Category — USB gadgets

Looks like digital voice recorders, right along with HD camcorders, are moving to hybrid storage systems for file handling.  This Sony Memory Stick Pro Duo voice recorder gives you the option to store files on a built in 32MB flash memory, or Duo media cards.

The voice recorder also includes voice to print software, and is compatible with Dragon Naturally Speaking.  Built-in microphones, and voice-operated recording for eliminating memory-guzzling pauses, are also included on this unit. The Sony Memory Stick Pro Duo voice recorder is available at Abt for $249. [Read more →]

Does he look a little alarmed?  It’s because there are only 4 days left until Halloween!  Have you been procrastinating your Halloween shopping?  There’s still time to express order from some retailers if you hurry! Let’s take one last look at Halloween props and gadgets for 2008.

This quivering doorman prop, which would make an excellent entrance for your Halloween party, is 6 feet tall.  There’s a built-in motion sensor which activates creepy quivering and funny phrases.  The candelabra lights up and flickers too.

Running your fog machine and keeping up with trick-or-treaters can be more than one person can do on Halloween night.  This fog machine timer lets you preset the intervals and duration of fog machine bursts.  It’s compatible with most fog machines and has a 5 foot cord.  I found it at BuyCostumes.Com for $14.99. Last minute reminder- don’t forget fog juice!

Here’s an assortment of geek-worthy toys for gadget gurus everywhere. First up, and my favorite of the three, is this remote control Multi-Color LED light, which would be a perfect addition to your Halloween props. The color-changing LED light plugs into a standard light bulb socket, and can produce dozens of colors.  You can even adjust the brightness and adjust transitions from color to color.  I found it at ThinkGeek.

Ooh, and here’s a kinda spooky, kinda goofy, computer accessory, just in case you’ve ever wanted to wear your USB drive on your finger.  The skull rings above are made by Solid Alliance and they open up to reveal a USB gadget with 2 GB of storage space. The skull rings are available at Geek Stuff 4 U for $145.  May the force be with you.

And, if you’re into robotic toys, you should check out this guinea pig robot named Gupi.  The virtual pet makes more than 30 noises and responds to your voice.  He charges via the carrot, and comes with a cardboard house.  You can find Gupi the guinea pig at I Want One of Those.Com.

There’s nothing more convenient than transferring the memory card from your digital camera to digital photo frames to create instantly framed photos.  This digital photo frame made by Coby goes a step further to include sound files, and digital video playback.

The Coby DP848 photo frame plays MP3 and WAV sound files, and AVI, MPG, and XviD video files.  The frame has an 8.4 inch LCD screen with 800×600 resolution, and a 500:1 contrast ratio.  There are options for creating a slide show set to music, and built-in stereo speakers.

The Coby digital frame, available at J&R, also includes a remote control, a 5 in 1 card reader,  and a headphone jack. You can mount the frame on a wall or place it on the included stand.

If you’re limited by memory space constraints of your notebook computer, or if you are just plain embarrassed of a tiny little thumb drive that seemed pretty cool at the time you bought it, take a look at this new USB drive by Kingston. According to Gizmodo, the new gadget measures 3.06 inches X .9 inches X .47 inches.

I’m not sure how I feel about having to mess with a removable, “lose-able” cap- wouldn’t a retractible design, or connected cap have been better? Maybe the blaze orange color on this thing will be enough to keep you from losing it. Newegg.Com has the 32 GB Kingston Data Traveler USB drive listed at 79.99. The new gadget comes with a 5 year limited warranty on parts and labor.

Seems like prices on these storage gadgets are coming down a bit. I wonder how long before somebody’s tossing 1GB Barbie USB drives into Happy Meals?

Digital photo printers are evolving from mediocre plug and play gadgets to full blown home photo labs.  Check out the Sony Snap Lab home photo system. It uses thermal transfer printing to create “lab quality” digital photo prints. Many digital photo printers limit you to 4X6 prints or smaller, but this one allows you to print 5X7s and 3X5s too.

The Sony Snap Lab features an 8-inch LCD touch screen for on-screen editing, and you can use it with or without a computer.  A 4X6 takes about 15 seconds to print, and you can print in black and white as well as sepia tones.

The photo lab includes software, a paper tray, a paper holder, and other items. It’s big too-measures 10-7/8″W x 11-7/8″H x 14-15/16″D and weighs 24 lbs. Since it’s priced at more than $1400, you’ll be wise to take advantage of the built in security slot for using a security cable with this new gadget.  I found the Sony Snap Lab at B&H Photo.

Wait!! Don’t throw out those stacks of old cassette tapes just yet. Seems that dusty Janet Jackson Rhythm Nation tape from 1989 (what were you thinking?) might still be good for something.

This cassette tape to MP3 converter plugs into your personal computer or laptop to convert all those cassettes into files you can use on your MP3 player, or other MP3 playing gadgets like cell phones or PDAs.

Tape2PC, made by ION, comes with Audacity software for Mac and PC, and MixMeister for converting cassette tapes directly to iTunes. Here’s a thought- once you have your cassette files on your computer, you could easily burn them to CDs.

Tape2PC comes with a USB cable, stereo RCA cable, and software. I found it at Same Day Music for $140.

Hey Star Wars fans- here’s something to add to your collection.  This R2-D2 USB hub has four slots for plugging in all your favorite gadgets like a cordless mouse, your MP3 player, or your Blackberry.  The USB hub even makes those famous sounds that make R2 as endearing as any little robot can be (includes an on/off switch).  This new gadget comes with a USB cable, and it works with Windows XP or later, and Mac OSX or later. The R2-D2 USB hub is set to be available in October, and it’s available for preorder at Play-Asia.

If you want a hub that’s a little more sinister than R2-D2, you can always go with this Darth Vader USB hub.  It also has 4 USB slots, sound effects, and comes with a USB cord.  The Darth Vader USB hub is also available for preorder at Play-Asia.

Camping gear and flash drives have finally merged and here’s solid proof: the LaCie 320 GB external hard drive. Housed in a scratch proof aluminum case, and protected by a rubber bumper, the external hard drive hooks up to your USB port for backing up or transferring your files.

The all terrain portable hard drive is compatible with both PC and Mac, has a maximum rotation speed of 5400 rpm, and tops out at 480 Mbps for file transfers. Looks like you could even take this back up hard drive on your next Everest ascent. I like that there’s no AC adapter to mess with- this gadget is completely powered by USB. The LaCie Rugged All Terrain external hard drive retails for around $130.

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.