An Easier Tool to Boot From an Image File

Cyrus January 20, 2017 USB News

With bootable USB media becoming more and more common and fewer machines even shipping with a CD drive, ISO image files and other forms of portable software is becoming the new standard for software distributions. To supplement this shift, Rufus aims to convert any ISO image into a boot drive in a matter of minutes.

Rufus is an easy to use portable software for Windows devices to create bootable USB drives using ISO images. This includes options to properly identify images such as installation disks or operating systems and then it will compare the image to the available disk size. The process itself does not take a particularly long time but it does depend on the size of the ISo and speed of the USB drive.

A USB Mic for Warmer Recording Sound

Cyrus December 21, 2016 USB News

For anyone looking for a PC mic, a USB connection is a must. Mic jack connections with the standard 3.5mm cable don’t have the connections or data flow to properly translate sound into usable data for a computer. To go beyond this, however, would be to use tools like Behringer’s new MIC500USB to achieve that famous tube “warmth” without having to record in a studio with rackmounted tube preamps.

A Battery That Charges In Seconds

Cyrus November 30, 2016 Power for USB

With the potential to push past the lithium ion cells in the majority of mobile tech today, scientists from the University of Central Florida have created a supercapacitor battery prototype. This model works like new even after 30,000 recharges and has an estimated lifetime 20 times longer than traditional mobile battery sources.

Supercapacitors can be charged quickly because they store energy on the surface of a material rather than using internal chemical reactions. This two dimensional sheet is predominately made of graphene and prioritizes surface area to maximize its storage.

Express Yourself With This External Hard Drive

Cyrus October 26, 2016 USB News

For those wanting both security and style, Western Digital has released a re-imagined design for their trusted portable storage devices. The My Passport portable drive can store a massive amount of photos, videos, and music for any media that interests the user.

Available in a vibrant array of colors, the sleek style fits comfortably in the palm of your hand and can handle all of your storage needs. With automatic backups, documents from your system can be loaded to the My Passport drive on a custom schedule so the drive is always up to date. Password protection and a built in 256 bit AES hardware encryption with WD Security helps keep your content private and safe. Finally, Western Digital builds drives to demanding requirements for durability, shock tolerance, and long term reliability. To prove this, they offer thheir 2 year warranty with purhcases of the Passport.

The Audio Jack Could Be Gone For Good

Cyrus October 3, 2016 Apple / iPod, Audio, Power for USB

To the confusion and frustration of many iPhone 7 users, the lack of an audio jack is being seen as a step forward rather than back. With the advent of USB Type-C, audio will no longer require a 3.5mm headphone port. Instead, that data can be transmitted, along with videos and power, through Type-C.

The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) recently announced its awaited audio specifications for USB Type-C to end the reign of our beloved headphone jack so lets take a look at the new standard. Officially called the USB Audio Device Class 3.0, manufacturers that need to feed sound through USB Type-C ports are affected the most by it. Everything from PCs to phones is included and the USB-IF expects Type-C to be the “primary solution for all digital audio aplications, including headsets, mobile devices, docking stations, gaming set-ups, and VR solutions.”

Just How Much Can This SSD Speed Up Your Computer?

Cyrus August 31, 2016 USB News

SanDisk is well known for its memory and and with the price of flash memory steadily dropping, the SanDisk Extreme 500 Portable 240GB SSD is as affordable as it is fast.

Less than half the size of your smarthpone, it can deliver up to 4x the speed of a portable hard drive with write speeds up to 200MB/s and read speeds up to double that. In seconds, you can transfer big videos and photo libraries and its durable design is a great way to ensure the safety of your data. Solid state technology offers reliable, responsive, high-performance storage for any user who cares about big media files.

Additional features include access to SanDisk’s SecureAccess software for 128-bit encryption to keep private files from prying eyes. A bonus in the nature of an SSD as opposed to hard drive memory, this drive has no moving parts therefore generates significantly less heat than the standard drive even on the busiest of days. If you’re looking for a place to store your operating system or just to hold on to memorable videos, this device will make sure it’s all accessible, safe, and fast.

You can find more information about SanDisk’s products at https://www.sandisk.com/

Breathe New Life Into an Old Computer

Cyrus January 4, 2017 USB News

Rasberry Pi’s Pixel is a lightweight operating system released by the foundation behind the affordable $35 Rasberry Pi computer and it is now available for PC or Mac users who want to renew their old hardware! The Linux-based OS comes as a downloadable image you can either burn to a DVD or load onto a USB drive to boot directly into the Pixel environment.

