It’s not often you hear “vertical” and “keyboard” in the same sentence so I jumped on this article when I heard Kensington re-styled their C170 keyboard to include a vertical mounted USB port.
So now that I’ve settled the vertical+keyboard question, the next is why? Look at the picture, then make the jump.
Let’em think you are real crazy. Chat away on this retro style old-timer phone handset with no cords. Don’t mention it’s Bluetooth enabled, just let them figure it out by themselves.
The retro styled handset has a blue LED indicator for Bluetooth connectivity and runs off recharegable battaries. When juice gets low, just plug in via USB and charge it up.
The bluetooth old-fashion handset yields about 30 feet of range and works with Bluetooth version 1.0, 1.1 and 1.2.
Hate to point out the obvious, but the bluetooth handset does not include a cell phone, you’ll need to dig that up yourself.
The retro style handset is available exclusively through ThinkGeek for $30.
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Accordian USB drive, are you kidding me? This is nothing more than silicone wrapped around a USB adapter port. Sure you could slap some marketing gargon on there, like accordion USB drive, but we’ll all see past it.
None the less, I didn’t think of it so kudos to Jacek Ryn for such an idea. You can see his little gadget trap at Poland’s Fine Arts in Gdansk.
The concept is fairly simple and straight forward. Put a USB port and memory device into an accordion shaped silicone casing and call it something new.
Sorry, but this stuff kills me.Source:Â Core77.
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The typical UFD sticking out of your laptop is probably nothing more than fancy shaped plastic, or possibly wood or even gold ($6,000). Today we look at the softer, fuzzier side of UFDs. Paul from Technabob uncovered these fuzzy little USB critters, created by a design artist Nifer Fahrion.
Nifer Fahrion has two version of her fuzzy USBs. The one above is called Maggie the Maggot and the one below is named Gizzy the Data Worm. I’d opt for Gizzy if I had to choose.
Honestly, I think these fuzzy guys are an example of what some kids could do on a rain day to kill some time. Grab some material, glue and let the imagination run wild. I’m tempted to try this myself and turn it into a USB tutorial, but I don’t think anyone would care or try.
SO, with that being said – if I’m off base and you digg this kinda stuff, hop on over to Technabob’s post or Nifer’s site and get ready to drop your $66 on a 4GB original.
Source: Technabob.
As an after-thought, if you are looking for another home-project, how about turning a Pez dispensor into something interesting.
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So what could they think of next? A USB pregnancy test kit? – you have got to be kidding me! Nope.
Pteq is taking the process totally digital with their new USB pregnancy test kit. I’m not sure why, as any test kit is a simple pee on the stick, and wait for one strip or two. So what does the USB bring to the table?
Well, to answer that question lets visit ThinkGeek and see what they had to say…and I must say, the did a great job describing the product. Take a read:
Quote:One line or two. Yes or no. Pregnancy tests are binary by their very nature. So when we found p-Teq’s USB Pregnancy Test Kit that’s chock full of extra scientific information, we knew we had to get this geeky goodness to our potentially spawning fans.
The process starts off like most pregnancy tests. You pee on a stick, specifically the absorbent test strip at one end. But everything’s different after that first step. Remove the cap from the other end of the stick (cleverly provided to keep you from accidentally contaminating the wrong end) to reveal the USB connector. Pop it in your computer. The power from your USB port starts the electrospray ionization process, creating a spectrograph of the various masses for your analysis. Get it? Your analysis? Urinalysis? *rimshot* Moving on.
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What does a high class manufacturer of motorcycles have to do with a manufacturer of USB sticks? Ducati and Sandisk have decided to create a partnership together creating fast memory products like CompactFlash and USB Flash Drives.
Well, Ducati and SanDisk believe by slapping “Sandisk Extreme Ducati Edition” and creating a 4GB flash drive with a fast 20MB/second transfer rate will be able to command $125 from consumers. Why so expensive? The flash drive was designed in an industrial look echoing “the performance, colors and lines of a Ducati MotoGP motorcycle.” I’m sure someone will buy it, but I can get a 500GB drive that would be faster (and much bigger) for about the same price!
Source: Gizmos for GeeksContinue Reading
The Parasolar umbrella performs the very obvious of shielding you from UV rays, but did you know it soaks up those UV rays and converts them to energy? Oded Shorer is thinking outside-the-box with this concept design. The Parasolar pops open a cloth canopy which converts the sun’s rays into electric energy thanks to it’s integrated photovaltaic panels.
