USB
The FMP3 watch, USB seat warmer and a bunch of other things you didn’t realise you needed
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November 13, 2006 The impact of ubiquitous personal digital technology on the way we live is only starting to become evident, though it’s a safe bet that what we do and say is far more likely to be recorded (and published) than ever before given that most people in developed nations are now carrying an audio recording device (in their MP3 player or phone), a digital camera (in their phone) and perhaps even a digital video recording device in one of their toys too. That’s one of the aspects of RareMonoShop’s new FMP3 watch that we think makes it a killer app. The otherwise normal-looking watch can record up to a Gigabyte of conversation/negotiations and suddenly the worth of that verbal contract being the paper it’s written on (i.e. nada) increases substantially in value. Apart from service as a covert recording device, there are several other aspects of the FMP3 watch that make it a winner – it records audio direct from any source such as a CD player or radio, with or without a computer (USB2.0 and Windows or Mac), has an FM transmitter which means you can play it through your car audio system and sells with 1GB memory for JPY16,800 (US$143) and 500MB for JPY12,800.00 (US$109). A few examples of other new products to be sold from the new English-language website designed for international customers include a clever portable Aluminium lap-desk, a laptop holder for the car, a Silent Keyboard/Mouse and a bunch of USB-powered devices such as a bottle cooler and warmer, an Aroma Diffuser, Warmer Slippers/Gloves, Seat Warmer, Eye Warmer and a 9 port USB Hub that looks like a Gold Ingot. The new web site opens this week though we have the Japanese-language address if you want a sneak peak. Read More
Battery with built-in USB charger
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September 22, 2006 Logical, inevitable, perhaps even overdue in retrospect, our ripper idea of the day (at least so far) is this rechargeable battery that can charge from any USB port without the need for any recharging devices, cradles or cables. Just pop the end to reveal a built in connector and charger, plug into any powered USB port on your desktop, laptop, keyboard, games console, monitor ad infinitum charge the battery. Currently available in the AA format, the USBCELL will shortly comprise a full range of standard formats, phone and camera batteries.
Ultra-compact, 12GB USB drive for US$169
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September 14, 2006 We’re not sure what Freud would say about our fascination with small things, but PNY Technologies new MaxFile Attache has really got us excited. Just how much data can you fit into something so small it'd be easy to lose? The tiny USB 2.0 hard drive offers 12GB of storage space and it’s so small that three of them will sit on a standard-sized business card and still only rise 1cm above the desk. That’s 2.4 x 1.25 x 0.4 inches or 6.1 x 3.1 x 1.00 cm and that really is small. Clearly designed to offer portability to all that must-have data at all times, the Attache includes backup and synchronization software so users can sync everything from their e-mail, documents, favorites and settings wherever they go. PNY's MaxFile Attache goes on sale tomorrow with an MSRP of US$169. Read More
World's coolest USB hubs
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August 27, 2006 The Universal Serial Bus (USB) is no misnomer – whatever the hopes for its universality might have been when it came into existence a decade ago, they have almost certainly been exceeded. Indeed, the success of USB connectivity is evident on just about every desk as the daisy-chaining design has created a nest of wires, a gaggle of portable storage devices, and a bunch of digital devices which depend upon USB to give your host computer regular data transfusions such as the equally prolific MP3 player and digital camera and coming plague of Bluetooth devices. Accordingly, it’s no surprise that USB hubs have become commonplace too. Our prize for the coolest USB hub design we’ve seen goes to the Self Destruction Button - a four-port hub designed to look like the button that would launch a nuclear attack, complete with cover and key. Runners up in the coolest USB hub competition include the four-port Google USB Mouse Pad, the four-port Coffee Cup Hotplate and the Hanaro Plus, the world’s first integrated ubiquitous device (a EUR115 combination hub, microphone, camera, speaker, flash memory port and video conference system). Everything here via RedFerret Read More
Epson USB Plug in and Play projector
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August 24, 2006 Epson has released an ultra portable wireless multimedia projector with the world’s first USB Plug in Play connection in a projector, making it the ideal portable partner for presentations. Weighing just 1.7 kg, the EMP-1715 is lighter than any other wireless projector in its class, and a mere 68mm high with a footprint of just 273 by 193 mm. With a superb 2700 ANSI lumen lamp brightness, the EMP-1715 is compatible with both PCs and Macs. With the EMP-1715 Epson has also introduced another world first with a multi screen display function allowing content from different applications to be displayed on up to four projectors from just one PC.
