Best computer news

The ioSafe Solo hard drive, strutting its stuff at CES last week, is ready to combat your greatest fears. Known for making disaster hardy equipment, ioSafe has added this 7kg (15 lb.) behemoth to its lineup. Similar to this model from Sentry, the ioSafe:Solo can store up to 1.5TB of your most valuable data and survive 30 minutes of flame or up to 3 days of immersion in water without skipping a byte. Set this huge guy on the floor though because there’s no mention of whether it’s shockproof at all. They incorporate multiple active and passive systems to ablate heat and water damage which hopefully don’t require power to operate.

Given the dual drive look of this, let’s hope that there’s also a RAID mirror option even if its not mentioned in the product release specs. USB 2.0 rated 480Mbps speeds are severely diminished by RAID configurations but usually worth it. Combine that with some good 3rd party backup software (not included) and this hefty machine is ready to protect your data like few others can and get you back up and running quickly in the case of a major disaster which according to Murphy will eventually happen.
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Just look at this thing. Look into CJ7’s cold, black eyes. Yup…pure evil. This unholy peripheral functions as an MP3 or computer speaker and is surely an affront to God himself. Additional images are available after the break.

Product Page ($6)

Well, it seems that someone buried deep in a lab somewhere, someone that had never actually seen a woman on THIS side of a computer screen has a new widget for you. Hoping that the thermodynamic verity that heat makes things expand would apply, Thanko has shamelessly placed this USB Breast Warmer up for sale on its Japanese site. Like the body feet and leg warmers before them, the breast warmers harness the immense power of the USB port to bring a comforting glow to mammaries within a 3 foot range.

To further confound you, the C-shaped design and unsettling mannequin suggest that the underside of the breast needs the warming. Huh? Even the writers of “Lost” are shrugging at this thing in dismay. This soon to be gag gift will cost you $22 and your dignity. And please remember, it’s definitely USB powered, no questions about whether it takes AA batteries or double D’s.
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The Tripp-lite cable lets you use a CAT5 cable as if it were a USB extension cord. Tripp-lite makes a few modules of varying form factors that all can push your USB signal out to around 150 feet. This can make wiring your house with webcams indoor and out or around corners where a wireless signal (e.g. WUSB) can’t reach or just to spite the high cost of wireless or network enabled cameras. Also wouldn’t be a bad bet for that baby monitor/nanny cam you were planning to build, and a lot more stable.

The 2 new models the U224-1R4-R and U224-4R4-R are a bit more ‘handy’ than their prior candidates which only came in wall plug flavors and dongle styles with a single connection. The new arrivals sport 3 and 4 USB ports PC and remote respectively and promise a driver-less plug and go experience. The only minor hitch is that the remote hub requires a AC adapter. Small price to pay for that kind of remote control.
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Each time you use your computer, the mouse will wrestle on the mat with the glowing LED rubber duck in an epic peripheral battle.
Product Page (£12 or $17)

Logitech has come a long way since the release of the G15 gamer keyboard some four years ago. After going through one minor revision late last year to rework the keyboard’s form factor, the G15 v2 is left relatively unchanged, and it now looks somewhat dated even with all the fan-made apps that take full advantage of the GamePanel LCD. Time has come for a new G-keyboard, and Logitech is going all out with the new G19 Keyboard for Gaming.

The most notable change to the G19 is the tiltable 320×240 color LCD, doubling as a YouTube video and image slideshows when you aren’t checking it for real-time in-game stats. Logitech also throws in 12 programmable G-buttons (3 macros per key) to allow a max. number of 36 preset complex commands; in contrast, the G15 v2 has just 6 G-keys for a total of 18 shortcuts. The G19′s keys are now backlit by three user-selectable colors: blue, green and orange. You’ll find a 2-port Hi-Speed USB hub as well on back of the G19 that is capable of recharging anything from iPod to iPhone, and powering everything from a USB hard drive to a G35 Dolby headset. This comes at a cost – a AC power source. Start saving people, the G19′s $200 price tag will sure make your wallet lighter.
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Samsung and DisplayLink seem to be getting along well as evidenced by the growing USB display line-up from the Korean electronic giant. At CES 2009, Samsung again showcased its latest USB monitors with some new interesting twists. The new LD220 and LD190X are primarily targeted at notebook workaholics who can never have enough desktop estate for the million things they want to to do. The duo answers the call for a more laptop-friendly solution, emphasizing on ergonomic, ease of connectivity as well as power saving.

Both monitors feature the same 16:9 aspect ratio (now more commonly seen on computer LCDs); the 19″ LD190X tops out at 720p while the 22″ LD220 offers 1080p. The ‘stand-less’ monitors are also made way they are on purpose, allowing them to sit flush on the desk so the screen is maintained the same same level as the notebook’s display. There’s of course USB in addition to D-sub (VGA); the primary connectivity is wired USB for the line-up, but Samsung likes to call it UbiSync for marketing reasons. The LD190X additionally features built-in Certified Wireless USB, and ships with a HWA dongle that shouldn’t be needed as WUSB silicons start appearing on more laptops. To address the concern for conserving energy, the same monitor reportedly uses 33% less energy than a typical 19 incher.
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An enterprising chiropractor has found a way to make typing even easier on your wrists. Smartfish Technologies is building the brainchild of Jack Atzmon who dreamed up this better mousetrap. His keyboard includes motors that subtley shift the keyboard’s angle throughout the day effectively eliminating the risk of RSIs, carpal tunnel syndrome specifically, associated with keyboarding… They hope. Clinical trial results still aren’t in but it’s hard to dispute the theory.

Although separated keyboards like the FreeStyle Solo for example have yet to truly catch on hopes to break through that barrier with its claim of “Eliminating” CTS. The Smartfish Pro:Motion keyboard (warning: PDF) notably has smarts built in to track your typing speed and self adjust while you are typing. The keyboard rotates through its 7 stations of differing angle and separation evenly according to your habits. While probably erie at first users have been surprised how quickly they stop noticing the changes. With more and more people dealing with the problems of CTS and computer based jobs still on the rise expect to see more and more of these. Get yours today for around $130.
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It looks like a mini boombox, but in reality it is a wooden alarm clock with an LED display that can also function as a speaker for MP3 players and computers. Unfortunately this is a wholesale product, so there is a minimum order of 1000 units. Why anyone would need that many is beyond me—unless [...]

Well boys and girls this should keep your troll dolls and desk slinky company and you might even be able to expense it. E-Filliate has taken the beloved and oft misunderstood USB cable and enhanced its venerable form. You can flex and shape the Flexicord Cables into any position and it will stay. This even a step up from one of my all time favorite USB cordifications the Plug-It. This has travel and ergo uses galore. E-Filliate plans to produce them in USB, phono jack, S-Video, and HDMI versions once they get them into production. Good money says they’ll sell you a few dozen with your company’s logo emblazoned across it by Q2. If not I’m sure they’ll be very popular on gumby-match.com.
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