Best computer news

It’s been a year since the release of the improved 2009-model EyeTV Hybrid, and without a name change, Elgato once again revamps the Mac USB HDTV tuner, now featuring a even sleeker chassis. The 2010 model includes pretty much you would find on last year version, including top notch ATSC reception; unencrypted Clear QAM; EyeTV 3; streaming to iPhone / iPod touch; and least but not least, ability to receive NTSC broadcasts. Even though America has stopped analog TV altogether, the analog source still finds its use in archiving VCR and recording video gameplay.

If you don’t have a Mac, then there’s little reasons to justify dropping $150 on this HDTV dongle. Perhaps the new Windows 7 Media Center compatibility might change your mind. Boot camp users may also find this to be useful when they are staying with Windows. The lack of a hardware encoder (needed to transcode video to lower bit-rate for space saving reason) also leaves something to be desired since not everyone is interested in letting the EyeTV Hybrid consuming over 8GB per hour on some slow-paced TV show (i.e. LOST).
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At last weeks CeBIT show in Germany, Taiwanese computer case manufacturer Lian Li delivered something a little different with the PC-T1R. As you can see, it has a menacing, spidery layout.

The PC is running on a small mATX mainboard, so I wouldn’t expect a hardcore machine here, but it’s a rig that will definitely turn [...]

Western Digital’s My PassPort AV is a tweaked version of their portable storage line specially designed to work with a selected few camcorders, LCD TVs and other CE devices, including XBox 360 and PS3. The USB hard drive enclosed is one of Western Digital’s lower power model, packing about 50% more space than most drives while still able to function on USB bus power. The 320GB drive is encased in the standard Passport enclosure that dissipates heat efficiently, which has been tested over and over by WD on all their many previous versions. This is an important feature for any device that will spend extended periods in a bag or next to warm theater components.

Additionally, about a dozen of camcorder models now support the option to connect directly to USB drives to transfer video to. Many Blu-ray players also are able to play digital media from connected devices. However, only Sony’s HandyCam camcorders released in 2010 and players are specifically mentioned on their site as compatible, but others should follow. The price is set at $109 and is available from their online store right now. The box also includes a proprietary adapter cable to connect the My Passport AV to the said Sony camcorders. Due to the power requirements of larger drives, there may not be many other models released with additional capacity.
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SteelSeries is launching a pair of new gaming headsets to that will make anyone looking for some serious gaming sound very happy. The most exciting of the two is a USB model, the 7H-USB that promises a virtual 7.1 surround sound environment via its on-board sound card. The 50mm drivers should push more clear highs and deep bass than most other comparably priced gaming headsets. The USB sound card insures that traveling gamers are able to change machines without sacrificing sound quality. The 7H-USB headset also packs a hideaway microphone, easily retracted when not in use. Interesting, it is powered by a standard microUSB connection so no fussing with any custom cables. This same connection now powers most cell phones so you should have one lying around already. They also include an extra set of ear cups. The foam set is for casual listening while the leather version provides a tighter seal and isolates sounds for interruption free gaming.

The 7H-USB USB sound card will work perfectly for both PCs and Mac but has been targeted at gamers of independent of platform. Profiles exist for MMO’s and FPS’s which are suited to the special requirements that each have. SteelSeries has also made transporting these easier than other devices of the same size. Besides being able to tuck away the microphone, this large headset breaks down into 4 manageable pieces. The release date hasn’t been solidified but there’s already a pre-order link at Amazon so it can’t be far off. The USB version costs $30 more than its analog cousin at $149.
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Finally, AT&T has added a few fan favorite features into their mobile broadband dongles. These two new USB modems both have their benefits. The Option entrant is the USBConnect Velocity model, and is equipped with a flip out connector. The steel accented 3G dongle also adds the coveted AGPS technology. This allows cellphones to use highly available location sensing with fairly accurate location discovery. The cellular AGPS signals offer less accuracy than true GPS systems, but are much less finicky when it comes to finding a signal. AGPS systems only work well in areas blanketed by multiple towers for triangulation. Rural denizens will need to stick to true GPS.

The second model being released doesn’t have the AGPS feature, but it is the speed demon of the two. Able to operate on the 7.2Mbps HSPA protocol where available, this should provide double the usual speed found in UMTS 3G areas. This model from LG, the USBConnect Turbo, comes with a rotating version of the flip out connector and looks almost as good as the Option option. They both have microSD slots for memory storage or digital camera card reading. Both are practically free with new activation and a 2 year contract and a data plan. AT&T has yet to release unsubsidized pricing for the pair but those seldom arrive until the device is ready for order which should be any day now.
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Finally, AT&T has added a few fan favorite features into their mobile broadband dongles. These two new USB modems both have their benefits. The Option entrant is the USBConnect Velocity model, and is equipped with a flip out connector. The steel accented 3G dongle also adds the coveted AGPS technology. This allows cellphones to use highly available location sensing with fairly accurate location discovery. The cellular AGPS signals offer less accuracy than true GPS systems, but are much less finicky when it comes to finding a signal. AGPS systems only work well in areas blanketed by multiple towers for triangulation. Rural denizens will need to stick to true GPS.

