Who didn’t love the movie thriller “The Da Vinci Code?” Not only that, who didn’t dream about having a cool Cryptex gadget to store all your valuable secrets? Come one, you know it would be phenomenally great to have such a device. Well, it might not be that far off.
A Russian engineer has posted his version of a USB Cryptex case which includes detailed drawings, CAD files and component assembly.
You can’t help but to want one. [more photo’s after the break]
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Several years ago the concept of a 2GB luggage tag would be out of the questions. A 2GB drive was about $15 and for that reason, most everyone would consider it too expensive.
Today however, with a 2GB flash drive less than $5.00 it makes plenty of sense to use a flash drive to store your contact information via USB. Sure, you still write your name, address and phone number on the label above, but you can now include additional information. Travel itinerary, medical information and 2nd contact information.
Now, if you want the luggage tag looking USB with label area, it will cost you the full price of $30, but I’d rather take an old USB or a new $5.00 and create my own. Wouldn’t be that hard with some creative material like duct tape.
Voltaic is a company that deals with voltage. They specialize in the solar charging to create volts. Their latest entry is the Spark. The Spark is a solar panel design for tablet and notebooks.
Voltaic is marketing the Spark for the iPad – and why not as there’s plenty of marketing spin going on for Apple tablets.
The Spark will generate 8watts of solar power. So for those who don’t have an electrical engineering degree, or simply can’t do the math – one hour of sun to the Spark will generate enough power to run one hour of video off the iPad. Not bad.
Weather:Â Panels are waterproof, lightweight and built to withstand abuse.
Charge times: About 10 hours in direct sun will fully charge an iPad, other tablets may take less time.
Peak Output: 6 Volts, 1,333mA or 12 Volts, 667mA
Connector:Â USB and 5 standard adapters
So here is the price – $299 USD. To learn more, visit
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Lucas Distribution, LLC a worldwide distributor of office equipment and security hardware, announces Dongle Lockbox to secure USB dongle keys.
Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) June 09, 2011
Lucas Distribution, LLC, an Atlanta-based worldwide distributor of office products and equipment, recently launched the Dongle Lockbox to keep USB dongle keys secure.
“Dongle keys are used by software developers to protect their software from piracy. Today, virtually all dongle keys are USB type and must be plugged into an available USB port on your PC or Laptop computer to run the software program,†said Sales and Marketing Manager Dave Lucas. “If you misplace your dongle key or if it is stolen, your software is now unusable. At the very least you will have to purchase a new dongle key and worst case you will have to purchase the software again.”
In addition to the cost of replacing software, areas of business that need this software cannot function until the replacement package is received and reinstalled on the computer.
Now there is a solution available to alleviate concerns and mitigate risks – the USB Dongle Lockbox.
The Dongle Lockbox Kit consists of a secure ABS plastic enclosure, 6 foot USB Extender, combination lock with steel locking cable, and Flex Foot & Cable Nut to use as an anchor point.
Dongle Lockboxes are available in 2 styles:
Single lockbox – secures 1 dongle key
Double lockbox – secures 2 dongle keys
The combination lock is user-changeable and as an added free service, Lucas Distribution will maintain a record of new combinations when USB Dongle Lockboxes are registered with them. If a combination is misplaced or forgotten, Lucas Distribution will provide the registered combination after verifying proper identity.
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The up coming Green Lantern movie is one of the most anticipated summer movies of the year. My wife would say it’s because of Ryan Reynolds, I’d say because the Corp’s kick a$$. Either way, the movie is not due out for another 30 days. However, you can get a quick fix with these Mimobot Green Lantern Corps action figures in the shape of a USB drive.
Mimobot is a company which has carved out a creative niche for ultra cool and ultra cute USB flash drives with a cartoonish figure. The most recent addition are Hal Jordan [pictured], Tomar-Re, Kilowog and Sinestro.