What does this mean for your old laptop that has been lying around? It means you can once again use it for basic tasks and web browsing via Chromium, which comes pre-installed. This is, however, a prototype build. Some bugs and hardware compatibility issues are expected, one of which is a recognition error with modern Mac systems but altogether, nothing that would be harmful to your system. The creative prioritization was for the purpose of distributing this Mac and PC version because it was believed to be most useful in schools with outdated hardware. With Pixel, these machines will once again be able to access information in modern fashion.

Facebook is introducing an AI to crack down on fake news

Cyrus December 9, 2016 USB News

In light of misinformation and explosively popular falsehoods we’ve seen in the last few years, Facebook has taken steps to create consequences for spreading objectionable content. This month the US Trademark and Patent Office published Facebook’s application for a detection tool on their platform. As stated in the application, its primary purpose is to improve detection of pornography, hate speech, and bullying. Last month, however, Zuckerberg emphasized the need for “better technical systems to detect what people will flag as false before they do it themselves.”

The system described is largely consistent with Facebook’s current protocols for objectionable content but it also adds layers of machine learning to improve efficiency. The move comes at a time when Facebook is under increasing public pressure to reduce the spread of propaganda through its network. Although they have expressed commitment to making improvements, they are proceeding with caution to the idea that machine learning can separate fact from fiction but due to the audiences receptive to some of the more questionable content, clear standards may be the first necessary step for implementation.

3 Simple Tips To Keeping Your E-mail Secure

Cyrus November 9, 2016 USB News

Phishing emails and information theft as a whole can be frightening as well as annoying. They flood our inboxes hoping our guard is down and we make a mistake to give up our private details and it seems like a never ending battle against hackers and scammers. To combat this, here are a few easy steps that can keep your information secure.

Step 1: Never Click On Shortened Links

A Trans-Pacific Internet Cable From Google

Cyrus October 14, 2016 USB News

Ever wonder how data from a server in Beijing can reach a computer in San Diego? As deceptively simple as it sounds, that data goes through a cable. Cables spanning various distances, numerous speeds, and controlled by an incredible variety of owners, run through the ocean to connect these different sides of the world. Google, in a partnership with Facebook and China Soft Power Technology, is looking to take the next leap in the quality and speed of these vital methods of data transfer. That leap comes in the form of a few 8,000 mile cables, and it’s called the Pacific Light Cable Network.

The Pacific Light Cable Network, or the PLCN, will transmit 120 terabits of data per second between Los Angeles and Hong Kong and is expected to be functional by 2018. According to Google’s submarine networking infrastructure director, this will decrease latency in certain cases and will provide a much faster and more reliable experience when communicating between the two regions.

Sponsored Post Nexcopy’s New 128GB CopySecure Drives

Cyrus September 19, 2016 Nexcopy Inc.

With flash memory continually becoming more spacious and more affordable, encryption and data security become a much greater challenge for larger loads of higher complexity. Nexcopy hasn’t shied from the challenge with their ever-improving CopySecure software and are proud to announce some version updates to make data protection even easier.

Larger Supported File and Filetypes

Fewer restrictions on data size means higher quality videos and images can be used in CopySecure content. With CopySecure, the bells and whistles of a site, program, or page can be stored on a safe drive, impervious to duplication.
Example: A 4K training video, which could be over 3GB in size, can now be securely stored and distributed without the need to compress or reduce quality.

Watermark Implementation

Branding your documents before encrypting them has been an issue in the past due to the nature of most watermarking software. Attempting to encrypt content with a portion of its data already encrypted had its challenges, but the newest version includes support for Adobe’s watermarking tool, Stamps.
Example: Educational institutions use watermarks on videos to discourage screen recording and unauthorized redistribution of their proprietary content.

Double The Storage Space!

Improvements to Nexcopy Duplicators as well as the software have made it incredibly convenient to protect more of your data, and in less time. With those upgrades, 128GB drives are now supported for loading and encryption using the CopySecure software.
Example: As average video file sizes continue to grow due to HD and 4K resolution standards, more storage capacity allows for more robust media distribution on a single USB drive.

For more information, here’s a page dedicated to information about the CopySecure software and the concept of Copy Protection.

A One-Stop Upgrade For Tablets, Laptops, And Desktops

Cyrus August 15, 2016 USB News

For those wanting an upgrade to their tablet, laptop, or desktop without having to purchase a completely new machine, the USB 3.0 Docking Station from Accell is the boost to functionality and speed that all users can appreciate. Significant increases to ports, data transfer speeds, and even charging, this dock will maximize the value of your existing device.