Filed under: Storage

We’re not really sure how many people worldwide have been pining for a flash drive to match their Zippo, but Transcend‘s decided that’s exactly what we need. Beyond coming in the normal assortment of sizes ranging from 1GB to 4GB, the JetFlash 180 “also comes bundled with some very useful software applications,” although we’re not really sure which ones. Still, it’s got some decent read and write speeds, coming in at 10-12MBps and 8MBps, respectively. Unfortunately Transcend’s sped off without letting us know when or where we can get our greasy paws all over this shiny new drive.

[Via Far East Gizmos]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Portable Video

If you didn’t bite when Elgato released its pocket-friendly EyeTV Hybrid, you may be interested in its supercharged successor, the EyeTV Diversity. The USB 2.0 stick makes for easy travel, and this rendition sports dual attachable antennas and a DSP, “which uses information from both tuners to generate the best signal possible.” Designed to work with DTT / DVB-T signals, the device supports dual tuner functionality, PIP, scheduled recordings via the included EveTV 2 software, and a one-year subscription to the “tvtv” program guide. It touts seamless integration with Toast 7, and even provides easy converting for use on video-playing iPods. The company also notes that 1080i and 720p viewing / recording is possible on Macs housing “dual PowerPC G5 or Intel Core Duo” processors, and the dual-tuner USB stick can be picked up now on the other side of the pond for €149.95 ($191).

[Via digg]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Household

What was once an art form of sorts has become somewhat of an antiquated skill, as touting a green thumb certainly isn’t as awe-inspiring as it used to be; with gizmos like RFID-enabled terrariums, hydroponic gardens, and remote-controlled greenhouses, it shouldn’t be all that difficult to keep that flora flourishing. Giving further aid to the clueless plant owner is a USB stake sensor that resides a few inches beneath the soil, and provides “information about light, moisture, soil composition and other factors that can affect plant growth and health.” Start-up PlantSense has designed the intelligent stake to relay the data via USB to a subscription-based website, where it informs users what they’re doing wrong (too much sunlight or not enough fertilizer, for example) as well as “providing recommendations on which plants might grow best in a particular microclimate.” The self-proclaimed “lifecycle development platform” will likely sell for $49.95 (includes a stake and one year of data analysis) if it can scrounge up the necessary funds from eager VCs, while additional years of the service will run $20 — but that’s a small price to pay if your home-based garden looks more like a cemetery anyway.

[Via Engadget Chinese]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Storage

Anything labeled a “must-have” from a security company that we’ve never heard of is flips on our huckster radars, and a new startup called Atomynet purports to sell its new “Mighty Key” portable security solution. Basically it’s a USB security key that supposedly encrypts data stored to the thumb drive using AES, provides remote encrypted storage, creates a secure connection to the internet, and deletes your browser’s cookies and history files. Now that doesn’t seem so offensive to begin with, until you find out that the company charges a monthly fee to use this device. Still not convinced that Atomynet could be playing you? Well, it doesn’t help that their device is still only a mock-up, and yet they have “feedback” on the company’s website, which, incidentally, reads like it was written by a D-average middle schooler. One reads (no, we’re not making this up): “great, finally I can surf the internet without fear that my mom or dad knows what I do.” Finally, we love how this Windows XP-only product is demoed on an iBook in the demo video on the site. Still, if you do try it out and are convinced of its effectiveness, drop us a line in comments, we’re intrigued.

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

If you’re the type who never really disconnects even while shacking up in the woods, this handy USB camping lamp should fit right into your electronic arsenal of must-have campout gear. Although you may not need portable lighting in your Travelodge hotel / tent hybrid, a little backlighting never hurts while staking your place in line for those oh-so-important launch events. Sporting a flashlight beam, lantern mode, FM radio, retractable antenna, and 3.5mm headphone jack, this multi-function device can be powered from any open USB port — if your laptop is running out of juice, three AAA batteries will also do the trick. While you probably shouldn’t expect an awful lot of candle power here, it’ll provide a fairly good excuse to bust out your machine in hopes of finding a stray WiFi (or WiMAX) signal, and besides, brightening up your next campout will only set you back $12.

