Designed for 2.5″ hard drives—that’s notebook hard drives—the shockproof casing protects drives up to 120cm (3.9 feet). That’s just about the distance between your desk and the floor, or your hands and the floor. The sides are made of plastic and provide cushioning for falls, at least if it lands on the bumper. Inside is coated with foam to pad the hard drive itself. We just hope this foam isn’t combustible, as hard drives can get pretty darn hot. – Jason Chen

New shockproof HDD case [Akihabara News]

 
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Filed under: Media PCs

We wonder what the meeting was like over at Intel HQ when they decided to produce this programmable remote that's designed for controlling your Viiv devices and is shaped like the steering wheel from a BMW F1 car. We wrote a short play describing how we think it went.

Executive 1: It seems like people are seeing Viiv as kind of a novelty. What should we do?
Executive 2: Hmm, maybe we should develop a remote that'll give users access to all of their media without having to switch remotes, thus making Viiv actually useful for accessing content. It can have an array of custom programmable buttons, two of which look like bright blue marker caps, and everything.
Executive 1: Yeah, and it can be shaped like the steering wheel from a race car!
Executive 2: That is a totally sweet idea. When does it come out and how much?
Executive 1: Well we're developing it now, so no word on release date. But judging by how much other companies charge for race car stuff, it's safe to say that it won't be cheap.
Executive 2: Awesome. AMD Live! has no idea what's coming.

Fin.

Filed under: Desktops, Peripherals

Filed under: Peripherals

There’s at least one manufacturer at Computex this year who’s never heard about the concept of not fixing something that ain’t broken, as evidenced by the atrociously-designed mouse you see pictured above, which actually repositions the left- and right-click buttons to an almost unreachable spot in order to make room for the same media controls already accessible on-screen, on your keyboard, or from your remote. We’re not gonna harsh on this ridiculous product too much, though, for fear of sounding stupid on the off-chance that its initially-questionable design takes off just like the Wii-mote’s did.

[Via Gadgets Weblog]

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Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Peripherals

A lot of people like/need to do their computing away from the actual computer, and for most applications up to several hundred feet, a regular old wired or wireless KVM extender will do, but if for some reason you’d like to situate your machine up to six-and-a-quarter miles away, only the DVI3000HD from Gefen is up to the task. This new 1,280 x 1,024-capable extender uses single mode fiber optic cables to connect a transmitter situated by your PC to a receiver box located next to your workspace, and sports USB 1.1, DVI, and RS-232C ports for breaking the signal out to your keyboard, mouse, monitor, and/or serial devices. As you might expect, super-long-distance computing like this doesn’t come cheap, so both boxes and the included cables — available now for pre-order — will set you back a cool two grand.

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Hard disk drives are holding more and more data, and now notebook hard drives aren't going to miss out on all the fun. Toshiba announced its MK2035GSS drive, a 2.5-inch SATA II hard disk for notebooks that crams 200GB into its tightly-packed perpendicularity.

At a slim 9mm thin, it will fit nicely into today's super-thin notebook form factors, but its 4200RPM spinnage won't be tremendously popular with video editors. For the rest of us, its 200GB will be plenty of space to take lots of porn on the road. Toshiba didn't mention its price or when it would be available, but we won't be truly happy until we can get a flash drive at this size, speed and price range. – Charlie White

MK2035GSS, the 200GB 2,5" HDD perpendicular from Toshiba [Akihabara News]

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

So our good friends over at Joystiq have apparently buddied up to an "insider" at Xbox manufacturer Microsoft (sorry Bill, it wasn't our idea), plied him/her with some promotional swag and design ideas, and come away with details on all your favorite 360 peripherals, including the highly-anticipated Live Vision cam. Still set to launch on September 19th, the XLV camera will reportedly cost $40.00, and included in that price are a wired headset, the card-game-turned-Live-Arcade-hit UNO, and a free one-month Gold subscription to get you hooked on introduce you to the online service. Joystiq's mole also revealed the following price points for accessories to be released during the "holiday season":  $60 for a wireless headset with 30-foot range, another $60 for a 256MB memory module, and $20 each for various game-themed faceplates or a wireless adapter to make 360 gear compatible with your Windows PC. We're still waiting to hear such details as the prices of the wireless racing wheel and HD-DVD add-on, or whether Microsoft will release an un-bundled version of the webcam, so here's to hoping that Joystiq's new friend comes calling again real soon.

