2011 USB Gadget Year-End Round-up

Tough times have made for a less than stellar gadget year. Just about every technology that we were looking forward to has been at least delayed and many have closed shop. Nonetheless the year has really flown by but we have been left with some new USB gadgets and novel ideas with which we can remember 2011.

While this year didn't feel like the sci-fi future that we hope for every year, some great minds were still perfecting the old and inventing the new. We're still waiting for our rocket-cars and hover-skates but seeing products like these arrive gives us hope. Hope that we won't have to wait too much longer for everything we dream about to come to fruition.

• ScentScape
  The folks at ScentScape can't see the box but they can smell it. Their off the wall, new dimension in media device, allows you to conduct a series of smells along with your videos. Requiring special software and customizable and replenishable scent cartridges you can aromas to whatever you are trying to smell. This has to be a huge hit in the food industry when trying to pitch new products or menu items.
  
  
• Mercedes SLS AMG USB Drive
  Switching to more literal gears, Flash Rods brought us a new and glorius Mercedes SLS external hard drive. A showroom quality model car that completely conceals a 500GB USB hard drive brings new meaning to form meeting function. The fact that the form has nothing to do with the function won't bother car lovers at all as this is truly a sight to behold. We wouldn't be surprised if it included real new car smell. But why didn’t they include USB 3.0?
  
  
• Razer Star Wars Old Republic Gaming Keyboard
  This year brought us more than a few Movie and Game tied keyboards and mice. One of our favorites was the Old Republic Gaming Keyboard. The chiclet style keyboard, OLED tactile keys, active LCD touch screen and 16-million color LED backlight system really make this one stand out. Razer is asking for $199 but we would say it’s a better deal than one grand Optimus Popularis.
  
  
• SteelSeries Simraceway SRW-S1 Wheel
  Racing game fans are well aware the driving wheels take a lot of room. This year SteelSeries brought us the first accelerometer-based wheel that is only anchored by a single USB cable. No longer do you have to install pedal sets or bulky seats. The SRW-S1 also mimics the look of a professional F1 race car wheel. Seamless compatibility includes everything from Simraceway to F1 2011 and Need for Speed.
  
  
• HighPoint 20Gbps USB 3.0 Card
  HighPoint got a few years ahead of the game, for now, with their ultra wide PCI Express 2.0 USB 3.0 card. Sadly, USB 3.0's theoretical maximum can get reached quickly with only a few devices (on current hardware). HighPoint includes 4 separate USB 3.0 controller chips to help handle multiple devices wanting to run full speed. This may not solve the bandwidth handling problems at the motherboard level but it will give you some room to grow.
  
  
• Targus USB 3.0 Dual Video Laptop Dock
  Hopefully, Targus will take this penultimate, dual monitor capable, docking station and hear our prayers. The only thing that could make this super docking station better, would be if it were wireless. We won't hold our breath too long since, with all the goodies Targus crammed into this dock (audio, dual HD video, USB 3.0, gigabit network), wireless wouldn't be able to keep up.
  
  
• Samsung Wireless USB Monitor
  Samsung gave us a tiny taste of the Jetson's style future with their wireless USB monitor. 1920x1080 screen, Ethernet, audio and even a few USB 3.0 ports are all connected invisibly through the air to your PC. The best part is that the Samsung 27" monitor will automatically turn on and returns the screen to its last desktop session when in close proximity with the laptop. Their simple but elegant demonstration gave us dreams of a dock-less docking station.
  
  
• Wacom Inkling
  While others were gearing up, Wacom was pricing down. They introduced a brand new technology into their high end graphic artist world. This is a maturation of the stereo sonar technology we've been following for you for awhile and Wacom gives it the validity it deserves. The travel pen system records analog penstrokes digitally and wirelessly. The tiny travel sensor then uploads your vector drawings into Illustrator or the like. Score one for serious sketching outdoors.
  
  
• LG Scanner Mouse
  LG took a chance on some simple hardware and added some brilliant software and opened some really exciting doors options for mice. They added a scanning window to the bottom of a mouse and paired it with stitching software to turn a regular mouse into an 'any size' scanner. Just move the mouse across the page with enough swipes to get the entire surface and the software does the rest. Extra points awarded for making a smart and portable scanning solution.
  
  
• Crypteks USB Key
  Of the many crowd-funded projects we saw, the Crypteks USB Key had an amazing show of support from hopeful owner-investors. The USB key wrapped in a puzzle box form factor had fans of the Da Vinci Code drooling. Even if not a truly 'secure' on the outside, the 'should-be' standard encryption internals add real crypto value to the drive. Early adopters should have already gotten their Crypteks and will start the new year with a great conversation starter.
  
  
• iTwin
  The iTwin takes a small byte out of the PogoPlug and DropBox space allowing a pair of USB dongles to connect the attached computers together for file sharing. Making use of some sort of middle tier internet connection site/service the gemini twin drives can exchange the data assigned to them anywhere in the world. Not as many features as some of the other personal cloud devices/services. However, focusing on making fewer features easier to use is almost always a good business model.
  
  
• Crave Duet USB Vibrator
  We were also proud to see the unveiling of the Crave Duet USB Vibrator, from someone thinking inside the box. It's actually a discreet and hygienic personal massage device with an internal rechargeable battery. The powered and mechanical end of this device looks like a simple flash drive and can be recharged in the open without anyone being embarrassed or offended by its purpose. The other half is detachable, dishwasher safe, and still fairly innocuous in its design. Until such a time as we become more mature and tolerant of things considered taboo, thoughtful and private devices such as these will have to fill the void in the interim, so to speak.
  
  
• UltraLink UFi UCube
  And finally, the folks at UltraLink thought outside the box when building their UFi UCube. Too get some extra power to their speakers for more volume they include an internal battery that charges when not playing at max volume. Once you start pushing the speakers past their USB power limit the battery kicks in to give you the extra kick. Kudos for solving a limitation that everyone else had just given up on.
  
  

  
  Everything USB Listed as a PCMag's Favorite Blog

  Tweet

  By Paul McCollum on December 30th, 2011