Personal Computing
Gresso release luxury USB flash drive range
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October 5, 2007 In another example of fashion meets function from the world of consumer electronics, manufacturer of luxury mobile phones and MP3 playersGresso has released an alternative to the dreary old plastic USB drive. The high-end collection of 1GB capacity drives called "Adam&Eve" are crafted from materials including African mahogany, blackwood, gold and white diamonds. Read More
STOP-Lock two-tiered laptop security system
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September 29, 2007 Until now most laptop security systems have either physically secured the laptop or helped track it down once it’s been lost or stolen. The STOP-Lock from security manufacturer Secure-It, Inc. has combined these elements in a laptop security system which combines a tracking system with a locking mechanism to help deter thieves. Read More
USB key adds physical element to enhance data security
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September 28, 2007 Where credit card and banking information is being processed, user authentication, accountability and data security are of paramount importance. The iKey 4000 is a USB device that authorized users carry with them at all times in order to gain access to secure systems. It adds an extra factor to the access control puzzle – you need to both have the physical key and know the correct password to get in, thus satisfying the highest Payment Card Industry security protocols. Read More
USB 3.0 on the horizon
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September 23, 2007 Details of the proposed next generation of high-speed USB (Universal Serial Bus) connectors have been unveiled. The planned USB 3.0 system will target a transfer speed of 4.8 gigabits per second, ten times that of USB 2.0 models. Intel, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Texas Instruments, NEC and NXP Semiconductors have formed the USB 3.0 Promoter Group to make the high-speed connection a reality, with final USB 3.0 specification scheduled to be released in the first half of 2008 and backward-compatible products hitting shelves as early as 2009. Read More
Sandisk launches new high-performance Flash memory cards
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September 18, 2007 The rise and rise of Flash memory continues with SanDisk, the original inventor of Flash storage cards, launching its Express line of high-performance Flash memory products. Aimed at professional videographers and photographers who demand speed, durability and reliability the new 8GB and 16GB flash memory cards record high-definition video at 35 megabits per second. Read More
Logitech AudioHub notebook speaker system
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September 13, 2007 Long entrenched as the focal point of working life for many people, laptops are increasingly expanding their role to become a hub for personal entertainment with new solutions to accommodate this functionality emerging on a daily basis. This AudioHub Notebook Speaker System from Logitech combines a unique 2.1 one-piece speaker system and three integrated hi-speed USB ports in a compact design at just three and a half inches in height that's designed to fit neatly behind most notebooks. Read More
InPlay update FinePoint digital pen system
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September 10, 2007 InPlay Technologies has announced an upgrade to its digital pen input technology for tablet PCs. The FinePoint MPD-9xx uses RF technology in the digital pen (versus the analog pen used with many pen computing systems) and electromagnetic technology in the grid which according to InPlay, delivers enhanced accuracy for charting pen tip status, sensitivity and position. Read More
Learning to love the Matrox TripleHead2Go
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September 7, 2007 The quest to try new technologies hands-on is a vexing problem for working journalists in a magazine which exclusively covers emerging technologies, as conception to market times have shrunk to months rather than years and the advance of innovation grows faster each week, like a game of Pacman – it’s an exciting time to be alive, much less working in this industry, BUT, when it comes to trialing things, newer technologies often pop up before you’ve got the last one out of the box and onto the desk. We’re forever looking to use the technology we cover to assist in processing this explosion of information and a few months back I decided that more screen real estate was needed after trailing Apple’s 24 inch iMac and getting a productivity boost– the answer, I hoped, was to spread the array of web pages, email screens, RSS feeds, spreadsheets, word and Acrobat documents Photoshop and Final Cut Pro screens, calendars, to do lists, FTP windows, Skype beckoning regularly and my iTunes life soundtrack controller across an array of screens in the hope it would help me deal with what had become an endless set of layers on my MacBook Pro. So I called up Matrox and asked for the company’s TripleHead2Go system, enabling me to hook three screens to my MacBook, and … Read More
LaCie 5TB data storage solution
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September 5, 2007 Designed for producers of digital content, LaCie's five terabyte Biggest S2S 5-disk RAID system can reach burst transfer rates of up to 200 megabytes per second and can stream non-compressed HD Video in HDTV 1080i and 1080p format. Read More