[Via Uber-Review]

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Filed under: Cellphones

Not a day’s passed after we caught word of Sprint’s launch of Novatel’s S720 PC Card do we hear that Sierra Wireless has a proverbial one-two punch of WWAN modems up its sleeve, this time of the USB variety. First up in Q4 of this year will be the 595U, an EV-DO Revision A device topping out at a purely-theoretical 3.1Mbps downstream, followed by the quad-band GSM, tri-band HSDPA 875U humming along at 3.6Mbps in Q1 2007. Both USB modems look to be coming in sleek little packages with internal antennas and matching cradles, support location-based services, and have upgradeable firmware. If these things really look as slick as the press shots make them out to be, we may not be whining for a Rev A ExpressCard after all — if the ship dates hold up, that is.

[Via Macworld]

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Peripherals

If you’re looking for a way to liven up your desktop area, or just think farm animals are best kept near a music source, the cleverly-named Stereo Squealer speakers should do the trick. While we’ve seen drivers shoved into some fairly unique enclosures, sacrificing sound quality for unique appearance is properly demonstrated in this fresh-off-the-range set of speakers. The stubby-legged duo probably won’t satisfy anyone looking for eloquent reproduction of their FLAC-encoded music files, and may have a hard time squealing at all with only 1.6 watts of power per pig. These little guys (or gals, whichever you prefer) get fired up by four AA batteries, and can easily connect to any DAP, CD player, computer, PMP, or overhead tractor radio that happens to have a headphone mini-jack. As if the idea of having a matching pair of pigs on your desk wasn’t odd enough, the volume controls aren’t handled by those run-of-the-mill up / down buttons; instead, you’ll get to crank it up quite literally when you spin its corkscrew tail around to adjust the decibel level. If you dig the idea of having livestock roam around your workspace, or just need the perfect excuse to go hog wild, these two little piggies can come home to you for £14.95 ($28).

[Via AVing]

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Here at Engadget HQ, things can get kind of stuffy when locked down to a computer chair all day, and apparently Thanko has figured out what folks like us really need to beat the heat (and the subsequent odor). Although we’re just kidding on that last part, what’s not to love about a reportedly slim and comfortable seat cushion that not only gives you a bit more padding underneath, but funnels cool air right where it’s needed the most? Joining a bajillion other excuses to fill up every not-yet-utilized USB port on your machine, the USBHCU01 receives its juice from any ‘ole powered USB port, and with a convenient off / on switch, you can easily quiet the wind tunnel surrounding you whenever your boss or office sweetheart happens to drop by. As expected, the device works by sucking air through an overhanging fan and channeling the breeze through “countless holes” on which you sit. While we can’t verify how powerful the airflow from this bad boy is, we’ll toss out fair warning to ladies (and gents) with long, flowing locks that may find the potentially hair-raising experience a bit too much to handle. So if you can’t convince management to cut costs on things other than air conditioning expenses, or you just want one more USB toy to fool around with, you can get your relief now for ¥4,800 ($41).

[Via Far East Gizmos]

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Filed under: Peripherals

Dude, that’s what you get when you buy your devices — a wireless adapter in this case — on the street in Beijing. Actually, we ran this by our Chinese bureau, and they said it was probably a hoax — which somehow makes it all the more appropriate for a keepin’ it real fake, hmm?

[Via GameAxis]

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Storage

You are getting sleepy, very sleepy. You eyelids are slowly drooping, drooping down. You have seen your fair share of USB flash drives, but this 256MB USB pendant from Solid Alliance is certainly a first. In addition to acting like a plain old storage device, the pendant promises to help you find your lost items just by loading photos of them onto the drive — which admittedly could prove a bit challenging since the object is, well, lost. You then simply hold out the pendant and let it lead the way. You will not question its dubious efficacy, and you can get one for ¥9,800 (that’s $85 US). When we snap our fingers, you will wake up feeling refreshed,and unaware this occurred.

[Via Engadget Japanese]

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Filed under: Home Entertainment, Peripherals

Evergreen is back at their game of low price USB oddities again, and this time around they have produced the DN-SCM81, an inexpensive 7.1 surround USB audio device. This little guy may not have a fancy casing or even a clever name, but it sure gets the job done with its extensive array of inputs and outputs. They loaded it up with one line level, one optical and two microphone inputs, along with one headphone, one optical and 5.1 outputs. We have seen devices like this before, but none have ever reached the rock bottom cost of $25 -- a price for which your surround sound audio will surely suffer. Then again, with a box this cheap you really have no excuse not to enjoy 7.1 off of your laptop into that high-priced audio system you just had to have.

