Best computer news

Scanning several stacks of old pictures from the pre-digital era can be a chore even if your USB scanner has a ADF. Hammacher Sclemmer is now getting ready with this new solution called “Photograph to Digital Picture Converter”. As self-explanatory as it sounds, the ‘converter’ houses a 5 megapixel CMOS sensor so it actually captures whole image of your old photograph. This is needless to say insanely faster than a scanner.

With a max. res of 1800 dpi and 10 bits per color channel, the converter should give accurate digital representation of the original prints. It however can only handle just one photograph at a time so you will need to swap in another one every few seconds since the conversion process should be pretty darn quick. The converter whose USB takes care of both data and power will be on the digital retail shelves by the end of April for $149.95. If you need to scan slides & negatives instead, the same company offer this.
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When you are talking about just 1.3″ wide for a camcorder, that’s slim and that’s what you can expect from Sony’s new HandyCam HDR-TG1. The compact size Full HD camcorder, measuring at just 4.7″ by 1.3″ by 2.5″, can record 2 hours of video in 1920x1080i video at 16Mbps or about 6 hours in 1440x1080i at 5Mbps on none other than Memory Stick Pro Duo. You’ll actually need Pro Duo Mark2, which is the new format to match the speed of AVCHD recordings. Couple with Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens, the HDR-TG1 can also take photos at a max. res of 4 megapixels on the bundled 4GB Mark2 stick.

The chassis is made of primarily titanium that is proven to be highly resistant to scratches and smudge. The HDR-TG1′s 10x zoom can be adjusted with its jog dial. There isn’t much else except for the camera’s face detection, which can identify up to 8 faces; the rotating 2.7″ touch panel LCD; and built-in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound recording system. Like it? Put down $900 when Sony accepts pre-orders on April 4th. For one third of the price, you can get yourself a Sanyo Xacti CG9 with native iMovie ’08 support.
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The launch of Nike+ SportBand is for those who haven’t bothered with a iPod nano. In the same manner that the original iPod kit that sends distance, pace, time and calories burned when they run to a nano from a Bluetooth module inside a Nike+ running shoe, the Nike+ SportBand is a wristwatch that also monitors a runner’s steps. The watch itself can be detached from the wristband, allowing recorded data to be sent to nikeplus.com where progress is tracked. From there, you can choose your personal online trainer that sorta helps you to better train yourself for a 5k, 10k, half-marathon or full marathon. The SportBand goes for $59, but if you don’t already have a pair of Nike+ sneakers, that would be another 70 bucks maybe.
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Sometimes we have data on our hard drives that we just need to get rid of. Sure you can use something to write zeros to the drive multiple times, but that just isn’t as much fun. However, the USB powered Drive Razer is, and it is chock full of features to make sure that you have the smoothest process ever.

Featuring Paramagnetic Microblades, the Drive Razer gives your drive a cleaner shave making sure that your data stays away longer and that you have the smoothest drive media possible. What better way to get rid of your data by making sure you get it at the root. The patented BitLift technology literally lifts the bits from your drive to ensure that the shave cuts away right where the data grows.

Sometimes you need something a little more portable so you might want to pick up a Drive Razer Mini while you are at it. This little guy features the same patented Microblades as the Drive Razer and it polarizes your drive as it cuts! Just in case that isn’t enough, you also have the option to emit an EMP that will cover a 20 foot radius to completely ensure that the bits are gone for good. While this is a great April Fool’s joke, it certainly isn’t as believable as the USB Pregnancy Test. Just make sure that you lather up well, you don’t want to dull the blades prematurely or accidentally cut the platters and make them bleed Cobalt from the substrate.
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If low-tech home pregnancy test stick isn’t enough, ThinkGeek now resells a USB version of the kit, dubbed PTeq, for just $17.99. You basically follow the same procedures as you would with a standard kit except the stick goes into a USB port after it becomes contact with your urine. The USB connection starts the electrospray ionization process on the device, creating a spectrograph of your urine. The mass spectrometry software then will give you an analysis of your hormone levels so you can clear your calendar in advance after reviewing the data. There’s a 99% accuracy in detecting hCG, hCG-H and LH, but these hormones don’t necessarily indicate pregnancy or ovulation. FYI, the PTeq is Leopard friendly also.
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Some people look at the Beamz Music Performance System and see laser harp; we look at it and think successor to the Theremin, one of the world’s first fully electronic musical instruments and inspiration for the ghostly electronic sound in the Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations.” The principle behind the two is the same – waving hands make music, like a conductor in front of an orchestra – but the Beamz definitely takes the concept to the twenty-first century level. Built into its memory are thirty songs in nineteen musical genres that provide a backing track to your compositions. Wave your hands through the laser bars the Beamz generates and the system interprets your movements into a host of pre-recorded riffs and loops played on a variety of musical instruments.

