Storage

External static or removable media storage units

USRobotics Adds Two Skype USB Phones
USRobotics has rolled out two new Skype Certified handsets, the oh-so-catchily named USR9601 USB Internet Phone and the seductively monikered USR9602 USB Internet Mini Phone.
Both phones plug into an available USB port and integrate with the Skype desktop application to provide “easy voice communications” to the Skype community.
According to USRobotics, the phones come with technology enhancements designed to get rid of the annoying echoes that plagued earlier handsets and banish the ‘orrible “tunnel” sound suffered on cheapo handsets.
Both phones – neither of which are lookers – come with an integrated keypad letting VoIPers make calls to Skype contacts via assigned speed dial numbers, or to dial telephones anywhere in the world with SkypeOut.
The more expensive of the two phones, the £30 ($49.95) USR809601 offers a high-resolution, blue back-lit LCD screen for contact information and call status, while the entry level ($24.95, £13) USR9602 USB Internet Mini hasn’t a single LCD pixel to its name.
“Our collaboration with USRobotics provides the growing Skype community with high quality, affordable Skype devices that make Internet communications easy whether you’re at home or in the office,” hyped Manrique Brenes, director of hardware for Skype.
“USRobotics and Skype are committed to enabling the world’s conversations; these new USB Internet phones are a great example of our shared vision,” Brenes added, while we pondered over how one gets a job as an “enabler of world conversations.”
USRobotics USB Internet Phone USR9601A Specifications
Plug-and-Play for auto installation
Echo cancellation and noise reduction technology
Supports full-duplex communication
Dialed and incoming number memory
USB
Supports USB 1.1 and 2.0 ports
USB Powered (no external power supply needed)
USB Port: A-type interface, Universal Serial Bus Specification, Revision 1.1
Dot matrix LCD Screen: Time and date, Caller ID, Call states and duration
Dimensions/Weight
USB Phone
5.9 x 1.75 x .8 in / 15 x 4.45 x 2.03 cm
0.44 lb / .2 kg
Handset Functionality
Blue back-lit display
Echo cancellation, noise reduction
Dial Skype contacts (Speed Dial)
Dial Skype-Out numbers using phone keypad
Place calls on hold and mute calls
LCD State Indications: Skype online, Skype offline & missed calls
Selectable ring tones
Minimum System Requirements
400 MHz Pentium II IBM compatible PC with 128 MB RAM and 5 MB free hard disk space (or higher)
Available USB port or a USB hub with external power supply
Windows XP/2000 or Macintosh X or higher
USRobotics USB Internet Mini Phone USR9602 Specifications
HiFi Voice technology
Plug-and-Play
Echo cancellation and noise reduction technology
Supports full-duplex communication
USB
Supports USB 1.1 and 2.0 ports
USB Powered (no external power supply needed)
USB Port: Mini-USB type B female on handset
Mini-USB type A-to-USB type A cable, 2.5 m
Universal Serial Bus Specification, Revision 1.1
Dimensions/Weight
USB Internet Mini Phone
5.9 x 1.75 x .8 in / 15 x 4.45 x 2.03 cm
0.44 lb / .2 kg
Handset Functionality
Control Skype contact list, history scrolling, utility activations, and tabs switching
LED Indicator: Off – handset idle, Blinking – Incoming Skype call, Slow Blinking – Handset microphone is muted
Echo cancellation, noise reduction
Dial Skype contacts (Speed Dial)
Dial Skype-Out numbers using phone keypad
One button call pick-up, hang-up, mute and hold
Speaker volume adjustment
Buzzer/Ring tone selection
Minimum System Requirements
400 MHz Pentium II IBM compatible PC with 128 MB RAM and 5 MB free hard disk space (or higher)
Available USB port or a USB hub with external power supply
Windows XP/2000
USB Robotics
16 August, 2006
An Assemblage Of Strange USB Speakers
We can always rely on Brando to come up with quirky, bizarre and sometimes near-scary products, so we thought we’d take a look at their latest range of USB speakers.
As ever, they didn’t disappoint.
Hello Kitty
First off is their new “Hello Kitty” USB speakers, which their website insists that we’ll all be “fascinated” by.
Sporting a speaker wedged in the back of Kitty’s over-sized head, the units can knock out a neighbour-untroubling 12w per channel.
There’s not much chance of Kitty (resplendent in, “lovely pink clothes and ribbon”) shaking her ass with much bass either, as the speakers can only muster a frequency response of 200Hz-20KHz.
The 12×7.9x7cm USB powered, Plug and Play speakers also come with volume up/down and mute controls in the supplied cable, and are compatible with Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP, Mac OS 9.0.