[Via Engadget Japan]

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Filed under: Storage

Wouldn’t it be nice to see how much space was left on your flash drive without having to find a computer to jam it into? Although the problem already has a few solutions, Corsair has released the CMFUSBREADOUT-1GB and CMFUSBREADOUT-2GB USB 2.0 drives rocking a not-so-typical Bi-stable Cholesteric Display (BCD). While internal functionality is nothing out of the ordinary, the snazzy external display features a 4 digit readout showing the capacity remaining (in MB), a pie chart showing the space used, and just for those who just love to customize, an 11 character programmable display to enter the drive’s content. If you’re concerned about the longevity of the display, it’s presumably charged while in use, and can function “without a battery” for a year (saywha?). These data-driven drives will run you $39.99 (1GB) and $59.99 (2GB) and should go perfectly with your collection of devices that sport unnecessary, yet beneficial, displays.

[Via The Gadgets Weblog]

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Filed under: Storage

So maybe this USB drive isn’t the the cutest, the biggest, the smartest, or even the weirdest, but how can you deny the Jeep drive’s rugged allure? Oh sure, perhaps it’s just a fickle attempt to overcharge for a cheap accessory, but whatever the case, EDGE Tech Corp has unveiled these presumably trail rated jump drives to store your maps, hiking trails, emergency contacts, and nearest parts dealers just in case cruising off-road leaves you in a pinch. Aside from looking rough and tough, these USB 2.0 drives seem barely more durable than your run-of-the-mill versions, claiming “shock resistance” as the lone rugged attribute. Considering the absurdly high prices — $29.95 for 256MB and $44.95 for 512MB — we can’t really understand why these would be appealing, but maybe “it’s a Jeep thing,” so we wouldn’t understand.

[Via USBDriveSoft]

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Remember the good 'ol days when that hundred-pound slab of text was the only way to beef up your vocabulary? Merriam Webster, a well-defined name in the business, has stuffed over 300,000 definitions and 500,000 synonyms onto a 256MB USB drive (with a couple hundred megs to spare, we understand). Aside from having the entire dictionary and thesaurus at your disposal, it comes with a few other tools to help proof your masterpiece: phonetic spell correction, a grammar guide, confusable function alerts -- a feature that alerts the user if there's a potential mix-up in similar sounding words -- and even a crossword puzzle solver to show that newspaper who's boss. All things we could probably use around here at Engadget HQ, we know, we know. So if your word processor's checking functions have failed you once too many, or you simply find comfort in always having the right words to say, the $49 drive could prove quite meaningful.

[Via Popgadget]

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You sing, you play guitar and bass, you record and play live, you play keys, and now you want a single USB device to handle everything in a single box. First, you're more talented than us. Second, you might want to check out Line 6's upcoming TonePort KB37. Announced at the summer music equipment trade show this weekend in Austin, this small keyboard includes controls for your fingers, inputs for footpedals for your feet, and uses software to model amplifiers, mic preamps, effects, and stompboxes, with processing options for vocalists and guitarists alike. Line6's equipment has plenty of competition, but it tends to be affordable and reliable. You may need to grow two extra feet and two extra arms to take full advantage of the thing, so Zaphod Beeblebrox, your audio gear has arrived. – Peter Kirn

Line6's KB37 Guitar/Vocal/Bass-Processing Keyboard [Create Digital Music]

Unlike the other USB PC Lock, this PC lock locks your workstation from prying fingers, instead of just the USB drive.

When the USB receiver is plugged into your machine, as long as the transmitter is in range, your PC acts normally. As soon as you walk out of range—with the transmitter in your pocket—the receiver locks your PC to prevent unauthorized access to your machine. Useful at the office, where a trip to the bathroom may invite your co-workers to pull the old take-a-screenshot-and-set-it-as-your-desktop trick.

Available now for £19.99 ($34). – Jason Chen

Product Page [Gadgets.co.uk via Coolest Gadgets]

If just peeping on your neighbors isn’t enough, there’s the USB Web Cam with Telescope from Brando. The telescoping feature probably isn’t useful for regular webcam conferences unless you want to show the other side how great (or lousy) your pores are.

