Best computer news

The designer behind this Ultra Space Station probably isn’t a very computer-savvy person. He came up with this idea of a credit card-sized carrying case with compartments for 6 different flash drives. Each drive contains 2GB memory, so there’s 12GB in total. And every unit allows you to put a label, something people do with floppies. However, that guy didn’t exactly know a bunch of portable applications can search through content on a flash drive just as Google can easily find web pages by entering keywords. Separating content on different drives is really unnecessary. We have to give credit since the Ultra Space Station is indeed darn interesting, and this could be useful for kids too. A 12GB (2GB each) kit retails for $90 while a 6GB (1GB each) version asks for $60.
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For those of us that have HTPC’s and home theater setups, playing our music through the 5.1 speakers is a breeze. Unfortunately for those that don’t have a HTPC there are little options other than to build one or use something similar to the Logitech Wireless Music DJ. It appears that powered-speaker supplier Audioengine has decided to get in on the mix of things and offer their own CD-quality wireless system.

The W1 Premium Wireless Adapter package connects to your PC via a bus-powered dongle and transmits the your sound in 48kHz/16-bit uncompressed aural bliss. Audioengine claims that the signal can be transmitted up to 100 feet away, meaning that you can probably send your music to just about anywhere in your house and maybe even your garage. Operating on the 2.4GHz wireless spectrum, the company says that it has gone through a lot of trouble to prevent interference from devices such as cordless phones that operate on the same frequency. At a price of $150, this might not only be a great alternative to a HTPC, but a great addition as well.
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If you regularly use your laptop on the go then chances are that you find yourself carrying a mobile mouse and a flash drive with you at all times. You’ve probably also pondered as to why we can send a man to the moon, contemplate on sending one to Mars, but yet you still have to carry around two little devices that could easily be made into one. Apparently someone at Asus thought it too and decided to do something about it.

The Asus MS71 is a wireless mouse and a USB Flash drive all in one. If you need a mouse you can detach the transmitter and connect it to the PC or leave the transmitter connected and recharge the mouse while using it as a flash drive. Unfortunately it looks extremely uncomfortable to use. Price and capacity are unknown but if carrying too many gadgets is a pet peeve of yours, this should at least help reduce the frustration by one.
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Not too long ago we talked about the Microsoft Wireless “Laser” Keyboard 7000 and speculated that it would be bundled with the matching mouse for your purchasing pleasure. Well it appears that day has come and the new Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 7000 package is here.

The keyboard and mouse is designed to extend the look Vista’s Aero interface to your desktop with the translucent border around the keyboard. This is also the first keyboard that has a dedicated Flip 3D key for windows Vista. While the mouse is rechargeable, it appears that the keyboard only has a status indicator to let you know when to replace them. The keyboard also features Microsoft’s popular Comfort Curve design, has ultra-thin quiet touch keys, and three touch-sensitive “My Favorites” keys that can be customized to your needs. For those that are anti-Microsoft, you always have the Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave and Kensington ci70 to choose from as well.
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In the world of random USB gadgets, there are a lot of different toys to help you relieve you stress like the USB Putt Returner and Basketball Dunk. Unfortunately, most of these devices don’t provide any way for you to take your aggression out, let alone reward you with some sort of positive feedback to make you feel better. Thankfully we’ve got the USB Punch Head to fill the void.

With the USB Punch head, you can punch the face and with the included software, your PC will let off some sounds of agony. The face itself is velocity sensitive, so the harder you hit it the louder and more painful it will sound. The software lets you put the picture of your choice on the screen and has some special effects like making the eyeballs pop out.
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If you were hoping to get your hands on one of the new Buffalo Super High Speed Type-R flash drives, you may not want to hold your breath for them to make it to the US. Buffalo is being forced to halt all sales of USB flash drives, MMS memory cards, and Compact Flash devices in the US. It seems that SanDisk thinks that they are infringing on some patents by the controllers in their flash memory devices.

Buffalo isn’t the only company that has been impacted by the lawsuit. The three lawsuits that were filed are hitting about 50 different companies that hit almost all of the big name memory companies such as Kingston, PNY, Corsair, Edge, and A-Data to name a few. Buffalo released a press statement and noted that it is confident that its suppliers will prove that the patents are invalid, unenforceable, and/or not infringed. To make sure that things don’t get out of hand, they have agreed to halt the import of these devices until it all gets straightened out.
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HSDPA modem and digital TV tuner are the two most popular upgrade options available for laptop users; now, Huawei offers both functions in a USB pebble whose appearance is strikingly similar to its modem-only sibiling. The OEM company traditionally makes connectivity kits for carriers, namely Vodafone and other European networks. The USB combo is seen as a move to branch out to other categories.

Designated E510, the USB pebble has a top download and upload speed of up to 7.2Mb/s and up to 2Mb/s respectively. Huawei didn’t say which mobile TV standard E510 will use, but if the gadget would be launched in Europe initially, best bet is that the company will pick DVB-H format.
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Some may think that fax machines are a thing of the past. This couldn’t be further from the truth as they are still used on a regular basis throughout many organizations. Unfortunately these beasts are clunky, ugly, slow, and just seem outdated in today’s world of speed, beauty, and compactness. If you are looking for a more modern way to send and receive faxes, then Vavolo might just have the solution that you have been looking for with the Flexii Portable USB Paperless Digital Fax Machine.

The device promises to increase efficiency, provide better quality faxes, and be a little more environmentally friendly than regular fax machines. Being digital, it can definitely offer better quality faxes as it doesn’t have to scan a document before sending and it is definitely a little greener as you aren’t going to be wasting a lot of paper on incoming faxes. Just in case you are wondering, yes, it is in fact Vista compatible.
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Whether or not you are a fan of DisplayLink, you have to admit that the ability to add an extra display via USB interface like the Samsung 940UX monitor is pretty handy. For those of you that have ever had the pleasure of having to give a presentation from your laptop through an external party’s equipment, you surely know that it is often a pain and sometimes doesn’t even work. InFocus seems to have felt your pain and sees the potential the DisplayLink has to offer. They now plan to include DisplayLink in their future projectors.

Imagine not having to worry about having DVI or VGA, cloned display or extended desktops, or whether that pesky KVM is going to work. Simply plug the USB cable in, and you’re good to go. No more carrying around that extra USB video card, just the cable. With the progress being made so rapidly in relation to the resolution that DisplayLink supports, you might just not have to worry about that either. Unfortunately most places/people don’t replace their projectors on a regular basis so you might find that the adoption of this on a wide scale will simply take a little bit of time.
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If you’re like me then you find renting moves a royal pain. Going to the store is inconvenient, waiting in line stinks, and having to remember to take them back is even worse. NetFlix is great if you don’t want something now, as is the download on demand services unless you are limited on bandwidth. So what’s a person to do when they just want something now not go to the store? PortoMedia says go to their kiosk and download a movie to your flash drive.

This idea is great for those on the go wishing to take their media with them or those with a HTPC. For those wondering about the kiosks, well they can hold 350 to 5,000 titles, and will never be out of stock. Surely the content will be infected with some sort of DRM, but as long as the restrictions aren’t too tight, most people should be quite happy with this service. In fact, I bet that a few of these kiosks would be a huge hit on a college campus.
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