The USB 2.0 drives come preloaded with content you can’t get anywhere else. The reason is that Mimobot teamed with DC Entertainment to put together some collectable content like screen savers, wallpaper, avatars and other digital extras.
The Green Lantern Corps ranges in size of 2GB to 16GB. Prices range from $22 to $65 respectively.
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Granted I didn’t think of this concept, but looking back, it’s odd this USB hack took as long as it did. Hacker, Jonas Wagner, was able to rig his Microsoft Kinect to a USB missile launcher. From what we’ve read, Jonas wanted to control a missile launcher with his Kinect, only problem is that he didn’t have access to missiles. Next best thing was a USB missile launcher.
To give him some feedback about position, the first thing Jonas did was mount a video cam above the USB missile launcher. Next step was polish up his Python skills and incorporate the libfreenect library for control.
Using his hands to position the USB missile launcher, Jonas can rotate the base unit, angle the barrel up or down and fire the launcher – all thorugh his Kinect.
Video after the jump of Jonas shooting his brother[?]
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We are really trying to avoid blog posts about USB flash drives as they are everywhere, ambiguous, dime-a-dozen, you name it; however, today we received three emails about new styles and just couldn’t help ourselves.
All along the same genre if you will, of shady, up to no good, stereo types. First we have the USB lock. Lets get your mindset into that of a burglar. Next, a USB gun. Sure if you can’t crack the lock, just point your gun at someone. Last, the USB lighter. Burn the place down after you’ve stolen everything.
USB Lock:
USB Gun:
USB Lighter:
Sure all of the above is a stretch, but interesting all these tips came in on the same day from different companies. Think there is some conflict in our future? Links & price to products after the jump:
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As we just mentioned, Apple doesn’t license their female connector technology, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get it. Take for example, the USB Fever iPad iPhone cable extender. This cable makes it easy to extend the iPad or iPhone from it’s original point.
Some possible applications would include: A developer testing the device and doesn’t want to wear down the contacts of the Apple device. Connect where other accessories get in the way. Your other cable is worn down and you don’t want to drop the $50 on the Apple branded version.
The Apple cable extender is $12 and ready for the taking.
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Did you know Apple will license it’s male 30 pin connector technology to just about anyone, but they will never license the female 30 pin portion of their connector? For most, not a big deal, for some, they’d love to have that ability.
Things could get interesting down the road as Apple was just awarded another patent for their 30 pin connector. This time the pin-out includes support for data and power communication to 3.0 devices and also Thunderbolt devices. What does this mean?
It means Apple will be able to keep their slim line design and proprietary connector interface via their 30 pin connector. The new design will still communicate with 3.0 devices, but without the traditional USB port interface. A bit brilliant if you ask me.
With the increased sales volume of Apple products, this new connector type could become an industry standard – oh wait – it can’t – because Apple wont license their female part of the connector. This means tablets like the Motorola Zoom and others could not pivot off the 30 pin design. But rather stay with traditional power pins and USB interface. This gives Apple the edge up on keeping their products slimmer and thus more light weight.
What do you think?
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Apogee’s Duet 2, a USB audio interface device now features a full-color OLED display to offer visual feedback for its multiple functions, including level metering, audio input / output and more. The Duet2 offers full 24-bit/192kHz recording, a configurable touch pad, Soft Limit technology, a breakout cable and Maestro 2 software, along with completely re-designed mic preamps, four balanced outputs, and an independent speaker.
The Duet2 is best used for sound recording in a mic or directly plugged into the device. It uses a fully-redesigned breakout cable to convert its one I/O port into two mic (XLR) or two line/instrument (1/4-inch) preamps, and a click-free multi-function controller knob to assign gain up to 75dB. The visual display allows users to pick the perfect volume without distortion (along with monitoring phantom power and phase invert), and the Soft Limit technology previously found only in Apogee’s top-end gear now prevents digital clipping by instantly rounding off transient peaks before they hit the also-redesigned analog-to-digital converters.
