Turtle Beach has long been a pioneer in personal digital audio. The new Ear Force AK-R8 is no exception. Released just days ago, the perfectly tuned, surround sound USB headphones are self-proclaimed to be the pinnacle of PC gaming headphones.
While headphones and sound cards have traditionally been considered separate items, the Ear Force AK-R8 multi-speaker headphones and USB interface are designed to work as an integrated system to enhance the unique surround sound capabilities of the headphones.
What is unique about the AK-R8 is the ability to tweak the surround sound to your exact liking then saving those settings for future use. The Turtle Beach headphones provide five independent 10-band equalizers for the two front, two surround and center speakers, allowing individual customization so given all the 3D games on the market it’s important not to underestimate the value of getting the exact sound you want during game play.
Some of the bullet point/features include:
True 5.1 surround sound from 8 speakers
Ability to monitor outside sounds while wearing headphones
USB audio interface with multi-channel amplifiers
DSP sound environments with presets
High-fidelity large-diaphragm drivers
Dual sub-woofers for deep vibrating bass
Professional grade, durable construction
Super comfortable ear cup and headband design
10 band, 6-channel EQ
Ambience effects
Positional and removable boom microphone
Built-in stereo microphones
The USB audio interface, which drives the multi-channel headphones, also features separate 5.1 or 7.1 analog and digital outputs. In addition to the headphones and the USB interface, the AK-R8 includes a USB cable, an optical S/PDIF adapter for connecting to home theater equipment, an installation CD and a quick-start manual. The AK-R8 are compatible with Windows 2000, XP or Vista.
You can purchase the Turtle Beach AK-R8 Surround Sound Headphones for $150 at retail stores or directly from Turtle Beach.
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Wish you could watch YouTube videos on your Apple TV? Sometime in June, all Internet connected Apple TV boxes will accept a free software patch that will enable wireless streaming of YouTube videos. YouTube is making thousands of clips available each week until thier full catalog is accessible later this fall.
You’ll be able browse the YouTube content on your Apple TV in a variety of ways including: featured, top viewed, recently viewed, history, and even by search. I’m dreading the search option. If you haven’t used the Apple TV yet, there’s a USB port in the back of the device, but you currently can’t use a keyboard for some reason. Entering text on the Apple TV is the equivalent of typing in your initials for the high score screen in an arcade game. Very painful without a keyboard.
So how chewy will these compressed YouTube videos look on your HD TV? I’ve already ripped a bunch of music videos off YouTube, converted them to MPEG-4 videos and saved them in iTunes. Honestly, the Flash encoded YouTube videos look like crap on a HD TV. YouTube doesn’t even look good when stretched out to its default 480 x 360, let alone 640 x 480 or HD. But YouTube does have thousands of clips and can provide endless hours of entertainment. Fuzzy, but fun.
Apple also announced a new Apple TV model with a 160 GB hard drive for $400. You’ll still be able to buy the old 40 GB version for $300, but personally, I think $100 for 4x the storage is a great deal.
You can read more about the Apple TV here: Apple TV Review
If life could work like the Easy Button I’d be much better off. I could write this post in one smack-down on the Easy Button. Well, now I can actually do that! Buzline offers a USB Easy Button gadget to simplify your daily tasks. OK, so maybe it wont actually write a blog post, but it can launch your favorite web browser, software program or iTunes software via USB.
Available in a variety of colors the USB Easy Button can further be customized with company logo silk-screened – all you need is a purchase agreement of 50 units or more. I don’t think my desk has room for that many.
So you’ve got a killing web experience but have no idea how to convince your visitors to pay for the premium product. Maybe some physical marketing material would help.
“More and more companies are offering paid premium internet services but there is no compelling way to sell that experience physically, such as at retail or in a gift box. It’s still virtually impossible to go into a retail store today and buy an internet experience such as a one year’s subscription to a Web site or access to a popular band’s premium fan site,”
Aving News gave some visual news about the new Samsung 8mm ultra-slim mouse. Although it’s no MoGo Mouse that slips into your PCMCIA slot, it is another great product for the minimalist. The Samsung USB slim mouse is going on sale in Korea next month – not sure if it will ever hit the states. Specs include a USB connection, wheel that scrolls horizontally and five buttons.  Without seeing any buttons there must be a click feature on the wheel, and if there is – I’ll be the first to tell Samsung it’s a poor design. But kudos for being slim.
I would much rather have a 28 year old secretary take dictation then use the iPod MemoMic but using this we can put her to use on other tasks.