Hello Kitty USB speakers, $48
Mouse speakers
If you thought the Hello Kitty speakers were a little odd, then take a look at Brando’s ‘USB Little Mice Speakers.’
This bizarre circular construction has a speaker lurking under each mouse’s head, which lifts up to reveal a blue LED light, which also illuminates the little rodent’s eyes.
Output is listed at a mere 3W, with a control unit built into the cable providing mute and volume options.
Mouse speakers, $29
Where did you get those ears from?
Looking like the sort of thing that may glow an evil shade of red late at night and try and murder you in your bed, Brando’s Bear Speaker and Radio comes in the shape of a scarily featureless yellow bear with speakers in its ears.
Powered by USB or 4 x AAA batteries, the bear has an FM radio and can be hooked up to MP3/CD players or your laptop (we’re sure it’ll look a treat next to your £2,000 Sony laptop).
They don’t even bother mentioning the frequency response or power output, but if you’re bothered by these kind of things, you’re clearly already looking in the wrong place.
Bear Speaker + Radio, $15.
Apple sounds
Wrapping up this round-up of oddball speakers is Brando’s Foldable Apple Speakers.
Designed to work with iPods and mobile players, this strange looking creation (available in lurid lime green or dazzling red) starts life looking like a mutant apple, before a fold out design reveals two 1W speakers in each half of the apple.
The lo-fi 200Hz-12KHz speakers can be powered from the USB port or by installing 4x AAA batteries in the base, with an on/off control, rotary volume control and DC input slapped on the top of the 114x71x55mm construction.
Brando’s Foldable Apple Speakers, $16.
Never mind the Kitties
We’ve no doubt that all of these speakers are going to sound unutterably crap, but some may argue that’s a small price to pay for looking so, err, individual.
We tend to agree, because we like Brando. They cheer us up.
3 August, 2006
PlusNet: 700Gb Of Mail Deleted: Sorry
UK ISP PlusNet has issued an official ‘sorry’ after having lost 700Gb of their subscribers email and not succeeding recovered it.
The problem was initially reported on Sunday 9 July where it was reported that their “network engineers are currently investigating an issue where customers are not seeing any email displayed in their mailboxes.” We suspect that caused a collective sharp intake of breath at their offices.
PlusNet tell us that the problem took place during an upgrade of the email server. The engineer upgrading the servers NAS (Network Attached Storage) made the mistake of thinking that the mirrored drive that he was working on was the backup drive – it was in fact the live drive. By repartitioning the drive, this was then mirrored to the backup drive. Argh!
When they realised the problem, they stopped it double quick. By then the 700Gb of email had been lost. Within 3 hours they’d shipped the NAS to the data recovery specialist.
We feel sorry for the engineer who did this … we really do. They must have had many, many nightmares about this since and probably shake when they get close to a systems keyboard.
PlusNet say that their analysis shows that half of the lost mail was marked as spam, 48% of the mail had already been read, with only 1-2% not having been looked at. 1-2% doesn’t sound too much, but when it’s 700Gb of data that’s been lost, that is still 7Gb – 14Gb of loss.
To put this in perspective, the flow of email for any ISP is considerable with PlusNet getting 1.5 million ’email writes’ a day. They estimate that 700Gb of email takes about 3 days to build up. With this flow of data backing up to tape simply isn’t practical.
PlusNet proudly say on their home page that they ‘”top uSwitch.com customer satisfaction survey with 92%,” perhaps this will have dropped slightly – they said their customers have been “disappointed” – but given how open they’ve been during the process, we suspect their customer will at least know they’re honest – important in our view.
At the end of last year PlusNet bought MetroNet to add to their other ISPs.
Thanks to the story tip from Urban75
PlusNet
3 August, 2006
Informatica Wi-Fi Detector Pen
It wasn’t that long ago that you’d be sure to garner approving nods from your fellow executives if you pulled out a pen that lit up when your mobile phone had a call coming in (yes! we had one too!).
But things have moved on.
Now execs looking to make a splash amongst the gadget cognoscenti in the boardroom should consider splashing out for this latest whizz-bang WiFi Detector Pen.
While your fellow suited types are rummaging in their bags ready to pull out their laptops to see if there’s a signal around, you’ll be able to impress the boss with a quick sweep of your James Bond-esque pen.
Touted as a ‘business essential’ by gadgety folks Informatica, the thing looks simple enough to operate: simply push on the button on the barrel and a green, yellow or red LED will light up to tell you the strength of any Wi-Fi signal in range, with the makers claiming that the pen can detect signals within an area of 50 feet.
All this could be yours for just $18.95, with the pen also coming with a white LED flashlight so you can, err, point your light at any hotspots you find.
