No one likes the dentist and it’s tough getter there twice a year like everyone should. So to help fight the war against plaque you can invest a bit of money into this USB toothbrush cleaning kit. Powered by UV light, the USB toothbrush cleaning kit will sanitize your brush while you’re out getting your teeth covered in sugar-bugs.
The UVmini [as they call it] comes in two models. A USB version and a USB + battery version. Obviously the second version is geared toward the germ-a-fobes who travel and uses a lithium battery which can cycle 10 cleanings. I would opt for the battery pack as keeping your toothbrush cleaning kit tethered to your computer’s USB port is a bit ridiculous [yet again, another reason to get a USB outlet kit].
We don’t have any price information as of yet but they should start hitting Pan-Asian vendors shortly. The rest of the world will have to wait a bit longer.
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I’m sure most have seen this video which is the intro to Steve Job’s press conference today about the iPhone4 antenna problem. Great video, and I love the part about Gizmodo – what a bunch of drama queens.
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They say the best product to invent is taking an existing product and make it better. Today is a case in point. The paper clip has been around forever [1870] and just recently have we seen a true improvement. The USB paper clip is very creative and a fresh twist on an old product. In fact, TechCrunch quoted, “why didn’t I think of that” type design.
So here it is, the USB memory clip.
We have heard of crazy USB happenings before and they always seem a bit suspicious, case in point is the latest bit of news about an iPhone 4 bursting into flames.
I doubt it really burst into flames but the temptation to make a social media claim of an iPhone 4 blowing up is all too tempting. The truth is more likely a slow melt from poor circuitry with an “after the fact” photo to create the drama.
Given the aforementioned iPhone 4’s bezel allegedly got extremely hot to the touch during the recharging process, you can stand to wonder if this might be an excellent warning sign for a phone about to blow.
What do you think? Post your comments on our Facebook page.
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I’ve seen some USB holders at Staples and Office Max for over $20 dollars and that’s just for a fancy pouch to place your USB sticks while on-the-go. What about a DIY duct tape USB holder? You get the satisfaction of making it yourself, save yourself some cash and a hint of coolness to your storage devices.
Granted the duct tape approach is more in tune with kids, but lets give this a quick review.
In four simple steps you can do this exact project.
Step 1 – Grab some materials, that being a ruler, knife, duct tape, thumb drives and creativity.
Step 2 – Make the back plane duct tape which is very similar to making a duct tape wallet.
Step 3 – Add the pockets. In the picture you can see the USBs are parallel with each other, I would recommend staggering them so the thickness is reduced when folding.
Step 4 – Put the finishing touches on there with some clean lines of duct tape, patterns and custom designs.
For the full tutorial and loads more pictures visit Instructables.
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I came across this very interesting USB hack from TechOat the other day. The concept of this modification is taking the key of a power box in your computer and turning that into the physical on/off switch for USB communication.
The premise is disassembling the wires of the USB cable and port and weaving that into the circuit of a locking switch on your PC. I think this illustration shows it best:
What I particularly like about this USB hack, is the physical requirement to have the key in order to work the USB port. This type of security [more fun then practical] for USB devices in general is much better than a Truecrypt type solution as that only protects the device, not the system.
So what you need includes:
Small USB thumb drive
USB extension cable or USB socket and plug with cable
Locking switch DPST
Plastic box
The rest is just elbow grease to get it working, for the specific details and tutorial, jump here.
Netbooks are great portable PCs and I would switch from my full sized Fujitsu laptop to my Acer Netbook if it wasn’t for the limited monitor space.
I understand there are trade-offs for ultra portable Netbooks verse size, speed and performance. But with this new Lilliput USB monitor for only $99 it’s really got me thinking. A switch might be eminent.
So for just $99 you get a 7 inch display with resolution of 800 x 480 dpi. The contrast ratio is nice at 400:1 and connects only through a USB port.
I understand there are trade-offs for ultra portable Netbooks verse size, speed and performance. But with this new Lilliput USB monitor for only $99 it’s really got me thinking. A switch might be eminent.
So for just $99 you get a 7 inch display with resolution of 800 x 480 dpi. The contrast ratio is nice at 400:1 and connects only through a USB port.