The second model being released doesn’t have the AGPS feature, but it is the speed demon of the two. Able to operate on the 7.2Mbps HSPA protocol where available, this should provide double the usual speed found in UMTS 3G areas. This model from LG, the USBConnect Turbo, comes with a rotating version of the flip out connector and looks almost as good as the Option option. They both have microSD slots for memory storage or digital camera card reading. Both are practically free with new activation and a 2 year contract and a data plan. AT&T has yet to release unsubsidized pricing for the pair but those seldom arrive until the device is ready for order which should be any day now.
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Storage is critical in today’s technologically advanced home and business. Some would say more storage is better, others would say performance is king, but what would you say if you could have both performance, capacity and portability in one simple and attractive kit at a generous price? Today we’ll review Seagate BlackArmor PS 110 – the world’s first truly portable USB 3.0 hard drive – over the fastest consumer storage interface available.
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This purportedly popular fellow has been enshrined in plastic from its celluloid beginnings. Fashioned by Cube-Works into a peripheral, the anime dog, Dodobongo, is a USB watch dog for your PC. He comes with a food bowl which doubles as a sign holder for those times you leave your computer and put Dodobongo in charge of security. He’ll bark or wiggle his head in response to motion. He’ll also waddle up to you to the length of his USB tether. Be aware of the space you put him on, he doesn’t seem to pay much attention to where he’s going. This depressing character is the brain child of design team Uruma and Delvi. They refer to themselves jointly as UrumaDelvi. They are a pair of very modern designers that seem to have a genuine following, something akin to the Blue Dog craze in the US that lasted a year too long.

While he may not be as strong as some security systems released lately, having this on your desk should deter many a hacker or promotion. There’s not much that a USB dog barking and roaming around your desk doesn’t tell about you except that you have ONLY useless information on your computer. It may not be a high profile successory if this is going to make your daily routine even a little bit brighter, do it. Dodobongo can be had from Amazon Japan for about $40 not including shipping. Video demo after the jump.
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Amidst speculation of features of Windows 7 SP1, Intel has confirmed that it is working with Microsoft on USB 3.0 integration. That’s the good news, the bad news is that they are working on getting into Windows 8. Windows 8 is expected to ship in 2012. That’s a little long for our taste. Steve Peterson of Intel thinks that SuperSpeed USB devices will only show up on high end PC’s, and will take another a year or two to reach mainstream. Despite obvious signs that USB 3.0 is on the rise, the titans of the industry apparently haven’t put USB 3.0 as their first priority. Instead, NEC is taking the opportunity to rake in large sums from money with their world’s first and only xHCI USB 3.0 host controller ICs.

We’re still hoping that the rumors of Windows 7 SP1 having native support melded into the forthcoming patch are true. There’s more than a few things we hope get fixed with SP1, not the least of which is the handling of USB autoruns, or lack thereof. At least this means that Intel is working on USB 3.0, we’ll take what we can get. Even though the lack of dedicated, native drivers from Intel and Microsoft won’t keep USB 3.0 devices from being rolled out, upgrade card and driver disc will only add to cost and slow user acceptance. Compared to Linux, which has had USB 3.0 support for some time now, Microsoft is lagging way behind. Yes, we do hope that kind of mud-slinging is all that it takes to get Redmond off it’s duff and on the SuperSpeed bus. We are willing to add some snide comments about Bill’s mother if that will help.
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Asus, you had us at HELO, now you deliver us the USB THReee we’ve been waiting for. Apparently unfazed by the economy’s stagnant state, they are still popping out innovations with their nettop line. Still riding high on the netbook craze that they cashed in on, they continue to hawk their nettop line with the EeeBox EB1501U. Tiny desktop systems claiming sufficient performance for everyday tasks and a much greener, low power consumption footprint. The most surprising addition is the two USB 3.0 ports right next to the slot-loading DVD drive. The Atom processor may be close to its limit moving 5GB/s of data around, but we’d rather spend our money getting close to the limit than staying away from it.

This is a smart move by Asus to add support for faster peripherals early. USB 3.0 makes this a much more future-proof desktop alternative. Large, high powered machines may still run years from now, but their bulk ultimately limits their usefulness. Laptops and tiny desktops can live on for many years performing niche tasks. Hand-me-down laptops make great learning tools for kids as well as gaming stations or even the heart of a MAME cabinet. A nettop may make a decent media center today, and it will make a fine webmail tool tomorrow and network storage device after that. Unfortunately, this doesn’t pack the even lower powered ION 2 chipset that’s all the rage, but it should have enough power to run most tasks you can think of today and tomorrow. Pricing and availability details are still lacking as of this writing.
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