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With all this digital media floating about and high definition content getting more popular all the time, we were expecting something from the USB camp and more news of the next generation was revealed at a recent Windows Hardware Engineering Conference. USB Implementers Forum President Jeff Ravencraft let loose with some information about USB3.0, which is expected to appear late 2009/early 2010. It’ll apparently be able to transfer at blisteringly fast speeds of 5Gbps per second (roughly 600MB per second), or for media junkies that’s about an average sized movie or eight average sized music albums EVERY SECOND. In comparison USB2.0 takes ten times as long, and we pity the fool who′s trying to shift this sort of data using USB1.1 on a knackered old laptop. Negotiations are apparently afoot to work out which operating systems will get the technology, though Microsoft is obviously at the forefront. The word so far is that at least Windows Vista should get support, if not XP as well. To be honest if Microsoft is still trying to push people towards Vista in a year’s time we can’t see it bending over backwards to help out poor old XP users. - Paul Lester [TechRadar] USB media storage

Original post by nafiz

Keyboards don’t tend to get much press these days, but the fact is you can’t beat a good wireless number with a bunch of dedicated function keys to help make your life easier. Logitech has been churning out devices of this ilk for years and now Mac users can benefit from the wonders of its diNovo range. The Mac diNovo offers the same PerfectStroke keys that PC users have been able to benefit from, which basically offer a more comfortable typing experience by optimising the pressure required for keystrokes. It’s nice and slim at 22mm and you’ll find a total of 19 shortcut keys for email, web browsing, iTunes and other fancy features such as Cover Flow and the Dashboard. There’s a full-sized key layout with a separate numeric keypad and full media controls, though you’ll need to install the provided software in order to control a lot of these and unlock some of the functionality. If your old Mac keyboard is now nicely yellowed and full of hair and old fingernails, you can pick up the Mac version of the diNovo for £69.99. - Paul Lester [Pocket Lint] Logitech diNovo apple

Original post by nafiz

If you’re looking to pick up an iPod and some accessories for Christmas, why not just go the whole hog and grab the lot at once? Intempo has piled together a special promotion pack and a special offer that’s exclusive to Comet. For £59.99 you get a speaker-dock that pumps out 8W of power and comes with a remote control so you can operate it from afar. There’s also an FM transmitter, in-car cigarette lighter charger and international mains power plug that you can use in any country. They’re all finished in gloss black and the kit is compatible with any of Apple’s players. The ‘Go Pack’ is also available elsewhere but retails for £119 so the half price saving at Comet is a pretty good deal if you think you’ll use the accessories on offer. - Paul Lester [Pocket Lint] Clip Sandisk Ṃ

Original post by nafiz

Panasonic is set to become a very, very large electronics company indeed following confirmation that it plans to takeover struggling Sanyo Electric in a deal suggested to be worth up to £5.5bn. The new Panasonic would become a £70bn giant. The deal, the biggest ever in the Japanese consumer technology sector, will give Panasonic access to two key technologies: batteries and solar panels. Sanyo is currently the leading global supplier of rechargeable batteries for mobile phones, cameras and other portable devices - earning Sanyo almost $4bn annually in revenues. Sanyo also makes nickel-metal hydride batteries for gas-electric hybrid cars for Ford and Honda and has a lithium-ion battery deal with Volkswagen. Panasonic works with Toyota and the deal would place Panasonic at the forefront of future car battery technology. Goldman Sachs, Daiwa Securities SMBC and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking currently hold a 70% stake in Sanyo, which they paid $2.5bn for back in 2006. Panasonic has yet to agree financial terms but if it goes ahead, it may spark other large consumer tech mergers in the cut-throat Japanese market.-Martin Lynch [Businessweek] technology merger consumer

Original post by nafiz

Here’s a great gift for those really into cars. Roadmice offer a line-up of automotive models that are perfect as mouse-substitutes. Wireless in nature, these mice are probably productivity-killers, as future owners will be tempted to race their car-mice all over the desk. The ergonomics will probably kill your wrist, and you probably have better things to spend $45 on. But c’mon man, it’s a mouse and a car in one! Check out roadmice.com for more details and a complete line-up.

(image from roadmice.com)

Tags: automotive mice, automotive mouse, car mice, car mouse, Roadmice

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Original post by Rico

Honestly, I never really heard that much about Wireless USB, a cable-free standard that promises speedy data transfers without wires (duh). But, here’s to hoping it (or any of its competitors) proliferates, so that newer gadgets will have wireless USB capability built-in.

That way, laptops would work with the Toshiba Wireless USB Dynadock out of the box. And that’s a great thing, because the Dynadock—aside from fulfilling the traditional laptop dock role of quickly connecting a portable to peripherals—automatically “plugs in” once a laptop enters its range, and “disconnects” once said gadget leaves the vicinity. Of course, there’s still provisions for wired USBs for backward-compatibility’s sake, but plugging in cables is so 2008.

