Best computer news

Samsung YP-P2 is universally accepted as the most successful MP3 player in the entire Yepp-series history, so one can expect a follow-up to the Korean company’s flagship touch screen PMP. Early reports now indicate that Samsung does plan to unleash YP-P3 during 2009 CES, and it would seem some of improvements are borrowed from Samsung’s TouchWiz inteface. Basically, TouchWiz centers around a widget tray that can be customized to include shortcuts to complete apps like photo gallery, memo, clocks, and etc.

While the Samsung YP-P3 remains largely the same with a 480×272 3″ screen, the new flagship PMP now comes with haptic feedback, built-in speakers, Bluetooth 2.1 (supposedly supporting A2DP, AVRCP & HFP profile), aforementioned widget support, and an all-new aluminum chassis (in either black or silver). Additionally, the YP-P3 appears to have a touch sensitive bar in place of the P2′s circular LED. Samsung also gives in to customers’ demand to extend audio and video format compatibility to FLAC and H.264 respectively. All these don’t seem much when compared to iPod touch, which now totally rocks with third party apps and games. Perhaps Samsung could invest a decent 3-megapixel camera on the YP-P3 since its nemesis doesn’t have one, yet.
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Have you ever plugged in a USB device only to discover the root port (the ones in the front of a PC case) destroyed everything from motherboard to the peripheral itself? That’s largely because the computer’s USB header is wired incorrectly – the worst case being when the +5V wire swapped with the Ground wire. This is where USBCheck comes in.

When inserted, the USBCheck dongle can check whether the polarity is correct for the power wiring on your USB ports. When the on-board LED emits red light, this warns you polarity is reversed, meaning no way in hell you should plug anything into the troubled port. Even if the LED flickers on and off, that’s also an indicator that you’ve a bad power connection. Paranoid geeks may find the USBCheck to be the first line of defense against sme faulty public PCs at any net cafe, libraries and schools.
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Those who can’t long for Guitar Hero but couldn’t afford a Wii, PS3 or XBox 360 can always go with Frets on Fire. While the free, open-source game is meant to be played with a keyboard, hardcore fans now has an option to enjoy the PC knock off of Guitar Hero with a guitar-lookalike accessory. Called Riff Rocker, the wired controller that is designed to milk Frets on Fire followers connects to USB, but is criticized for being too small to hold with both hands.

All the fret buttons are located on the narrow neck; this arrangement makes your fingers cramped together, resulting in a less than pleasant gaming experience. Every Riff Rocker comes with 5 custom game plate stickers for personalization. Perhaps the best advantage of the miniature USB guitar is the hardware cross-platform support – the same with the game itself. If you appreciate miniature controllers, then Aptus has a couple of those with motion control you may dig.
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There’s no shortage of hybrid mice on the market. From a mouse that checks your pulse rate to ones that double as a remote, a calculator and a gamepad, we just haven’t seen the last of them, and double-duty pointing devices continue to surprise us with new functionality. So, how about integrating a digital weighing scale into a mouse this time?

It would seem American Weigh has already done this too with the MSC-500 Mouse Scale, which is a feasible solution to quick checking weight of our USB gadgets for our reviews. Its stainless steel, measuring 2.25″ by 2.7″, is revealed by removing the mouse cover. The scale can operate independently with an internal USB rechargeable battery, and weight readings are incremented by 0.1g, 0.005 oz., 0.005 ozt., or 0.1 dwt. And American Weigh wants $59.95 for this.
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You may sometimes run into embarrassing situations in which you need to use a projector for a PowerPoint presentation, but you realize the video cable is left in the office. You could borrow a VGA cable, if there’s one. So, don’t you wish the conference room is equipped with some sort of a wireless link between the projector and your laptop? This is where the Imation Wireless Projection Link comes in.

The Wireless Projection Link from a company that traditionally makes storage products creates a instant WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) video connection from any notebook PC to a projector within 30 ft. range. Also unique to the Imation are cross-platform compatibility (Vista, XP SP2, and Apple Tiger or better), and an one-of-a-kind zero-install option. The Imation’s driverless operation will come in handy when there’s little time to waste. Last but not least, you get extended destlop and enhanced video support – presumably pushing resolution to 1280×1028 – with an optional driver. If the Imation Link works as claimed, it might be a few steps ahead of the Certified Wireless USB VGA Kit.
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Creative has been struggling to survive in a world in which people mostly rely on integrated chipsets for PC audio, and carry iPods for portable music. It’s really time to move on. With the new Vado HD Pocket Camcorder, the Singapore-based company seems to be heading into the right direction. Even so, the world now seems to be awash with cheap miniature HD camcorders, including Flip Mino HD ($230), Kodak Zi6 ($179), and RCA EZ300HD ($159).

