Get your funk on with this USB plasma tube from Brando. Using the latest plasma technology this little rod turns into a glow fest upon USB power up. It pulsates and jams with the beat of the music to create a psychedelic like atmosphere. The USB plasma tube is also a good tool for testing your rhythm, something us tone-deaf folks would have a hard time with.
You can chose a USB plasma tube with either blue, green or red light and just $15 each you might as well get all three. At just 56 x 78 x 214 mm you’ll need all three too.
USB plasma tube product page.
Continue Reading
A massive new online business is scheduled to launch on July 11: Apple’s App Store – an online hub for third party iPhone and iPod Touch applications.
Beginning later this month, developers will begin to upload apps to the store accessible by iPhone users or to a new section of the iTunes Store, sharing revenue from app sales with Apple in a 70/30 split. These apps will be in addition to the 1,700-odd apps already developed for the iPhone’s Safari web browser.
One of the games people are looking forward to playing is Super Monkey Ball. Sega’s Ethan Einhorn showed off Super Monkey Ball on stage at the WWDC. According to Einhorn, after 8 weeks of development, the developers have created 110 stages.
The new 3G, GPS-enabled iPhone should open up a world of possibilities for clever developers in the realms of gaming, entertainment and enterprise applications.
In related news, the AOL Radio app for the iPhone won for Best Entertainment Application at the 2008 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), providing users free access to over 350 online radio stations (including 150 local CBS radio stations) and more than 200 AOL Radio channels.
Other WWDC iPhone App winners:
Best iPhone Game:
Enigmo by Pangea Software
Best iPhone Social Networking App:
Twitterrific by the Icon Factory
Best iPhone Productivity App:
OmniFocus by the Omni Group
Best iPhone Healthcare & Fitness App:
MIM from MIMVista
This video ad has been out for some time, but it still cracks me up when I see it. I’ve also posted about other USB Wine products recently.
If you can’t see the video, click here.
Continue Reading
Gadget4All sent me their Blue Mirror wireless Bluetooth visor car kit for review and I’m glad they did, as California will start enforcing the “mandatory hands free car kits” come July 1st and the ticket is expensive, so this review couldn’t have come at a better time. This is what I found:
Review Summary for Wireless Bluetooth Visor Car Kit:
UPDATE: The bluetooth visor car kit is available at Amazon for immediate delivery. Great product for the quick fix you might need if in California or another state which has a “hands-free” wireless policy.
The wireless visor Bluetooth car kit is well made, easy to operate and performs well. Sound quality is good, setup is easy and user design is well thought out. Strong mounting assembly yet portable and easy to disconnect.
Out Of Box Experience:
The Blue Mirror is packaged well and comes with:
Main Bluetooth wireless visor kit (5″ x 3″ x .75″)
Mount clip with very strong magnets
USB cable (mini to Type A)
Car power adapter (cigarette style)
The product is simple and intuitive to put together. I was able to charge up the unit in under 1 hour as it was already charged. The full charge time is maximum of 3 hours. You can use either the USB cable and power from a laptop/computer or use the cigarette power adapter in your car along with the USB cable to recharge that way.
Continue Reading
The Data Tray from Brando is their most recent gadget to dress up a HHD dock station and give more functionality than just a dock. The data tray includes additional slots to house a 4 port USB hub and 15 type card reader. The HHD sled will accomidate any 2.5″ hard drive along with all the power connections needed for integration.
What I like most about this dock station is the sleek look Brando has put together for the enclosure. Makes the portable USB hub or card reader almost something you want to tote around.
The advantage with this system is easily swapping out one of two 2.5 hard drives to hot swap in a USB hub or card reader for quick connection for data transfer. Given all the flexibility this system has to offer you could pick up two – one for work, one for home – at just $69 each.
Lets cut out the middle man (PC or laptop) and directly wire a Western Digital Passport to your USB DVD Player. This hack will give you the ultimate in A) storage size of movies and B) portability without lugging around a laptop.
If you can’t see the video click here.
Continue Reading
Mac from Zedomax picked up a nice story on turning a wine cork into a USB stick. Why ask you say? So wine companies can data load the cork with company history, processing methods and other marketing spin (mood setting music) to give the ultimate crushed grapes experience. You couldn’t do this with CDs or DVDs that’s for sure.