TrekStor introduces 8GB USB Stick
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August 18, 2006 German storage manufacturer TrekStor has introduced a USB stick with eight gigabytes of storage. Measuring about twice the width of current USB sticks, though thinner and shorter, the new TrekStor Model CS-D stick is available in six (US$140) and eight (US$180) gigabyte models. The CS-D is 1.25 inches wide, 0.375 inches thick, and 2.5 inches long including the cover but does NOT use flash memory, employing a miniature shock-mounted one-inch hard drive. The CS-D weighs less than an ounce and is intended for same daily use as flash-technology memory products. Read More
Bite-sized Micro Vault USB Drive
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July 17, 2006 Personal storage devices continue to get smaller as can be seen from this picture of Sony’s "byte-sized" Micro Vault Tiny drive family. We’re fascinated by the continued evolution of the personal solid state drive in its many forms and wonder where it might lead given a few years. About the thickness of a quarter, Micro Vault Tiny differs from its peers on several fronts, the most obvious being its tiny size, and five color-coded capacities -- 256MB (orange), 512MB (violet), 1GB (blue), 2GB (green) and 4GB (purple). Measuring roughly 1/2 inch wide and just over one inch long, the unit comes packaged in a clip-on carry case that can be worn as an accessory, attaching to a cell phone case, purse strap, key chain, or clipped onto a notebook cover. Read More
USB audio interface for Volkswagen models
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June 27, 2006 Volkswagen is well known for its futuristic outlook and in keeping with this it has become the first manufacturer to make a USB audio interface module available across a wide range of Volkswagen vehicles. The USB module is a versatile music and data source that allows users to connect USB sticks and portable media players to the vehicle's audio system and listen to music without carrying CDs in the car. Available across Europe for the current Volkswagen Golf, Golf Plus, Jetta, Touran and Passat and the new Eos, the product is distributed exclusively via VW's accessories arm, Volkswagen Individual, as an aftermarket option. Read More
USB Traffic Control secures company network endpoints
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March, 3 2006 In a world where portable storage devices such as USB Flash Drives, digital cameras and MP3 players are virtually everywhere, the theft of data through a simple connection of such a device to a company PC via a USB Port has become daily reality. One potential solution to this network administrator's headache is a product to be shown for the first time at CEBIT next week. USB Traffic Control is a network administration tool that gives corporations control over what data is leaving or accessing their network through the USB Port Read More
US$3,500 White Lake USB Memory Golden Stick
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March 4, 2006 The luxury goods market exists because people will always enjoy having exquisite objects, showing their status and wealth and expressing their individuality. That’s why people will pay hundreds of dollars for a cigarette lighter, thousands of dollars for a pen, and tens of thousands of dollars for a watch. So it was inevitable that when flash drives became personal, that we’d see an upmarket version, similar to the Vertu range of high end mobile phones. Flash drive manufacturers White Lake have created a top-of-the range USB flash drive named the Golden Stick which will be showcased at CEBIT next week. The Golden Stick is made of 14 carat gold with five embedded diamonds, though you can have it in 18 carat gold if you wish, but it’ll cost more, and if you think the diamonds are a bit gauche, you can leave them out and reduce the price from EUR 2,950 (US$3,550) to EUR 2,400 (US$2,885). We’re not so sure about making top shelf items in the rapidly moving technology fields – having a 4GB Golden Stick might not be so cool this time next year when everyone else has 16GB. Read More
USB flash drive with e-paper capacity meter
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February 3, 2006 With flash memory and miniature hard drives proliferating, there are many new ideas coming to market for clever, differentiating features and compelling storage form factors. Storage specialist Lexar Media has released a preview of one of its products that we think will be a winner – a USB flash drive with a unique storage capacity meter to its popular drives by integrating an innovative electronic paper display from E Ink Corporation. The E Ink display is a paper-thin, shatter proof, easy-to-read meter that’s non-volatile in that it does not rely on power to show the capacity information when disconnected from the computer. The Lexar JumpDrive Mercury will be the first USB flash drive to feature the on-board non-volatile smart capacity meter that will let customers easily monitor their available storage capacity. Read More
World's Slimmest USB Flash Drive fits comfortably in a wallet
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January 19, 2006 A boy’s first wallet is unquestionably one of the male rights of passage – a step on the road to the status of manhood. At first, the problem is finding anything important enough to carry in the wallet, but as life becomes more complex with age, the problem soon becomes how to fit it all in. In recent times, the small size and growing importance of portable storage has already seen a lightning fast adoption rate leading to a remarkable diversity in the form factors of portable drives – wrist bands, key chains, and now a card holding up to 2GB that is designed to fit into a wallet and at the same time offer an advertising and promotional medium with substantial advertising space – the Walletex Wallet Flash 1.1, is the world's first credit card-sized wallet flash drive (the marketers have coined their own acronym – WFD – but we suspect this will not become part of everyday language). Read More
Belkin CableFree USB Hub enables instant wireless use of USB devices
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January 14, 2006 Belkin's new CableFree USB Hub is the first USB Hub that does not require a cable to connect to the computer. This Hub allows people to place their laptop anywhere in the room while still maintaining wireless access to their USB devices, such as printers, scanners, hard drives, and MP3 players. This is the first UWB-enabled product to be introduced in the U.S. market. Read More
USB Flash Drive with Operating System Plus Office Suite
