will allow for alternate controls to be more quickly located as well as shuttle type manipulations to be done with its knob/stick. The LCD screen displays software pushed information like RSS feeds, email or calendar events similar to a mini-USB display. There's also a potential for mini apps to be written with the SDK they've released. Besides the LCD it contains a total of 24 buttons and a five-way D-pad. The only major roadblock for most users will be the price tag at $499 it's nearly double the minimalistic SpaceNavigator but for the wealthy it's available now at their online store. Permanent Link
Bad economy aside, guitar sales are up thanks to a certain video game. Thankfully many people are putting down their plastic GuitarHero toys and picking up a real axe. And in this singular sunny spot in the entire market, Alesis is offering this new money saving item. The AudioLink USB the cables are ready to roll out and keep you from having to buy three different things: USB sound card, a long cable to your rig and an adapter. Having this all-in-one system will let you crank tunes directly into your PC via an on-board analog to digital converter. The cables come in three varieties. There's one for guitarists, one for vocalists and one for any generic line level source (Guitarlink, Miclink and Linelink respectively). Both Guitarlink and line link connect to quarter inch jack sources while the Miclink has an XLR3 plug. The cords are all almost 17 feet long and transfer CD quality sound directly to your PC through your USB port. With suggested retail prices between $79 and $39 they are well worth the small investment just to save on cable purchases. Permanent Link
Samsung is preparing to place in our eager hands a stylish new handheld camcorder with full HD capabilities to compete with the likes of Sony. The Samsung HMX-R10 HD is an extremely attractive soda can sized camcorder. With easy controls accessed by a flip out 2.7" LCD touchscreen viewfinder, even the most technologically challenged should be able to operate it with ease. Their TouchUI control system promises responsive controls and simplicity. The camera features a 5x optical zoom lens and a small flash to aid in still picture taking. The lens is also angled up 25 degrees to allow for a more comfortable wrist angle while filming. 1920 x 1080 videos are stored on SD/SDHC cards as it has no internal storage to speak of. Videos are recorded in H.264 format which has gained enough popularity to be easily played back and converted by many programs and devices. The camera also supports video capture at up to 600 fps which should give you plenty of reason to sit down and learn how to produce and publish videos. Released in Korea this week expect worldwide releases to follow in the next few weeks for $499 USD. Permanent Link
It was bound to happen, as "HD" has become one of the most ubiquitous sales buzzwords since "Free", and companies have started to abuse it. Case in point, Bella has released the HD Mouse. Which certainly would help anyone complete their home theater setup. It's not even a designed for Home Theater PC's (it does have a 26 foot wireless range). Now once you get over the shameless use of "HD" the Bella mouse is actually packing some pretty neat features. Features that we can hope make their way into many more software packages. The Bella mouse does have a very high DPI sensitivity of 1600. This is on par with high performance gaming mice by sending large amounts of motion data to capture even your subtle of gestures. The wow-factor comes in with the software that's included to take advantage of all that sensitivity. Bella's software can store and sense 20 predefined gestures. So with a flick of wrist you can execute complex sets of procedures and make quick work of repetitive tasks. You can program in as many of your own gestures as you want. You can also pull off nifty tricks like quickly changing the X/Y axis to scroll functions and back again. Appealing to all, the software's available for PC and Mac. Permanent Link
One of the key reasons why early adopters still believe in Wireless USB is the convenience of having a cordless LCD monitor. Earlier, IOGear first brought this to the market in the form of a dongle, Samsung has pushed this feature into mainstream with its wireless 19" LCD, and now Atlona tries to further improve the application by throwing in HDMI and dual monitor connectivity. Atlona's HDAiR WUSB to HDMI or VGA converter comprises of three parts: the host wire adapter, device wire adapter, and the video card cradle with two display outputs. The setup is similar to Cables Unlimited Wireless USB Adapter Set because both products are basically reference design by by Wisair. Atlona WUSB video solution probably has a better chipset since it is capable of streaming at up to 720p or 1440x1050 (16:9) to a display up to 30 ft. away from the PC. Also unique to the Atlona is the ability to connect to two monitors simultaneously, but only expect this to be in mirrored mode. The company never mentions sound support, so don't assume the HDMI interface is going to carry audio in this case. If wireless video to two LCDs are what you want, and you are using either Vista or XP, the Atlona HDAiR is yours for $199.99. Permanent Link