Philips and Swarovski unveil digital bling
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September 2, 2007 Philips and Swarovski announced their intention to work together to fuse fashion and technology in April this year and the first fruit of the collaboration was shown today at IFA 2007 in Berlin. As digital technology becomes all pervasive, it is inevitable that there will be a market for luxury technology and the Active Crystals collection directly addresses this need, beginning with the release of four USB Memory Keys and four headphones. The only problem is … Read More
Samsung expands Q1 Ultra mobile PC family
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August 30, 2007 Samsung has released three new additions to its Q1 Ultra family of portable PCs, the Q1U-SSDXP, the Q1U-ELXP and the Q1U-XP. Labelled UMPC (ultra-mobile computing devices), the Q1 family is designed to deliver full PC capabilities, multimedia versatility and advanced connectivity when a desktop computer is not an option and a notebook PC is impractical or simply undesirable. Read More
Sandisk doubles capacity of Cruzer Micro Flash drive
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August 29, 2007 Not so long ago we were using floppy disks with a 1.44mb capacity to save and transfer documents, even more recently a 500Mb thumb drive seemed like a revolution, but now it's all a matter of routine to be counting in gigabytes. SanDisk has introduced an 8 gigabyte model (that's the equivalent to 5555 floppy disks) of its Cruzer Micro USB Flash drive, double the largest capacity previously available in the Cruzer Micro line. Read More
Sony's all-in-one High-Def PC/TV with Blu-Ray
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August 29, 2007 Sony has introduced a new high-definition PC/TV model with Blu-Ray Disc Technology. Featuring a floating glass design, the VAIO LT HD PC/TV is designed as a complete computer entertainment center where you can watch and record analog, digital and cable television programming, including premium HD channels. Read More
Alphabetically ordered alternative to the QWERTY keyboard
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August 27, 2007 The New Standard Keyboard is the latest in a long line of attempts to break the illogical stranglehold that QWERTY has on the keyboard design. The alphabetically ordered, 53 key, US$69.95 model aims to bring simplicity and efficiency to what is still the primary method of computer input. Read More
Centurion DiskHub storage device with DVD-RW drive
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August 23, 2007 Digistore Solutions is set to release a new carousel-like optical data storage hub called the Centurion DiskHub. Capable of holding up to 100 disks and including a built in dual layer DVD/CD rewritable drive (DVD-RW) for read/write functionality, the Centurion DiscHub offers a complete backup, archiving, storage and indexing solution. Read More
Fujitsu Siemens Lifebook S6410 offers 10 hour battery life
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August 23, 2007 Wouldn’t it be nice to have a notebook that can last all day without having to rely on the AC adapter and finding a point to charge it? That's the vision behind Fujitsu Siemens energy-saving Lifebook S6410. Aimed at business professionals, the notebook has the option of a second battery and a special EcoButton that can reduce the processor’s clock rate, display brightness and power down other components that use lots of energy to deliver up to 10 hours run time without recharging. Read More
BlogWorld & New Media Expo: the world’s largest gathering of Bloggers
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August 22, 2007 Thousands of bloggers, vloggers and podcasters are set to descend on Las Vegas for BlogWorld & New Media Expo, the world’s first industry-wide blogging tradeshow. The inaugural event is to be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center Thursday – Friday, November 8 – 9, 2007, with pre-show seminars on Wednesday 7th November. Read More
Flash Padlock offers physical security solution for portable data storage
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August 17, 2007 With Flash drives becoming a necessity these days, the need to protect sensitive data from theft or simple misplacement is increasingly critical. The new USB 2.0 Flash Padlock from Corsair offers a physical security solution while on the go and addresses the need for secure data storage through hardware technology rather than software. Read More
Pinnacle’s portable USB High Definition TV tuner and PVR
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August 16, 2007 Given the size and quality of desktop and laptop displays these days, it’s no wonder more and more people are using them as another television for the home and office. Pinnacle has released a USB High Definition TV tuner stick complete with Personal Video Recorder (PVR) capability and the ability to grab a HDTV feed out of the air using the tiny antenna included in the package. Read More
LaCie 2TB Ethernet Big Disk network storage
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August 16, 2007 LaCie has boosted the capacity of its Ethernet Big Disk to a massive 2TB in a compact 2x7x11” solution. The 2TB LaCie is designed for centrally storing and sharing files over a network via Ethernet or as a personal hard drive off the network using USB. When connected to a home network, the Big Disk can stream multimedia content to compatible AV adapters and enables simultaneous music and movie playback on a networked theater system. Read More
