Latest Gadgets, Tablets and Smartphones
For those business type people who want to look… weird??? then grab your self a USB tie so you can keep connected with the world. The tie is a regular tie which has a USB connector on the end allowing you to carry around your neck all the latest minutes from those lengthy meetings.
Lego has been around for years. I would be surprised if I came across anybody who had not heard of it and used Lego when a child (or now if you are like me). The latest USB flash drive is made from a Lego brick with USB put inside it. It appears that if you have several you could build a wall of flash drives with them. They are available in a large range of colours and cost about $48 + shipping which seems a little steep. The novelty factor is what will win people over with this though as I still wouldnt mind owning one of these.
PQI are taking a unique but kind of weird approach to the ReadyBoost function of Windows Vista. The DOM (Disk on Module) is an internal solution that attaches direct to a USB port on your Motherboard. Coming in 4 sizes of 256MB, 512MB, 1GB and 2GB it allows you to use the performance increasing solution. I do not see the full benefit of this device yet other then freeing up a USB port on the outside of the case. Its a strange idea to have to open up your PC, put the ReadyBoost DOM in place and then remove it when you are done. Thats of course unless I am missing something here. I think most people will opt for a USB flash drive that can be easily removed from the front of the PC.
You can get hold of a lot of USB devices these days. The next in line is the USB Money Clip. It is basically a clip that you hold money together but in this case the clip is a USB flash drive. I guess the idea behind this is that you either carry money everywhere you go and therefore always have your USB flash drive, or the other alternative way is that you always loose your USB flash drive, but when you have a couple of G attached to it you will never forget that.
The USB flash drive has become more useful over the years with devices such as the VPhone from Vonage allowing you to carry around a land line which can be loaded up on any computer with internet access. With the rise of memory storage capacity also come other uses such as this Windows backup OS on a flash drive.
Put your self in this situation. You are out on business and you load up some software containing a virus which destroys part of your Windows XP OS. Being out of the road and having no access to the internet on another PC would make it very hard to fix this issue. Having a bootable flash drive running Windows XP would solve this problem for you. Using Bart PE Builder you can create a very handy flash drive with OS and plenty of utilities which could save your laptop a lot quicker then sending it back to the IT dept to fix.
I am not one for using pen and paper too much any more, but a mixture of pen, paper and an electronics does catch my attention. The EPOS is a pen which is capable of writing on any type of paper and it does not require anything special to work except a USB flash drive to clip on to the top of your notebook. Once connected you can start writing as normal, and the device at the top of the paper records every movement of the pen creating it digitally in its flash memory. Once you have finished writing you can then plug in the flash drive to your laptop or PC and view the text as handwriting. Once on the computer you have the option to use OCR on the text to change it in to editable text or keep it as it is.
Overall it appears to be a great little device which is ideal for those who like the simple use of pen and paper, but do not like the task of typing up notes in to the computer. With this, you get the best of both worlds. To add to the great little idea, the pen and USB drive should cost only $80 later on this year.
As soon as more details come I will be sure to post them hear.
Via: OhGizmo
Sony have created a cool looking portable DVD player named the DVP FX850. It has a cool screen which swivels around in tablet form to allow easier watching in small places. The casing of the player is black which looks great. The screen is 8 inches with a resolution of 800×480 pixels. Formats supported are the usual DVD formats and other files such as MP3 and JPEG can be used.
One feature that I like is the ability to use a flash drive connected to the USB port to play files. Sonys usual stance is to make you use their own format, but here it has been dropped for something that is more standard. As well as having the features mentioned above the player supports DOLBY and DTS which really puts a lot in to this small package.
Via: OhGizmo
The Creative Cam Optia is a new USB webcam to become available. With other webcams there are drivers which always need installing first to allow the camera to work on your system. However, this camera is different in that it uses a new USB video class called UVC which gets rid of the need to install drivers. UVC is a new class which works in a similar way to flash drives which plug in and go. As flash drives use the same standard, there are no drivers needed. UVC aims to follow this route. With more and more providers getting in on the UVC scene, you will start seeing cameras compatible cross platform such as on the PS3. You webcam will then work with different machines in your house and stop you needing to buy a dedicated cam for the PS3, Xbox etc…
The Creative Cam Optia is one of the latest cameras to use this technology and it looks like a great cam from the pics I have seen. A full review can be found at EverythingUSB.
Via: OhGizmo
Slava Tyukalov decided it would be cool to go and create USB flash drive that is ultra tough as well as waterproof, shock resistant, vibration resistant and also anti static proof. Along comes this device which is built from graphite and aluminium which is then coated in titanium to add extra strength. Only 100 of these will be made and will come in 1Gb and 2Gb sizes. The videos after the jump show the static test and crushing test and are well worth watching.
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The DataTraveler Mini with Migo is the latest Kingston USB flash drive to hit the market. The Migo software allows you to transform any PC in to a powerful personalised workspace. This makes the minuature drive very convenient to the market. The DataTraveler is 0.7 x 1.42 x 0.4 inches in size and is available in 3 colours which work according to size. For the 512Mb version it comes in Red, light blue is for the 1Gb version and then purple for the 2Gb version. The device features a sliding USB connector which eliminates the possibility of loosing the cap from the end of the device.
Via: Lowya
The Memory Infinite is a concept idea thought of by Vicky Wei. The 3D models above were created and illustrate an example of linking multiple USB flash drives together to make the storage larger and appear as 1 virtual drive. As larger flash drive come on sale it no longer means the end of your old drive. The new drive can simply plug in to the back of the older drive and the storage space is increased. With it being concept there is no official date of this being released, if ever. The only questions that come to my mind is… how many drives would you want to link together before you have a serious long chain of them, and would it actually work as 1 drive.
This is still a nice idea and the 3D images do make it look cool.
Via: OhGizmo
Security for some people is essential. I know that the data I carry around on my flash drive is important enough not to get in to anyone elses hands. A lot of companies these days require encryption on laptops to comply with the latest security regulations. The IOGear security mouse helps tackle this problem by including a fingerprint reader. The mouse contains a virtual drive which cannot be accessed unless you authenticate with your fingerprint. On swiping the correct finger print the data can then be read in an unencrypted form.
Also included in the mouse is a Nano Shield technology that stops 99% of germs building up on your mouse. Not sure if thats ever been a serious problem in life but it is an addition for those concious of a clean healthy mouse. The IOGear security mouse costs 79.95 dollars and will be available in February in the US.
Via: UberGizmo
