Chinese New Year – The Year of The Rat – UFD

Matt Laboff February 21, 2008 Flash Storage & Memory

This year the Chinese New Year starts on February 7, 2008 and is the year of the Rat.Â Kingston has a Limited Edition, Chinese New Year Rat UFD available for the taking.

year of the rat USB

A little background:Â The Lunar New Year dates back from 2600 BC, when the Emperor Huang Ti introduced the first cycle of the Chinese zodiac.Â Because of cyclical lunar dating, the first day of the year can fall anywhere between January and the middle of February. On the Chinese calendar, 2008 is Lunar Year 4705-4706. On a typical Western calendar, the start of the New Year falls on Continue Reading

Tiny Wii Remote Isn’t a Wii Remote At All

Matt Laboff February 20, 2008 Flash Storage & Memory, USB Hardware & Gadgets

Before you Wii addicts get too excited, it’s not a Wii remote at all, but a well disguised USB stick. This design uses the Wii A button to pop out the USB connector. The spring loaded mechanism looks a little stiff (see video). What’s great about this product, is it looks just like the Wii remote – but far from it and for the Wii fan – it stores between 1 & 8GBs of whatever you want.

usb wii remote

So what do you call a Wii remote look-a-like USB stick? The Wedisk of course. For those interested in a gift giving idea, the company will also custom label the remote with your logo.

Source: Techeblog. Continue Reading

The Mars Volta USB Music Album

Matt Laboff February 18, 2008 USB Hardware & Gadgets

Mars Volta has joined the ranks of artists who’ve introduced music via USB Albums.Â Their latest album, The Bedlam in Goliath is was available on a 1GB drive but is now sold out due to popular demand.Â The drive included album artwork and music video Wax Simulacra and what’s interesting about this Mars Volta offering – after Feb 29th connecting the USB music album to your computer allows unique content download from the Mars Volta website.Â Including B-side material, webisodes and limited edition wallpaper.

The Mars Volta USB Album

I’ve mentioned before about the death of the CD because of the recent trend in USB music albums and with dropping flash memory prices I believe this music trend will continue and grow in strength, numbers and popularity. Here is the Mars Volta web page and the dedicated order page (sold out now) for the USB music album ($29). Continue Reading

GetUSB Dealz: Sandisk Sansa 2GB MP3 Player Only $25 Bucks

Matt Laboff February 14, 2008 USB News & Press Releases

Suggested retail price is $199, street price is $175ish and this reconditioned 2GB Sansa is only $25. Reconditioned? Not a big deal, especially with a reputable company like Sandisk. 90 day warranty and all the goodies which come with a normal retail pack – it might just be that perfect Valentine’s gift for yourself.

Here is the corporate line:

The new Sansa C250 2GB MP3 Player is the latest in SanDisk audio line. Created by the leaders in flash memory, this flash-based player provides everything you need to play music, enjoy photos, and FM radio in vibrant color! This affordable, compact color-screen MP3 player has an amazingly easy-to-use interface. It supports Microsoft PlaysForSure subscription music and is available in 2GB capacity.

If you use Google checkout the $25 price drops another $10 bucks. SO – support the site, click the link, grab the GetUSB Dealz! Thanks.

Note to self: The Sansa also has a micoSD slot for expanded storage so the 2GB is native with ability to hold more.

USB Hack: Turn Any USB Drive Into a Readyboost Drive

Matt Laboff February 14, 2008 Flash Storage & Memory, Tutorials & How-To Guides

Readyboost is a Windows Vista feature which uses flash memory to enhance computer performance.Â The reports have varied about it’s success, but one thing is for sure – you need a Readyboost drive to use the feature – well, until now. Here is a USB hack or work-around for turning any regular USB stick into a Readyboost drive.Â First, lets look to see what Windows would like in a Readyboost drive:

The USB Key must be at least USB 2.0.
The device must be able to do 3.5 MB/s for 4 KB random reads uniformly across the entire device and 2.5 MB/s for 512 KB random writes uniformly across the device.
The USB Key has to have at least 64mb of free space.

If your USB key is at least USB 2.0, but is rated slower for the random reads and writes required to use ReadyBoost, more than likely you have seen this message:

readyboost error window

If so, plug in the USB Key, and cancel Autoplay if it pops up. Click on Start button, and select “Computer.” After Windows Explorer opens, in the right window pane find the USB Key you want to use. Right click and select Properties, then select Continue Reading

USB Hack: Disable USB Port on PC

Matt Laboff February 11, 2008 Tutorials & How-To Guides

For many IT managers USB port connectivity can still pose a large threat to company security.Â One quick down-and-dirty method is disabling the read and write from any system USB port.Â This can be done through a quick registry edit. Here is the full Microsoft article explaining how to disable a USB port (link). Note:Â This is a registry edit so be sure to backup your registry first and know how to restore it in case something terrible happens. To disable the access to USB port, in windows XP and 2000: 1. Click Start, and then click Run. 2. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK. 3. Locate, and then click the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\UsbStor 4. In the right pane, double-click Start. 5. In the Value data box, type 4, click Hexadecimal (if it is not already selected), and then click OK. 6. Quit Registry Editor. To re-enable a disabled port: 1. Click Start, and then click Run. 2. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK. 3. Locate, and then click the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\UsbStor 4. In the right pane, double-click Start. 5. In the Value data box, type 3, click Hexadecimal (if it is not already selected), and then click OK. 6. Quit Registry Editor. Continue Reading

American Idol on iTunes

methodshop February 21, 2008 USB Hardware & Gadgets

The biggest American reality show on TV has finally joined the iTunes platform. Fox Broadcasting, Fox Interactive Media and FremantleMedia signed an exclusive deal with Apple to bring American Idol audio and video performances to iTunes as single song-sized snippets available the day after they premiere on air.