The scope has 7x magnification and can record at 30fps in 320×240 resolution. Perfect for incriminating evidence on what Mrs. Olsen’s been doing to Mr. Sandoval’s Petunias. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Brando via i4u via uber gizmo]

Filed under: Peripherals

Just get a shiny new hard drive and need to transfer your files over? Or maybe you're just doing your duty and backing up information on a regular basis; whatever the reasons, and we're sure there's more, getting files onto your bare drive gets simple with this driver-less USB to SATA/IDE Universal Kit with One Touch Backup. This kit works its magic by providing the best of both worlds: portability and one-touch simplicity are wrapped into one marvel of functionality. You'll get support for 3.5-inch SATA/SATA II drives up to 750GB and all IDE/EIDE drives up to 500GB -- a fancy "bisynchronous mode" copies data onto two drives simultaneously. Just plug it in, give the button a press, and you're set -- and although time is money, be aware that this modern-day convenience will run you $42.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Storage

You know, even Thanko can ignite a bright spark now and again. Here we have the Thanko USB neckstrap which brings 512MB to your MP3 player or cellphone’s lanyard. Sure it’s not for everyone but for all those crazy kids flauntin’ their high tech wares up front, well, why not for the ¥4,680 or about $41 bucks it’ll cost ya? We’re just wondering what happened to the integrated earphones, huh Thanko?

[Via Fareastgizmos]

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Filed under: Features, Misc. Gadgets

Each week Tom Whitwell of Music Thing highlights the best of the new music gear that's coming out, as well as noteworthy vintage equipment:

Wait! Come back! Stop scrolling! Why should you read about a boring-looking grey synthesizer? I'll tell you why. This week, music geeks have been talking about two things. The first is the Bleep Labs Thingamagoop, the tiny, cute, handmade-in-America noise box with a strobing LED tentacle and surprisingly reasonable $100 price tag. The Thingamagoop represents one end of what's interesting in music gear at the moment -- fun, handmade, not necessarily very practical analog gear put together in garages by Make magazine readers.

Then there's this grey plastic synth. It's Novation's new Xio, which represents the other big thing happening in music gear: astonishing value for money. This thing is a USB audio interface, with phantom power and a pre-amp, so you can record using real professional microphones. It's a MIDI controller for racks and soft-synths, with a cool touchpad and joystick and lots of knobs. It's a nice-feeling (if short) semi-weighted keyboard (there's also a 49-key version). And, it's a real stand-alone analog-modelling synth, which you can tweak in your deckchair while it runs off 6 AA batteries. The Xio costs £229 (Maybe $350-$399 retail), significantly cheaper than it's nearest rival, the 3 year-old MicroKorg, which has mini keys and no controller or USB audio features. It's amazing.

Chinese manufacturing and cheap DSP chips have revolutionised the music gear business. Sure, this stuff doesn't have much soul, and it probably won't be collectable in 20 years, but it's making the average dorm-room studio a far more exciting place to be. Anyway, you can always invest the change in a small family of Thingamagoops.

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Filed under: Storage

Here’s a new one for you: we’ve all seen product recalls stemming from overheating batteries, defective CCDs, and faulty power cords, but this is the first we’ve heard of a USB thumb drive being called back for “posing a risk of burns to consumers and property damage.” Actually, Lexar — in conjunction with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission — is recalling a total of five different models when all is said and done: the 256MB, 512MB, 1GB, and 2GB flavors of the JumpDrive FireFly and the 1GB version of the JumpDrive Secure II. According to the CPSC, 66,000 of the faulty units were sold between April and May of this year — check the Read link for specific serial number ranges — and although so far no injuries have been reported, consumers are advised to stop using affected models immediately. As usual, the company will hook you up with a new model free of charge if you ask very nicely; as for us, we’re probably gonna hold onto ours and use them to brand new interns with the Lexar logo as part of our geeky hazing ritual.

[Via The Inquirer]

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Filed under: Peripherals, Wireless

IOGEAR is showing off their new Ultra-Wideband Hub and Adapter solution at Computex in Taiwan this week. Like the Belkin CableFree USB hub we’ve seen ponied-out at trade shows previously (but still not launched), this 4-port hub offers wireless USB 2.0 connectivity to desktop peripherals via a USB dongle which communicates with the hub at 480Mbps at up to 30 feet away. However, unlike Belkin’s Freescale-based solution supported by Motorola, IOGEAR’s box is based on the WiMedia Alliance MB-OFDM technology backed by heavy-hitters such as Intel and Philips. IOGEAR claims a ship date of Q3 2006 but remains mum on the price. Oh, and we’ll slap up a product image just as soon as we troll one down.

[Via MobileTechReview]

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Filed under: Storage

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Filed under: Storage

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Filed under: Storage

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