Filed under: Peripherals

Proving that it still has (some) love for the fiercely-loyal army of Mac enthusiasts (especially the dual-booters), Microsoft has released its first Wireless Laser Desktop for Cupertino-created computers. This new keyboard and mouse set, which features a Comfort Curve ergonomic 'board and high-definition laser mouse, sounds almost identical to the company's Wireless Laser Desktop 6000 (pictured above) which was released last year for Windows machines, except for the addition of Mac-specific modifier and hot keys. Available immediately, this package will set you back $100.

We extolled the virtues of the Matrox TripleHead2Go when it was first announced a couple of months ago, and now the palm-sized device that turns one display into three is finally shipping.

Not only can it run an SLI graphics setup at a superwide 3840×1024 resolution over three displays, according to Matrox there are 135 games are compatible with the TripleHead2Go, including World of Warcraft, Half-Life 2: Lost Coast and Unreal Tournament 2004. Available now directly from Matrox or elsewhere for around $300. – Charlie White

Product Page [Matrox]

 
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Filed under: Peripherals, Wireless

We’ve been waiting around a while for a USB PC card adapter (that wasn’t $600), and you don’t have to be a MacBook or MacBook Pro user to appreciate this little number — you’d be surprised how many smaller machines these days come slot-free. Allegiance’s notably shoddy looking adapter (shown right) purportedly supports a variety of Cingular, Sprint, and Verizon cards out of box, and for a surprisingly lean cost of $200. Too bad they’re back-ordered into June (and too bad the box looks enormous), but hey, now you’ve got something if you couldn’t Bluetooth DUN or tether your way into some wireless access.

[Via GottaBeMobile]

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Filed under: Peripherals, Cingular, Sprint-Nextel, Verizon Wireless, EV-DO, HSDPA, UMTS

We've been waiting around a while for a USB PC card adapter (that wasn't $600), and you don't have to be a MacBook or MacBook Pro user to appreciate this little number -- you'd be surprised how many smaller machines these days come slot-free. Allegiance's notably shoddy looking adapter (shown right) purportedly supports a variety of Cingular, Sprint, and Verizon cards out of box, and for a surprisingly lean cost of $200. Too bad they're back-ordered into June (and too bad the box looks enormous), but hey, now you've got something if you couldn't Bluetooth DUN or tether your way into some wireless access.

[Via GottaBeMobile]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Peripherals

With more and more devices being released sporting HDMI outputs (although certainly not all of them), and your TV holding steady at just one HDMI input, you’re gonna have to shell out some loot for a switcher sooner or later. Most models on the market are dedicated little boxes that cost several hundred dollars, but cable manufacturer ACCELL has just announced a new solution for switching on the cheap, called the UltraAV HDMI 2-1 Audio/Video Switch, that tucks in unobtrusively among your nest of cables. This small wafer of a device simply features two inputs and an output, along with a handy IR repeater on a five-foot cord for toggling between sources from the included wireless remote. TMCnet is reporting that these will begin shipping next month, and for under a hundred bucks (well, only a penny under, but still).

[Via TMCnet]

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The controller with a funny name and even funnier appearance made a show at E3 2006, and IGN’s peepers were all over it. The BodieLobus replaces the right analog stick of the Playstation 2 controller with a trackball. By doing so, accuracy in FPS games increased dramatically.

The critical difference I discovered between playing an FPS with the BodieLobus Reflex Control and a standard analog stick is the fact that the BodieLobus’ track ball directly controls the speed of view movement, as opposed to the variable acceleration applied by an analog stick. Moving the track-ball a little moved the view a little, but at the same speed at which I spun the ball, as opposed to a little movement on an analog stick moving the view at a slower pace than a full push to a corner. Once my brain learned not to compensate for an analog stick’s acceleration, I attained a level of accuracy I had never experienced without a mouse and keyboard combination.

Many gamers are skeptical of console FPS games because they are used to using a keyboard and mouse. Something like the BodieLobus may be a nice bridge between the two gaming worlds.

E3 2006: BodieLobus Hands-On Report [IGN]

 
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Some of us here at Gizmodo are genuine soccer fans who are very much looking forward to the World Cup. That's why there's no shame (OK, maybe a very little bit) in talking about these World Cup-themed cases for your precious iPod nano. Why settle for the played-out white or pseudo-cool black of the iPod nano when you can deck it out in the glorious colors of England, Brazil, Argentina or USA (why do they even bother to show up?), among the list of 12 countries?

