Best computer news

This Argentine industrial designer probably hasn’t heard of nPower as he has invented something that is already on the market. This concept charger is targeted at the people leading an active lifestyle, namely skaters and joggers. The nPower and the yet unnamed kinetic charger both rely on a nano-generator to produce electric current by harnessing the energy of motion. The built-in battery is then recharged until it’s full.

This particular green charger can be strapped to your shoe, or attached to a knee pad, arm strap and helmet so you can technically have multiple batteries recharging at the same time. The nPower with its stick form factor probably works best if placed in a backpack or briefcase. For hikers and bikers, the nPower is the better choice; on the other hand, this concept charger with its interchangeable straps makes it ideal for extreme sports (given the finished product has plenty of physical protection for the unit).
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Lexar Echo SE was first announced along with the Echo ZE nano-sized USB “naildrive” back in January. Now Lexar comes up with 128GB version that is reportedly 15% shorter than other similar offerings. Lexar touts the mega-sized Echo SE 128GB as a secure backup solution for notebooks and notebooks alike. The backup is handled primarily by onboard Dmailer that includes targeted file backup so the software does continuous incremental backup to reduce wasted space and at the same time allows retrieval of previous file versions.

The files are safeguarded by 128-bit AES software encryption. Unique to the Lexar is the cross-platform compatibility. You will be able to restore or back up files on either a PC or Mac. Lexar Echo SE however won’t break any speed record, with read speed topping at 28MB/s and read at 10MB/s. At $499.99, the price point isn’t very attractive at all. For this kind of price, you could get a 256GB USB 3.0 SSD for $50 more.
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Panasonic today brings a much anticipated upgrade to the two-year old DMC-LX3. The new Lumix LX5 shares the retro chassis; the same raw-shooting capabilities; manual controls; and 24mm wide-angle Leica lens as the LX3. While the LX5′s 1/1.63″ CCD sensor is the same size as that found on said predecessor, its low-light performance now has been optimized; which in other words, there should be less noise when shooting at high ISO levels. Its 3.8x optical zoom range also has been upped from 24 to 91mm.

Lumix LX5′s brand new Venus Engine FHD CPU, according to Panasonic, improves image processing from dynamic range to color saturation and chromatic noise reduction. Another notable addition is the AVCHD Lite movie recording at 720p. If you can afford the largest card available, you can go for the highest bit-rate of 17Mbps (Other options include 13Mbps and 9Mbps.) Panasonic guarantees no-hassle playback via SD on recently announced VIERA HDTVs. The Lumix LX5 offers SDXC as well to offer capacity up to 2TB; though, we don’t have anything larger than 64GB as of this writing. Expect the LX5 to hit retail anytime in August.
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Creative is expanding its Sound Blaster Wireless ecosystem with this single-piece speaker made of granite-rock. The aptly-named Wireless Rock Speaker can reportedly withstand moderate weather conditions so it’s safe to assume that they are waterproof. We are a little surprised that Creative comes up with these as the company traditionally hasn’t made anything suitable for outdoor use for extended period of time. The speaker itself is powered by a removable Li-ion battery which lasts up to 6 hours of continuous playback and which can be recharged on a cradle.

For those of you wondering, the Rock Speaker isn’t Bluetooth. Instead, they rely on in-house proprietary 2.4Ghz wireless technology to transmit lossless audio up to 30m from any PC or Mac through a special USB dongle. The 6.3kg speaker has two tweeters and outputs at 20W per channel. The outdoor speaker set now appears on Amazon for pre-order at $199.99. Though, to start streaming tunes to this “rock”, you’ll also need Sound Blaster Wireless transmitter which goes for $99 MSRP.
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Netbooks always come without an optical drive let alone Blu-ray whether or not it has the horsepower to decode HD video. For these users who miss the HD bandwagon, Plextor today provides a clear upgrade path to high-def world with its $99 PX-B120U USB 2.0 bus-powered BD-ROM drive. Keep in mind the ROM here means you’ll be able to playback your HD flicks on the tiny small screen, but not burn any Blu-ray discs. Burning CDs and DVDs of different variety is possible at 24x and 8x respectively.

