Archive for the ‘Office Gadgets’ Category
Carrying your USB flash drive around can be quite the hassle especially if you don’t want to clutter your pocket with too many things. Enter the Capsule USB Key.
This two-inch long thumbdrive is encased in brushed aluminum with an attached chain and hook. Keep it on your keychain, hang it around your neck, or dangle it from your nose, if that’s your thing. By the way, if you do hang it from a body part, make sure you email us a picture!
Coar -$27.99
The Data Traveler Micro Reader has on the top of the unit a small hatch that opens up for microSD and Memory Stick Micro cards. Handy dandy!
The flash drive comes in 1GB, 2GB and 4GB and cost you $19.25, $28.25 or $42.00 respectively.
Microsoft has made an important announcement for the Vista operating system - the Redmond giant aims to release Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Windows Vista to manufacturing soon, and users of this rather buggy platform will soon be able to get their grubby hands on it in five different languages - English, French, Spanish, German and Japanese. This SP1 will be made available as a download from the middle of next month onwards, just in time for the release of new systems that come pre-installed with Vista SP1.
I’m still on Windows XP though. But when this is out, will you join me in going over to Vista?
The Transformers Movie was one of last year’s biggest summer hits. This USB flash drive that comes in the form on an Autobot insignia while concealing a USB connection. It hooks up to your computer via USB 2.0,getting a maximum data transfer speed of 480Mbps.
Comes with 1GB storage space and is available only in bulk.
Callpod’s Dragon Bluetooth headset is not only good for use with cell phones, but it works just fine with PDAs, VoIP devices as well as computers as long as they are all Bluetooth compatible. The Dragon Bluetooth headset works well only within a 100 meter range, which is by far and large already a vast improvement over the ordinary 10 meter range that standard Bluetooth headsets currently employ.
It is also capable of silencing ambient noise as well as annoying pops and clicks thanks to its proprietary Dual-Mic Noise Suppression technology which is capable of isolating the user’s voice by removing background noise. The Dragon also works great when connected to the PC whenever you want to chat up a friend over Skype while on a mobile call, letting you switch back and forth between the PC and cell phone at the touch of a button.
Ambient noise elimination is due to a new Bluetooth technology known as “enhanced audio channels”, or eSCO for short. ( present in an Iphone).
Tossing away a mouse in favor of a touchpad? A HTPC in just perfect for you.
If you’re looking for a good way to get the best-of-both-worlds, this wireless keyboard is probably one of the best designs out there. It’s quite simple, and looks rather like the bottom half of a laptop. The keys look as though they’d be decent for moderate amounts of typing, but then again you probably won’t be composing letters on your big-screen TV.
In the world of digital cameras and every other gadget related to photos, all the attention right now is going to the PMA 2008, the Photo Marketing Association trade show.
SanDisk has presented a new memory card with 32GB of storage capacity. The type of card is on the Ultra II SDHC category, and was specially made for video cameras.
This 32GB version will only become available in April with a cost of $350, there is another version with less capacity - 16GB - that will market on March and has a price tag of $180. In case you want something smaller, there is still another model with a special feature, it has 8GB and comes with a USB plug so you can easily connect it to a computer to transfer data. The other models also include a MicroMate USB card reader.
Kingston Technology is renowned for their flash memory products, and the company moves forward by expanding its line of USB flash drives by introducing the DataTraveler HyperX (also known as the DT HyperX) and the DataTraveler 110 (DT110) models. Both of them aim to leave the competition in the dust, designed for ultra-fast read/write speeds without breaking the bank. Both the DT HyperX and DT110 drives come in varying capacities, maxing out at 8GB.
The DT HyperX boasts a theoretical data transfer rate of 30MB/sec. read and 20MB/sec. write, and was specially designed to run on any Windows Platform but would probably fulfill its potential on Vista-based systems since it has already been enhanced for Windows ReadyBoost. As for the DataTraveler 110 , this targets the more budget conscious markets (can you say students and average office workers?) without sacrificing on performance. The DT110 also does away with the risk of you losing the cap, since it employs a capless, retractable USB connector for ease-of-use and safe housing.
Features and specifications of the Kingston DataTraveler HyperX USB Drive include :-
Capacities: 2GB, 4GB, 8GB
Dimensions: 2.76″ x 0.88″ x 0.44″ (70.0mm x 22.4mm x 11.3mm)
Speed Rating: data transfer rates of 30MB/sec. read and 20MB/sec. write
Enhanced: for Windows ReadyBoost on Vista-based systems
Compatible Operating Systems: Windows Vista, Windows 2000 (SP4), Windows XP (SP1 and SP2), Mac OS (10.2x and higher),
Linux (2.6 and higher)
Operating Temperature: 32° F to 140° F (0° C to 60° C)
Storage Temperature: -4° F to 185° F (-20° C – 85° C)
Easy: plug and play
Guaranteed: five-year warranty
The DTHX/2GB 2GB HyperX, DTHX/4GB 4GB HyperX, and DTHX/8GB 8GB HyperX will retail for $74, $131 and $266 respectively.
The Eee PC from Asus has been out for a little while now, and we really haven’t seen any major competitors hit the market yet. We’ve however heard some announcements from Gigabyte and Acer, but those won’t be out for a little while. The first one that we’ll likely see is the CloudBook from Everex which should have made its debut this past week. Unfortunately, it has been delayed.
The CloudBook has a 7-inch screen, 30GB hard drive and run gOS Rocket as its operating system. With the larger hard drive, it has the ability to appeal to a larger crowd, as Windows could be installed much more easily . It will only weigh around two pounds and should give you around five hours of battery life.
Convergence gadgets are always welcome. A Skype phone that’s built into your keyboard. Innovative eh?
I much rather prefer a headphone but if in case its inappropriate you can get this one.
Look for Buffalo to launch this in Japan this October for around $65. There’s currently no word on a US release.
