Best computer news

Even though USB 3.0′s top speed is 4.8Gbps, we may not have to wait for USB 4.0 to reach even faster speed. According to Jeff Ravencraft – the chairman of USB Promoter Group – was discussing the possibility of increasing the speed of USB 3.0 without a complete rewrite such as USB 3.0 itself and 2.0. He claimed USB 3.0 was designed with transmission protocol to support speed of up to 25Gbps.

While he couldn’t specify when USB 3.0 (aka. SuperSpeed USB) will hit that mark, he did imply the current 4.8Gbps speed will be enough for the next few years (likely within 5). It’s very possible that SSDs will be mainstream by then, and they are going to easily saturate USB 3.0 bandwidth. Perhaps we might only see a minor upgrade to USB 3.1 yet speed boost could be 3 to 4 times faster than what USB 3.0 currently offers.
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Traveling workaholics like to travel light yet they still need two things that they likely need on the road. One is laptop cooler, and the other is a pair of portable speakers. You can get both without breaking the bank, but packing them in your laptop carrying bag could be a challenge.

Titan’s USB Audio Cooling Pad can now kill two birds with one stone. As a passive notebook cooler, it can raise the back of your laptop about several inches from the table to allow for air to move underneath the system. Titan claims it has the advantages of dissipating heat from your laptop and solving noise problem caused by running fan(s). Its retractable design will fit wit 10″ netbooks to 17″ desktop replacement notebooks. When also connected to a USB port, the hybrid functions as a stereo USB-powered speakers. No words yet on pricing.
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MS probably has seen some success with three BlueTrack mice for traveling workaholics and hardcore gamers. Now, Redmond hardware department is debuting two more BlueTrack mice, and this time, it wants to appeal to the lefties as well with a more friendly ambidextrous design.

The more interesting of the two is the Wireless Mobile Mouse 6000; it has MS’ first nano receiver (0.8 cm in length), which makes it safe to plug it into a notebook at all times. (Yawn… Logitech has nano’ed the VX nano mouse’s USB receiver back in 2007.) In addition to the BlueTrack tech that allows the mouse to work virtually any surface (besides mirror), the Mobile Mouse 6000 also boasts 10-month battery life; 30-foot wireless range; rubber side grips; and three years of warranty. While the 6000 is designed with portability in mind, the Wireless Mouse 5000 is meant to be used on a desk. The sibling is a tad larger, and comes without the nano USB dongle. The Mobile 6000 is powered by a single AA, and the regular 5000 needs two AAs, making it heavier of the two. Neither mouse can recharge via USB, unfortunately.
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Well there have to be hundreds of sites using the now classic “caption this image” or “photoshop this item” contest, but this one has piqued our interest for obvious reason. USB Conquers the World. This site has asked to see what lie in the imaginations of the masses regarding USB uses. Surprisingly, many of the renderings match products that are already trying to make their way to market…

… USB flower hub… USB man replaces finger with drive… (quite a few stories from recent that have analogs there.) So, what are you waiting for? Head to the “photoshopped” USB concept gallery, and enjoy your Friday morning.
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Coming just in time to greet the Transformers’ Sequel trailers is this Ravage Transformer flash drive. Movie tie in flash drives are becoming common place and may some day be just as important as a mouse. One of the best things about custom flash drives like this is the ability to separate them visually and keep track of what data is on them. My NIN MP3 collection would definitely be on the Resident Evil Chainsaw drive and Rampage here would have to hold our Portable Anti-virus software. We’re not sure what data goes on a USB Sushi drive but once you decide on it you’re bound to remember it.

This new transformer drive makes these old ones look like Go-bots. Cold, but true. Ravage holds 2GBs of data and is rated for USB2.0 connections. Actual memory speed is unknown. Of course you can probably expect much better throughput if you connect Ravage to Optimus Prime. Manufacturer’s warranty is void though if you merge him with the All Spark. NB this is an adult toy, not made for children, more for collectors. To suite the collectors they offer special shipping that guaratees the quality of the packaging for those out there that aren’t looking to play with it or use it out of the package. Either way you order it, it’s not due to arrive until September but will only $42.99.
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If there’s one thing I love, it’s product reviews that shatter my pre-existing conceptions of how things work. Logitech’s G35 Surround Sound Headset for gamers does just that, offering an immersive 7.1 soundscape over two physical channels that you wouldn’t believe until you’ve actually heard it. We’ve documented to great lengths the strengths and pitfalls of this particular headset and you can read all about them in our review @ Everything USB, right after the jump.
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Displaylink – the pioneer of the USB video technology – has pushed its GPU one step further after enjoying a degree of success with over a million DL-120/-160 ICs sold. Its all new DL-1×5 USB video chip family has received a completely re-written compression scheme and improved dual core decode engine for delivering higher resolution while keeping lags to a minimum. The series comprises of the DL-195 for high-performance monitors and docking stations, the DL-165 for HD-ready display and the entry-level DL-125 for mini monitors.

All three models are compliant with DVI, analog as well as LVDS for direct connection to a LCD panel and connectivity to DisplayPort and HDMI, but there’s no mention of HDCP. DisplayLink could be waiting for USB 3.0. Intel co-developed both USB 3.0 and HDCP so it shouldn’t be too difficult for the chip giant put the two together. Of particular interest is the DL-165, which is what driving the Samsung SyncMaster 16:9 Lapfit 18.5″ LD190G and 21.5″ LD220G. The latter of which has a max. resolution of 1920 x 1080, the highest ever achieved by a DisplayLink-powered retail product. Product chart after the jump.
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You won’t like Bikini Cow when she’s angry! She makes for one hell of a wrist support though.
Product Page ($7)

Thanko’s released a new super tiny camcorder the “video water” that’ll make you struggle to find a use for it. This finger sized water-tight video recorder can be easily attached to anything and can ride-along capturing video. The camera functions just fine under water at depths of up to 20 meters. This is actually a bit too deep to be plausible. We reckon there’s a typo or a problem with the Japanese translation from thanko’s site. Resolution isn’t great at 320×240 which is about the same as what you find on most cell phone displays but it can record up to 6 hours. Video’s encoded in the .3gp format and the 2GB of onboard memory can hold over 6 hours video.

Unscrewing the rear cap reveals the mini-USB port that can be used to download the files as well as charging the battery. The interface is only of the USB 1.1 variety so if you record any great amount of time expect to spend a bit more offloading the files. Charge time to usage is about 1:1 maxing out at 3 hours to get a full charge for 3 hours of use. Sample videos should be on their site soon and at a $133 you should probably wait to make sure the quality matches your requirements before making the purchase.
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Manufacturers are already gearing up for SuperSpeed USB with NEC being the first to announce the first USB 3.0 host controller, which is about one of the few silicon products that will guarantee instant success in this economy. NEC Electronics expects external hard drives, SSDs, flash drives and of course the computers themselves will be the first to receive the SuperSpeed USB upgrade.

A demo by Seagate at CES 2009 has already shown that even a prototype can reach upwards of 165MB/s which in perspective is almost 5 times faster than the fastest USB hard drive or flash drive. If USB 2.0 chip optimization history is any indication, we are looking at USB 3.0 hitting top speed in two years. Designated µPD720200, the world’s first xHCI-compliant host silicon will also be backward compatible with USB 1.1 and USB 2.0. Samples of the chips will become available in June 2009 at $15 USD, along with free Windows drivers. NEC anticipates monthly production to reach one million units by September of this year, and rapid adoption in second half of 2010.
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