Archive for the ‘Peripherals’ Category
The popularity of Skype has seemed to progress up and down since it first launched. But one of the great things that has managed to get people back into the Skype wave is the great peripherals that keep coming out specifically for their VOIP service.
The Skypephone S2 is a great example of this. It’s capable of HSDPA data transfer, has a 3.2 megapixel camera, 50mb of built in memory, microSD slot for additional memory, and built in Skype functionality. Just like with regular Skype, all Skype-to-Skype calls are free and it costs as little as $20 to get some decent plans for calling and receiving calls from cell phones and land lines. If you sign up for a monthly plan, you can even get this nifty little phone for free. Plus it works as a pretty decent broadband dongle. Can’t beat that!
If you’ve been a fan of gaming for awhile, you’re probably familiar with Microsofts brand SideWinder. While SideWinder hasn’t really had anything noteable come from it in the past several years, the good old [nostalgic] boys over at Microsoft have decided to add another peripheral to their line up.
The SideWinder X6 is reportedly one of the best designed gaming keyboards to date. The entire keyboard has been redesigned from the ground up and even includes a switchable key pad. You can easily set those additional keys to macros for non-gaming purposes as well.
But you can’t simply by the SideWinder X6 keyboard without at least checking out the 2,000 DPI last tracking engine, six DPI on the fly adjustable, 9 customizable button X5 mouse.
At $79.95 for the X6 keyboard and $59.95 for the X5 mouse, these bad boys are definitely worth it.
It’s been awhile since we heard any word regarding what we should expect from USB 3.0. But apparently, Intel has just recently provided us with some additional information on the topic that is sure to get people excited for it’s inevitable release. Dubbed the USB SuperSpeed, USB 3.0 will be offering quite a bit for everyone to enjoy taking advantage of.
First off, it will be completely backwards compatible with USB 2.0 (got a device older than that? Throw it away!) and will be able to offer a transfer rate ten times as fast as USB 2.0. That means that instead of transfering at 480Mbps, you’ll be transferring at 4.8Gbps. Unreal.
The upload and download transfers will actually be kept on separate lanes, making the cables thicker but allowing for these increased speeds and faster charge times over USB for certain devices.
We’ve still got a while to wait, but we’ll keep you posted!
Mobile Fun’s newest product has a lot of potential to knock those battery packs and quick charge holsters out of the water. This solar energy phone charger uses a 1500mAh battery pack that can fully charge up in just 3 hours in the sun. If it’s a cloudy day out, they’ve also got a mini USB plug to make sure you’re phone doesn’t crap out like your plans to go to the beach.
The case fits the iPhone fairly well but does leave noticeable bulk. The advantage is that once it’s charged, you can just pop it out and your good to go. If the white or black case matches your outfit, you’re even better off as you’ll be able to gain some juice while rocking it out on your hip, and none will be the wiser!
Besides, it only costs about $54.
Want all that silly waggling Wii gamers have to get to experience, but only have your boring old keyboard/mouse control scheme? Well worry no longer!
GoLive2 has invented some almost copyright infringement motion sensing controller for PCs. The Stix will work with “thousands of free online and retail games” and comes in two different models, one for more casual gaming (2D environments) and one for more serious gamers (allowing for 3D control).
Beyond young kids, I don’t see who this appeals to. I doubt anyone is going to be playing World of Warcraft with this instead of the traditional setup.
The National Institute of Information and Communications Technology in Japan has released some information on the gCubik, one of the few proof of concepts of a 3D display cube. By utilizing six different LCD screens, the gCubik gives the impression of 3D very easily, but those working on the project say that it still has a long way to go.
Uses for the device could be for anything from video games to business meetings, but the cost and quality of the technology used will determine what field sees it used first.
If you’re interested in seeing the gCubik, you can catch it at Siggraph 2008 in August.
MRAM, the long awaited and soon to be longer awaited predecessor of DRAM has received an estimated launch timeframe of 2015. Toshiba and Hitachi have been able to significantly cut the cost of producing MRAM and assuredly will continue to do so.
MRAM uses 10% of the total energy consumption that DRAM uses and it is capable of near instant computer booting. The issue that’s holding it back currently is the fact that it’s failure rates don’t meet the 1% that the industry demands for it to become the new standard.
Like Duke Nukem Forever, we won’t be holding our breath, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be excited to hear more news about it.
A wall socket, your cars cigarette lighter, and the USB ports on your laptop/desktop are all ways for you charge your mobile phone. Most phones come with at least a wall charger, if not a USB cord as well, leaving you to spend a max of $10 on Ebay to find a car charger.
So give me one good reason why I would need a method of charging my phone other than those three, ESPECIALLY one that runs on batteries or you plug into the wall to charge like the iGo. Buy a replacement battery for your phone and keep your cords with you.
JUNK!
If you’ve ever wanted to buy a flash memory card that was already full of junky content, then Kingston is here to fill that need! Their new 1GB microSD with USB reader will soon be launched with the ever popular music from artist Ricky Martin’s Black & White Tour. I didn’t even realize that he was still popular enough to use in a marketing situation.
The microSD card can be erased so that you can actually enjoy the memory card for what it was intended to do, store your extra junk. And surprisingly, it appears that Ricky Martin only makes an appearance as data on the card and on the packaging itself making this a good deal when you find the product listed on Woot.com’s Two For Tuesday Woot within the next few months.
Regular pregnancy tests are so 2007. Why settle for a piece of plastic that’s just going to spit two lines out at you when you can take advantage of a high tech USB Pregnancy Test. Equipped with over 20 strips and the ability to provide a full analysis on your hCG, hCG-H, and LH hormone levels, this little device is a must for any geek on the geek.
To make things easier, the device not only shows you a clear symbol of a baby or no baby in it’s lush LCD screen, but can also be used when attempting to conceive thanks to the indepth report you receive simply by plugging the device into your USB 2.0 slot.
Plus, it’s only $17.99
Source: Think Geek