If I where to design this product the ratio would be reversed. I’d create a 3 USB port adaptor with one cigarette plug. After all, I only need one car frig to keep my beer cold at the baseball games. But I do have an MP3 player, phone and camera I’d like to charge up while on the drive over.
The Brando 3-in-1 car adapter with USB port is definitely a good idea. There have been several occasions where I’ve wanted one.
UberGizmo brings up a good point – it might not be the best idea to daisy chain some USB hubs off the single port to power everything you’ve got. Might strain the car battery too much over a long period of time, none-the-less, an excellent item to have for those long hauls.
Brando has them for $20 and ships to the US (and globally) very quickly and inexpensive.
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Okay, so the VW Bus is missing the flowers, but the USB clock radio is kinda cool when in the shape of a gelopie van.
Available in the four color configurations (above), you get a fully functioning AM/FM radio along with alarm clock which displays out the rear window. If you’re looking to down-grade your sound system connect an MP3 player or CD player to the Volkswagen USB bus via audio jack for below par sound.
Obviously a “green” VW Bus as no gas is needed, just a AC power source or USB connection to your PC.
Product retails for about $65 USD and can be purchased directly from Abaido.
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We all blow hot air from time-to-time. Whether it be talking smack to our boss about how busy we are, or literally blowing hot air after a Mexican lunch outing, it’s good to know we have “back up” from the folks at Thanko.
The USB cooling system is designed to cool off that hot seat of yours. I couldn’t think of a more pleasant way to share those personal moments all the while staying cool while under fire. I’m definitely going to file this under useless USB gadgets.
If you have the need, jump over to Thanko and pick up a USB seat cooler…or fart blower, depending on how you look at it.
I wonder what she’s smiling about?
Kinyo is peddling some portable speakers that supports direct connect from a USB flash drive. The Kinyo portable audio player is designed to make your life just a little easier with the USB connection along with support of your popular music players like iPod, Zune, CD players and minidisc players.
The USB boom box runs from AC adapter or from 4 triple AAA batteries with six equalizer settings to optimize sound in any location. I wouldn’t expect too much with just a total output of 2Watts, but might be a good must-have beach item.
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Here is a great Father’s Day gift. A Logitech USB Silver QuickCam Ultra Vision webcam. With regular price of $100 and now with a $50 MIR it’s hard to pass up for just $50 bottom-line! (Offer available until 6/24/07) Never used Google Checkout? Then get the Logitech USB cam for less then $40!
As of this post the Logitech QuickCam is Buy.com’s #2 product and has moved up 37,400% in popularity…so people are grabbing these as fast as they can.
Here’s the official sales pitch:Â Enjoy true-to-life video calls with twice the image clarity of conventional webcams, thanks to the precision engineered, 5 element glass lens. QuickCam Ultra Vision uses Logitech RightLight 2 Technology to give you the highest quality image regardless of your lighting, and RightSound for clear, echo-free audio. It’s video calling that truly is true-to-life.
Grab your GetUSB Dealz now!
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Icron brought us the ExtremeUSB technology making it possible to connect via USB from over a mile away, now Icron is bringing us USB over power lines. Not bad, not bad at all.
Integrating Icron’s patented ExtremeUSB technology and Panasonic’s leading edge HD-PLC power line communications devices, the system extends USB 2.0 over standard power lines enabling remote connection of standard USB devices such as keyboards, printers, flash drives, hard drives and web cameras over the AC outlets in your home or office.
“We are excited to once again be able to showcase the flexibility of our ExtremeUSB technology. With the help of Panasonic’s leading edge HD-PLC devices, we have been able to quickly implement our platform to extend USB 2.0 over standard power lines.†stated Robert Eisses, President and CEO of Icron Technologies. â€With power line technology poised to be a major catalyst for converged home network solutions, we are pleased to be working with Panasonic to add USB 2.0 to that pictureâ€.
In case you are scratching your head about the HD-PLC technology, this explanation might help:
Power Line Communication (PLC) is a technology that uses power lines to both supply electric power and transmit data. Electricity travels in large, slowly changing waves, while data signals move in small, quickly changing waves. Since these waves travel at different speeds, there is no mutual interference when they travel together. This makes it possible to send data signals through power lines, and access the Internet from power outlets. Original Panasonic HD technology uses this principle to provide the large data transmission capacity and high speed of the HD-PLC Ethernet Adaptor.
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Well, to no surprise our recent poll results reflect the same results we found with our USB backing-up a flash drive question. Few do it and few use it.
It appears over 50% of our visitors do not use encryption software on their flash drive. I’d like to think non-sensitive data is the reason, but one can never be too sure. With flash drives having more capacity and their usability getting easier and more engaging (U3, Migo) the likelihood of finding personal information on a UFD is very likely.
Maybe people are timid about using encryption software, thinking it’s too complicated. Maybe the software usability factor isn’t just right. Maybe the performance of the drive drops too low. Maybe people just don’t care.
In any event, there are many encryption solution out there and many flash drives come with some sort of security factor built in. So of course the call is yours, but better safe then sorry than getting identity theft or getting the axe for losing company secrets.
