USB

Review: iXpand 3G iPhone and iPod Touch charger

By Jeff Salton

15:04 February 3, 2010 PST

A new snap-on battery that can extend the talk time and power on an iPhone 3G, 3GS or iPod Touch 2G device by around three hours (up to 100 hours standby) has been released by Ethereal Home Theater. "No bulky or clumsy cords, and designed to look like an extension to a 3G iPhone, this is one of the better-looking spare batteries going around," says Gizmag's Jeff Salton, who's been putting the unit to the test. Read More

MHub removes desktop clutter and adds functionality

By Jeff Salton

22:18 January 27, 2010 PST

Rather than merely keeping your iPod or iPhone upright while it charges, the Dexim MHub Dock Station offers a lot more connectivity for your Mac or PC. It’s designed to reduce cable and device clutter on a desk by combining the features of several computer accessories in a single housing, like a dock, a three-port USB hub, a mini USB port, and an SDHC/SD/MMC card reader. Mhub charges a variety of gadgets, including iPhones, iPods, BlackBerry phones, digital cameras … you get the idea. Read More

VESA announces DisplayPort v1.2

By Mick Webb

20:16 January 22, 2010 PST

The Video Electronics Standard Association (VESA) has unveiled the long awaited DisplayPort Version1.2 digital display interface that brings with it a host of enhanced features. Aside from a doubled data rate of 21.6Gbps and bi-directional USB data transfer of an impressive 720Mbps, the upgrade also offers multi – monitor support from a single plug, improved audio synchronization and support for Full HD 3D Stereoscopic displays. Read More

Kia teams with Microsoft to develop the UVO voice controlled in-car infotainment system

By Mick Webb

21:55 January 13, 2010 PST

In addition to its recent 7-year / 150,000km warranty announcement, Kia has created further interest with the showing of its UVO in-car voice and touch activated communication and entertainment system. Developed in collaboration with Microsoft, the system offers users an easy to use interactive hands-free alternative that uses speech recognition for making and taking calls, sending text messages and managing in-car music. Featuring a 4.3” full color touchscreen display and built-in 1GB storage with the ability to rip CD’s and MP3’s onto the system’s “Jukebox”, the open platform UVO system also doubles as a rear view camera when the vehicle is in reverse. Read More

RCA Airnergy claims to charge gadgets using ambient WiFi signals

By Alan Brandon

20:08 January 12, 2010 PST

Move over solar chargers. Step aside kinetic chargers. If RCA is to be believed, there’s a new way to scavenge power from the environment using an energy source that’s all around us: WiFi. If you are reading this article, the chances are very good that you are in range of at least one wireless network. RCA says its Airnergy Charger scavenges stray WiFi signals and converts them to DC battery power that you can use to charge your cell phone, music player, or other electronic devices. Read More

Stream your home media files with the WirelessMediaStick from Home Server Technologies Inc (HSTi)

By Alan Brandon

19:01 January 12, 2010 PST

Get ready to ditch those bulky set-top boxes and clunky media servers. The WirelessMediaStick from HSTi is a media streamer the size of a thumb drive that shares content from any computer on your home network with any USB-enabled media playback device. Connect the WirelessMediaStick to your Blu-ray or DVD player, TV, DVR, or even a digital picture frame, and you can play movies, music, and photos over your wireless network. Read More

Aigo Glide mouse - effortless control at your fingertips

By Mick Webb

15:02 January 12, 2010 PST

Recent developments in the war on repetitive strain injury have seen swiveling mice and applicable gel pads in an effort to make the everyday user experience a more comfortable one. Appearing at CES this year was another take on the ubiquitous peripheral, the Aigo Glide mouse. Designed to offer ease of use and minimal strain, the lightweight mouse features indentation for fingertips and side scrolling wheels, while the USB cord and connection even tuck away around and under the mouse for easy storage. Read More

The PEREGRINE gaming glove: Own the Glove, own the Game

By Karen Sprey

12:05 January 12, 2010 PST

Throw away your keyboard – well lessen your dependence on it anyway - the PEREGRINE USB glove can be customized for over 30 user-programmable actions allowing you to react more quickly in intense gaming situations. The glove allows the wearer to carry out those time sensitive gaming commands with a twitch of a finger by utilizing the touch sensitive pads embedded in the fingers and palm of the glove. Read More

