Developages - Development and Technology Blog

Filed under: Peripherals

Any halfway dedicated nerd already owns at least one desk fan that’s either USB-powered or features some sort of dual purpose, but if you’re a budding star in the kingdom, this might be the one to get you going. The way-too-loudly-colored Cute Green Desk Cool Fan plugs into any spare USB port, moves a small quantity of air around and doubles as a 4-port USB hub. There’s even an On / Off switch for the fan for those times with stagnancy is preferred. Not too shabby for $14.99 delivered, we say.

[Via Protein OS]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Peripherals

Now that you know everything there is to know about the forthcoming rendition of your favorite port, there’s just one little question left to be answered: how does it perform in the real world? Fresco Logic demonstrated a data transfer using the newfangled technology at IDF 2008 via a “self-developed software development platform.” The results? Just over 350MBps. Not bad for a dry run, huh?

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Robots

We’ve seen methods for hooking house plants up with their own Twitter account, but there’s hardly anything more satisfying that building a robot to read back all those feeds from the thousands of people you’re undoubtedly following. Ganzbot is a decidedly low-budget robot that relies on an Arduino Decima to control the head actions and a USB cable to receive up-to-date status information. Have a look at the innards as well as a few words being spoken just after the jump.

[Via MAKE]

Continue reading Video: Ganzbot reads Twitter feeds aloud, looks fashionably low-rate

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Wearables

USB blankets are old hat (for better or worse), but the USB Heated Shawl takes an aged concept and makes it relevant again with the addition of a single clip. Clearly designed for elderly folks who aren’t kept warm enough by the bottoms of their laptops and for the billions of cubical dwellers who freeze in silence each and every day, this $28.95 device is a godsend. Just plug it in, wrap it around and enjoy the warmth. Oh, and ignore the haters.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Peripherals, Wireless

Look out, cable pundits, your next must-have gadget has arrived. Kensington’s Wireless USB Docking Station is pretty straightforward — you simply plug in up to five USB devices along with your external monitor in order to access all of those gizmos sans cabling from your Wireless USB-enabled machine. Sure, the range is capped at 15-feet, but never having to plug in that printer / scanner / external HDD / USB-powered fan again when setting up your work lappie at home will be a huge relief. Look for this one to ship soon for $229.99.

[Via Electronista]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Peripherals

Just last week, Intel gave AMD, NVIDIA and a whole host of friends what they had been clamoring for: 90% complete USB 3.0 controller specifications. Now, the cool cats over at MaximumPC have churned out an encyclopedic writeup that details USB SuperSpeed remarkably well. The highlights include assurance that USB 3.0 will be backwards-compatible with USB 2.0 and that it’ll provide transfer rates up to ten times more than USB 2.0’s 480Mbps limit (that’s 4.8Gbps). Furthermore, we’re told that uploads and downloads are kept on separate lanes, the cables are thicker, it will charge more devices more quickly, and it will be much more mindful of energy waste. Go on and get yourself completely schooled in the read link below.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Not a lot here that you can’t already make out for yourself, but we’ll give ya the down low, anyway. The Crystal USB Desktop Speakers are powered via USB 2.0 and only pack 1-watt per channel, yet somehow, they’re touted as “audiophile” grade. The product description rambles on in embarrassing fashion about just how amazing these things will sound, but seriously, we’d just be happy with the decently cool looks (yes, we’re being generous here) and relatively low $39.99 price tag.

[Via Random Good Stuff]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Believe us, we’ve seen a variety of unorthodox thermometers before, but this one just shines in a very special way. Brando’s USB indoor / outdoor thermometer ($22) is pretty self-explanatory, but we’ll humor you a bit by going into detail. The unit itself is powered via your USB port and provides a much more precise reading than those silly weather websites that just take samples from an area nearby. There’s even software bundled in to log readings every second for 12 whole hours. Science project, anyone?