The cases are made of that silicone that's all the rage these days and include a screen protector, so there's no need to worry about the special breaks-very-easily screen from getting damaged. Are the cases as tacky as previously discussed items? Perhaps, but they're only $15 and besides, it's the World Cup, and that only comes once every four years.

Unless, of course, your name is Rooney, in which case you'll be watching from dreary Manchester whilst all your pals are in Germany.

Product Page [AVA]

Filed under: Desktops, Peripherals

Although we thought they'd already solved the problem of keyboard spills with that fancy Batmobile-like armor plating, Lenovo is apparently still looking for ways to keep your 'board safe from dangerous beverages, as they're showing off a waterproof model at their Lenovo Innovation Center in China. Not much is known about the high-tech shenanigans going on inside the keyboard to keep the circuitry running (we suspect nanobots), but it's clear from the pics that you can dump over a cup of water onto it with seemingly no negative effects. So far this doesn't appear to be a technology that the company is commercializing, and frankly it seems like an unnecessary addition to your basic cheap-o plastic keyboard, but we sure wish Logitech et. al would step it up and employ this type of protection in their multi-hundred dollar diNovo Cordless Desktops-like products.

Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, Peripherals, Storage

Assuming the Xbox 360 Core pack price stays the same at around $300 US, that gives Microsoft a $200 window to play with in order to make a next-gen optical capable 360 competitive in price with Sony's Blu-ray toting PlayStation 3. Of course by this November the Xbox's price structure could change drastically, as they have stated many times their intentions to drive down price and cost. What GamesIndustry heard from a UK retail source, however, is that the 360 + HD DVD (which may or may not come bundled together) will still weigh in lighter on the wallet than the PlayStation 3 by a significant margin -- however, that margin is pending British pounds, with the Xbox and HD DVD being £339 ($640 US), and the PS3 at £399 ($750 US). So what isn't immediately taken into account here is the effective price differential in currency conversion between nations; in the US that same PlayStation 3 will debut for $499, about $250 less than it will for our British counterparts, thus making the window for pricing the drive competitively much larger in overseas markets. If you ask us, we'll vote for a US price window of $200 to $250 (depending on the going rate for an Xbox at the time of launch), but any more than that and it'll be a hard sell being that it's really only a movie add-on to gaming platform.

Based on the headsets worn by NFL coaches, the Motorola X205 Gaming Headset allows you to scream obscenities and racial epithets just like the pros. A soft mono ear-cup cushions your ear while the microphone is position-able for optimal voice coverage. Just make sure to mute it before asking for chocolate milk.

Compatible with both Xbox 360 and PS2. Price is not yet announced.

Motorola Re-defines Play Time with the Revolutionary Video Gaming Headset X205 [Motorola via Uncrate]

 
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Related: Windows Live HD Webcams

Introducing the Windows Live LifeCams. There will be two versions available. The VX-3000 is the lower end model that has a 640x480 resolution and can capture HD stills at 1.3 megapixels. It also has a universal mounting device, face tracking and a microphone. The higher end model is the VX-6000 which includes the same features but also has 5 megapixel stills, HD video at 1.3 megapixels and a wide-angel lens.

These webcams will do a fantastic job showing the true beauty of your e-girlfriend and know if she is worthy of being stalked for all eternity. The VX-3000 should retail for around $50 with the VX-6000 retailing for $100.

Windows Live LifeCams [Epic Empire]

Filed under: Features, Gaming, Peripherals

Kind of like the International Gateway at CES, we save this one for dessert. Kentia hall is basically the basement of the South hall, where all the smaller hardware and accessory manufacturers are relegated to since having a floor show presence in one of the main halls costs something roughly equivalent to the GDP of a small nation (and are sometimes similar in size). Kentia is also where all the dope old school arcade games get brought out of retirement, too. Click on to check out all the oddities E3‘s got to offer.

Dudes were playing FPS titles on Sandio’s Game O’ 3D mouse totally sans keyboard. We tried it, but it was quickly decided that we had not nearly enough hand eye coordination to work it like the guy who demoed it for us.

See, Nintendo’s not the only game in town with motion-based input.

BenQ actually had a presence here, but it certainly wasn’t anything like Nokia’s N-Gage booth.

Still, gotta love that chest o’ phones.

EL71 looking not so bad.

The Red Octane booth was by far the largest and best produced in Kentia.

Even WowWee was there.

Honda Asimo knock?

Ah, the i-Cybie‘s back — this time as the X-Cybie, with a kinda flocked , furry exterior.

Way, way too much Crazy Frog crap. Thankfully he wasn’t, um, “anatomically correct.”

