The internet is something we all take for granted. We surf, play and view at our leisure, but for some, this freedom we have is a far cry from their everyday life. Who am I talking about? China. It’s been know since the birth of the internet that China has ultimate control on what you see and hear from the internet.
Typically this wouldn’t bother most, but considering the 2008 Olympics are launching today, there are many foreign visitors who can’t use the internet the way they typically do. This is where the “Freedom Stick” comes into play. The USB dongle Freedom Stick, is a pre-loaded USB drive with all the software, utilities and hacks to get around the Great Wall Firewall of China.
USB dongle is pre-loaded with software which will secure the communications of any computer it is slotted into. Made available by Germany’s Chaos Computer Club, the stick uses the TOR (The Onion Router) network to cloak your connections, routing traffic around the world through anonymous computers, thus avoiding detection.
The USB dongle is available for $30 and is clearly a must-have travel item for this years 2008 Olympics.
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We all know the George Foreman USB grill was an April Fools joke a couple years ago, well now Instructables [member] claims he can cook eggs via two USB ports. But could this be true or are we getting punked? If a USB port doesn’t put out more than 5V of power, then how the hell do you get a couple aluminum pans to heat up enough to cook eggs? I’ll let you be the judge on this one:
DIY USB Cooking Pan – video powered by Metacafe
Source: Giz.
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I’m sure the Spaniards would order a whole nations worth if these if the announcement was made just a few weeks earlier – with their Euro 2008 win and all.
The wireless USB soccer ball is a great way to show your support for the game. Or a great way to get into the upcoming Olympic spirit. The wireless USB soccer ball, although Goddy looking, seems plenty comfortable for who-ever drops the $22 need for ownership.
Resolution is 800dpi, wheel used as third button, use the mouse up-to 3 feet away, comes with rechargeable AAA Ni-H batteries and good for all Windows operating systems. USB rechargeable too.
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I’ve had the problem of too many highlighter pens, no place to put them and a need for USB connectivity. Therefore, I’m glad Gadgets2Order came up with this Dexx USB design. The square design acts as a dock station for your yellow, blue and green highlighter pens. In addition, you’ve got a USB flash drive for storing those digital files. Yet, the drive size seems too big for easy use with laptops and front panel USB ports which are set-in from the front bezel.
Never-the-less you can turn the Dexx into a USB hub if the flash drive doesn’t work out.
One last deal-breaker is a minimum lot of 50 must be ordered at a 7.92 per unit price. Probably a good idea on paper [bar napkin no less] but doesn’t seem like the best product idea.
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Have a mess? Need some help on that clean up job? If so, check out this DIY video on how to home brew a USB vacuum.
Can’t see the video – here’s the YouTube link.
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Earlier this week Mimobot announced the final installment of their USB Star Wars Series 3 collection. The final character to be reviled is no other than; USB C-3PO. So with the Alliance making it’s only appearance it appears the Series 3 is more about the Dark Side.
C-3PO is available in 1, 2, 4 or 8GB sizes. The other Mimobot characters reveled, Darth Sidious, Wicket and Royal Guard are also available in the mentioned sizes. Prices range from $40 to $110.
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The i-Knock is another knock-off Instant Message notifier. With any of the popular instant message services like Yahoo, MSN, AOL or Skype this i-Knock is there for support and alerts. This time, however, the notification is in the form of a knock to the head. The i-Knock doesn’t stop there, you can also load specific MP3 files to play for certain instant messaging parties. I’d sync up “Ding-Dong-The-Witch-Is-Dead” from Wizard of Oz for the mother-in-law.
The i-Knock connects to your computer via a USB cable and is also powered through the USB cable. There are over 20 emoticons, email client if you choose and log-on notification function for those within your network.
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Engadget reported on the new USB luck from Thanko. The not-so-clever device uses a 3 wheel number combination lock which attaches to the USB connector of your USB drive, or anything else with a USB connector. Although this looks like something more to keep the honest people honest as disassembling the lock itself doesn’t look to be terribly difficult.
The funny part is, if the data is that important to keep safe, wouldn’t wouldn’t you spend a few minutes learning about encryption? I mean with the most powerful encryption software by TrueCrypt available for free, why not. Kicks the a$$ of this “hardware” solution.
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This USB design fits into the same category as the Sawed Off USB Key we reported about one month ago. The USB Nail generates this look of amazement at first glance, “How did a nail get jammed into your laptop?” Well the answer is quite easy!
It’s just a USB drive. A design company in Denmark, Plankton, came up with this off-the-wall look. Would this change the definition of a “rugged flash drive?” Probably not, but it’s definitely a fresh twist on USB storage.
Plankton is offering up the USB Nail for [about] $46 directly from their site.
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It’s good to stand out, let the world know you are different. These USB hard drive cases from Meninos will help you do just that. What started out as a contemporary design hobby for friends and family has turned into a full blown business. The Meninos site offers a variety of dress up USB hard drive cases. The cases are made of custom acrylic with dual cooling fans, USB port and covered with a vinyl wrapper to set yourself [itself] apart.
You can also upload an Adobe Illustrator file using their template if the bold claim of your “Marlboro” man isn’t enough. Below are a photo list of the current styles available. Which one best fits your taste?
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Digi-Key released their USB Beagle Board today which is a low cost, high performance development board for ground level design work. The USB Beagle Board is 3in x 3in in size, includes a powerful 600MHYz ARM Cortex A8 processor, high speed USB 2.0 port, SD port, C64x+ DSP & video acceleration and supports 1280×1024 DVI-D monitors.
The ARM processor will handle over 1,200 million instructions per second (MIPS) making it as powerful as most laptops these days.
The USB Beagle Board is only $149 making it the least expensive, most powerful development board on the market. Here is a list of other hardware components for the Beagle Board:
OMAP3530 applications processor featuring the ARM® Cortex™-A8
Which USB watch would you pick?
Our first contestant is this high-end looking watch with 4GB of removable USB flash memory. Outfitted with:
This watch has a plastic case covered by stainless steel mask with brushed silver finish and convex mineral glass with shiny raised index. The USB flash drive fits inside the watch case flush with the contours of the watch case – ready to hold your data safe and secure.
What I particularly like about this watch is the claimed “Japanese quartz movement” Not sure what that means, but if it’s anything like my Honda, this USB watch is dependable and spot-on time.
Next we have the USB Timeless watch. A geekness rendition of what a watch should really look like.Â
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Digi-Key released their 