Just as it starts to warm up, Speedo is here to help you with the beats. The Speedo LZR Racer MP3 player is here to put the Strokes in your back-strokes. Made by a collaboration of iRiver and Speedo, it's pretty sporty with it's black and blue ruggedized rubber shell. This new model is the 2nd in their line following in the steps of the marginally successful Aquabeat. Similar in size and shape to its predecessor a few technical features that have changed. Storage has been upped from 1 to 2GB and a few more accessories are available. Perfect for the pool in the waves, the Racer is waterproof to about 10feet. Music and playlists are loaded through its USB connection. Battery recharging happens simultaneously while it's connected to your PC. Feel free to take this on the boat too because if it slips overboard it floats just fine. Besides the obvious wet places, Speedo and iRiver have produced a several accessories that ease attaching the player to you for on-the-go ventures. For swimming or very vigorous sports, a head strap is available that straps the player to the back of your head, which doesn't look very comfortable. An arm strap is perfect for biking and running or activities that might require a hat or helmet. Make sure you familiarize yourself with the included software for playlist creation so that you don't get hit by a car while fumbling for a track as has no intelligent track seeking tools. It may take awhile to get to the US but when it does expect it to run about $128. Permanent Link
Thanko has moved in a slightly different direction with its latest USB Spy Camera Tie but it's still fun. The Maxwell Smart era spy camera hides in plain sight behind a specially designed Necktie with a hidden compartment. This zippered pocket mounts the camera about chest high behind a tiny pinhole cut out for the lens. The camera can record 352x288 AVI videos onto its 4GB of internal memory. There's a handy on/off switch to save battery power when not in use right next to its USB plug which is used for both charging the internal lithium battery and for extracting videos. There is a power LED indicator but its hidden in the back of the Tie. The internal memory can store about 4 hours of video but seems to only be able shoot for about 1 hour continuously per charge. Recharge time is listed at only 2 hours though. The real jewel of this setup is the unobtrusive keychain remote. Being able to start and stop the recording with a single button press should make for much better editing. Once you're back at your secret lair you will have less time editing out yourself working on spreadsheets and can skip right to the part where your boss asks you to do something lewd and incriminating. In my experience there's very little worth recording that requires a coat and tie to view but to each his own. Also, it's not as if you can sneak a 4 lb. dressy tie onto someone without them noticing. It could still be fun, i guess. Either way it only costs $130 and may be awhile before it hits the states. But seriously, who could put a price on starting your own Fight Club from capturing damning corporate misdeeds on film? Permanent Link
Well its a sad day to see Steampunk sell out and become actually useful, extremely inefficient but useful. Is it actually even Steampunk if its producing electricity via real steam? I think its just Retro at this point. An inspired hobbyist has constructed USB charger fed from a Lego dynamo cranked by a real steam engine. The Lego dynamo's output is adapted by a voltage regulator which converts the current to a steady 5 Volts. Once at a friendly 5 Volts, the juice is perfect for consumption by iPods or any other USB charging devices. All this by spinning a Lego motor backwards. While a fun experimental system and definitely a neat showpiece this isn't a great alternative energy source or any manner of substitute for fuel cell technology. The heat required to convert any volume of water to steam to produce mechanical energy is far greater than what is actually output. Any other tinkerers rushing out to reproduced this experiment should be reminded that you are either using the Sterno-type fuel tablets or plugging it into AC power. Each individual tablet burns for about 15 minutes at a maximum. AC power is probably equivalent to having a stove burner running for 2 hours to get a good charge. Add to that about 4 water tank refills and you've got quite a bit of work for your music. I think after about 2 charges most everyone would just go back to humming to themselves. Permanent Link
