I’ve had the problem of too many highlighter pens, no place to put them and a need for USB connectivity.  Therefore, I’m glad Gadgets2Order came up with this Dexx USB design.  The square design acts as a dock station for your yellow, blue and green highlighter pens.  In addition, you’ve got a USB flash drive for storing those digital files.  Yet, the drive size seems too big for easy use with laptops and front panel USB ports which are set-in from the front bezel.

Never-the-less you can turn the Dexx into a USB hub if the flash drive doesn’t work out.

One last deal-breaker is a minimum lot of 50 must be ordered at a 7.92 per unit price.  Probably a good idea on paper [bar napkin no less] but doesn’t seem like the best product idea.

It’s good to stand out, let the world know you are different.  These USB hard drive cases from Meninos will help you do just that.  What started out as a contemporary design hobby for friends and family has turned into a full blown business.  The Meninos site offers a variety of dress up USB hard drive cases.  The cases are made of custom acrylic with dual cooling fans, USB port and covered with a vinyl wrapper to set yourself [itself] apart.

You can also upload an Adobe Illustrator file using their template if the bold claim of your “Marlboro” man isn’t enough.  Below are a photo list of the current styles available.  Which one best fits your taste?

Have a mess? Need some help on that clean up job? If so, check out this DIY video on how to home brew a USB vacuum.

Can’t see the video – here’s the YouTube link.

Digi-Key released their USB Beagle Board today which is a low cost, high performance development board for ground level design work. The USB Beagle Board is 3in x 3in in size, includes a powerful 600MHYz ARM Cortex A8 processor, high speed USB 2.0 port, SD port, C64x+ DSP & video acceleration and supports 1280×1024 DVI-D monitors.

The ARM processor will handle over 1,200 million instructions per second (MIPS) making it as powerful as most laptops these days.

The USB Beagle Board is only $149 making it the least expensive, most powerful development board on the market. Here is a list of other hardware components for the Beagle Board:

• OMAP3530 applications processor featuring the ARM® Cortex™-A8
• 128MB low-power DDR RAM
• 256MB NAND flash
• USB 2.0 high-speed on-the-go port
• NTSC/PAL TV via S-Video output
• 6-in-one 8-bit MMC+/SD/SDIO connection
• Stereo audio in/output
• JTAG header
• I2S, I2S, SPI, MMC/SD expansion header
• Power via USB or alternate jack

Digi-Key has created a developers website where a host of applications can already be found. www.beagleboard.org

Earlier this week Mimobot announced the final installment of their USB Star Wars Series 3 collection. The final character to be reviled is no other than; USB C-3PO. So with the Alliance making it’s only appearance it appears the Series 3 is more about the Dark Side.

C-3PO is available in 1, 2, 4 or 8GB sizes. The other Mimobot characters reveled, Darth Sidious, Wicket and Royal Guard are also available in the mentioned sizes. Prices range from $40 to $110.

Which USB watch would you pick?

Our first contestant is this high-end looking watch with 4GB of removable USB flash memory.  Outfitted with:

This watch has a plastic case covered by stainless steel mask with brushed silver finish and convex mineral glass with shiny raised index. The USB flash drive fits inside the watch case flush with the contours of the watch case – ready to hold your data safe and secure.

What I particularly like about this watch is the claimed “Japanese quartz movement”  Not sure what that means, but if it’s anything like my Honda, this USB watch is dependable and spot-on time.

Next we have the USB Timeless watch.  A geekness rendition of what a watch should really look like. 

Have you seen this error message before from your Windows machine when a USB device is connected: “This USB Device can Perform Faster if Connected to Hi Speed USB 2.0 Port?” Well, I’ve seen it recently and went through a fairly long process to figure out how to correct it. Surprisingly it’s not difficult.

First, let me say I’ve found little information on WHY this error occurs and how to avoid getting this error message when a USB device is connected to your computer. From the research I’ve done, this USB error message of “device can perform faster when connected to hi-speed USB” stems from a corrupt setting for a device on your computer in relation to how it communicates with the hi-speed USB host controller.

So here is the quick and easy fix: Reinstall the drivers for your Enhanced USB controller. Sounds complicated, but it isn’t. In fact, it’s a simple right click and a reboot. That’s it. Here’s how you do it:

Step 1: Unplug any USB devices from your computer with the exception of your keyboard and mouse [if they are connected].

Step 2: Navigate to your Device Manager page by doing:
Start > Control Panel > System > go to Hardware tab > Device Manager

From this window scroll down until you see the + sign for “Universal Serial Bus controllers.” Click the PLUS sign and another list will expand out. Simply identify the item which references a “USB Enhanced” controller and right click. From the options provided from your right click select “uninstall.”

You will get a warning sign, but don’t worry. Click OK.

Your computer will go through the process of uninstalling the USB Enhanced USB controller. Your computer will then immediately go through the installation process as well. After the re-installation you computer might seem all-is-well; however, your error message will not go away until you reboot your machine. Do that now.

If you have any questions or comments hit the forum post for follow up.