The Parasolar can discharge it’s stored energy via a 12v outlet or two USB ports. As UberGizmo points out, this is a great gadget for those camping trips. After all, what’s worse than losing iPod energy while stomping the North 40?
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Here is a Master Card commercial in the making – a USB gadget designed to randomly turn on or toggle a computer’s Cap Locks.
USB connector = $1.30
Some logic = $4.00
A bit of code = $0.00
Watching your work buddy get frustrated because of random Cap Locks = Priceless.
This DIY gadget will intermittently set the caps lock anywhere between 30 seconds and 8 minutes on the host system. What’s creative about this hell gadget is no software code is loaded to the system, thus spyware wouldn’t catch the culprit. Although it is hardware based – so probably not a good gadget trick for a laptop user or a savvy computer geek, but connecting it to the backside port of the idiots PC next to you at work – Priceless.
If you are interested in the full tutorial, then check out Macetech.com. Or check out my other list of USB Hacks.
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I’ve written about USB albums many times before and even a microSD music disk from Ricky Martin, but I thought he was going out on a limb. Apparently not.
SanDisk just announced a sponsorship in association with the Billboard Latin Music Conference and Awards from April 6-10 in Hollywood, Florida. I guess the sponsorship is a reflection on SanDisk’s marketing campaign to “Wake Up Your Phone” by providing pre-loaded entertainment on microSD cards. “Wake Up Your Phone” is focused on informing mobile phone users how they can capture their experiences and take their music with them by expanding the storage capacity of their mobile phones – or between the lines – “hey consumers, don’t forget to stuff your memory slot with a microSD card for $30.”
The Billboard Latin Music Conference will also offer attendees the ability to download additional multimedia entertainment to the microSD cards, such as photos and video, in the attempt to show there is more to do that just microSD music cards.
“This year’s Billboard Latin Music Conference is all about exploring the new way of doing business, so it is extremely fitting that SanDisk Corporation is an in association sponsor of the event,” said Leila Cobo, Billboard’s Executive Director of Content & Programming for Latin Music & Entertainment. “From ringtones to video, understanding and utilizing mobile technology is crucial for any artist or company that wants to succeed in the Latin music business, and we’re thrilled that SanDisk will be giving our attendees the opportunity to experience the true power of mobile entertainment through its microSD cards.”
To increase awareness for how microSD cards can be used SanDisk launched this very entertertaining website WakeUpYourPhone.com.
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Not that fee shipping on a USB drive should put anyone over the edge, but consider an 8GB Kingston drive for only $32 – now that’s a deal worth jumping on board [for].
This GetUSB Dealz has no rebates or coupons, just raw savings. The Kingston DataTraveler was originaly $54 but is reduced to $32 and change.
This particular model has the flip-out USB connector which I’ve always been a fan. The mechanism reduces the device size and helps protect the product for a longer lasting unit.
So here is the company line:DataTraveler 110 contains room for high-definition photos, graphics-intensive documents, videos, spreadsheets, presentations, term papers, and music that can be stored and retrieved in a flash. Sleek, practical, and attractively designed, the affordable DataTraveler 110 serves the needs of the budget-conscious user as well as those looking for significant storage capacity in a lightweight, compact design. DataTraveler 110 features a retractable USB connector for ease of use and safe housing.
MSN has this exclusive i-Buddy design for their instant message customers. The idea is providing a visual message when a new instant message arrives. Akihabara reports the i-Buddy will perform various motions when an new instant message arrives which corresponds to the emotion of the sender. Not sure how that works, but…
The i-Buddy connects via USB port and cable and stands about 3″ tall. I’m not clear about the details, but it seems you must be apart of the i-Buddy community to use the i-Buddy USB figure. All features provided by the i-Buddy Community are free of charge, exclusively to those members. i-Buddy customers can login to express themselves through the innovative functions designed it.
Don’t get too excited for this IM buddy, as Japan will be the first to try it, before the i-Buddy community rolls out to other countries.
All major browsers are supported by i-Buddy.com, including Microsoft Internet Explorer 6/7, Mozilla Firefox 2, Safari 3 and Opera 9. However, to ensure maximum compatibility, we recommend users to use either Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0+ or Mozilla Firefox 2.0+. Flash player is required to browse certain parts of i-Buddy.com
Source:Â Akihabara News.
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Irvine CA based Toshiba American (Digital Products Division) announced a newly designed Satellite laptop line with sleep and charge USB power concept…and we think it’s a winner.
The sleep-and-charge USB concepts makes it possible to charge and power electronic devices connected to the laptop without the laptop being powered-on or in sleep mode.