Audio performances of the top 24 contenders run 99Â¢ per song, and videos of the top 12 finalists performances will be priced $1.99/each from March 11.

Apple will also become one of the show’s premiere sponsors and maintain a branded presence on AmericanIdol.com, where some free streaming performances can be seen.

methodshop

Firmware 1.12 iPhone Unlock SIM Card

Matt Laboff February 19, 2008 USB Hardware & Gadgets

Word on the street is that USB Fever as a Firmware version 1.12 SIM card to unlock your iPhone.Â Card is $30 and available now.Â Here is a picture of what you get and it replaces the current iPhone SIM card.Â The site also includes an iPhone tool kit to help you get through the process.

iphon sim card

Firmware 1.12 iPhone Unlock SIM card link. Continue Reading

Military Grade USB Password Protection from Mandylion

Matt Laboff February 15, 2008 Flash Storage & Memory

How many would raise their hand if asked, “Do you use only two or three on-line passwords?“Â I bet the number would be huge.Â Unfortunately, having just a small handful of passwords isn’t the best way for on-line business and buying.Â Today I bring you the Mandylion Password Manager which is a military grade device which can create, store and access 50 different log-in sequences.

The password manager comes with a Policy Master Configuration Software (Windows only) which connects via USB where by you can set and configure sequence options and group policy requirements. The Mandylion Password Manager displays 14 characters and works with any setting such as length, alpha-numeric and special characters.Â You can also set the password manager to regenerate passwords at preset time intervals (90 days, 1 year etc).Â Â So with this device you can easily upgrade your weak password habits to that of uber-security-geek. The device uses a 5 button keypad for navigation and data entry and a unique key pattern is the only way to unlock the device and get to your coveted 50 passwords. This little unit has been designed to meet U.S. Military standards for secure creation of passwords (use authorized under Army Regulation 25-2 IA.) This device helps create a strong security policy for your work environment – so naturally you can brag to the boss about how security conscience you are.

The Mandylion Password Manager is available from ThinkGeek for only $49.

USB Tutorial: USB Telescope for Under $40

Matt Laboff February 14, 2008 Tutorials & How-To Guides, USB Hardware & Gadgets

The guys at Instructables have come up with yet another great tutorial to add some USB gadgetry to your closet. This time we take a look at building a USB telescope from an old analog zoom lens, webcam and PVC piping for housing. Reading through the instructions, the USB tutorial is a seven step process. You will need some prep work done at the hardware store and have your zoom lens and webcam available (both items can be found on eBay for under $15 each). Here is a video summary:

For the full USB Telescope tutorial make the jump. Continue Reading

USB Hack: Disable The AutoPlay Pop Up Window

Matt Laboff February 12, 2008 Tutorials & How-To Guides

The first couple of times I connected a USB drive to my computer it was nice to see the pop-up window asking me what I wanted to do with the drive. However, the pop-up window gets old. Here is how to disable the autoplay pop-up window for USB drives: Go to your Windows Start button and navigate to RUN… type in:

gpedit.msc then click OK

A Windows Group Policy window pops up. This is where you configure the pop-up window setting.

group policy window

Click the Administrative Templates folder, then click the System folder. On the right side of the window you will see (may have to scroll down) the “Turn Off Autoplay” item. Double click that item.

set USB autoplay function

Another window pops up and this is where you enable the turn-off autoplay pop-up window dialogue box. Simply click the radial button for “Enable” now select “All drives” or “CD-ROM drives”Â Â Click OK or Apply and you’re set.

disable usb autoplay

Please note, this setting will also affect your CD-ROM autoplay function as well. I’d like to see the ability to select only USB devices, but that’s just not the case. To reverse the setting, follow the above instructions and set the radial button to either “Not Configured” or “Enabled” If using Windows Vista – the process is just a little easier. Go to your Start button, or Windows Logo and navigate to “Dafault Programs” here a pop-up window opens and click the link for “Change AutoPlay Settings” which then takes you to the following window to configure your autoplay settings for all your devices. Continue Reading

Simpon’s Mr. Burns USB Webcam Makes Any Cheezy Gift Giver Proud

Matt Laboff February 7, 2008 Flash Storage & Memory

Not that a Mr Burns USB webcam should make anyone’s short list for Valentine’s Day, I did find this on Amazon while shopping for my better half. For a whopping $44 you can enjoy this mediocre 640 x 480 plastic webcam which coincidentally shows off your love for prime-time cartoon shows. Not to pass judgment on those types.

For those of you who caught interest because of the geeky phrase “USB webcam” you might want to try this for a more rewarding purchase.

Simpson’s Mr Burns USB Webcam Amazon Link.