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July 24, 2005 FingerGear, the consumer brand of biometrics specialist Bionopoly, has announced a Computer-On-a-Stick Flash Drive. The Computer-On-a-Stick is a bootable USB 2.0 Flash Drive that is the first flash device to feature a complete onboard Operating System. The device also features the OpenOffice Productivity Suite, along with many of the most commonly used desktop and Internet applications. The Computer-On-a-Stick allows users to take their entire software environment with them anywhere securely. The device is bootable from any PC with an x86 processor, regardless of its resident Windows or Linux OS. All bookmarks, address book, emails, and office documents are stored securely on the device and never leave a trace on the host PC. Users enter a login password at each session. Read More
USB ShareDrive: the thumbdrive with a brain
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June 8, 2005 The FlashPoint ShareDrive is a new type of USB thumb drive that allows users to copy data stored in the FlashPoint flash memory to another flash drive or a USB device such as an MP3 player or digial camera WITHOUT a computer. The new FlashPoint ShareDrives have an integrated female USB connector so users can plug a cable or another device into the same USB port in which the FlashPoint ShareDrive is attached, chaining devices. Computerless copying to another sharedrive is compelling functionality and , arguably well worth the US$200 price for a 1GB drive – more than double that of a standard 1GB thumb drive. Read More
UniXpress USB Port Replicator offers Notebook users VGA & Dual-PC Support
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May 27, 2005 Ever since Charles Darwin introduced his theory of evolution in the nineteenth century, countless scientists have searched for missing links - parts of the evolutionary line that should have existed, yet haven’t been found. Similarly, notebook users know all about missing links – between their laptops and desktops/peripherals when they return to the office. If you want to hook your laptop to your peripherals, you have to disconnect the cables from your PC and connect them to the laptop. If you need something from the desktop, you may well have to reverse the process and reconnect everything once again. Various “species” have evolved over the years to address this problem without ever being fully satisfactory. Docking stations, for example, are proprietary and work with only one specific laptop model. USB port replicators, on the other hand, are non-proprietary, but don’t function with a Video Graphics Array (VGA) connector – the connector that goes between the PC and the desktop monitor. Fortunately, a vital missing link in notebook evolution has finally been discovered – the UniXpress USB Port Replicator. Read More
SD Memory Card With Built-In USB Connectivity
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February 21, 2005 – SanDisk has introduced the SanDisk Ultra II SD PLUS, an innovative SD flash memory card with built-in USB connectivity. The new card, which works seamlessly in any SD card slot, also can be used as a high-speed USB 2.0 flash drive. The card plugs into any USB port offering the ultimate in connectivity. The new Ultra II SD PLUS, which can be used in a wide variety of SD-based productssuch as digital cameras, PDAs, camcorders and camera phoneswill offer much greater convenience than a standard SD card. Now, to transfer data, images, audio or video between computers, digital cameras and other electronic devices, you don’t need a card reader, cables or card adapters. Read More
Keyscan keyboard with integrated scanner and USB2.0 hub - very cool!!
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Gizmag likes productivity tools, and though this is just a keyboard, it's not just any keyboard. It contains a scanner and a USB2 hub - and we think that warrants attention from all us cyberserfs who spend the majority of our working hours slaving over a hot keyboard. The KeyScan KS810 will be officially announced on CeBIT 05 followed by immediate sales. Recommended end user price is EU149 EUR. Read More
USB noise-cancelling headphones from Thanko
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November 15, 2004 New USB noise-cancelling headphones from Thanko have gone on the market in Japan, offering the ability to filter external noise as well as distortion from your PC to improve listening quality. The Rare Mono Shop in Japan is selling the innovative noise-cancelling headphones for US$45. They measure 30mm in diameter, weigh 180g (excluding battery) and use a NDFeB magnet for the driver. They run on two AA batteries with a continuous use battery life of around 80 hours. Read More
USB 'Thumb' Drive reads xD-Picture Cards
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Monday November 10, 2003: Fujifilm has introduced a compact USB card reader for its xD-Picture Card range. The USB 'Thumb' Drive streamlines the process of transferring photos by eliminating the need to connect your entire camera to the computer. Read More
Tiny USB device enables TV viewing on Computer
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Saturday November 8, 2003: The USTV-1 is a windows-compatible TV tuner that connects to your PC or laptop via USB (version 2.0 or 1.1) and is bundled with "Feather-X" software to enable television playback and recording on computer. Read More
USB camera provides close-up skincare
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Monday October 6, 2003: Fujitsu have released a PC-based skincare device in Japan that analyses facial skin quality using a USB mini-camera. Known as the Hada Chekki V01, the product uses specially developed software to determine whether skincare is required based on a facial close-up image provided by the USB camera. Read More
USB flexibility for tight spaces
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Tuesday October 21, 2003: Making effective use of a laptop in cramped situations can be challenging enough without trying to introduce peripheral devices such as digital cameras and MP3 players into the equation. The FlexUSB adaptor is designed to minimise this juggling act by means of a two-way hinge that allows for 90' movement... Read More
Philips USB Keyring: more than data storage
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Monday June 30, 2003: Among several impressive multi-purpose portable USB devices to emerge from the recent CES in Sydney is Philips new line of portable Key Ring MP3 players and digital cameras. Read More
Sensory enhancement via your USB port
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The USB P@ d is a personal aroma diffuser that connects to the computer's USB port to create a "personal multi-sensorial area" around your workspace... Read More