If you’ve read that last sentence closely, you’ve probably figured out the USB-powered Beamz Music Performance System’s one limitation: it’s a much fancier (and more expensive) version of the demo tracks on a cheap Casio keyboard, with no opportunity for individual creativity. As such it’s probably less appropriate for the musician as it is for someone with a love of music and some serious cash to spare.
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We’re not DJs – although we’ve always nursed a secret desire to be, somewhere on the level below being rock stars – so we can’t tell you exactly how the Tonium Pacemaker works. What we can tell you is that the Pacemaker is a portable DJing device with a USB input, 120 GB hard drive, and pretty much every DJ feature we could think you’d want, from multiple line outputs and a crossfader to two different channels (each with their own cue and pause functions), an EQ, and a few different sound effects functions. Much like the iPod, the Pacemaker works on a tactile wheel feature, so changing settings or adjusting tracks happens with a sliding finger motion that makes you look like you’re using something out of The Matrix.

The only point of frustration we could see with this pretty sweet is device is the screen layout, which mimics what you’re doing on the touchpad and provides some sort of visual navigation so you can find your files quickly. Of course, that might be because we don’t understand how the Pacemaker works – but then again, this guy in this online video definitely does. Video demo after the jump.
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As far as we can tell, the Vestax Guber CM-02 USB turntable has two things going for it, besides the pretty goofy name: first, it touts the precision engineering and quality of its construction and materials to the point where, when combined with the asking price (between $233 and $499), you have to wonder if maybe there’s something pretty good behind the marketing. Second, it comes with a proprietary hookup to the company’s Cube 2 EQ system (purchased separately, of course), so you can adjust audio quality to fit the needs of your listening room.

Of course, what with the high price and the quality focus and the separate EQ system, we’re willing to bet the Guber CM-02 is the sort of turntable you buy if you’re a dedicated audiophile, or want to become one. Everyone else: take the sticker shock for what its worth, and move on to other, more affordably priced options.
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Displaylink has kept their promise on delivering the Mac-version of the USB video driver exactly two hours after midnight on the due date. (It’s actually a pleasant surprise that beta driver would be posted on time as scheduled.) The release allows you to connect up to four Displaylink-powerd video products (eg. Samsung 19″ 940UX, IOGear External Video Card) over USB, which may not be exciting for most of us, but probably the only way for Mac mini owners to get a second display running. For now, the driver doesn’t give you 2D acceleration nor any form of 3D (specifically OpoenGL) acceleration so you will encounter problems with Keynote presentations and iPhoto slideshows.

We actually just had a chance to test the beta driver, and surprisingly, both performance and stability were decent, to say the least. Displaylink did whine about not having enough support from Apple since MacOS X is a closed system unlike Vista. Keep in mind though this driver is still in beta which is traditionally prone to crashes and sluggishness. DisplayLink even keeps a long list of issues that need to be addressed in the online release note.
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HP isn’t exactly a main player in the rather small USB webcam add-on market, most of which belongs to Logitech by now. Integrated webcams on monitors are mostly fine except when you need need pan and tilt, external ones are far better choice. Since most HP LCD monitors also don’t come with a built-in camera, this 3-megapixel model just introduced by the said company might sell like hotcakes. Who knows.

This ‘bizarre-looking’ Elite webcam from HP boasts some very nice and thoughtful features, including a native 3-megapixel sensor which goes beyond HD; autofocus; privacy cover; and UVC for driverless install; and 320-degree pan angle. You can expect 30fps at VGA, but only 8 to 9fps at 1280×960. Then again, most ordinary persons don’t need more than 800×600 for video conferencing, and at this res, the webcam can handle at 20fps. There’s an effective focal range from 4 inches to infinity and an integrated stereo mic. Included with the Elite are ArcSoft VideoImpression, Magic-i and PhotoSmart Essential software. The low FPS concern aside, the HP Elite Autofocus webcam goes nicely with the new breed of glossy black HP LCDs.

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