Icron ExtremeLink PC-on-TV gives you total 'couch control'

By Mick Webb

03:17 January 10, 2010 PST

Anyone who has ever wanted to use their TV to flick back and forth between their favourite show and their PC content should take note at this interesting innovation to surface at this weeks CES in Las Vegas. The Icron ExtremeLink PC-on-TV platform. The system features two boxes that hook up to a user’s PC and HDMI television respectively, enabling any TV in the home to act as a wireless monitor to their PC, even if they are at opposite ends of the house. Read More

enTourage announces eDGe dual screen eBook reader

By Mick Webb

03:07 January 9, 2010 PST

When is an eBook reader not merely an eBook reader? When it’s an enTourage eDGE reader. Unveiled this week at CES the clamshell designed reader is billed as the world’s first dualbook, with a 9.7” black and white E-ink screen on the one side and 10.1” LCD color touchscreen on the other. Along with 4GB of internal memory and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capability, the unit functions as a mini-netbook, notepad and audio/video recorder. Read More

Kolimat Roadscan DTW 1.0 dual lens camera - watches you as well as the road

By Mick Webb

21:37 January 8, 2010 PST

What’s more frustrating than an accident with a fellow motorist? Trying to work out who is at fault. Aiming to do away with such disagreements and improve overall driver security is the Kolimat Roadscan DTW 1.0 Camera system. Equipped with a dual lens in-car camera that records up to 12 hours of audio and video onto an SD card, the unit also takes still pictures at regular intervals and features full GPS and Wi-Fi capabilities. But with a function that disables erasing of data for events that measure above a preset “G” force, you had better hope you’re not at fault… Read More

Sony BRAVIA XBR-LX900 leads the 3D charge

By Mick Webb

13:54 January 8, 2010 PST

Showing it means business in its commitment to developing 3D home entertainment, Sony has this week at CES unveiled three new 3D BRAVIA TV series, most notable of which is the behemoth XBR-60LX900. The 60” full HD 1080p Edge LED backlit unit features integrated Wi-Fi and 3D functionality, Motionflow PRO 240Hz technology along with USB and DLNA connectivity Read More

Casio Green Slim projectors - light, bright and mercury free

By Mick Webb

13:30 January 8, 2010 PST

Up until now, for a projector to pack a decent punch it has had to incorporate a high pressure lamp using mercury, which as we all know is a dirty word environmentally.

Casio has this week at CES announced the Green Slim range of mercury-free super slim high powered projectors that use a combination of LED, laser and fluorescent illumination capable of brightness up to 3000 lumens, as well as featuring wireless and USB capability. Read More

Advantages of USB 3.0 highlighted at CES 2010

By Darren Quick

13:00 January 8, 2010 PST

With its promise of data transfer rates 10x greater than current USB 2.0 devices USB 3.0 is a technology much anticipated by those of us regularly dealing with the transfer of huge files. Symwave’s VP of Marketing, John O’Neil, provided Gizmag with a first-hand demonstration of some of the USB drives utilizing the company’s technology starting to appear on store shelves from the likes of LaCie, OCZ and Super Talent. The peripherals impressed with not only their transfer speeds, but also their low demands on a PCs CPU. Read More

Seagate's BlackArmor PS110 Performance Kit triples USB 2.0's transfer rate

By Dario Borghino

19:24 January 7, 2010 PST

Seagate has raised the bar for portable external hard drives at the CES 2010 with its BlackArmor PS110 Performance kit for portable computers. Comprising a 500GB/7,200rpm half-inch thick external hard drive, power cable and a USB 3.0 PC ExpressCard, this kit promises transfer performance up to three times a typical USB 2.0-based device and doesn't need latest-generation USB support on your laptop to work at full speed. Read More

Iomega's US$100 iConnect Wireless Data Station

By Tim Hanlon

01:47 January 6, 2010 PST

Iomega's new iConnect Wireless Data Station is like a Pogoplug on steroids. Just plug in up to four of your existing USB storage devices, and connect it to your (wired or wireless) network, and you've got a web-accessible, Time Machine-compatible, UPnP-streaming, torrent-downloading and print-serving Network-attached storage (NAS) device - and it's only US$100. Read More