Looks like Thanko USB Heater Cooler Keyboard has got itself a new competitor today with the release of the IGM's latest ergonomic gadget. IGM's Heated Keyboard Wrist Pad is set to loosen up your ligaments and get your juices flowing. Plugged into a USB port this wrist rest will warm up your joints and relieve your bones from quite a few ailments associated with cold and a keyboarding. The list of benefits from using this reads like the back of a bottle of Snake Oil but warmth is warmth. Many places suffer from being unbearably far from the equator and could use something like this to fight back the chill. Using one of these may not be a cure for all that ails you but it could reduce pain from arthritis or Carpal Tunnel syndrome. The use of carbon fiber heating elements produces hear in the Far Infrared range. Far Infrared heat is a penetrating heat with a long list of a reputed health benefits. The Carbon Fiber heating elements produce FIR heat more efficiently than ceramic heaters and are rapidly becoming the preferred elements in portable heaters due to directed as opposed to convected heat. Still coming soon with no clue on price but Summer may be the wrong season to launch a new hot item like this. Permanent Link
Well there's nothing discrete about this. You set one of these up on your desk and you are proclaiming "I AM THE BIGGEST STAR TREK FAN". Not even Philip J. Fry is going to challenge your knowledge of the original series. This NCC-1701 replica houses a standard, no driver needed, webcam compatible with just about any video chat service you'd care to use (Skype, MSN, Yahoo, etc). Pair it with the Star Trek Communicator and you've got the most immersive Ship to Ship communications package this side of the Orion Nebula. Only someone with a real Borg implant is going to be able to one-up this setup. The camera features adjustable focus and lighted Nacelles (the red engine things for the uninitiated). It has a bendy adjustable flex arm for free posing or it can be mounted to the side of a monitor with the adhesive Star Fleet uniform insignia. While there's no word on release date or price, Dream Cheeky is pretty prompt with their releases so expect it shortly. We hope they hurry, over uncoded channels hours could seem like days. Permanent Link
Get out your boomstick and start fragging. New Resident Evil 5 for Xbox 360 bundle comes with a custom USB chainsaw to flash your Zombie killing fetish. This limited edition 2GB flash drive will let everyone know that you are backing up your data preparing for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. Don't be a fool, go vigilante immediately. While you are honing your survival skills against the undead hordes don't forget to pack a lot of ammo. That's probably the one employee benefit that Umbrella corporation needs to spring for since it just can't seem to keep from converting folks into ravening masses. Seriously, a case of 12 gauge shells should come with your ID badge and phone extension. The game pack comes with a 3 DVD 'making of' feature and the flash drive. Since not everyone who loves zombie thrashing on the XBox needs a flash drive, you can pick them up on eBay if you hunt for them. Get one for your Valentine or your Alice. We spotted this one for $22 today and hopefully more people will be willing to part with them if you don't want to shell out the nearly $100 for the limited edition game. Remember, shop smart, shop S-Mart. Permanent Link
WildCharge has until this week been merely the stuff of dreams and unicorns. They hopes of bringing wireless charging stations have been promised and not found for many a year and trade show. On April 7th they launched a gateway version of their ideal product that should have them out of your dreams and into you car. Even Billy Ocean would be impressed with the flexibility of their solution. The Wildcharger uses power to very small magnetic fields with their charge pads. When placed near these fields the charging pad producing power, all without the need for cables. Simply lay your device on the pad and it starts to charge. Until lately though it was assumed that the adapter would be built into the batter or the cell phone itself which would mean many many more years of R&D and licensing to vet out any usable products. Kudos for finally making an adapter that will work today.
