Latest Gadgets, Tablets and Smartphones
If you have an old unused flash drive (at least 16Mb) then do not chuck it away. Although it may be of no use to you any more there are thousands of people who could benefit from this old flash drive. Inveneo are collecting these to hand out to developing countries to help students and aid workers to share information a lot quicker.
More details of this great scheme can be found at Inveneos website.
Via: Engadget
Loosing a USB flash drive can be seriously annoying and dangerous if you have sensative information on there. Well… this new bowling ball USB drive will not have a chance of being lost because it’s a full sized bowling ball and weighs 16lbs. Unfortunatly it now takes it out of the ultra portable and also out of the carry it around on a regular basis type thing. Still all good though.
The bowling ball is not available to buy as it was custom made by someone who didnt want to loose another USB flash drive.
Via: UberGizmo
The problem I find these days is that I have so many USB devices that I need to plug in daily that I dont want to climb behind the PC to my USB hub and plug them in each time I need to do something. The USB Hub and Mouse mat helps solve this problem by providing 4 USB ports on the back of the mat to plug your devices in to. This is perfect for those sets of devices that only need to be temporarily used while you can leave the rest behind your PC.
The mouse mat has Blue LED’s to indicate when a port it in use. It requires no external power as it mimicks self power mode. It supports v 2.0 of USB and can work at 12M or 1.5Mbps.
Via: vTec
The USB twister hub has been launched which has 4 ports and the top 2 ports can twist 180 degrees. The USB Twister Hub comes with or with out a power supply and costs $22 or $26 depending on which option you select. Full features are listed below.
Features:
* 180 degree revolving hub
* Aluminum case body
* Red LED indicator
* Power out increases from 500mA to 2000mA
* Support high power consumption products such as printer
* Size: 106x20x20mm
* Weight: 46g
Specification:
* Transfer Speed: 480Mbps (USB 2.0/HS), 12Mbps (USB 1.1/FS), 1.5Mbps (USB 1.1/LS)
* Interface: USB 2.0 and 1.1
* Support OS: Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP, Mac OS X (USB 2.0 upgrade PCI card is required)
Package Contents:
* USB Twister Hub
* USB Cable
* With or without AC adapter
Via: USB Brando
Moxia have come up with a genius idea of making a battery that can be charged via USB. The batter is an actual AA battery with the top part which flips open to reveal the USB connector. Just plug the USBCell in to your PC/Laptop and it will charge. They cost around £12.99 for a pair which is not bad considering you do not need to carry around a battery charger.
The down side of the batteries are that they are not as powerful as rechargeables which are already lower then regular AA batteries. Still, I think this is a good idea and very handy to have a couple of these around in emergencies.
Recently I have been seeing more and more USB devices such as Christmas trees, fans and now there is the USB Roll Up Piano. Who knows if this is new or not? It’s new to me, so I will report it still. The older roll up piano has been out a year or so now. The newer version is a smaller USB version which connects direct in to your PC.
The piano can be found on the Argos website and sells for £24.99.
Via: Argos
Kenwood have introduced several new car radio’s which were launched at IFA 2006 in Germany. These new systems each come with a USB connector which allows many different types of MP3 player to plug directly in to the car stereo. The USB connection is also compatible with not just MP3 players, but mass media and other types of USB devices also.
If the attached device contains a recognisable format then the radio will pick that up and the option to then play the file will be available. Files can be stored in MP3, AAC or WMA.
Two versions of this radio are available. A 1-DIN and 2-DIN. The 1-DIN models (numbers KDC-W534UA, KDC-W5534U, KDC-W6534U and KDC-W7534U) have a cable on the back of the player in which the device can be plugged in. The 2-DIN models (numbers DPX501U and DPX701U) both have the USB connector on the front panel.
The inbuilt software alows easy navigation of your music and is much similar to that on your PC. As well as USB there is also an optional feature which supports an Apple iPod.
No prices have been given yet.
Via: Pocket-Lint
The USB paper shredder is quite small and handy for those tasks that need shredding after completion. It connects to your USB port to get it’s power and can shread a document which is A6 in size and for A4 you will need to fold it in half.
Via: usbgeek
This new USB pen has it all. It is an actual pen which when pulled appart reveals a USB connection to allow you to connect it directly to your PC. The top part of the pen has all the controls which make this in to an MP3 player, voice recorder, and an FM radio. It has 512Mb memory built in also.
Via: Gizmodo
The ION USB turntable allows you to play your old LP’s from whenever… 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and earlier and plays them direct in to your USB port on your PC allowing you to convert your vinyls in to WAV, MP3 and many other formats.
Available from iwoot.com
* A super sleek adjustable pitch belt drive turntable.
* The turntable includes: –
* A slipmat
* A counterweight
* A platter (no, not for your dinner)
* A USB cable
* A pre-mounted cartridge with Stylus.
* Includes Audacity software for Mac/PC recording as well as a trial of Bias Soundsoap 2 for cleaning and restoring vinyl.
* Line level RCA outputs to connect up to your stereo
* 33 and 45 RPM Buttons (78’s are played at 33 and then converted by the software).
* Adjustable Anti-Skating control for increased stereo balancing
* High speed vinyl recording
* A CD with Mac/PC Recording Software.
* Full instruction manual.
* Suitable for ages 12 years+.
* Requires a PC running Windows 98, 2000, XP, a MAC running OS9 or higher and a USB port 1.1 or higher.
* The USB Turntable is compatible with any software that supports USB audio input sound cards – simply plug it into a spare USB port – it requires no special drivers for Windows (98,2000,XP) or Mac (OS9 and above).
* Please note that the turntable is not compatible with Macs with Pentium chips.
* Size: – Product weight: 12lbs
* Turntable: 42 x 37 x 14.