Newertech's miniStack NAS network storage solution
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August 15, 2007 Latest offering from Newertech, the miniStack NAS, is a shared local drive for wired or wireless networked storage that offers up to 750GB between as many as 20 users. Based on the award-winning miniStack v3, the minStack NAS features drag and drop sharing, the ability to stream multimedia and HD files and an easy set-up that eliminates complicated network TCP/IP configurations. Read More
World's first exclusively solar powered computer mouse
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August 9, 2007 Anyone who has used a wireless mouse will know that although they don't use much power, it's enough to drain a battery quite regularly and it always decides to run out of power at the most inopportune times. Now comes news of the world's first exclusively photovoltaic-powered computer mouse currently undergoing trials in the Netherlands. Read More
Cable Lock Attachment protects against keyboard and mouse theft
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August 8, 2007 The loss of a keyboard, mouse or any other cable-attached PC device due to theft could be a considerable inconvenience. Not only is there the cost of replacing the item, but when on the road they may not always be easy to replace. That’s where the Targus Cable Lock keyboard and mouse attachment comes in – the small (9 x 4.5 x 3cm) unobtrusive security device is designed to protect cable-attached items and ensure that your PC is stays fully functional. Read More
Apple's sleek new all-in-one iMac in 20 and 24 inch designs
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August 8, 2007 The unveiling of Apple’s new all-in-one iMac comes on the back of several other notable product releases including a new slimline aluminum keyboard design – available in wired and wireless versions – and a Bluetooth wireless “Mighty Mouse” that boasts enhanced laser tracking, four independently programmable buttons and a new scroll ball that lets users scroll in any direction. Read More
Haptic glove to be exhibited at SIGGRAPH 07
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August 7, 2007 Man-machine interfaces have predominantly targeted the aural and visual senses but improving technology has opened up the potential for new levels of interaction based on touch. At SIGGRAPH (Special Interest Group for Computer Graphics) this year, Haptic Telexistence will be demonstrating its latest sophisticated touch interface and providing a glimpse of the huge potential for haptic interfaces. Read More
Keyspan release USB 2.0 Server
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August 3, 2007 This clever USB server from Keyspan provides network users with the ability to connect remotely to USB devices via Ethernet and WiFi and removes the need to use a dedicated computer to run printers, scanners, digital cameras and flash-drive memory sticks. The USB 2.0 Server enables multiple users to share two Hi-Speed USB devices on a network and is suitable for PC and Mac users - and at a US$129 price point, it looks to be a particularly useful addition to home office set-ups. Read More
Toshiba introduces ultra-light Portégé notebook computer
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August 3, 2007 Toshiba has announced the new Portégé R500 business notebook computer featuring an impressive 12 hour battery life, 7mm optical disk drive and a transreflective LED backlight display for enhanced screen visibility. The ultra-portable Portégé R500 weighs in at just 999grams and is only 19.55mm thick, making it the world's lightest and thinnest 12.1-inch notebook according to the manufacturers. Toshiba has also updated its retail and business notebook ranges, including the flagship consumer notebook, the Qosmio G40. Read More
Bargain or baloney? Medison Celebrity, the US$150 “laptop for everyone”
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July 27, 2007 A brand-new laptop PC for US$150 including a 1.5GHz Intel Celeron processor, 14” screen, 256MB of RAM, wireless connectivity and a Fedora Linux operating system pre-installed. If you think it sounds to good to be true, you’re not the only one – and its 6-week lead time on deliveries means the Medison Celebrity has almost 2 months in which to make blind sales before the first orders actually hit buyers’ doorsteps and we can find out whether the company delivers what it promises. Still, if it’s true, this has to go down as one of the most amazing pricing offers of recent times, and if positive customer reviews start coming in, you’ll have to get in line behind us! Read More
Logitech VX Nano cordless mouse
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July 26, 2007 With a growing number of laptop users abandoning the touch pad in favor of a cordless notebook mouse, the bulky and often intrusive USB receivers required for these devices have become an issue. In response to this problem Logitech have introduced the "plug and forget" VX Nano cordless notebook mouse which has the world’s smallest USB receiver. The unit is small enough that it sits nearly flush with any notebook (protruding just 8 mm from the edge) and can remain plugged in and ready to use at all times, eliminating the need to constantly remove it when in transit. Read More