If this multi-function pen has excited your wavelengths, be advised that it’s only available in limited quantities for a limited time only, so get your order in quick!
Of course, if you’re serious about your Wi-Fi, we reckon you’d be better off forking out for something a little more rugged than a cheapo pen, with the $50 Canary Wireless Digital Hotspotter being a popular choice.
Informatica
24 July, 2006
USB Web Cam With Telescope
If you enjoyed Hitchcock’s Rear Window movie, you can now play a James Stewart character in your very own home thanks to Brando’s new USB Web Cam With Telescope.
The sneaky, spying Webcam comes with a built in 7×18 optical telescope letting you closely examine the goings-on of neighbours far and wide and – best of all – share their dodgy activities with the rest of the Web!
The example photos on Brando’s Website show that it’s a pretty powerful telescope, although with Image quality a mere VGA 800 x 600, you won’t have to worry about Patrick Moore smashing down your front door with his glockenspiel mallets and demanding a go.
The manual focus Webcam also offers video with a frame rate of 30fps at 320×240 and 15fps at 640×480.
The package arrives with its own mini tripod, driver, manual and – bless – a little cloth to keep your telescope glass nice and shiny.
Being a Brando product, it’s as cheap as chips – just $26 – and only available via mail order from Hong Kong.
We’ve been tempted by some of their daft products in the past and can report that we’ve always found them a prompt and reliable supplier.
Brando
20 July, 2006
Trendnet Wi-Fi and 512MB Flash Memory Combo with HotSpot Detector
Travellers needing to keep connected might like the cut of the jib of Trendnet’s handy new USB wotsit. Regaling under the lengthy name of the ‘Trendnet HotFlash 802.11g Wireless & 512MB Flash Memory Combo USB Adapter with HotSpot Detector,’ this cheeky little puppy wedges in a ton of functionality into a memory stick sized unit.
Ranked by Laptop Magazine as one of the best road-ready accessories for mobile business folks, the HotFlash packs in 512MB of flash memory with a built in, plug-and-play 802.11g Wi-Fi adapter.
Best of all, there’s no need to fire up the laptop to look for Wi-Fi zones when you’re on the move thanks to the onboard Wi-Fi network scanner, with the information being presented on a small LCD screen.
The Hotflash can detect and connect to IEEE 802.11b and 802.11g HotSpots, with the display showing SSID, channel, encryption types and signal strength information.
Powered by a built-in rechargeable Li-on battery (which charges up when connected to a USB port), the specs claim a wireless working range of 35-100 meters indoors and 100-300 meters outdoors.
All in all, not bad for $100.
Trendnet
17 July, 2006
SanDisk MobileMate MS+: Review (99%): 2Gb MS Lifesaver
SanDisk makes tons of memory related products but how many of you knew that they made memory adaptors and converts? Makes sense doesn’t it?
One I’ve found that I can’t live without, is the SanDisk MobileMate MS+, Sony MemoryStick to USB converter.
I’ve been using a 2Gb Sony MemoryStick PRO Duo in my [link to my review]Sony Ericsson K750i for about nine months now.
When I picked up the 2Gb MS in Tokyo last year, I was feeling very pleased with myself. I’d fallen for the k750i, seeing it as the first true multi-media mobile phone, so figured that I’d be shooting tons of photos, videos and recording endless audio recordings. For that I needed some pretty hefty storage, so the not-available outside Japan 2Gb appeared to be the perfect solution.
It comes as no surprise to find out that as soon as it was fitted I was dashing around shooting my little sox off, gather interesting images from the strange world that Tokyo is to inexperienced Western eyes.
Setting about to download them to my iBook via my then current MS/USB adaptor was most perturbing experience. It refused to acknowledge that my beauties were there at all. Argh, panic! Logic prevailed and I reached for a PC laptop. While the PC saw the images, when I tried to copy them off the machine would get slower and slower to the point where it finally fell over.
Vaguely recalling issues with partition sizes over 2Gb, I fell into a cold sweat, considering that perhaps it couldn’t cope with the 2Gb MS, rendering my not-inexpensive purchase valueless.
SanDisk MobileMate MS+ to the rescue
I’d been fortunate enough to lay my hands on a number of MS/USB converters, but none of them were up to the job of copying information from the 2Gb MS.
Salvation was found when I discovered the SanDisk MobileMate MS+. It read my 2Gb without presenting any form of complaint and it did it with full speed. It works perfectly both on Mac and PC and hasn’t thrown up any problems in the six months I’ve been using it.
To use it, simply clip off the snug-fitting, light green cap that protects the USB port from dust; lift the flexible rubber cover that does the same dust-protecting job for the MS slot. Pop the MS into it and plug it into your computer. Err … that’s it.
