Best computer news

For the most part, I am a big fan of convergence. I like it when one item can serve more than one purpose, but sometimes convergence goes wrong and you end up with a spectacularly ugly gadget. Case in point is the USB 4-in-1 Webcam from Brando. The device wraps a USB fan and USB light into the same package as a USB webcam.

The USB 4-in-1 Web Cam has a suction cup on the bottom so you can attach it to most smooth surfaces. The fan is a dual blade design and is on a separate and adjustable stalk from the webcam and mic. Around the webcam are six LED lights that can be used as a desk lamp and add light for better video recording on the webcam. The dimensions for the device are 75 x 75 x 228 mm and it retails for $23. Brando says the mic will work with any chat software.
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Green is good when it comes to computer gear and many manufacturers are introducing green products. We have looked at green external hard drives before with the Kanguru Eco Drive. We have also seen Turbo USB drives before, like the Buffalo MiniStation, that promise more speed than normal USB hard drives. What we haven’t seen is a drive combining both Turbo USB and green features.

Today Fabrik introduced a new SimpleTech [re]drive that claims to be the world’s most eco-friendly external hard drive using Turbo USB. The Turbo USB feature promises 25% more speed than normal USB 2.0. The [re]drive uses less power to save electricity and the housing is made from recycled aluminum and bamboo. Even the box the drive ships in is green – it’s made from 100% recycled material. Software for automated backups is also shipped with the drive and it can save data online for added security. The 500GB [re]drive is available now for $159.
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If the hot temperatures outside didn’t tip you off already, summer is officially here. Each summer Thanko whips out a laundry list of really weird and questionably useful USB gear to help us keep cool. Thanko isn’t the only company guilty of trying t pry cash from our hands with odd cooling peripherals; GTECH did it with its USB OptiWind Mouse.

The perfect companion to the mouse is the new USB Cooler Keyboard from Thanko. You can pretty much gather what the device is supposed to do from the name. You hook it to your PC via a USB port and you can type away on the keyboard using a standard QWERTY layout and a full number pad. Slots in the wrist rest area blow air on your wrists to keep you cool and the fan has an on/off switch. Like all Thanko products, this one is dubious in its value. We can’t say that we have ever been so hot a nice breeze on my wrists was needed.
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We have said on several occasions that we don’t happen to find the Mimobot’s particularly appealing. Despite that the maker of the Mimobot’s, Mimoco announced in late June that its third generation of Star Wars themed drives was getting ready to launch and that a contest would be held to win free drives. The contest required users to guess what Star Wars character would be features in Series 3. All the really cool and iconic characters were featured in Series 2 if you ask us.

The contest is now over and all the Series 3 Star Wars Mimobot’s have been announced. Series 3 includes C-3PO, Wicket (an Ewok), Emperor’s Royal Guard, and Darth Sidious. The drives are available in 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB capacities and ship preloaded with software including mimoByte sound software and the mimoDesk personalization suite of icons. All of them are being built in limited quantities and can be ordered right now starting at $49.95 for the 1GB and going up to $109.95 for the 8GB versions.
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Certified Wireless USB and Ultra Wide Band (UWB) technology promised a lot to home and office users. Promises include the ability to send lots of data wirelessly over short distances with low power requirements and the ability to cut lots of the cables running to and from our computers. Despite these promises WUSB and UWB technology have not taken off. A few devices shipped in 2007, but no native devices have yet hit market.

One of the main reasons for this is the current high price of the actual UWB silicon. According to In-Stat the market penetration of USB and WUSB won’t increase until the price drops for the silicon. The price for the technology is expected to decrease and while only 100,000 WUSB devices shipped in 2007, In-Stat predicts that the total will be more than 190 million by 2012. In-Stat’s Brian O’Rourke says that UWB and WUSB will succeed because the technology offers a solution no other technology can. In May IMS Research said the same things about WUSB so In-Stat isn’t alone in the prognosis for UWB and WUSB technology.
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USB gadgets can be a very odd lot. We have looked at some strange ways to get your message out to people powered by the beloved USB port before like the USB magic Wand and the Lex device for your bicycle spokes. If you are a cubicle jockey flailing your arms wildly about with the USB wand will probably get you fired and you can’t very well ride your bike through the office.