So with the combination of my Netbook [we have 7 at work] along with the USB mini monitor, I’m still packing less weight and space then my full blown laptop.
Since there are no drivers needed for the Mac or PC it’s truly plug-n-play and ready to work with any PC, work or home.
So for $99 it’s worth a shot. What do you think?
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There is a new kid on the block when it comes to USB connectors, it is “The Flipper.” The concept is so incredibly simply you will laugh when you see it. The Flipper is a USB connector that will make correct contact with the host USB port regardless of how you insert it.
Granted it is not that hard to figure out which side is up and down…and I will admit [openly] that if you have trouble with that – then you are an idiot.
So if you are having trouble here is a tip:Â Seam is the down side, seamless is the up side.
So The Flipper will help the idiots who can’t figure heads from tails.
I do say, there was a design flaw in the first place with having an up and down position, it should have been universal and hopefully The Flipper will catch on and thus change USB forever…or at least until USB 3.0 takes over.
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Don’t dismiss this post because you think a cork sleeve would be cheezy for your $700 iPad. It’s not. This tutorial helps you create a well designed, cool looking, durable cork case.
Sure, cork isn’t very strong, but with added cloth and fleece the end result creates a strong sleeve and something which will protect your iPad and last for quit some time.
The materials are not difficult to find and should run you about $20 at most.
Bobber does an excellent job of point out the details and making sure you don’t miss the important steps for making a quality DIY iPad sleeve. He includes a ton of well documented pictures, after all, nothing is better than a picture for projects you’ve never tried.
Full tutorial here.
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Biking is great exercise, but don’t let a healthy body be the only reward for this activity, power up your gadgets. Here is a USB tutorial which incorporates a two port USB hub and switching regulator to generate a 5v charge to any USB device.
There are so many small electronics that can be powered or charged from a USB connection it only makes since that people might want to do this while riding a bike.
The hack isn’t too complicated, but it is a weekend project and will require some soldering skills. The two fundamental components are a Rectifier which changes AC current into DC current and a Voltage Regulator which is a switching regulator to control the amount of volts going to the charged devices.
To get all the details visit the DIY project here.
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Happy 4th of July for 2010 from GetUSB.info. Here is a great image of a USB drive branded with the US flag. Did you know why we celebrate the 4th of July? I’m sure you do, but for a friendly reminder, read this:
Most people in the US celebrate the 4th of July, but do you know why the holiday is so important to our country? Imagine how you would feel if someone older than you kept telling you what to do all of the time and kept taking more and more of your allowance. That is how the colonists felt in the years leading up to 1776. Great Britain kept trying to make the colonists follow more rules and pay higher taxes. People started getting mad and began making plans to be able to make their own rules. They no longer wanted Great Britain to be able to tell them what to do, so they decided to tell Great Britain that they were becoming an independent country. (To be independent means to take care of yourself, making your own rules and providing for your own needs.)
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Here at GetUSB.info we love the USB steampunk drive. We’ve reported on at least a dozen of them over the past couple years and I’m sure we’ve missed three times that many. Today we are tipping you off to a great tutorial on how to USB steampunk your own flash drive.
Instructables has a very detailed, 9 page tutorial on how to steampunk your own gear. It gives you a list of material, a detailed process, good and creative guidelines along with plenty of pictures and resources.
It’s my goal to actually do this over the July 4th weekend [2010] and post my result. Lets hope for the best!
To give you an idea of the scope of project considering the following list of materials and tools. If it fits into your abilities, then give it a shot!
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Biking is great exercise, but don’t let a healthy body be the only reward for this activity, power up your gadgets. Here is a USB tutorial which incorporates a two port USB hub and switching regulator to generate a 5v charge to any USB device.
There are so many small electronics that can be powered or charged from a USB connection it only makes since that people might want to do this while riding a bike.
The hack isn’t too complicated, but it is a weekend project and will require some soldering skills. The two fundamental components are a Rectifier which changes AC current into DC current and a Voltage Regulator which is a switching regulator to control the amount of volts going to the charged devices.
To get all the details visit the DIY project here.
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