Best computer news

Microsoft has added a new webcam to their LifeCam family called the VX-7000. The camera has a 2.0 megapixel sensor for high definition video and can shoot still images at 7.6 megapixels interpolated. The camera also uses a slim design intended to blend in with your PC display, rather than standing out like the R2D2 webcam. We also reviewed the VX-6000 LifeCam previously.

Other features include a built-in Windows Live Call Button on top of the LifeCam, a One-Touch blogging button that allows posting of HD video directly to Windows Live Spaces Blog, and a LifeCam Dashboard that provides simple access to the most important controls for the camera. A built-in unidirectional mic with acoustic noise cancellation delivers good audio quality. The lens uses a glass element for clear video and is a 71-degree wide-angle unit. The VX-7000 also adjusts automatically for low light situations. Availability is set for September at $99.95 MSRP.
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If you are tired of industrial looking black and silver for your external hard drives LaCie has a golden idea for you. They have wrapped their latest external hard drive in a wavy gold exterior that looks way cool. It’s much more attractive than the typical external drives, like the LaCie biometric SAFE we reviewed.

The Golden Disk includes LaCie one touch backup software and works with windows 2000, XP and Mac OS X. The connection to your PC is via USB 2.0. Inside the lovely gold case is a 500GB hard drive with a 7200rpm rotational speed and the ability to write at up to 480MB/sec. The drive measures in at 1.57” x 4.4” x 7.4” and weighs 31.7 ounces. It is available now for $189.00.
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SanDisk launched a new PMP this week called the Sansa View. The View has changed much since it was first showed off at CES last year. When I first saw the View at CES 2007, it was a much larger device that looked more like a PDA than a PMP device.

SanDisk opted to pull the original View back and redesigned it to better suit the current PMP market. The result is a Sansa View that looks much more like the other Sansa PMP devices. The View has a 2.4-inch TFT 320 x 240 resolution display. It can be had with 16GB of flash storage for $199.99 or with 8GB of storage for $149.99. Battery life is claimed to be 35 hours for music and 7 hours for video. You can also expand the storage capacity via microSD/SDHC cards. A voice recorder and FM tuner with 20 presets are also built-in.
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This is a strange device that seems clearly made for covert tracking of a person’s vehicle. The Telespial Systems Super Trackstick is a small GPS tracking device that has powerful magnets on the underside so that you can attach it to a vehicle for tracking. This is an updated version of the original TrackStick.

The device is powered by a pair of AA batteries, has 4MB of storage on-board, and has a USB flash drive style USB connector hidden under a removable cap. While this gadget could be used for nefarious purposes since it could covertly tack the positional data, which can be downloaded to your PC where you can overlay the positional data over Google maps. You can even get altitude and weather information from the device as well. At $275 business owners needing to keep track of fleet vehicle usage maybe interested in the stalker-friendly device.
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Today Fujitsu announced the latest biometric USB peripheral that is being called the world’s first palm vein scanning mouse. The technology is designed so that it authenticates a user when they lay their palm on top of the reader. The reader is tolerant to the angle the hand is held at when scanning to help improve accuracy.

The mouse is available in black, gray and white to match different computer systems. Measurements for the mouse are 63mm W x 120mm D x 39mm H and it weighs about 160g. Those not wanting to use a mouse with palm vein authentication built-in can opt for a standalone palm vein authentication kit. No pricing information has been announced, but the vein-reading mouse is expected to be available in October.
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Today Logitech unveiled their latest USB device for notebook users and it has some features that notebook fans will like. The AudioHub is a 2.1 speaker system that used a three-chambered speaker design. In addition to the three speakers, the AudioHub also has a three port USB 2.0 hub.

Only one single USB connection to your notebook is needed to both power the USB hub and connect the speakers to your notebook and enable them to play the sounds from your computer. The satellite speakers are width adjustable allowing you to position the speakers at the sides of your notebook rather than behind the notebook. The woofer is a 3-inch design and the tweeters are dual 2-inch models. The AudioHub will be available in October for $99.99. Hopefully, the AudioHub will sound as good as the Z10 speakers we tested before.
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Thanko certainly makes some very off-the-wall USB gadgets. Most of us probably wouldn’t care to own most of the stuff Thanko sells. Every now and again Thanko has a product that is very interesting, and might actually serve a purpose for many of us.

Case in point is the new Thanko articulating laptop stand with fans. This stand can be changed into several different heights thanks to the accordion folding legs. You can arrange the stand so you can sit at a chair and use your laptop, make it where you can work lying flat, and adjust it for normal desk top use. The pair of fans built into the stand are powered by USB and help to keep the notebook cool while it is in use. This is a step up for many users that use normal laptop cooling stands that aren’t adjustable.
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Judging by the multiple USB powered microscopes that Thanko sells, some folks in Japan are consumed with the need to see their every blemish magnified. Thanko has another USB powered microscope they are offering for sale that allows you to look at objects, skin, hair, in your ears, up your nose and more.

You can use this thing for looking at pretty much anything you can think of in a magnified state. The microscope includes several accessories for looking at different items up close and personal. It also has its own light source for those dark areas where the sun doesn’t shine…ewwww. Software is included that allows you to save your images and compare them over time. I guess you could use the gadget to track that odd mole for growth. The device works with Windows 2000/XP/Vista only and the CMOS sensor is a 1.3megapixel unit with approximately 30x magnification.
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If you are the road warrior type who lives by your WWAN connection, but often wishes you could share it between more than one computer, Cradlepoint has a cellular travel router called the CTR-350 that allows you to do just that.

The device allows for WiFi extension for cellular broadband and is compliant with 802.11 b/g standards. Basically you take your mobile phone that has the ability to be used as a WWAN modem and plug the USB cable into the CTR-350. The CTR-350 then allows multiple computers to use the cellular modem signal over WiFi. There is also a 10/100 port for wired connections when needed and a firewall to prevent unauthorized use. Here’s a short list of compatible EDGE phones and HSDPA USB cellular modems that will work with the device.
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Here’s another flash drive innovation from Innodisk – the same company that brought us the internal ReadyBoost drive. The solid-state drive showcased at IFA 2007 in Berlin connects primarily to a ExpressCard slot as well as providing a secondary connection via the exposed USB plug. There shouldn’t be too much risk in breaking the plug as the drive will fit snugly inside a card slot.

We’ve come across similarly designed product except the USB connection requires an optional mini-cable. So you there you’ve it. A flash drive that fits snugly inside your notebook and that also works with the ubiquitous USB. Max. read and write sequential speed are 30MB/s and 20MB/s respectively. You get 5MB/s out of 4kB random read and 10MB/s during 512kB random write.
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