USB device

PURE DMX-25 DAB Micro System With MP3 Playback Launched
Those lovely people at Pure have launched another means of listening to DAB radio and other audio, this time in a compact micro Hi-Fi form.
The new PURE DMX-25 DAB Micro System with MP3 playback comes with the ability to playback MP3/ WMA files from portable USB flash memory drives, SD memory cards and CDs. Beyond those terribly modern means, there’s also two auxiliary inputs, letting you connect iPod, MiniDisc or MP3 player.
This micro system is Micro with the main unit being 140mm wide and 150mm tall – not much wider than a CD case.
All the DAB goodies are available including autotuning to all available stations and scrolling text showing news, sports results, artist names and track titles (as long as it’s supported by the broadcaster). Pure tells us that some areas of the UK have up to 55 DAB stations these days.
The CD player isn’t just for the run of the mill audio CDs. It will playback CD-R and CD-RW disks with support for CD Text and audio CD playlists. The DMX-25 also plays back MP3-CDs, including support for ID3 tags, giving significantly increased capacity.
For those of you who love to know about the guts of what you’re buying – The DMX-25 is powered by the Frontier Chorus FS1010, which incorporates the revolutionary META multi-threaded processor and Universal Communications Core technologies developed by Imagination Technologies. So there!
DMX-25 is on sale from April 2007 from major retailers and independent hi-fi dealers nationwide for just £129.99 (SSP inc. VAT).
Tech Specs
Tuner: Stereo digital radio with full Band III and FM reception. ETS 300 410 compliant and capable of decoding all DAB transmission modes 1-4 up to and including 192 kbps. Supports FM RDS and RadioText.
Frequency ranges: Band III 174-240 MHz, FM 87.5-108 MHz.
CD Player: CD-R and CD-RW playback compatible. Support for 20 track audio CD playlist. Multiple playback modes (repeat, shuffle, etc.). MP3 & WMA playback, including support for ID3 tags.
Speakers: 4 Ohms (nominal) impedance. 10W RMS power handling. Two-way design. Treated paper mid-bass driver. Custom-tuned crossover. Rosewood finish. Removable grilles.
Input connectors: Two 3.5mm line-inputs for auxiliary devices. USB host port for flash-based memory sticks (key drives) and powered media devices. SD memory card support.
Output connectors: 3.5mm stereo output for headphones.
Controls: Power on/standby, clock/sleep, source, tune/select, menu, timer, info, presets, volume, play/pause, stop, fast forward, rewind and MP3 directory navigation.
Remote: Fully featured infrared remote control. Uses 2 AAA batteries (supplied).
Presets: 30 presets (10 DAB and 20 FM).
LCD Display: LCD display with 16 x 2 characters, plus additional function icons.
Mains power supply: 240V. Euro/UK power socket adapter.
Approvals: CE marked. Compliant with the EMC and Low Voltage Directives (89/336/EEC and 73/23/EEC).
Dimensions (mm): Unit – 140 wide x 150 high (280 with CD compartment open) x 230 deep (including controls). Speakers – 130 wide x 205 high x 160 deep.
Aerial: Wire dipole DAB/FM aerial.
Warranty: Comprehensive two year warranty.
Pure DMX-25
23 February, 2007
USB Rules Mobile Phone Interfacing
USB rules the roost for people loading and unloading content on and off their mobiles phones. It was employed in more handsets than all other interface standards combined in 2006, according to iSuppli Corp.
While the wireless alternatives of WiFi and Bluetooth might grab the news headlines, good old-fashioned USB keeps doing the doo, primarily because some sort of USB is on pretty much any computer since it’s introduction ten years ago.
iSupply think this dominance will continue to the point where, by the end of 2010, USB will still be the leading local interface, being included 764 million of all handsets shipped that year. They also think that Bluetooth will be fitted to all handsets, while NFC and WiFi will become stronger that their currently weak position.
Alongside getting content on and off the phone using the varied interfaces, there will be a corresponding increase in flash memory add-in cards. iSupply are predicting significant increases, with the 186m units shipped in 2005 increasing to 640m units in 2010.
It was interesting to note that the whole range of new Sony Ericsson phones were fitted with Memory Stick Micro (M2), and not the now-standard Memory Sticks. When we queried it with company people, they said that was the trend, allowing the size of the handsets to shrink.
iSupply
23 February, 2007
Brando USB Christmas Collection
If you’re having problems thinking of that perfect technological widget to make your Christmas go with a seasonal swing, look no further than Brando’s fabulous feast o’ festive trinkets.