(image from Toshiba)

Tags: Toshiba Dynadock USB Docking Station

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Original post by Rico

‘Anytime, anyplace, anywhere, that’s Martini’. Oops, sorry, ‘…..that’s LaCie Internet Space’. OK, it doesn’t have the same ring as the old Martini ad jingle but it does pretty much offer you access to your files [music, video, data etc.] over the Net, even if it doesn’t get you bladdered. The minimalist-styled Internet Space is a network hard disk drive that promises to be really easy to use and will allow you access over the Net to your content, even when the PC is off. Promising idiot-proof set-up “in minutes”, the drive purports to be an all-singing-all-dancing remote storage location for use with PCs, UPnP or DLNA-certified players/adapters. It will also allow you to set up a personal Web portal so you can allow friends and family to access up to 1TB of your photos, music and videos. LaCie Internet Space will stream multimedia files [videos etc.] through your local network to compatible media players such as the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, as well as act as an iTunes music server. “The Internet Space is a user-friendly solution for customers wanting easily accessible network or remote storage for multiple computers or UPnP/DLNA media players,” said Christa Dabilly, LaCie Product Manager. “Whether you are looking for a quick and painless way to access your photo collection securely from your friend’s house or to share your last vacation photos with family, friends or colleagues, this device is a perfect NAS solution for remote use.” It comes with HipServTM DesktopMirror software, to back-up and restore files and there’s an additional USB 2.0 port for the really paranoid to hook up a spare HDD for extra safety. The 500GB and 1TB drives cost £134 and £180, respectively.-Martin Lynch [Lacie] PC storage gadget

Original post by nafiz

The drive towards miniature - or pico - projectors gathers pace today as the UK gets its second tiny device, the Pico Media Projector from RXS: Redshift. It looks very similar to the MPro110 from 3M which arrived a few weeks ago with a £300 price tag. This too will cost £300 and, coincidentally, uses 3M tech under the hood. It measures a pocket-friendly, 11.5cm x 5cm x 2.2 cm and weighs just 160g. The rechargeable lithium ion battery allows for up to an hour of playback time so, you won′t be watching Lord Of The Rings but, it’s good for showing short videos, presentations, camcorder clips and photos without the hassle of bringing along a regular projector. That said you can hook it up to the mains too and it comes with a handy flexible tripod for easy positioning. Resolution is VGA - 640 x 480 pixels - and it can fire up an impressive 50in image from a distance of 6-feet away. It comes bundled with a VGA cable, composite video cable and iPod video cable. You can find it here. -Martin Lynch news projector mobile phone movies

Original post by nafiz

We’re still waiting to see if video eyewear will ever go mainstream but Myvu, the market leader, has announced a UK distribution deal with ̘ and, that its Crystal goggles can now be used with the iPhone. First off, the ̘ deal. ̘ will be distributing the Crystal video eyewear which essentially allows you to wear them and believe you are watching a movie on a big widescreen TV. You can find them at the ̘ Arena outlet first in London with a bigger rollout planned. The Crystal eyewear may make you look like a bit of a dork but it’s far better than having to stare at fellow commuters who, are probably just jealous anyhow. You can, by the way, still see the outside world in the periphery so you won’t miss your stop, or, some scumbag trying to rob them.They work with portable DVD players and portable media players and now, thanks to a new cable ($24.95), they’ll work with the iPhone and iPhone 3G - they are already compatible with video iPods. The Crystal is also compatible with the Zune, along with Nokia or Samsung phones with a ‘video out’ connection. The video resoltuion is a respectable 640 x 480 pixels. Myvu Crystal has a 4-hour battery life and comes bundled with a rechargeable battery, a USB charging cable and noise-cancelling earphones from Ultimate Ears. Available in black or amber, they will cost a shade under £200. Ouch, I know, but there’s plenty of time to start dropping hints now to people who really, really, really like you that these would make a perfect stocking filler. And, would they mind spending the extra £14 on the iPhone/iPod cable too? Thanks.-Martin Lynch iphone ipod myvu

Original post by nafiz

There are a few nicely designed Guitar Hero 3 controllers and faceplates around for the discerning rhythm rocker but all must now bow before the might of the Kiss frontman’s Axe. It features a bi-directional strum bar, analogue whammy bar and ultra-responsive frets, alongside Simmons’ signature and a picture of his face to remind you of how cool you are. Oh, and it’s shaped like a freakin′ BATTLE-AXE people. The controller is available for the Wii, P̀, Ṕ and Xbox 360 and best of all it’ll work with both Rock Band and Guitar Hero, so if you’re a hardcore fan of both then there’s really nothing left to do but buy one. Sadly we can′t seem to find a UK supplier so you may have to get it shipped over from the States. It’ll be available from Amazon.com for $79.99 when released on October 31st - or Halloween. Woooh…- Paul Lester [Kotaku] Guitar Hero Rock Band peripheral