The adapter tips are standard fits for modern phones, three types in all - mini-USB with connections for both possible orientations of the connector, the 2mm Nokia plug and the Sony-Ericsson connector. (Sorry no micro-USB yet.) The adapter plugs straight into your phone's charging port. The plug adjusts slightly to accommodate different widths. The charge coupler comes with some stick on tape and mounts to the back of your phone and connects to the adapter plug and bob's your uncle. They say it can be removed but it really seems to be missing a pass-through for usb connection. You may have to switch to bluetooth tethering or sync'ing for data connection to your phone. There are also two BlackBerry skin adapters to provide protection along with the charging. The kit is $79 with one included adapter or skin. Additional connectors are about $40. Sadly there doesn't seem to be an iPhone connection available but perhaps Mophie will come up with something. Permanent Link
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 has been given a thorough workout by the folks over at DCresource and they have mostly good things to say. The ZS3 is one of the latest compact cameras release by Panasonic which is being billed as part still camera and part camcorder. It packs some top of the line features in nice package. Originally being one of the first to widen up their lenses to 28mm this new generation has expanded it even further to 25mm. The zoom level is no slouch either at a whopping 12x (300mm). The LCD view screen is a spacious 3 inches wide and features an automatic brightness adjustment to help you best frame your images in changing light conditions. Another aid for lighting is Panasonic's best in class optical image stabilization. The image processes provide extra value with face detection and ultra fast image processing. The feature many are most interested in with the ZS3 is the motion video capture. Touting 720p resolution this packs as much or better resolution than most current dedicated camcorders. The fun starts with a dedicated movie capture button woefully missing from most cameras. Video and stereo audio are recorded in either the new standard AVCHD Lite or the old reliable MotionJPEG. AVCHD Lite can record up to one hour of video on a 16GB card. MotionJPEG files will be bigger and therefore less content can be recorded but AVCHD does not have as much support yet with software video editors. While this will surely change in the future Panasonic's included software will help bridge the gap with ArcSoft Media Impression suite and their own PhotoFunStudio. The release date still isn't solid but MSRP looks to be in the $399 range. Permanent Link
Let's see, no Display and no Mouse. That and a CPU are about the only thing separating this uber-gizmo from being an entire computer. This seems to have started as a USB 2.0 SATA hard drive dock set in an upright holder. These make it easy to manage bare SATA drives on the desktop for storage purposes and easy drive imaging similar to the Thermaltake BlacX. That's when a Swiss-Army consultant seems to have gotten involved and tried to one-up all-in-one dock devices made by anyone else. The base is predominantly a big stereo speaker with a 3W power amplifier. This speaker is fed by a built-in USB sound card. Besides feeding the speaker there's also a headphone jack on the hub as well. Full VOIP functionality can be attained with the thoughtful addition of a microphone as well. The headset function has been tested with Skype, Google Talk and MSN but just about anything should be possible. For control, there's a conveniently located volume controls and a mute button for the mic. There's also a line-in jack for good measure. All of this without the need of a single driver, all of the devices are natively supported by Windows 2000 and higher or Mac OS 9.X and higher. Available now at Brando for $59. Permanent Link
Do clowns do a lot of computing? As fun as POV message systems can be, one really has to wonder at the wisdom of putting one in a mouse. The LED Message mouse has a built in fan for blowing a gentle breeze into your palm while you are slaving aware over your computer. This has been done almost to death but is still a nice option if you have trouble with heat in your computer area. Granted it's a little played out, lacks pizazz. Captain Random to the rescue. Inexplicably, the designers opted to put a POV message system into the fan in the mouse. Messages are created by flashing lights while in motion on the blades of the fan. Short messages can be programmed into the fan so that the flashing lights shout your messages straight to the ceiling or anyone seated directly above you. What truly takes the cake is the inclusion of a remote control, you know, so you can control the thing.. that's uhhhh... already in your hand. While you wrap your brain around that, there's also no mention of PC software which means that the 4 button remote may be the only way you can program it. This should make programming it almost completely maddening. So if you are in Japan with $21 to waste, stocking up for some sort of clown college kiosk computer, this mouse is for you. That's provided you can stomach the 30 minutes it will take you to type "Hello World" on this thing. Everyone else feel free to point, laugh and keep walking. Permanent Link