The unit also features up to four outputs, including: two balanced line outputs, up to 20dBu, along with separate speaker and headphone outs, allowing a user to monitor one source while sending another out — useful for Djs at live events, recording studios or spoken word. The configurable touch pads allow uses to quickly access output functions or switch headphone sources.
Apogee Duet 2 costs $595 and will be available in April. It is designed exclusively for the Mac and works well with most popular music software, particularly Garageband and Logic. It also works with other music-creation suites like Live, Pro Tools and Cubase.
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There is a good percentage of folks out there who probably store their adult content on encrypted flash drive. They store it this way so their co-workers, wives or girlfriends don’t stumble upon the adult content they are so quietly trying to keep hidden. However, for those a bit more bold, we bring you two USB drives which are a bit funny and symbolically, and ideal way to store your p0rn.
First up are the GigaBoobs. Just as you guessed it’s a USB drive in the shape of boobs.
The next up is the USB condom. Yes, I think it’s stupid too, and probably not even real, just a photoshop job with the USB connector sticking out of the condom wrapper. But it’s a good laugh, don’t ya think?
The gigaboobs are available for purchase.
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We’ve reported on USB cuff-links before, but we’ve never seen them with a steampunk twist…and you know we love USB steampunk gear.
This is a fine set of steampunk design work, with the small gears so well placed inside the walnut case. Very nice. The addition of 8GBs of storage make it usable as well. Granted, the cost of $200+ is steep, but I’m sure it’s a one-of-a-kind art piece.
The idea of using them for an event is unique, but I sure wouldn’t want a job which requires them.
We’ve read these USB cuff-links are something James Bond would wear…but I’m sorry, James Bond has never been a steampunk guy, he’s much too classy for this cult following design work.
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A Russian engineer has posted his version of a USB Cryptex case which includes detailed drawings, CAD files and component assembly.
You can’t help but to want one. [more photo’s after the break]
Continue Reading
Voltaic is a company that deals with voltage. They specialize in the solar charging to create volts. Their latest entry is the Spark. The Spark is a solar panel design for tablet and notebooks.
Voltaic is marketing the Spark for the iPad – and why not as there’s plenty of marketing spin going on for Apple tablets.
The Spark will generate 8watts of solar power. So for those who don’t have an electrical engineering degree, or simply can’t do the math – one hour of sun to the Spark will generate enough power to run one hour of video off the iPad. Not bad.
In addition to the cost of replacing software, areas of business that need this software cannot function until the replacement package is received and reinstalled on the computer.
Now there is a solution available to alleviate concerns and mitigate risks – the 
The USB 2.0 drives come preloaded with content you can’t get anywhere else. The reason is that 
To give him some feedback about position, the first thing Jonas did was mount a video cam above the USB missile launcher. Next step was polish up his Python skills and incorporate the libfreenect library for control.
Using his hands to position the USB missile launcher, Jonas can rotate the base unit, angle the barrel up or down and fire the launcher – all thorugh his Kinect.
Video after the jump of Jonas shooting his brother[?]
USB Gun:
USB Lighter:
Sure all of the above is a stretch, but interesting all these tips came in on the same day from different companies. Think there is some conflict in our future? Links & price to products after the jump:
The Apple cable extender is $12 and 
With the increased sales volume of Apple products, this new connector type could become an industry standard – oh wait – it can’t – because Apple wont license their female part of the connector. This means tablets like the Motorola Zoom and others could not pivot off the 30 pin design. But rather stay with traditional power pins and USB interface. This gives Apple the edge up on keeping their products slimmer and thus more light weight.
The next up is the USB condom. Yes, I think it’s stupid too, and probably not even real, just a photoshop job with the USB connector sticking out of the condom wrapper. But it’s a good laugh, don’t ya think?
The 
We’ve read these USB cuff-links are something James Bond would wear…but I’m sorry, James Bond has never been a steampunk guy, he’s much too classy for this cult following design work.