LaCie's CooKey and WhizKey USB keys come with 4GB of cloud storage

By Tim Hanlon

01:37 January 6, 2010 PST

LaCie has unveiled the CooKey and WhizKey, two new USB keys inspired by the award-winning iamaKey, both featuring the water- and scratch-resistant gold SIP connectors of their inspiration. The USB keys are available in sizes from 4GB to 32GB, and all include 4GB of online storage with LaCie's Wuala service. Read More

TeliaSonera launches 4G network in Norway and Sweden

By Mick Webb

16:14 December 18, 2009 PST

Swedish telecommunications company TeliaSonera has launched the world’s first commercially available 4G mobile broadband network. While an international roll out of up to twenty five countries is planned in the next year, the network will initially be made available in the central parts of Stockholm and Oslo, and is designed to provide speeds up to 100Mbit/s - ten times faster than those of the existing 3G networks. Read More

30mm thick Piixl EdgeCenter 3770 Media Center PC lurks behind your TV

By Jeff Salton

23:57 December 15, 2009 PST

The Piixl Edge EdgeCenter 3770 computer is designed for those who love their media but also treasure their minimalist lifestyle. They also need to be prepared to pay a premium for a Media Center PC that doesn’t have any visible wires – in fact, it doesn’t have any visible parts at all because it hides discreetly behind any VESA-compliant flat panel TV, 37 inches or wider. Read More

Trackball Mouse Numeric Keypad Hub makes accountancy more fun

By Jeff Salton

15:09 December 15, 2009 PST

This USB-powered trackball mouse, numeric keypad USB hub will suit the professional accountant or the part-time number-cruncher, no matter how many hours they sit at a laptop or netbook computer sweating over their spreadsheets. Combining a trackball mouse, numeric keypad and twin USB port hub, this accessory consolidates three peripherals into one convenient device, freeing up more space in your bag for accountancy books and other top reads. Read More

The Bulbdial Clock - a high-tech sundial

By Mick Webb

14:57 December 14, 2009 PST

The Bulbdial Clock is an electronic take on our oldest way of telling time - the sundial. Instead of relying on shadows cast by the sun, this timepiece features three layers of colored LEDs that rotate around the clock face, casting shadows to represent the hour, minutes and seconds. Read More

The Gboard: a keypad especially for Gmail users

By Jeff Salton

21:37 December 6, 2009 PST

For time-poor Gmail-ers, or serious users sick of maneuvering a mouse, here is the plug-in Gboard shortcuts keypad. To get going, it’s as easy as one, two … well, there’s really only two steps. First step, connect to your computer’s USB port, secondly, enable Keyboard Shortcuts within the Gmail settings, and that’s it. The makers say in an hour or two you’ll be fully at home with the Gboard and won’t even have to look away from the screen. Read More

USB 3.0 ExpressCard 2-port adapter makes upgrading to USB 3.0 easy

By Jeff Salton

17:55 December 6, 2009 PST

SuperSpeed USB devices may have started to trickle onto the market, but it will still be a while before their use becomes widespread. That's simply because most people won't have the USB 3.0 ports required to take advantage of the speed boost the next generation offers. But StarTek.com come up with a low cost way to ensure your current laptop can enjoy the latest and greatest USB 3.0 devices - provided it has a spare ExpressCard 34 slot. Read More

Multimedia on the move - the JVC Kenwood AVENUE MDV-313 navigation system

By Mick Webb

15:03 December 6, 2009 PST

JVC and Kenwood has produced its first in-car navigation system since last years merger and it certainly offers more than directions for getting from A to B. As well as boasting virtual 3D maps and fast response times, the AVENUE MDV-313 features a 6.1” touchscreen LED backlit display, integrated DVD player and TV tuner, as well as USB and SD card slots and optional iPod connectivity. Read More

Kohjinsha DZ dual-screen laptop released

By Paul Ridden

15:50 November 30, 2009 PST

First shown at the CEATEC trade show in October, Kohjinsha's dual screen laptop/netbook is now on sale in Japan. The combination of an ATI Radeon HD3200 graphics processor and an AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 1.6 GHz chip gives the DZ the power to offer independent or combined dual screen action. The first full dual screen laptop to the marketplace also benefits from a 160Gb SATA HDD, an integrated TV card and a multi-touch, gesture sensitive touch pad. Read More