The OCZ Slate Series ExpressCard is touted as the ideal companion for the notebook user needing a backup storage method but who does not want to carry around an external drive of any kind. Available in capacities of 8GB, 16GB and 32GB, owners of ExpressCard 34 equipped notebooks will surely be interested in an alternate way to cram more storage into an already overstuffed machine. Yet another flash storage option? Does anyone care? Should you run out and spend your cash on what seems like a poor man's SSD? Read on with an open mind. Permanent Link
Scan any review of the iPhone or iPhone 3G and the first thing you will notice are complaints about the poor battery life. While most casual users will be fine to recharge every day or second day, we power users really expect more than 8 hours from our beloved smartphones. Macally's Powerlink claims to add a useful extension to your iPhone's battery in order to help you get through the day, or for a quick emergency boost. As a bonus, it also allows you to toss the sync cable from your bag, and throws in 2GB of flash memory for good measure. Read on to find out if the PowerLink will give you the best bang for the buck. Permanent Link
Apple laptop owners rarely get to see the beloved fruit logo lights up on the reverse of the screen; however, that used to give them a status symbol. But after years of double-digit growth in Macbook sales, you now see a lot more Apple notebooks of different sizes whether you are in Starbucks, library, or on a plane. The same white fruit logo has gradually become a symbol of commodity, unless you spice it up with a hack as interesting as adding a USB LCD to it. As crazy as it sounds, this mod allows the Apple logo to turn into a secondary monitor by integrating a disassembled a 4.3" Century Japan USB LCD to the back of the MacBook. There's some soldering involved, but the end result should be quite satisfying. If you have the cash to burn, you can save yourself from the dirty work by buying modified MacBook black directly on eBay for a staggering $1500. Permanent Link
Sony let loose a bit of a bland followup to its HDR-TG1. The new HandyCam HDR-TG5V has all the same great features as its predecessor. It's a sleek and slim titanium handheld camcorder and is small enough to fit in a pocket. It records video at full 1080p onto its 2.4 megapixel ClearVid Exmor sensor and features an optical stabilization system. Zoom is adequate at 10x optical magnification. It's loaded with 16GBs of internal flash memory and has room for expansion via SD memory cards. The HDR-TG5 has two options for view finding or playback. It has a built in view finder and a 2.7 inch touchscreen LCD. The UI has been enhanced over the older model as well and should be much easier to navigate, manage files and settings. It also ships with a docking station for easy charging and downloading of videos. The other really new feature is the questionable geotagging option. Geotagging is not quite a rage now but it is catching on. At 1080p it seems a little ridiculous to try and manage video files of that size which are only just barely manageable in newer computers. Adding in GPS data and software as well seems a bit of a long shot. The GPS data is stored in separate files that currently have very little support outside of sony's proprietary software system. Understandably high definition video with intrinsic support of geotagging information hasn't been in demand and therefore simply doesn't exist. The other major stumbling block for this gadget is its price. The HandyCam HDR-TG5V's MSRP is set for $1000; it will ship in May but that's lot to ask when there are other high definition recorders that are smaller, more rugged and one fifth of the price. Permanent Link
Now this is truly refreshing, a USB water fountain, trickling water down the tops of three modeled bamboo plants. Just thinking about this has lowered my blood pressure a few points. Brando, our favorite Asian oddity importer is now carrying this tiny bamboo water fountain. Tranquility incarnate the tiny babbling brook is just what the doctor ordered to bring a calm serenity to your work place. No amount of downed servers or murderous conspiracies that sent you to jail for a crime you didn't commit can stress you out anymore. The bamboo shoots are made of a durable polyresin and run off the excess negative energy stored in your PC or Mac converting it into pure love. Take a few minutes contemplate the void and mellow out. This would go perfect with a tiny bonsai tree and maybe, just maybe, get you back in touch with your inner child. Then again it might just get the new girl in accounting to stop by your cubicle more often. Whatever peace/piece you seek, may you find it. Permanent Link
Contour Design's 3rd iteration of its Roller Mouse has arrived. It looks like a fancy add-on keyboard wrist rest. A device worthy of The Golden Child, you roll it like a paint roller for up and down motion. The rubberized touch portion of the roller can slide freely from left to several inches along the inner axle rod. The software is set to hop the mouse to the edge of the screen when you reach the edge of axle. The buttons are located in middle at the thumb position of the wrist rest. The standard version has 3 buttons, the pro version 5 and the brand new 'free' version also has 5 but they aren't adjustable like the Pro. All the models come with a regular scroll wheel.