Those who wish like to rip Blu-ray with MakeMKV might like to know the Plextor PX-B120U reads BD media at 4x. Movie playback requires a minimum of 2x (72Mbit/s), but faster is always better. Though, we believe USB 2.0 can push read speed to 6x. (Buffalo has a USB 3.0 model that reads three times faster for those don’t mind tethered to a AC outlet.) Being bus-powered also removes the hassle of carrying a bulky AC adapter. Plextor also throws in a copy of Cyberlink which now gains upscaling as well as 3D playback. Last but not least is the USB 2.0 Blu-ray drive ability to dock with Plextor’s upcoming PlexMedia to double as a BD player for the living room’s HDTV.
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LiveScribe Pulse smartpen has been around for nearly two years, yet it falls in the niche market and is now somewhat overshadowed by the recent unstoppable rush of tablets. But it’s very apt for what it does. The smartpen is an indispensable tool for organizing your notes; it not only stores handwriting for conversion to text on a PC, but also allows you to hear what was being said at the moment of writing by tapping on the note. Now LiveScribe comes up with Echo to replace the Pulse which has already sold over 400,000 to date.

The Echo smarten improves on the previous generation with a sleeker profile and a rubberized grip so it won’t roll around. Other notable additions include a micro-USB for sync’ing and recharging without a cradle; and a standard 3.5mm audio jack (the Pulse has a 2.5mm). The Echo now has a 8GB version ($199.95) with enough room for 800 hours of audio recording. The 4GB goes for $169.95. LiveScribe has opened its own apps store in late 2009, reselling a number of programs ranging from Spanish-English dictionary to games that can be downloaded to the smartpens.
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For many people, the idea of a small portable device which can plug into their network and then with a simple cable swap plug directly into their computer sounds like a match made in heaven. This is the niche Seagate hopes to capitalize on with their GoFlex Net as it adds yet another option to the already amazingly customizable Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex portable drive line! Now read on for the full review.
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Renesas Electronics, as the single largest USB 3.0 host controller manufacturer, is beginning to face fierce competition from ASMedia to Texas Instrument and VIA. A price war has broken out that continues to drive price down to $3 range. Despite of that, the massive increase in demand for USB 3.0 chips will make up for the loss in profit per unit. There are as of this writing no less than five USB 3.0 host silicons to choose from, yet there’s none that is notebook-friendly until now.

Renesas’ just announced µPD720200A offers 85% less power consumption compared to the industry’s first USB 3.0 host controller. The chip, rated at 50mW standby mode, is pin-compatible with its power-hungry sibling, making it possible for existing partners to upgrade to the latest model. However, the only major notebook / netbook maker backing USB 3.0 is Asus whose subsidiary ASMedia is supplying the parent company all the USB 3.0 chips it needs. Renesas may have to go after HP, Dell, Lenovo and others which are likely shipping new portables with the 5Gbps interface for back-to-school season.
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The Swiftpoint Mouse puts a novel tilt on the laptop mouse concept with its new and ridiculously small portable mouse. It’s is tiny, about the size of a golf ball and has grooves for 3 fingers. The mouse is wireless and extremely energy efficient and is able to run for 4 weeks off of a full charge. The Swiftpoint mouse comes with an almost nano sized wireless dongle that also doubles as a charging base for the tiny mouse. A 30 second charge will charge the mouse for a full hour of use.

Tilting the mouse is how you get it to scroll, no clumsy scroll wheels. The SwiftPoint is actually small enough to remain in your hand while you are typing. If you are late comer to the laptop sensation, this might help ease you past the troubles learning to use a multi/touchpad. Those not living under a rock will enjoy having the RSI reducing alternative to vary your input motions a bit. We’re looking forward to comparing them to the amazing Anywhere MX mouse from Logitech. If it comes close to what it promises, it will be well worth the $70 price tag. Video demo after the jump.
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Since narrowly avoiding destruction due to the Y2K end-times, we must now set our sights on the coming robot uprising. As predicted by Nostradamus, Skylink will achieve self-awareness in approximately 2 years and launch a full scale assault on mankind. LaCie has released the XtremeKey flash drive that will be John Conner approved as soon as he takes command of the rebellion. This drive bests the current tough champion, the Corsair Flash Survivor, by being able to withstand being run over by a 10 ton truck. As well as being hardened enough to withstand water pressure at a depth of up to 300 feet. Not even the pretty girl Terminators are able to scratch the special alloy, zamac, that LaCie uses. Screwing the flash drive into the special zamac cylinder seals and protects it from the above dangers as well as extreme heat and cold.

The silicon portion of the indestructible drive comes in capacities from 8GB to 64GB. The purported read/write speeds are the very top of the USB 2.0 food chain on par with the Voyager GTR. To get any faster you’ll need to switch up to USB 3.0 and the likes of Super Talent. Only thing to remember is exactly how much of a pain it will be to screw/unscrew the drive into the protective shell. The 8GB model will retail for only $50 which is pretty hot for the speed advertised even more so for the included LaCie flair. The units should arrive in August at their online store. Video demo of the drive’s durability after the jump.
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