[Via Coolest Gadgets]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Peripherals

What’s with all the hate, guys? For months now, AMD, NVIDIA and a host of other caps-locked companies have been harshing on the chip maker for withholding critical information in relation to the USB 3.0 controller specification. At long last, Intel can finally throw up its left hand and ask those pundits to talk to it, as the outfit has finally unveiled the Extensible Host Controller Interface (xHCI) draft specification revision 0.9 in support of the USB 3.0 (SuperSpeed USB) architecture. The spec hopes to provide a “standardized method for USB 3.0 host controllers to communicate with the USB 3.0 software stack,” and it’s being made available under RAND-Z (royalty free) licensing terms “to all USB 3.0 Promoter Group and contributor companies that sign an xHCI contributor agreement.” So, are we all happy now?

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

In all honesty, USBfever almost nailed this one. The $22.99 in-car charger plugs right into your cigarette socket and gives motorists their cigarette outlet back along with 4 charging USB ports. The one tweak we wish it would’ve made? Replace that cig adapter with a traditional AC outlet. Yeah, yeah — that would make the whole thing a lot bigger with the necessary power inverter, but you can’t deny that it would be way more useful. Version 2, anyone?

[Via Coolest Gadgets]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Household, Peripherals

Remember those battery-operated vibrating ladybugs that people used to pass around (multiple times) as office gifts? Yeah, that critter ain’t got nothing on this stable of patently awful gizmos. We’ve seen a remarkable amount of garbage pass under our noses in the past few weeks, and we’ve rounded up the worst of the worst for your consideration. So, is a USB shell speaker really more embarrassing than a V-Sports console for folks tired of searching for a Wii? Is the i-Knock personal IM notifier more unnecessary than the Encore Rockin’ Music Lamp? Or does the OMG-inducing Limbo String walk away with the gold here? We know, each and every item is a festering turd in one way or another, but which of the ones below just exemplify the word “crap?” Choose carefully.

Read - USB shell speaker
Read - USB back massager
Read - V-Sports console
Read - i-Knock IM doohickey
Read - Encore Rockin’ Music Lamp
Read - Limbo String

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Although it seems like every TV shipping recently comes with USB ports and DivX compatibility packed in, if all you want is the ability to plug in a drive and play, the Iomega ScreenPlay TV Link may be right for you. Equipped with the same HDMI / component / composite outputs plus WAV, WMA, MPEG-1/2/4, MP3, OGG, AC3, AVI, DivX, XviD and JPEG file formats as the ScreenPlay HD, this unit forgoes the 500GB hard drive — a far cry from the old ScreenPlay days when it was just a HDD — in favor of a sleek 3.26 x 3.07 x .78-inch profile weighing less than 4 oz. Plug in your USB flash drive or FAT32 or NTFS formatted HDD and play or upconvert SD content up to 1080i with no problem. Granted it doesn’t have the power of a full-fledged media streamer but as a $99.95 take-anywhere box (available now in the U.S., Europe later this month) it’s probably worth a look.

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Original post by Richard Lawler

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

What kind of security does $7 buy you? You’re looking at it: the Thanko USB combination lock. It apparently fits onto any USB drive and likely offers about as much security as a UFO Detector or Targus iPod Lock. Then again, maybe your personal data just isn’t that interesting.

[Via Akihabara News]

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Original post by Thomas Ricker

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Look, we know it’s pointless and likely in violation of even the most rudimentary safety codes enacted since the Middle Ages. But there’s something about DIY hackery of that 500mA USB port that tugs at the little Erector Set cobbling kid in each of us. Just wire up an off-the-shelf pan with some insulated tungsten filament and you’ll be cooking an egg in about 7 minutes — you know, after an overnight pre-heat, presumably. Now prepare to have your noodle scrambled along with an egg in the video after the break.

[Thanks, Mira B.]

Continue reading DIY USB pan cooks your egg faster than a cellphone

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Original post by Thomas Ricker

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Look, we know it’s pointless and likely in violation of even the most rudimentary safety codes enacted since the Middle Ages. But there’s something about DIY hackery of that 500mA USB port that tugs at the little Erector Set cobbling kid in each of us. Just wire up an off-the-shelf pan with some insulated tungsten filament and you’ll be cooking an egg in about 7 minutes — you know, after an overnight pre-heat, presumably. Now prepare to have your noodle scrambled along with an egg in the video after the break.

[Thanks, Mira B.]

Continue reading Video: DIY USB pan cooks your egg faster than a cellphone

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Original post by Thomas Ricker