The first two larger models look large and blocky next to the Free. If a large wrist area is what you are looking for though the Free comes with snap-in wrist pads extending it to a similar size as the previous versions. If they turned out a keyboard version where the bar was at the top of the keyboard (with no F-key row) it might justify the high price tag of $219. At that price for the roller mouse alone they are might have to teach it a few more tricks. Permanent Link
Positioned as a "3-in-1" must have accessory for iPod/iPhone, the $69 USD Griffin Simplifi certainly looks like one of the family on your desk if you own a lot of Apple gear. Capable of serving as a charging / synching stand for almost any late model iPod or iPhone, Griffin smartly added a USB hub with two additional USB 2.0 ports out back. Front and center are two memory card slots which accept the most common formats of flash memory used in modern digital cameras these days: CompactFlash, SD, xD, and Memory Stick. Those with microSD or Memory Stick Duo cards will still be able to use Simplifi with the appropriate adapters which they likely already own. While the Simplifi contains nothing revolutionary, it could very well be an essential part of your desk arsenal. Read on for the full review. Permanent Link
ThinkGeek, purveyors of the very finest in Nerdy Necessities is up to its old hijinks yet again. Once a year they have us giggling or coveting some fictional toy. This year's ruse will hopefully take our mind off of our conficker worries. They have a USB Pet Rock listed for sale today. It would be a perfect gift for your neo-luddite eco-friendly hippie friends as it has the lowest possible carbon footprint with Zero watt power consumption. Everyone can get in on the fun here since it seems to be compatible with all operating systems. A must have for anyone who shares living space with someone with a tamagotchi. Their other (sadly) fictional device is the Buzzword detecting shock bracelet. This little human shock collar will deliver a jolt any time it catches you using a buzzword or anything else via a USB synchronized software. This should train you to keep you from using the overused terms this year like "low hanging fruit" and "synergy". If these were real my boss would have one in his mailbox tomorrow. Don't miss their doctored-up logo too.
Woot is also getting into the fun offering an optional $1 million USD (approx. 312 Euro or ¥2,000 at today's USD exchange rate ) shipping via their CEO in an AH-64 Apache gunship. Be sure to look around today their will certainly be others popping up for grins, that is if your machine hasn't been botnetted by conficker. Permanent Link
Keynesis has released a several software applications designed to add a security layer to that most slippery of security threats, the portable drive. It offers up its wares for sale to protect the confidentiality of data for both the end user and for the corporation. LockNgo provides government level 256-AES encryption of all data on a portable storage device, which exists entirely on the drive very similar to the open source TrueCrypt. This functionality can also be called from the command line allowing administrators extended control of the encryption functions. While there are many enterprise worthy encryption packages few of them have the ability to extend from the main drive to portable drives. Keynesis hopes that this simplicity will be the key to user compliance. Keynesis' second offering Portable Sweeper, a tracks eraser that promises to help wipe any personal information of borrowed workstations like those in a hotel computers or an internet cafe. There's a sizable movement of users trying to live completely off of portable USB drives, yet there are only a few decent sets of applications that support them. PortableApps, Ceedo, Mojo Pack and U3 all offer different methods and utilities for retaining applications and documents from one computer to another and leaving little or no traces of your presence behind. All of these run reliably on portable drives but security is still an afterthought on these devices and each user has to come up with their own security. We'll hope this trend continues to reduce the load we are shouldering with portable computers down to just portable profiles. Permanent Link
