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.
IO Data is looking to broaden your viewing horizon with their USB to RGB dongle. Ideal for laptops without video or D-Sub output this “could” help improve your viewing experience by replacing the laptop screen with a bigger monitor. Then again, if you are missing video out, you’re probably missing USB too.
Before you consider building a panel of monitors from your laptop be sure to check your video card capabilities as most laptops can’t support more then original screen plus one monitor anyway. Another option is trying a new USB monitor which does the video processing for you.
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There are times when my Avast Home Edition Security Software seems to lock up for 3 to 5 minutes downloading the latest update or version. Although it’s not a lot of time, the repeated event grinds on my nerves. For that reason I was very pleased to read about the Yoggie Pico Security System.
The first of it’s kind, the Yoggie Pico device is a self contained mini computer on a USB stick which runs and manages 13 different security applications.
At first thought – doesn’t seem like much – why not load up 13 security applications on your computer and save a USB port? Well, the beauty lies within the combination of a self contained unit, a processor to run it self and the combination of hardware and software to protect your computer.
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Undoubtedly there are certain sports which carry hard-core fans. Fans who will go to any length for that one unique piece of memorabilia. Right up there with hockey and football fans are Indy Car Race fans.
Although I can’t find the press release now, today I received visual candy confirming our beloved Indianapolis Motor Speedway has officially endorsed the USB flash drive technology. Indianapolis Motor Speedway USB drive:
For just $20 you too can get this exclusive (I want to say limited edition, but not sure) Indianapolis Motor Speedway 512MB flash drive for your storage pleasure. It’s never been easier to one-up your Indy loving geek friend with this piece of sporting memorabilia.
Alan McKelvey, Retail Manager for IMS on-line stores sent me this back room photo to let the world know they mean business.
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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I’ve given tips on how to disable USB ports via security software or changing Windows USB register files, but the simplest way to secure a USB port is to block it.
The folks at Earth-Trek developed a swanky USB lock which uses the UFD shaped key to also house the USB locks.
As you can see in the picture, the key uses a mechanical lever type setup to insert the USB lock, then detach the key from the seated lock and the USB port is blocked.
Judging by the picture it might not be hard to tear out the USB lock, but you’ll probably make enough noise in the attempt to draw attention.
PQI has a thoughtful approach to USB Readyboost. Rather then sucking up a cherished external USB port PQI is taking an internal approach. Here you see a PQI 2GB memory enhancement for Readyboost via the USB header connector on a motherboard.
Although it might not enhance the performance of your Vista system, it is a nice internal solution. Maybe PQI knew Readyboost was a bunch of marketing hype and came out the champion to support the PC monopoly all-the-while keeping the commoner happy with the same number of USB ports.
But, putting some thought into PQI’s approach there is an advantage. One interesting possibility would be if you could boot from it, as it could make for a great companion for a media center machine if you run some kind of Linux version on it, as you don’t have to waste drive space on the OS.
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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 