The Vado HD brings 8GB built-in storage, providing enough space for 2 hours of 720p recording and pulling ahead of the other three in capacity. It sports a 2″ screen, and bundles a HDMI cable for playback on HDTV – a feature that only the RCA can match. Kodak Zi6 provides component output in comparison while the Flip Mino HD has no high-def output to TV. The HD-capable Vado will also be USB rechargeable, and will ship with a removable battery. Despite of the slight advantages of the Vado HD, it certainly will take a lot for the camcorder to make a good impression when all these competitors are armed to the teeth.
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This guy went through some troubles to add a power-only USB port to his netbook by modding a nifty adapter that borrows electricity from a VGA port. This adapter is going to come in handy when your existing USB devices have occupied all the ports on a notebook, and one of your power hungry device (e.g. USB hard drive) needs extra power. To assemble the so-called VGA to USB adapter, you will need a male-to-male VGA gender changer and a female plug from any old USB extension cable. The important procedure is to connect the RED 5V wire to the PIN 9 on the gender changer; afterward, hook up the BLACK to PIN 10 (GND). After soldering, rest of the steps are simply to fill the connector with EPOXY to avoid breaking the connector accidentally.
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Most of us own at least one USB hard drive, whether it be bus-powered portable or desktop-sized. While nothing beats the convenience of an external storage with universal compatibility, the lack of centralized storage capability is becoming a bigger problem as more households demand file sharing between their computers. Before you decide to shell out for a brand new Network Attached Storage that may cost upwards of $200, Addonics has a USB-to-NAS adapter that can turn any USB hard drive to, well, a NAS device.

The NAS adapter – slightly longer than a C size battery – has a USB connector on one end and a 100/100Mbps Ethernet port on the other. Supplying a maximum of 1.5A at 5V, there’s enough juice to operate even the most power-hungry 2.5″ USB drives. The adapter can be configured as a bit-torrent server, FTP server (supporting 8 users), printer server, or even a UPnP server for serving media files to PS3 and XBox 360 alike. For $55, it’s a viable alternative to a full-fledged NAS solution.
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Desktop space for most people is in scarcity. Trying to find some room to put a pair of speakers (even the slim and thin Logitech Z5) maybe easier said than done. Since our keyboards are always within fingers reach, Verbatim sees our primary input devices as a perfect place to put some speakers.

The Verbatim’s aptly Speaker Keyboard integrates a pair of stereo speakers into its top tilted edge, and USB connection powers everything from the dual speakers to back-lighting and keyboard. Its built-in USB audio chipset overrides the system sound, and while the Speaker Keyboard has a microphone jack, there isn’t a headphone hole. The keyboard’s host of media controls support Mac and Windows out of the box. Too bad Verbatim didn’t specify the output rating for the speakers, because some of us are skeptical how much power the speakers can boost with the keyboard and backlit all operating simultaneously. The Verbatim hybrid is yours for $75.
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Looks like the Logitech G13 is the first of many gaming peripherals to come in early 2009. While Logitech is no stranger to pro-gaming input devices, the G13 is the company’s first attempt at PC-centric gameboard. The G13 gamepad featuring a naturally contoured design is touted as a hybrid gaming pad that supplements the G15 full-sized keyboard and G9 laser mouse.

The sheer number of buttons on the G13 is quite overwhelming for amateur gamers, but RTS and WoW fanboys may find this to be accurate. In total, it has 25 programmable buttons and an analog stick, allowing 87 ways for you to control the game. G13′s macros on-the-fly during the gaming sessions without having to pause your game is now a must. If that’s not quite enough, the gameboard has the same GamePanel LCD as the G15′s to show chat messages, leaderboards, etc. Its backlit keys are handy during low-light conditions (ie. LAN parties and late night gaming at home). The only caveat is that the G13 isn’t lefty-friendly. Expect the USB gameboard to ship in $79.99.
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