Ultra-fast wireless data transfer – download a whole DVD in 3 seconds
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July 26, 2007 Just how fast does wireless data transfer have to get before it ceases to be a limiting factor in application design? Researchers in Georgia are working on new ultra-high-frequency radio technology that has already achieved a phenomenal 15 gigabits per second (Gbps) over short distances. For reference, that’s a whole DVD worth of data transferred in a little over 3 seconds – and they’re hoping to double that speed within 12 months. With such transfer rates available, high-definition media streaming and file sharing becomes a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it affair. Backups and full hard drive synchronization between different machines will be quick and painless, and distributed application and file sharing around networks will become, for the most part, something the user will simply not have to think about. It’s estimated at about three years from hitting the market, but this amazing technology is set to make big waves. Read More
Sandisk releases its Extreme Ducati Edition thumbdrive and memory cards
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July 20, 2007 Sandisk evidently believes its time as a sponsor of the championship-leading Ducati Corse MotoGP team has taught it a thing or two about speed and style. The company just launched the Sandisk Extreme Ducati range, including its fastest-ever CompactFlash and SD cards, as well as a high-speed USB flash drive, all co-branded with Ducati Corse logos. While the cards will spend much of their time hidden in digital cameras and other devices, the USB key is dressed to impress, faired in Ducati red and black like the exotic Italian racebike. Ducati fans, much like the Ferrari fans of F1, have never been afraid to wear their passion on their sleeve - now they can wear it on their keyrings too. Read More
Moving forward, looking backward: the Steampunk PC
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July 18, 2007 The sleek, white, minimalist theme that dominates modern design speaks volumes about the age we live in. Plain, clean furniture and devices are deliberately sterile and devoid of any sort of character, in a nod to the fact that they'll be obsolete, broken or replaced within a few short years anyway. The Steampunk movement looks back fondly to the early 1900s when steam was the technology of the day and new devices were celebrated with beautiful and ornate wood and brass craftsmanship, giving a feel of permanence, durability and preciousness that's missing from today's designs. A couple of designers have teamed up to muse on what the personal computer might look like if it hadn't been denied its "Golden Age." We found their resulting artworks, as well as the underlying principles and construction methods, quite inspirational. Read More
Belkin's N1 Vision wireless router - helping to flush out bandwidth hogs
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July 18, 2007 The humble wireless router is an unglamorous device, sitting sheepishly out of sight somewhere in the house and only getting any attention when somebody's angry that their YouTubing is being interrupted. Belkin's N1 Vision, on the other hand, is designed to take pride of place on the computer desk. As sexy to look at as anything Apple have released, the N1 boasts an LCD screen that gives you an instant snapshot of your upload/download speeds, network bandwidth usage, guest access keys, and a nice time/date display. It can also pinpoint exactly which devices on your network are hogging all the downloads, which will be a fun feature in share-houses when it comes to bill-splitting time. Read More
Lapworks laptop stands: ergonomic comfort on the lap or desk
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July 17, 2007 The amount of time we spend on computers these days, and the damage that poor posture can cause combine to cause some big problems. Laptops, for example aren't really a lot of fun to operate on your lap top. The fiddly mouse-replacement pads and knobs are a big compromise, they don't sit very steady on your lap, and the heat buildup underneath them can really stew your plums on a long plane flight. What's more, put them on a desk and they don't offer decent ergonomics either. Which is why Lapworks have come up with a range of ergonomic laptop mini-desks to give you full and comfortable use of your computer and mouse on your lap, and neck-and wrist-saving ergonomics when it's on a desk or table. Read More
The blogosphere reaches equilibrium?
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July 16, 2007 Slashdot is reporting on a WSJ news story that blogging turns 10 years old around now. We’re a little less certain on the origination of the blog, as is Wikipedia, but given that nobody is certain and it wasn’t very long ago that the first blog started, it’s perhaps a time to reflect on this phenomena. By 2005, blogging became so popular that estimates ranged upwards to 60 million blogs. But blogs go out of date if they’re not regularly updated and one of the most interesting recent analyses of the blogosphere from BusinessWeek signifies that the number of live blogs is beginning to plateau at around the 16 million mark. Though new blogs are being launched every minute, there are just as many falling dormant. Witness David Sifry’s musings on the subject here.