Original post by nafiz

No one likes to run out of mobile juice on the go, especially if you′re carting around your fashionable iPhone, which is why owners might find a use for the iPow. It’s an external battery pack and iPhone protector all rolled into one. Just pop in your iPhone, lower the protective leather flip lid [with magnetic catch] and you′ve got one seriously juiced and molly-coddled phone with double the performance. That’s right, the original iPhone promised 8 hours talk, 7 hours of video playback, 6 hours of Web access or 24 hours of music playback but, inside the iPow, you are promised double those figures. There’s even some mini-speakers.The downside is that you′ll be carrying an extra 98g but, it’s a small price to pay for those precious extra minutes when you′re playing ‘No, you hang up - Noooo, you hang up’ with your smoochy woochy teddy bear. Yuck. The other snag is that it’s for the original iPhone only so 3G owners are out of luck. The company apparently makes a 3G version but it’s not available here yet. You can find the iPow here for £50.-Martin Lynch iphone phone gadget

Original post by nafiz

How much do you love your Guitar Hero? Are you a committed Fret Freak? If so, you may be able to suck up the £135 asking price for Logitech′s Wireless Guitar Controller Premier Edition for Guitar Hero and the forthcoming Guitar Hero: World Tour. Forget those other plasticky toys, this baby comes complete with a wood neck, a rosewood fingerboard, metal tuning peg handles and metal frets, dude. It’s compatible with the Ṕ and P̀ game versions. “There’s no better feeling than being the guy with the best instrument when you walk into your friend′s house to jam on Guitar Hero,” said Ruben Mookerjee, Logitech′s director of product marketing for gaming. “We designed this guitar for that experience. From the humbucker to the metal frets, the whammy bar to the metal tuners, the Logitech Wireless Guitar Controller gives you the credibility you rightfully deserve.” Rubber dome technology on the fret board controls minimises all that button mashing noise, while a new Touch-Sensitive Neck Slider means strumming is not always necessary to rack up the points. The guitar uses 2.4 GHz wireless technology to provide a range of up to 30 feet from the console and the Gig Bag will safely protect your precious pretend guitar when you are on tour, on the road, getting mashed and laid - OK, going to your friend′s house to jam. Battery life is rated at “hundreds of hours″ and it goes on sale, in the US first, in December. m/ - Martin Lynch [Source] consoles music games

Original post by nafiz

You can always rely on weird and downright dumb USB gadgets and this one could be either. If your working day involves sitting at a computer and suffering bouts of hypothermia as icicles form and hang off the end of your nose, then you may find a use for the USB Mousepad Warmer. Yes, it does like a tea cosy because, well, it is, just for your frozen mitts. So now, as you enter your office igloo, take heart from the fact that your frozen fingers will soon be pink nad toasty inside this cosy, heated mouse pad. Well, the fingers on one hand anyway. It’s not the first but it could be one of the cheapest. The upside of this stupid thing is that it only costs around £8 here. You could go one geek-step further though with the USB Heated Gloves. Or, you could just buy a little heater.-Martin Lynch gadget PC fun

Original post by nafiz

Ever since the data storage industry was taken over by the multitude of sleek storage drives that can hold a zillion gigabytes with ease, their poor cousin, the floppy disk, is almost extinct. Perhaps rightfully so – I remember losing my precious data a million times because of faulty diskettes. Also, the grinding and groaning noises the disks would make trying to read the data was enough to drive me into fits of frenzy.

But a revival of the floppy disk as a piece of forgotten art seems exciting – the USB Floppy Drive is a project concept by Thomas O′Connor to recycle old 1.44MB floppy disks and convert them into functional (good-looking) USB drives. The disk can be connected to a USB port and used as a normal pen drive. And every part of the floppy has been used well – the USB drive flips out of the disk at right angles, creating a stand to rest against, and the circular metal hub at the center becomes a power-cum-data-transfer indicator. Who would have thought that a floppy disk could look so important again? All we dare say is - this is a cool storage device waiting to happen.

Via DVICE.

Original post by Popgadget: Personal Tech for Women

Considering the gazillions of gamers out there hooked on World Of Warcraft, I’m surprised we haven’t seen a dedicated mouse before. That’s about to be rectified though with this decent looking World Of Warcraft MMO Gaming Mouse, designed by professional gaming peripheral maker, SteelSeries, in cahoots with Blizzard. Sporting 15 - yes 15 - buttons, the mouse actually promises to help you get rid of the keyboard by allowing you to pretty much do all your slaugherting with the mouse. All your spells and combat actions can be tied to the mouse buttons and there are macros for up to 160 characters with 130 pre-defined commands that can be dragged and dropped into the macros you create. And, yes, they are lights you see, promising “16 million illumination choices with 3 intensity and pulsation levels”. Available for pre-order now here for around £58. Expensive, I know, but your Level 70 Priest will shower you with heavenly spells and you can use your free hand for doing something useful, like drinking beer. -Martin Lynch games warcraft mouse

Original post by nafiz