Have we seen this before? I don’t think so, a four claw Goth Style Plasma Ball. It’s a must for any kids play-room or psycho girlfriend looking to spice up her digs. It’s not a USB powered gadget, but who cares, it’s cool looking. At just $18 each I wonder if I could illuminate my entire office with a collection of these. What do you think?
From the makers of the popular Flip Video Ultra comes the Mino, which puts the power of video in your pocket. The super-portable, super-simple Mino makes it easy to capture and share high-quality video anywhere and everywhere. And thanks to its flip-out USB arm and intuitive, built-in software, Mino lets you view, edit and upload your videos to popular video-sharing sites instantly. In addition to its sleek compact design–complete with touch-sensitive, backlit buttons–Mino boasts a rechargeable battery that powers up automatically while plugged into your computer or electrical outlet.
Flip Mino Highlights
All That Flip Video Goodness, Only Smaller – 40% smaller than its already pocket-sized brother the Flip Ultra, the Flip Mino barely makes a dent in even the tightest of jeans. But small in size doesn’t mean short on function;Flip Mino Highlights
Mino’s got all the Flip features–simple user-interface, one touch-recording, built-in USB, intuitive editing software, easy sharing functionality–that folks have come to know and love.
Sleek, Portable Design
The Flip Mino is the perfect combination of form and function. Its minimalist, retro front is the perfect complement to its high-tech modern back, with a large no-glare screen, touch-sensitive panel, and glowing backlit control buttons. All focused around Flip’s signature red record button that lets you go from pocket to recording in seconds.
With a camcorder this small and sleek, there’s no limit to where you can take it and what you’ll end up shooting. From a short film to enter in your favorite festival to footage of a hot new band, the Mino makes it easy because it’s always with you and always ready to go.
Mind-Boggling Quality
Despite its diminutive size, the Flip Mino produces video that rivals that of camcorders costing much, much more. With 2 GB of flash memory, the Mino can record up to 60 minutes of VGA (Video Graphics Array)-quality video that looks sharp when played back on your laptop or television (TV cable included). The high-quality microphone captures crisp, detailed audio, whether you’re paddling down the Amazon, or rockin’ out at your favorite club.
Revolutionary Built-in Software
Flip Video’s revolutionary software is built into the camcorder, so there’s no need for clunky 3rd party software or cables. Just plug the Mino into any PC or Mac via the flip-out USB arm and you’ll be viewing, organizing, editing and sharing your videos effortlessly.
Continue Reading
There’s no doubt that an iPhone update is imminent. But while nearly everyone has agreed on that, nobody knows anything definite about the specifics… except that the new iPhone will be compatible with the Microsoft Exchange email services. There’s a link on the main Apple.com iPhone page where you can apply to be a beta tester.
In regards to the iPhone, here’s what we know today:
Apple.com lists the iPhone as “Currently Unavailable.†Stock is so low that you can’t buy it. Usually a good sign that a new model is coming out soon.
Apple continues to make iPhone sales deals across the globe. Netherlands, Hong Kong, Singapore, India and Australia were all announced with the last few months.
A 3G settings screen was found by hackers in the latest firmware update for the iPhone.
The new iPhone will most likely be unveiled during Steve Jobs’ keynote speech at Apple’s WWDC (World Wide Developers Conference) on June 9th.
AT&T is prohibiting retail-store employees from taking vacations between June 15 and July 12, claiming that they’re expecting a “heavy selling periodâ€. They implemented a similar policy last year for the iPhone launch.
AT&T executives have said numerous times that all of their smartphones (the iPhone is one of the) will support 3G networking soon.
The Apple Stores have been out of stock of the iPhone for weeks. And people are forming daily lines outside Apple stores that still have a few iPhones in stock.
And here are some rumors that the guys at MethodShop.com compiled, about what Steve Jobs might announce at the WWDC on June 9th:
Rumor: The new 3G iPhone will be about 20% thinner.
Rumor: The new 3G iPhone will have built-in video chat that would allow you to video chat with other iPhones or even computers with webcams.
Rumor: The Apple TV is going to get an add-on USB camera that will turn the Apple TV into a video chat system (see item above). How would it work? A picture in picture effect would happen if you were watching a movie on your Apple TV when someone tried to “video call†you from an iPhone.
