Best computer news

Many households go through numerous generations of internal computer hard drives ranging from 2.5″ laptop to 3.5″ desktop / server class hard drives in a futile attempt to remain up-to-date with storage requirements, but what do you do when you quickly need to retrieve your photos or documents you filed away on that old 80GB hard drive? Enter the Thermaltake BlacX SE USB hard drive dock for SATA hard drives.
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By now, just about everyone is familiar with the USB Humping Dog—it is a legend in the world of useless novelty gadgets. However, these USB bunnies are poised to take the concept to the next level. Your computer will never be so satisfied. Additional image after the break.

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It’s an immediate let down to some of HD fanboys that the latest unibody aluminum MacBook Pro skips Blu-ray support – something Apple czar called it a big bag of hurt due to Sony’s complex licensing structures. There’s still Amex Digital coming to the rescue with its Portable USB Blu-ray Super Multi Drive.

The name itself is a mouthful because the slot-loading burner does everything a not-so-portable external Blu-ray writer can do, is bus-powered, and supports both 12cm and 8cm discs. You only get 2x BD-R/E (25GB single layer), 1x BD-R/E (50GB double layer) and 2x BD-ROM, and at which speed will take a while for Iron Man to start rolling. The Amex Digital comes in black and white, and will retail for $269. It however doesn’t appear BD movie playback is possible on Leopard with the proper software piece still missing. So the USB player/burner maybe more useful to a PC user.
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We all know Apple has pulled back the curtain on its first aluminum-encased MacBook. While the improvements may seem obvious at first, Apple has apparently taken out FireWire 400 completely as well as the target disk mode that is dependent on part of the FireWire standard. For the uninitiated, target disk mode allows a Mac laptop to mount as a FireWire drive on the host; this is a file transfer method for multi-gigabyte files traditionally favored by Apple users. Apple also confirmed that there won’t be a USB equivalent of target disk.

The removal of FireWire sort of helps to differentiate MacBook since the aluminum chassis has somewhat blurred the line between the consumer focused MacBook and the professional level MacBook Pro. Unfortunately, the decision to drop FireWire altogether didn’t help adding a third USB port, which we need to recharge our iPhone when we need the other two ports for a USB hard drive and a mouse.
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Losing sleep over network security on your Mac? Yoggie is now bringing both Gatekeeper Pico and Gatekeeper Card Pro to Leopard (or specifically 10.5.4 or later). Both Gatekeepers are in essence a mini 520Mhz server with 12 point protection system that takes on the task of monitoring network activities to your Mac around the clock. Installation is as simple as plugging in Gatekeeper Pico USB dongle ($149) or inserting the Gatekeeper Card Pro ($199) to an empty ExpressCard slot.

All web traffic is first diverted to the Yoggie dongle or ExpressCard, acting as a security checkpoint. The custom apps running behind a hardened Linux are actually isolated from the rest of the OS from attacks of any kind, and since Gatekeeper’s onboard CPU takes the load off your Intel Core Duo, you shouldn’t see a reduction in performance. Overall, the apps provide features such as a firewall, snort intrusion detection, anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-spam, anti-phishing, web content filtering, Layer-8 security engine and a VPN client (Card Pro version only).
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While USB hubs are now a dime a dozen, there are only a handful that are made with users in mind; Belkin Grommet Hub is one of the few, and now the IOGear 3-port USB 2.0 hub. The portable hub – made specifically for road warriors – has three upward-facing, evenly-spaced USB ports that should accommodate even the the fattest USB dongles, and features a tethered mini-USB cable to recharge electronics like cellphones and some MP3 players without needing an extra cord. The IOGear Mobile Hub weighs at just 45g. There’s one caveat though. Since the total power consumption cannot exceed 350mA, you can’t recharge your cellphones and use the USB devices at the same time.
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That’s right, this chicken will help keep your laptop (and your legs cool) with a fan vent system powered by USB. Also available in monkey, opera face, cat, dog, bear, penguin and lion versions. Additional images available after the break.

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Corsair’s newest entry into the market of slim-line portable and rugged USB flash drives relies on some tried and tested Corsair designs and tries to innovate at the same time. As flash drives become cheaper and the market is saturated with competition, can they pull off a slim-line drive that provides both good value for money, performance and portability? Read on to find out if the new Flash Voyager mini with a rubberized case and a retractable USB connector is the winner.
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Dave: Open the fridge door HAL.
HAL 9000: I’m sorry Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.
Dave: What’s the problem?
HAL: I think you know what the problem is. Your fat Dave…and you disgust me. Can you see your penis Dave? Yeah…no more cake for you.
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Samsung YP-P2 introduced last year is perhaps most well received MP3 player ever created by the Korean titan. The DAP remains a flagship product for Samsung’s Yepp series with its large 3″ 16:9 touch screen. And by providing a custom UI kit, it’s never easier for brand names to tailor-make their own theme and then to pay Samsung laser engrave their logos on the back of the special P2s. That’s exactly that BMW has asked Samsung to do.

Needless to say, every icon on the P2: BMW Edition is tie-in specific to a Bimmer (or Bemmer). BMW probably picked the P2 because of the DAP’s extensive Bluetooth support. In addition, this particular P2 has a DMB digital TV tuner, which makes it more useful to Bimmer owners who often stuck in traffic jam. Nothing yet on pricing nor availability, but prepare to pay a premium for the brand.
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