It works with the many, varied versions of MemoryStick format, including plain old MemoryStick; MemoryStick Duo; MemoryStick PRO and MemoryStick PRO Duo.
Summary
This compact beauty has literally everything you could want and I can’t think of a single thing I’d like to do to change it. It’s the right size, and smaller and it’d be in danger of getting lost.
It’s a permanent feature in my tech grab-back whenever I leave the house and will continue to be until the day I stop using MemorySticks, or get a laptop with a MS port.
We’ve never done this before, but we’re going to give this 1% short of a perfect mark. It would be 100%, but nothing is perfect.
Score: 99%
Buy it at Amazon US
Sandisk
30 June, 2006
Oracom UB890 Portable Media Player
Lined up on the new product runway and awaiting clearance for take off is the slick looking Oracom UB890 portable media player.
This attractively designed pocket-rocket comes in two colours (black or white) and four versions, with the memory capacity starting at 512MB and going all the way up to a healthy 4GB.
Packing a 2.0″ 262K colour TFT LCD screen, there’s enough functionality onboard to keep a Hoxton fin-toter happy for hours.
The media player covers a fair range of music formats – MP3/WMA/OGG/WAV – with MPEG, AVI, WMV and ASF (after conversion) video support.
There’s also built in equaliser and 3D sound and onscreen visual effects to keep the easily-bored entertained.
BMP and JPEG photos can be viewed onscreen (with zooming) and there’s slideshow/wallpapers support.
A handy line-in encoder with built-in microphone lets you use the thing like an old fashioned tape recorder, and if you get fed up with your own recordings, you can turn on the built in FM tuner and record tunes off the radio – either live or by using the pre-schedule timer option.
Rounding off the gadget-fest, there’s also an alarm clock, sleep timer, built-in speakers (500mW + 500mW) and an iPod-esque ‘Touch Sensor Key Pad’ for shimmying through the menus.
Through the marvels of modern technology, all these fancy gizmos have been shoehorned into a shiny case measuring just 81 X 43 X 12.2 mm and weighing a paltry 55 grams.
The USB 2.0 (High Speed) device runs off a Li-Polymer battery (which takes a patience-challenging 3 hours to fully recharge) and Oracom claim that’ll it play audio for a not-exactly-pushing-the-envelope 13 hours (MP3 128Kbps) and video for a more impressive 8 hours continuously.
Oracom
26 June, 2006
USB Devices To Tickle Your Fancy
You wouldn’t actually buy any of the “conceptual art” USB devices on show at “Universal Connections” – because none of them actually would work. For example, you can’t debug your network with a stethoscope.
But data is one of the “essentials” of life, and that little three-pronged logo has become the single most recognisable indicator of access to data.
Actually, one of those devices does work, at least: the one entitled “French Connection” is a USB bra, which was captioned “unplug and play” by one frivolous commentator. That is, it really works in the sense that it’s a real bra, not a real USB device.
And unlike the “iPod Bra” these bits of USB sculpture aren’t just April Fool jokes. Although, the travel iRon looked like it had some chance of commercial success. Once they get the wrinkles out of it, of course…
13 April, 2006
Sony CD-U70/ U50 USB Voice Recorders Announced
As voice recorders go (and, let’s be honest, they’re not the most exciting of gadgets) Sony’s new CD-U70/ U50 devices look to be quite natty numbers.
Sporting Sony’s usual design flair, the voice recorders come in two flavours, the top of the range ICD-U70, touts a hefty 1GB of flash memory, and its smaller brother the ICD-U50, which comes with 512MB of memory.
You’d have no bother losing these fellas down the back of the sofa as the recorders are pipsqueak-sized, measuring just 30x20x99.7mm and weighing in at a trouser-untroubling 64g.
Touted as a ‘three in one’ gizmo, the Sony IC recorders can be used as a mass data storage drive, an MP3 player and a voice recorder, with the thing plugging straight into the USB port of a PC.
For voice recording, there’s three modes on offer – LP/SP/HQ, with the built in monaural microphone offering high and low sensitive settings.
Battery life is listed as an impressive 140 hours for voice recording and 6 hours for MP3 playback, with the unit offering Digital Pitch Control, Digital VOR (Voice Operated Recording) and 5 message folders to keep your perambulating wafflings filed away neatly.
For playing back your words of wisdom, there’s a tiny 10mm speaker onboard with a teensy-weensy 35mW output as well as a headphone socket (and bundled ‘phones).
The ICD-U70 comes in silver only while the ICD-U60 comes in groovier blue and white finishes.
Availability should be from mid March, 2006, with prices around $179.00 for the and $129 for the ICD-U70
Sony
14 March, 2006