Category — Computer Accessories

Have you ever lost a hard drive due to a virus or other major malfunction of your hardware? Losing your digital pictures and other files is no fun at all.  Here’s an external hard drive that leaves you with no excuses for not backing up your personal computer on a regular basis.  Here’s how it works:  plug it in to a USB port.  That’s it.  It doesn’t even come with software. The Clickfree Automatic Backup 160 GB hardrive automatically detects your newest files every time you plug it in and sorts them into basic categories. 

The external hard drive works with Windows XP and Vista, but it’s not compatible with Mac.  In case your dealing with a hard drive with virus damage, the Clickfree hard drive automatically blocks the transfer of contaminated files.  I found this Clickfree backup hard drive at QVC for $128.82.

Anyone who’s ever used a mobile printer with their notebook computer probably understands just how much abuse one of these things endures while bouncing around in the backseat of your car. That’s why I like the rugged look of the HP Office Jet H470 mobile printer-looks like it might be able to take a moderate amount of mistreatment.

The H470 portable printer weighs 5 pounds and it’s compatible with all your portable devices, including digital cameras, memory sticks, and PDAs. It holds up to 50 sheets of paper, and can print up to 22 pages a minute depending on the print quality you select.

Oh- and in case you like to work or study while sipping a latte at Starbucks, there’s an anti-vibration feature to prevent annoying the people around you. Optional features on the HP Office Jet H470 include a wireless printer adapter, a 12v adapter for using it in your car, and a travel holder for HP ink cartridges.

Keep your drinks cool or hot with this fun USB gadget. It’s a USB refrigerator big enough to hold one can of your favorite soda. I love the retro shape of this thing- just like bringing Grandma’s old refrigerator to your computer desk. This USB refrigerator has a hot and cold button, and will heat up or cool down within just a few seconds.

Just for added giggles, the USB fridge has an interior light which comes on when you open the door. Imagine the envy of your friends and coworkers when they see this cool gadget on your desk. It’s compatible with all operating systems, and I found it at Sourcing Map for $28.99 plus shipping.

Need more USB ports for plugging in your favorite new gadgets? Try a USB hub or USB bar for quickly adding more spots for hooking up.

Here’s a new gadget designed just for Skype. It’s the latest IPEVO Skype Phone. This one includes an LCD display for caller ID and displaying your Skype contact list. It also has a built-in recording feature so you can easily record your Skype calls.

The IPEVO Skype phone is said to have nice call quality- 16K for Skype to Skype calls and 8K for Skype to land line calls. It includes a USB cord for plugging into your computer, a type A connector, and necessary software. Check out Skype here.

I found this IPEVO Skype Phone on Amazon for $39.99. It’s available in black and white.

Want to play your PS2 games on your computer, but need a better controller? Now you can use your PS2 controllers with your PC. This USB powered adapter allows you to plug in two PS2 controllers for use with all your favorite PlayStation and PS2 games. It’s available in digital and analog versions and it’s compatible with two-player games.

It seems there are many video game adapters for your PC or notebook computer. While checking these out, I also found PC adapters for XBox controllers, a 4 controller PC adapter for PlayStation 2, and a cool PS2 keyboard and mouse adapter, which supports all computer keyboard functions and PC mouse functions including scroll (supposedly awesome for shooting games). With all these gaming gadgets on the market, gamers are sure to find the right video game accessories to to morph their equipment into the perfect ‘hybrid’ video game console.

I found all of the above mentioned PC/video game controller adapters at Video Game Central.

If you’re looking for a secure way to store and transport your data and passwords, check out IronKey flash drives. These highly-sophisticated gadgets are far more than just a memory stick. In fact, they’ll self destruct if they’re tampered with either physically or electronically. Here are just a few of the features of these military grade secure flash drives.

Password security: On the 10th failed password attempt, the encryption chip inside IronKey flash drives will become inoperable, meaning that all of the memory stick contents will become instantly and permanently inaccessible.

Password management: IronKey flash drives manage and protect all your passwords, automatically and securely logging you into to web applications from any computer.

Secure Surfing: These super secure flash drives include a secure copy of Firefox, allowing you to securely browse the Internet from any computer.

Physical Security: Even though they are built to withstand extreme physical abuse, IronKey has taken additional measures to thwart physical security threats. According to ThinkGeek, IronKey flash drives are filled with epoxy. If a hacker attempts to physically break into an IronKey thumb drive, the epoxy inside will damage the memory chips, making them unreadable.

Visit the company website for more specific encryption information for IronKey flash drives. I found IronKey flash drives at ThinkGeek priced between $78 and $299.

Do you suppose these electronic readers will ever catch on or are we never going to give up paper books and newspapers? I’m not sure if I could get used to one, but the Amazon Kindle wireless reading device seems to be convenient and easy to use.

Retailing for $359 at Amazon, the Amazon Kindle, is truly wireless with no cords or syncing required, and there are currently over 150,000 books and periodicals to choose from. When you want to purchase a new book, simply turn on the wireless access and, according to Amazon, it will be delivered to the electronic reader in less than one minute. The Amazon Kindle also includes access to popular blogs and Wikipedia.

Do you currently use an Amazon Kindle or another similar wireless reading device? Send us a message and let us know what you think!

Just can’t quit snapping those digital pictures? If your computer is bogged down by folder after folder full of digital photos, here’s a cool gadget for you. The Polaroid PhotoKeeper is an 80GB portable hard drive designed to store up to 80,000 digital photographs. The photo storage hard drive comes with an AC adapter, USB cable and a carrying case. This new gadget is easy to install- when you plug it into your computer it automatically detects the location of all your digital photo files and stores them. I found the Polaroid PhotoKeeper portable hard drive at QVC for $144.

Here’s a computer mouse that doesn’t require tabletop space. This new gadget works just like any other optical mouse, but you just hold it in your hand instead. The ergonomic mouse plugs into your USB port. This would be a cool gadget for using during multi-media presentations or just for impressing your friends around the office. It’s tiny too, so it might make a good travel mouse to use with your notebook computer.

I found this new gadget at KlearGear.Com for $21.95.

Here’s an easy and energy-efficient USB gadget for illuminating your computer and work space. The USB LED light is flexible, fits into any USB port, and looks very similar to other worm lights i’ve seen for Nintendo DS and other handheld video games.  This LED light is rated for up to 8,000 hours, and emits the bright white light that LEDs are known for. 

The USB LED light doesn’t come with an on/off switch, so you’ll have to unplug it when it’s not in use.  I actually think this is a great idea for those of us who like to find a dark, quiet corner when there’s computer work to be done.  This light is a bargain at $3.99!  You can get one at Computer Geeks.