Rumor: Just like the iPods, the new iPhone will come in several colors including black [pic] and white [pic]. Several colored iPhone photos have already surfaced on the Interweb. There’s no doubt that black would be an extremely popular iPhone color.
Rumor: The new iPhone will have built-in GPS (it’s about time).
Rumor: Apple will also announce a new, wireless keyboard specifically for Apple TV, with multi touch capabilities. Basically it will be a super remote control.
iTunes is much more than a digital music jukebox. It’s capable of handling many different tasks involving digital media. Some of iTunes’ most popular features include buying music and videos online, burning CDs, and syncing files with your iPod or iPhone.
But one of the lesser known functions hidden within iTunes is the ability to convert audio files.
Why would you need to convert an audio file? Converting audio file types can be useful in many different situations. Here are a few examples:
You have an AAC file in iTunes that’s not compatible with your Zune that can play MP3 and not AAC files.
A WAV file needs to be emailed to a client for approval but it’s too big. You need to convert the file to an AAC so it’s small enough to easily send via email.
You are making a music video and want to use a song you got online as the soundtrack. However, the editing program won’t import the song because it doesn’t support MP3 or AAC.
You need to remove the DRM (Digital Rights Management) from an AAC song you purchased from the iTunes Store (see step #7).
A massive new online business is scheduled to launch on July 11: Apple’s App Store – an online hub for third party iPhone and iPod Touch applications.
Beginning later this month, developers will begin to upload apps to the store accessible by iPhone users or to a new section of the iTunes Store, sharing revenue from app sales with Apple in a 70/30 split. These apps will be in addition to the 1,700-odd apps already developed for the iPhone’s Safari web browser.
One of the games people are looking forward to playing is Super Monkey Ball. Sega’s Ethan Einhorn showed off Super Monkey Ball on stage at the WWDC. According to Einhorn, after 8 weeks of development, the developers have created 110 stages.
The new 3G, GPS-enabled iPhone should open up a world of possibilities for clever developers in the realms of gaming, entertainment and enterprise applications.
In related news, the AOL Radio app for the iPhone won for Best Entertainment Application at the 2008 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), providing users free access to over 350 online radio stations (including 150 local CBS radio stations) and more than 200 AOL Radio channels.
Other WWDC iPhone App winners:
The wireless visor Bluetooth car kit is well made, easy to operate and performs well. Sound quality is good, setup is easy and user design is well thought out. Strong mounting assembly yet portable and easy to disconnect.
Mind-Boggling Quality
Despite its diminutive size, the Flip Mino produces video that rivals that of camcorders costing much, much more. With 2 GB of flash memory, the Mino can record up to 60 minutes of VGA (Video Graphics Array)-quality video that looks sharp when played back on your laptop or television (TV cable included). The high-quality microphone captures crisp, detailed audio, whether you’re paddling down the Amazon, or rockin’ out at your favorite club.
Revolutionary Built-in Software
Flip Video’s revolutionary software is built into the camcorder, so there’s no need for clunky 3rd party software or cables. Just plug the Mino into any PC or Mac via the flip-out USB arm and you’ll be viewing, organizing, editing and sharing your videos effortlessly.
Continue Reading
There’s no doubt that an iPhone update is imminent. But while nearly everyone has agreed on that, nobody knows anything definite about the specifics… except that the new iPhone will be compatible with the Microsoft Exchange email services. There’s a link on the main Apple.com iPhone page where you can apply to be a beta tester.
In regards to the iPhone, here’s what we know today:
And here are some rumors that the guys at MethodShop.com compiled, about what Steve Jobs might announce at the WWDC on June 9th:
Rumor: Just like the iPods, the new iPhone will come in several colors including black [pic] and white [pic]. Several colored iPhone photos have already surfaced on the Interweb. There’s no doubt that black would be an extremely popular iPhone color.
methodshop
Continue Reading
iTunes is much more than a digital music jukebox. It’s capable of handling many different tasks involving digital media. Some of iTunes’ most popular features include buying music and videos online, burning CDs, and syncing files with your iPod or iPhone.
But one of the lesser known functions hidden within iTunes is the ability to convert audio files.
Why would you need to convert an audio file? Converting audio file types can be useful in many different situations. Here are a few examples:
methodshop
Continue Reading