The high fidelity digital audio mic recorder turns your iPod Nano into a flexible, detachable microphone suited for any situation.
As you can see in the picture, the recording time is prominently displayed on your iPod Nano screen in real-time, with built-in speaker you can instantly listen to your own monologue.
Rather than pay double time for your trophy-looking secretary to first dictate then type, the MemoMic records your message as separate files on your iPod to later be important into iTunes.
Getting creative, you can use Garage Band or similar audio editing software to play with soundtracks, movies or slideshows.
The iPod MemoMic has a list of $60 but we found it for under $45.
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For the minimalist the PQI USB card reader S721 is what you’ve always wanted. There is no better way to compliment the microSD card size than with a micro USB card reader.
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The PQI S721 is exceptionally small. It also supports the microSDHC format so an ideal purchase for future use. The microSD USB card reader comes in orange-yellow, blue and red to match your phone look…if you’re into that.
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Brando, maker of all cheezy USB things, is attempting to rekindle the plasma ball. Although you wont find the USB plasma ball at your local Spencer’s Store Brando is offering it for $16 and ships directly to anywhere in the world.
Here at GetUSB.info we couldn’t think of a better way to idolize the USB stick then putting some electric shock around it. Potential security feature? Maybe I’ll stop giving Brando a hard time for the boat-load of USB crap they keep pumping out.
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Although I’m not a gamer, my buddy pointed this one and wanted fellow gamers to know. This new USB joystick from Elecom is finally what many are looking for – a well built, sturdy PC controller with enough buttons to play any game. The new Elecom USB JC-AS01BK would be ideal to re-live the glory days of Mortal Combat, Track-n-Field and even Asteroids. Although no dual joystick configuration for classics like Karate Champ.
The USB joystick is compatible with PS3 and check out these stats; truly arcade caliber components with micro switched steel-shafted ball joystick and eight heavy gauge push buttons with four auxiliaries for use as start/select buttons or what ever.
The Elecom USB joystick runs just under $60USD.
After purchasing the remaining 40 percent of Cingular last year, AT&T has begun the process of rebranding some 1,800 Cingular stores. The telecom, which will be the sole carrier of the iPhone in the U.S., is undertaking the rebranding move just weeks before Apple’s hotly anticipated smartphone hits the market.
“Our branding Email Marketing Software – Free Demo campaign is performing at and above projected levels, and customer response has been very positive,” Randall Stephenson, AT&T’s chief operating officer, said.
The San Antonio-based phone giant is accelerating its rebranding efforts of one of the best-known brands in the market, and will make the orange “Jack” logo and Cingular name disappear from new devices being sold.
The decision to move to this phase of the branding campaign is based on research that indicates that consumer awareness of AT&T — one of the best-known, most durable and iconic brands in the world — is high and ahead of expectations, the company said.
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Ever wonder how your mouse connects to the cursor and moves it around your screen? Believe it or not, I found a website that explains this technical process clearly thanks to a giant digital magnifying glass.
Go to this website https://www.1-click.jp/ and then move your cursor around.
Who knew?
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Here’s a YouTube video showing off a new Apple TV plug-in called “A Series of Tubes.” The plug-in allows you to browse YouTube videos on your Apple TV. Sure, the Flash encoded YouTube videos look like crap on a HDTV. YouTube doesn’t even look good when stretched out to its default 480 x 360, let alone 640 x 480 or HD. But YouTube does have thousands of clips and can provide endless hours of entertainment.
Not ready to start tinkering around with plug-ins for your Apple TV? You can still save videos off YouTube and convert them for your iPod/iTunes. Check out this tutorial: How to Copy Videos Off YouTube.
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Wish you could watch YouTube videos on your Apple TV? Sometime in June, all Internet connected Apple TV boxes will accept a free software patch that will enable wireless streaming of YouTube videos. YouTube is making thousands of clips available each week until thier full catalog is accessible later this fall.
You’ll be able browse the YouTube content on your Apple TV in a variety of ways including: featured, top viewed, recently viewed, history, and even by search. I’m dreading the search option. If you haven’t used the Apple TV yet, there’s a USB port in the back of the device, but 
So how chewy will these compressed YouTube videos look on your HD TV? I’ve already 
Ever wonder how your mouse connects to the cursor and moves it around your screen? Believe it or not, I found a website that explains this technical process clearly thanks to a giant digital magnifying glass.
Go to this website 