USB LED Snowman
First up is a USB LED Snowman, who doesn’t do a great deal apart from add a seasonal touch to your desktop by cycling through a range of colours.
He has got a nice hat mind, and he only costs $10.
USB Fibre Optic Christmas Tree II
Going upmarket a tad, the $14 USB Fibre Optic Christmas Tree II apparently, “actually looks like a miniaturised version of the real Christmas tree” and comes in its own little pot.
Like the USB Snowman, it doesn’t do very much apart from cycle through pretty colours, but it is perhaps a little more dignified than a clattering USB Snowman Drummer (see below).
USB LED Music X’mas Tree
For office workers keen to impress, there’s no denying that the USB LED Music X’mas Tree pulls out the stops, offering 12 – yes twelve – built in Christmas songs, cycling colours and a “shining golden star” on the top. Beautiful.
And it’s yours for just $15, squire.
USB Drumming Santa
The real showstopper of Brando’s collection has to be the top-of-the-range USB Drumming Santa.
Billed as “bringing happiness at Christmas” their $18 USB Drumming Santa Claus (Snowman version also available) looks set to redefine festive tack with an all-out assault of PC-powered lights and music.
Plug him into the nearest USB port and whoop with joy as he drums along to a selection of five Christmas songs, complete with synchronised blue lights.
Imagine the delight of your co-workers when you leave that running all day!
Brando Christmas Collection
3 November, 2006
USB Foot Warmers And Gloves
With the evenings drawing in and artic breezes circulating around your workstation, it may be time to invest in some handy USB-powered warming devices.
First up is the USB Foot Warmers, designed to get your tootsies toastie within minutes.
The USB Foot Warmers are covered in soft brown and white fake fur backed by a ‘leather fabric’ base with the slippers being warmed through a compact, ultra-flexible heat panel lurking in the lining of the base. The heat panel can be removed for washing.
Once the slippers are plugged into a USB port, this panel will immediately begin to heat and will remain at comfortably warm until unplugged. Or your machine crashes.
The foot warmers come with a 107cm-long USB cable (how long before the user wanders off and drags the PC with them?) and it has to be said that the whole ensemble is quite exceptionally unstylish.
The USB Foot Warmers are available from the Gadgetshop for fifteen quid. No thanks Santa!
USB G-Gloves for girlies
Somewhat more attractive – but equally daft – are the USB G-Gloves from our favourite purveyor of frivolous goods, Brando.
In case you didn’t know, the ‘G’ stands for ‘Girls’ who Brando hope will be wooed by their knitted (real wool!) pastel colour schemes on offer.
The gloves feature an open ended design that lets girls show off their nail varnish do some typing, with the gloves offering two USB-powered heating levels.
Each mitten comes with two built-in warming pads that heat by 10 degrees n five minutes, and you can pick up a pair for $22 (£13).
Brando also do a men’s version, but they weren’t the mean’n’macho, black-leather, studded affair we’d hoped for.
2 November, 2006
Vonage V-phone Gets To The UK
Vonage have launched a new means of making VoIP calls on you PC – a USB stick with headphone socket.
The invite to Vonage’s event to launch the V-phone billed it as ‘The World’s smallest phone.” Whether you feel that is a marketing spin or correct is personal interpretation.
It’s not a phone in old understanding of it … but frankly, what is? The USB stick has Vonage Talk software pre-loaded on it, with a detachable stereo earpiece/microphone and you’ll be left with 250Mb of usable memory. You also get a new Vonage phone number. All for £20.
With it, you can use any PC as a way to send and receive phone calls on a Vonage – even PCs without the Vonage software installed. To use it, just plug the neat USB stick in with the the headphone, the software temporarily runs and you’re ready to go. When you’ve finished chatting, simply software-eject the USB stick and remove it. There’s nothing left on the machine.
Skype has done a similar thing through a deal with SanDisk to have their software on their Cruizer USB stick. We’ve used it and found it pretty impressive. The only thing missing is the headphone socket.
We think this kind of approach – temporary software – will become more common as computing become ubiquitous and more a utility than rarity.
Vonage V-Phone
6 October, 2006
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
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