Thanko (Somewhat) USB Universal Charger
Story posted on: February 13, 2008
This is an interesting idea: Thanko has a “universal” charger that should work on any battery that has the contacts placed like the one in the photo. On the charger-side, the contact points can be moved to fit most batteries. Light indicators will tell you where the charging is at. Available in Japan only for $18.
If you want to see crazy USB gadgets: more thanko stories.
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February 07, 2008
PC Guardian Physically Locks USB Ports
Story posted on: February 07, 2008
It is known that USB keys can be used to steal data or install malware/spyware software on your computer. If you believe that you’re at risk, you could think that this USB port lock is what you need. After all, it’s easy to install and is a simple physical look for the USB port.
The issue is that now you also need to lock the whole case. Also, it’s not clear to me how it protects the two USB ports just underneath the locked one on the photo. Anyhow, it’s up to you to see if this is going to help, but it doesn’t seem unbreakable at all.
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January 02, 2008
Sandisk Cruzer Titanium USB Drive with Automatic Online Backup
Story posted on: January 02, 2008
[CES 2008] Sandisk’s Cruzer Titanium is a USB flash drive that has an integrated automatic online backup (powered by BeInSync, using the Amazon S3 infrastructure), in case the drive is lost or has simply been forgotten. Additionally, the Cruzer Titanium features a solid shell and AES encryption, which is an encryption method used for financial transactions.
The drive itself costs $60 and the online backup service will cost $30 per year. This device will be shown at CES, Booth #30768, South Hall 3. (Press Release)
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December 28, 2007
Apricron DriveWire – Quick HDD cloning via USB
Story posted on: December 28, 2007
The DriveWire is a box that converts any bare hard drive (SATA, PATA) to a USB drive. It’s quick: you just need to plug your drive in the connector and voila.
It ships with “EZ Gig II”, a (HDD) backup software that can clone a drive (practical for an upgrade) or clone only a partition. If you are using an exotic operating system, you can also boot from a CD and clone your drive from there. I have not tested it, but I assume that it is possible to restore a drive on a larger (and newer) HDD. There are alternatives out there, like the excellent Acronis True Image. Product page, $51 on Amazon
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December 26, 2007
Zyrus Bandi USB Drive is Flashy, Fat
Story posted on: December 26, 2007
It is really hard to get noticed in the USB Flash Drive space, so just like any other commodity, manufacturers resort to design to differentiate their products. For one, it is really sad that design comes in only as a last resort. Secondly, although this design is quite interesting and colorful, I would be worried by the “fatness” of the drive. USB ports usually are near one another and the Zyrus Bandi drive *might* partially block the second port.
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Rotary USB Card Reader
Story posted on: December 26, 2007
Hong Kong based Earth Tek makes this USB card reader that can rotate to provide an easy access to the user, regardless of where the reader is connected. It is most useful on laptops, where USB ports can be in a corner, facing the “wrong way”, leaving the card slots facing away from you.
The reader supports SD, MicroSD, MemoryStick and has a small power plug to charge an external device.
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November 30, 2007
Super-USB to reach 4.8Gbps
Story posted on: November 30, 2007
Building over the success of USB and USB 2.0, a new set of detailed specifications for a “USB 3.0” will be available in January. Here are the highlights:
- It will be called Super-USB
- It should be as fast as 4.8Gbps (10x USB 2.0)
- It is backwards-compatible
- Power consumption will be smarter
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November 29, 2007
Logitec SATA-to-USB rack
Story posted on: November 29, 2007
Logitec's new SATA-to-USB converter comes in an interesting form factor, featuring a cartridge slot design that makes any external hard drive docked within look cool. The semi-transparent case folds up to cover the drive, and there is more than enough back support to prevent the hard drive from toppling over, accidentally or otherwise. Inserting the SATA drive doesn't require you to power down the unit, making installation a cinch. In addition, you get a 4-port USB hub with it, making this one interesting addition to any desktop. Pricing and availability details are currently unknown. | Source... | Digg it! | | Comment |
November 15, 2007
SolarExpress PDA II CF USB Host Card
Story posted on: November 15, 2007
The SolarExpress PDA II CF USB Host Card is compatible with a wide range of SanDisk's memory cards, including their line of SDHC and microSDHC cards - so you can breathe easy before making a purchase. This USB Host Card offers compliance to non-SDA (Secure Digital Association) 2.0 Pocket PCs, making it easy for users to access both read and write functions to SDHC memory cards. Without this solution, non-compliant SDA 2.0 PDA users might have to consider more expensive alternatives such as replacing their existing devices. Since SDHC cards are being adopted by more and more devices these days, it makes perfect sense for Pocket PC users have the ability to read and write to SDHC memory cards. The SolarExpress PDA II retails for $84.95. [Press Release]