Enter the USB LED Message Board from Brando. You can plug the 85mm x 20mm x 55mm device into your USB port and program the messages that you want the screen to display. The red scrolling LED lights will write out up to 8 messages and you can choose from 8 different scroll speeds. Wav sound effects are supported and the display can support up to 12 bit map images. The device supports Windows 2000, XP, and Vista. The message board will be available in August for $27.
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Creative is one of the top DAP makers in the world behind (way behind) Apple with its world beating iPod line. We have never looked at a Creative player and thought, wow this looks cool. The ZEN X-Fi is boxy and rather ugly and the simplistic Zen Krystal is nothing overly spectacular to our eyes. This week, Creative Zen Mosaic comes along, and shows us they can be creative after all.

The Creative ZEN Mosaic can play music and videos as well as display photos. The device comes in pink, black and silver colors and all three share the same mosaic design for the controls with different hues and colors alternating on the keys. The pricing for the Mosaic is decent with the 2GB version going for $99.99 and a 4GB model selling $129. The player weighs 43g, measures 79.5 x 40 x 12.8mm, and promises up to 32 hours of continuous playback on one charge. The screen is a smallish 1.8″ TFT LCD, but at least the Mosaic has a built-in speaker on the back.
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The computer mouse has been one of the most import devices for controlling the PC for decades. The technology behind the input device has changed from mechanical ball to optical then to laser as the years have gone by. Now some analysts believe that the days of the computer mouse are almost over.

Gartner analyst Steve Prentice believes that we will see the end of the computer mouse in only 5 years. According to the analyst our Razer Lachesis mouse will be replaced with facial recognition systems, multi-touch and perhaps interesting devices like the OCZ Neural Actuator. We will be very shocked if the mouse is actually gone in 5-years myself, but stranger things have happened. Prentice says that the keyboard is here to stay. Honestly, we would think voice recognition software would be able to replace the keyboard before the mouse is extinct.
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Creative intends their HS-1200 2.4Ghz wireless boom-mic-equipped cans to appeal to the hardcore gamer who’s tied up in knots by irritating wires. However, while it’s true that the full duplex operation and USB connection are both pluses that mean that you can use the HS-1200 without worrying about a soundcard, its profile does not mention one crucial feature that any set of gaming headphones should have: surround sound.

This is where X-Fi comes in. Creative’s proprietary CMSS-3D can upmix stereo sources up to 7.1 channels, offering virtual 3D during headphone mode – obviously activated all the time for the HS-1200. As with other X-Fi offerings, these cans are also able to restore compressed audio quality through 24-bit Crystalizer. Result is largely a matter of perception, and depend on the type of audio being played. Creative didn’t specify whether these X-Fi exclusive functions are implemented with the aid of DSP or in software, the latter of which could take a toll on the CPU resource.

This HS-1200 headset has dedicated earcup VoIP control buttons on the right can, and its Li-ion battery can be fully recharged via USB in 2.5 hours for up to 8 hours of non-stop playback. You’ll get up to 22m range in open space. Creative HS-1200 gaming headset is available now for $99.99 (MSRP).
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We can thank DisplayLink – touted as UbiSync by Samsung – for the ability to connect new displays to our PCs with nothing more than a simple USB connection like the Samsung SyncMaster 940UX LCD we tested before. One of the cool things that the technology allows for is a display that can be used for PC stuff like showing emails or web pages and then can be used to show digital photos when you don’t need it for work.

Samsung has announced a new SPF-105P digital photo frame with a 1024 x 600 resolution and a 10.2-inch screen size that connects to a PC via USB and can be used as a secondary display. The Samsung SPF-105P frames 10.2″ screen is significantly larger than the 7-inch screen we saw on the similar ASUS UFOTO UF735. The frame uses a rechargeable battery so it doesn’t need to be plugged into the wall and has 1GB of internal memory for storing photos. The display has 300 cd/m2 brightness and a contrast ratio of 500:1. The frame measures 11.37″ x 7.81″ x 1.8″ and weighs 2.18 pounds.
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