Gotta love those iDog rips — and iPig, iOwl, and iFrogs too? Score.

Ah Guitar Mania — even Guitar Hero has a knock here in Kentia.

These are some of the dopest home Bemani decks money can buy. But for what these cost you’re probably best off laying down for a couple 1200s, a mixer and a sampler, and going at it the more traditional way.

Straight up Onimusha controller.

It was so great to finally play with a Dragon Quest slime controller from Hori. Man, did that take us back to the deezy.

We’re still trying to figure this one out: Video Game Tycoon, “What do you burn?”

These guys apparently had a 360 demo kiosk, and weren’t afraid to not set it up and / or sell it.

And then there was this odd little number, designed apparently for racing games.

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Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Logitech showed up at E3 with a steering wheel of their own, the G25 system. And let us say, this thing is probably nicer than the wheel on our own automobile -- well, when we still had it. Their $299.99 rig features a leather-wrapped 11-inch wheel with 900° rotation, paddle shifters, dual-motor force feedback, and a very nice external clicky six-speed shifter. This'll be ready to roll in early October, long before the July launches of the force-feedback equipped DriveFX Wheel (shown after the break) for the Xbox 360, which will go for $99, and more entry level G-series devices Logitech's rolling out, such as the G3 laser mouse and G11 keyboard (which is basically the G15 with no display).

Filed under: Peripherals, Wireless

Let's face it, not nearly enough laptops come equipped with Bluetooth out of box. An increasing amount are offering them as options, but if you were looking for an excuse to get a USB dongle, it may have just arrived in the form of Ezurio's new Bluetooth USB dongle. They're claiming their Class 1 300 meter (about 1,000 feet) Bluetooth 2.0 EDR adapter uses just one ten of the juice of most other adapters. We don't yet know what they're asking for it, but there are probably a couple of older machines 'round here at the old office that could use the old Bluetooth treatment on the cheap.

[Via The Inq]

Filed under: Peripherals, Wireless

src="http://www.engadget.com/media/2006/05/bluetake_mouse.jpg" />Well, href="http://www.engadget.com/2006/05/04/ask-engadget-who-likes-their-bluetooth-mouse/">speaking of Bluetooth mice,
it looks like Bluetake’s got a new wireless mouse of their own kicking around, the 700mAh rechargeable Bluetooth 1.2
compliant BT500 . We all know what these things do and how they work, so we’ll leave the white plastic aesthetic and
ergonomic judgement to the court of public opinion. No word so far as we can tell on price or release, but it shan’t
cost you all that much.

[Via GeekZone]

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Filed under: Ask Engadget, Peripherals, Wireless

You've got questions, and well, the rest of you have answers. That's right, it's time for Ask Engadget. You hit us up at ask at engadget dawt com with the questions you'd like your Engadget-reading peers to take on, and we'll let them sort it out in our comments. Last time Serge wanted a good home NAS solution, but this time Drew's got an easy one:

Here is a good one for all of the Boot Camp converts. What is the best 2 button Bluetooth mouse!

Well, what do you say? We're sure there's more than a few of you out there who stopped waiting for that god forsaken Bluetooth Mighty Mouse and broke down and bought something else. You like what you got? Let us know!

USB drives are handy—but dangerous. Drop one on the subway and the next day all of your naked pictures of you with your dog are on the Interweb, complete with snarky commentary. mSystems doesn't want that to happen to you.

The mTrust allows IT shops to shut down and erase lost drives and maintains an audit trail of data transfer. Might be overkill, but man is it hard to get pictures of Scruffy licking whipped cream off of your delicate places out of Google's cache.

mTrust Can Remote Terminate Lost USB Drives [EverythingUSB]

ClearOne has come out with surprisingly nice looking, multi-faceted speaker phone that is compatible with a variety of devices. The Chat 50 is a full-duplex (which means you don't have to take turns speaking to and listening to the other person on the line) USB speakerphone that is usable with VoIP software such as Skype and Vonage, Web conferencing software, IM software and PC gaming chat software like TeamSpeak, perfect for all the fraggers who wear ties during the day. It also has a headphone jack so you can listen to your cellphone or iPod through its speaker.

While it probably won't sound as good as Carnegie Hall, that added bonus certainly is a nice perk in the otherwise maddeningly bland world of speakerphones. At $150, it may be a little steep, but there's no denying the usefulness of being able to go from discussing stock deals to yelling bloody murder over the vanquished corpses of your online foes.

Product Page [ClearOne Communications via Chip Chick]