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This is one way to hedge your USB product line from price corrosion. Design a slick alloy casing with diamond studded throughout and now that low-margin USB drive is generating a huge profit…and don’t kid yourself – there are plenty suckers who’d trip over themselves for this. (Although the chain is a deal breaker for me)
IncipioHitch is a quick connect USB adapter for any 2nd generation iPod Nano. With desktops already having cable overload from cell phones, PDAs, iPods, keyboards etc the IncipioHitch USB adapter is a clean addition.
Although USB ports are almost as hard to come by these days as it is to successfully clean up your desktop with cable organizers.
At just $15 bucks it’s a great gift idea. Supports all 2GB, 4GB and 8GB iPod Nano’s.
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Turtle Beach has long been a pioneer in personal digital audio. The new Ear Force AK-R8 is no exception. Released just days ago, the perfectly tuned, surround sound USB headphones are self-proclaimed to be the pinnacle of PC gaming headphones.
While headphones and sound cards have traditionally been considered separate items, the Ear Force AK-R8 multi-speaker headphones and USB interface are designed to work as an integrated system to enhance the unique surround sound capabilities of the headphones.
What is unique about the AK-R8 is the ability to tweak the surround sound to your exact liking then saving those settings for future use. The Turtle Beach headphones provide five independent 10-band equalizers for the two front, two surround and center speakers, allowing individual customization so given all the 3D games on the market it’s important not to underestimate the value of getting the exact sound you want during game play.
Some of the bullet point/features include:
True 5.1 surround sound from 8 speakers
Ability to monitor outside sounds while wearing headphones
USB audio interface with multi-channel amplifiers
DSP sound environments with presets
High-fidelity large-diaphragm drivers
Dual sub-woofers for deep vibrating bass
Professional grade, durable construction
Super comfortable ear cup and headband design
10 band, 6-channel EQ
Ambience effects
Positional and removable boom microphone
Built-in stereo microphones
The USB audio interface, which drives the multi-channel headphones, also features separate 5.1 or 7.1 analog and digital outputs. In addition to the headphones and the USB interface, the AK-R8 includes a USB cable, an optical S/PDIF adapter for connecting to home theater equipment, an installation CD and a quick-start manual. The AK-R8 are compatible with Windows 2000, XP or Vista.
You can purchase the Turtle Beach AK-R8 Surround Sound Headphones for $150 at retail stores or directly from Turtle Beach.
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Wish you could watch YouTube videos on your Apple TV? Sometime in June, all Internet connected Apple TV boxes will accept a free software patch that will enable wireless streaming of YouTube videos. YouTube is making thousands of clips available each week until thier full catalog is accessible later this fall.
You’ll be able browse the YouTube content on your Apple TV in a variety of ways including: featured, top viewed, recently viewed, history, and even by search. I’m dreading the search option. If you haven’t used the Apple TV yet, there’s a USB port in the back of the device, but you currently can’t use a keyboard for some reason. Entering text on the Apple TV is the equivalent of typing in your initials for the high score screen in an arcade game. Very painful without a keyboard.
So how chewy will these compressed YouTube videos look on your HD TV? I’ve already ripped a bunch of music videos off YouTube, converted them to MPEG-4 videos and saved them in iTunes. Honestly, the Flash encoded YouTube videos look like crap on a HD TV. YouTube doesn’t even look good when stretched out to its default 480 x 360, let alone 640 x 480 or HD. But YouTube does have thousands of clips and can provide endless hours of entertainment. Fuzzy, but fun.
Apple also announced a new Apple TV model with a 160 GB hard drive for $400. You’ll still be able to buy the old 40 GB version for $300, but personally, I think $100 for 4x the storage is a great deal.
You can read more about the Apple TV here: Apple TV Review
If life could work like the Easy Button I’d be much better off. I could write this post in one smack-down on the Easy Button. Well, now I can actually do that! Buzline offers a USB Easy Button gadget to simplify your daily tasks. OK, so maybe it wont actually write a blog post, but it can launch your favorite web browser, software program or iTunes software via USB.
Available in a variety of colors the USB Easy Button can further be customized with company logo silk-screened – all you need is a purchase agreement of 50 units or more. I don’t think my desk has room for that many.
Wish you could watch YouTube videos on your Apple TV? Sometime in June, all Internet connected Apple TV boxes will accept a free software patch that will enable wireless streaming of YouTube videos. YouTube is making thousands of clips available each week until thier full catalog is accessible later this fall.
You’ll be able browse the YouTube content on your Apple TV in a variety of ways including: featured, top viewed, recently viewed, history, and even by search. I’m dreading the search option. If you haven’t used the Apple TV yet, there’s a USB port in the back of the device, but you currently can’t use a keyboard for some reason. Entering text on the Apple TV is the equivalent of typing in your initials for the high score screen in an arcade game. Very painful without a keyboard.
So how chewy will these compressed YouTube videos look on your HD TV? I’ve already ripped a bunch of music videos off YouTube, converted them to MPEG-4 videos and saved them in iTunes. Honestly, the Flash encoded YouTube videos look like crap on a HD TV. YouTube doesn’t even look good when stretched out to its default 480 x 360, let alone 640 x 480 or HD. But YouTube does have thousands of clips and can provide endless hours of entertainment. Fuzzy, but fun.
Apple also announced a new Apple TV model with a 160 GB hard drive for $400. You’ll still be able to buy the old 40 GB version for $300, but personally, I think $100 for 4x the storage is a great deal.
You can read more about the Apple TV here: Apple TV Review