This is a simple yet revolutionary way USB power bus technology will begin working it’s way into our life. With USB connectivity as the #1 method for peripheral connection to laptops and computers, the sleep-and-charge USB concept is brilliant.
 “Toshiba has long been a leader of innovation, and prides itself on creating solutions that make the digital lifestyle even better,†said Jeff Barney, vice president of marketing, Digital Products Division, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. “With the development of the Sleep-and-Charge USB ports, Toshiba has developed an innovative technology that helps ensure that our digital products are ready for use at the moment we need them.â€
As you know, the major shortcoming with today’s USB ports from either computers or laptops is the lack of power support while the host device is turned off.
I have reported on USB surge protectors which do basically the same thing, but that requires more gear for a traveling business person, the sleep-and-charge is built into the host system.
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Let’em think you are real crazy. Chat away on this retro style old-timer phone handset with no cords. Don’t mention it’s Bluetooth enabled, just let them figure it out by themselves.
The retro styled handset has a blue LED indicator for Bluetooth connectivity and runs off recharegable battaries. When juice gets low, just plug in via USB and charge it up.
The bluetooth old-fashion handset yields about 30 feet of range and works with Bluetooth version 1.0, 1.1 and 1.2.
Hate to point out the obvious, but the bluetooth handset does not include a cell phone, you’ll need to dig that up yourself.
The retro style handset is available exclusively through ThinkGeek for $30.
Continue Reading
What does a high class manufacturer of motorcycles have to do with a manufacturer of USB sticks? Ducati and Sandisk have decided to create a partnership together creating fast memory products like CompactFlash and USB Flash Drives.
Well, Ducati and SanDisk believe by slapping “Sandisk Extreme Ducati Edition” and creating a 4GB flash drive with a fast 20MB/second transfer rate will be able to command $125 from consumers. Why so expensive? The flash drive was designed in an industrial look echoing “the performance, colors and lines of a Ducati MotoGP motorcycle.” I’m sure someone will buy it, but I can get a 500GB drive that would be faster (and much bigger) for about the same price!
Source: Gizmos for Geeks
Continue Reading
Here is a Master Card commercial in the making – a USB gadget designed to randomly turn on or toggle a computer’s Cap Locks.
USB connector = $1.30
Some logic = $4.00
A bit of code = $0.00
Watching your work buddy get frustrated because of random Cap Locks = Priceless.
This DIY gadget will intermittently set the caps lock anywhere between 30 seconds and 8 minutes on the host system. What’s creative about this hell gadget is no software code is loaded to the system, thus spyware wouldn’t catch the culprit. Although it is hardware based – so probably not a good gadget trick for a laptop user or a savvy computer geek, but connecting it to the backside port of the idiots PC next to you at work – Priceless.
If you are interested in the full tutorial, then check out Macetech.com. Or check out my other list of USB Hacks.
Continue Reading
SanDisk just announced a sponsorship in association with the Billboard Latin Music Conference and Awards from April 6-10 in Hollywood, Florida. I guess the sponsorship is a reflection on SanDisk’s marketing campaign to “Wake Up Your Phone” by providing pre-loaded entertainment on microSD cards. “Wake Up Your Phone” is focused on informing mobile phone users how they can capture their experiences and take their music with them by expanding the storage capacity of their mobile phones – or between the lines – “hey consumers, don’t forget to stuff your memory slot with a microSD card for $30.”
The Billboard Latin Music Conference will also offer attendees the ability to download additional multimedia entertainment to the microSD cards, such as photos and video, in the attempt to show there is more to do that just microSD music cards.
MSN has this exclusive i-Buddy design for their instant message customers. The idea is providing a visual message when a new instant message arrives. Akihabara reports the i-Buddy will perform various motions when an new instant message arrives which corresponds to the emotion of the sender. Not sure how that works, but…
The i-Buddy connects via USB port and cable and stands about 3″ tall. I’m not clear about the details, but it seems you must be apart of the i-Buddy community to use the i-Buddy USB figure. All features provided by the i-Buddy Community are free of charge, exclusively to those members. i-Buddy customers can login to express themselves through the innovative functions designed it.
Don’t get too excited for this IM buddy, as Japan will be the first to try it, before the i-Buddy community rolls out to other countries.
All major browsers are supported by i-Buddy.com, including Microsoft Internet Explorer 6/7, Mozilla Firefox 2, Safari 3 and Opera 9. However, to ensure maximum compatibility, we recommend users to use either Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0+ or Mozilla Firefox 2.0+. Flash player is required to browse certain parts of i-Buddy.com
Source:Â Akihabara News.
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