Tag: USB
Lego digital camera available now from IWOOT
Excellent little Christmas present this one; I mean, who wouldn't want a camera made out of Lego? I'm pretty sure I tried building one myself as a kid, but just didn't have the electrical engineering knowledge (or patience) to finish…
YBA launch WD202 USB DAC
Parisian audio specialists YBA are set to launch a new digital-to-analogue convertor for home audio set ups. The WD202 USB DAC is their latest bit of AV kit, and was apparently inspired by the architect Ludwig Mies Van der…
Santa USB stick heading to your stocking this Christmas
Dust proof, water proof, probably snow and reindeer-proof too, the Santa USB stick has it all. Except a shirt, it would seem.
Digital Vision announces GiGo – the VCR killer
Digital Vision has launched the GiGo DV-DTR1 Digital Freeview recorder – the first USB stick based recorder on the market.
It’s basically a single tuner Freeview receiver, with the usual EPG you’d expect on a Freeview box, that has three USB ports on the front of it. Users can record programmes using the EPG direct to any storage device plugged in to one of the slots.
Programmes are recorded in MPEG-2 format with an hour’s worth of programming taking up about 2GB. The file name is taken directly from the EPG and programme synopsis is also copied.
Playback is via the GiGo or via any device that supports MPEG-2, meaning you can take your recorded programmes with you on the move.
Robert Musk told Tech Digest (well, me) that he sees the GiGo box as a direct replacement for people who were comfortable recording onto VHS but haven’t got to grips with Freeview recorders and personal planners yet although, to be honest, the GiGo doesn’t look any easier to use than a standard Freeview recorder.
The GiGo DV-DTR1 will be available in Tesco from September for £69.99 initially, although this will probably drop to £59.99. The cheapest Freeview reorder I could find on the Tesco website was £87.89 for a 250GB DigiHome model meaning the GiGo could be a good entry-level Freeview recorder.
LaCie DataShare – memory card readers in the 5.5 style
The milk from LaCie’s design cash cow is still full and creamy with the release of the £9.90 DataShare flash memory device by 5.5 designers.
It’s a rather pretty, simple and elegant solution to the card reader problem and neat way to store your SDs and their micro cousins at the same time. They transfer at USB 2.0’s 480Mbps and probably last you somewhere in the region of 10,000 insertions. They’ll be available at the LaCie online store just as soon as they pull their fingers out.
Shure debuts the colourful SE115 earphones
Headphone manufacturer Shure has just dropped us word of a couple of new products that they’re bringing to market.
The SE115s are the latest addition to Shure’s noise-isolating range. They come in blue, pink, black and red, and – well – there’s not a whole lot more detail than that being offered, except that they have ‘enhanced bass’. They cost £100, which seems a tad steep, I must admit. As they’re from Shure, though. you can bet they’ll sound good.
Also announced are a pair of USB condenser microphones – the PG27USB and PG42USB. They come with plug and play connectivity, along with zero-latency headphone monitoring, and monitor mix control.
These are most likely targeted at pro audio professionals and podcasters that spend a lot of time travelling – they’ve got a rugged, portable design. The PG27 and PG42 will cost £220 and £270 respectively, and be available from 20th June.
Shure
2GB USB stick / post-it note dispenser
Just when you think you’ve seen every kind of USB memory stick in the world, another one comes along. This one dispenses post-it notes. Very handy, if you use post-it notes, which unfortunately I don’t.
It’s got two gigabytes of memory built in, with an unspecified number of post-it notes. Not sure how easy they’d be to ‘refill’ either, though I suppose you could just chop a normal pad into strips and stick the bottom one on with glue. Of course it suffers from the same problem as every other USB stick – if you knock it by accident, then you’ve got a very good chance of damaging the port or the stick.
Darumouse (via Akihabaranews)
More USB rubbish: USB Wristband makes fashion history | USB Endoscope – seeing things that should never be seen
Turn your PC into a home cinema with a USB to HDMI dongle
Many laptops these days are starting to arrive with HDMI ports and Blu-ray drives, so you can use your new laptop to hook up your massive 40″ telly and enjoy HD content via your PC. Many people play PC games on massive monitors, too. But what do you do if you don’t have a graphics card with a HDMI output?
You buy one of these. Plug one end into a spare USB port and the other into your TV, and voila – a 720p, or 1280 x 720, display. It’ll take care of the sound too, via the HDMI cable. Best of all, you’re not limited to just one of these – you can plug in as many as you have USB ports. Fancy rocking seven in a row? 8960 x 720 resolution!
Lancerlink (via Akihabaranews)
Related posts: Sony launches Bravia DAV-F200 home theatre system with HDMI, USB and 1080p upscaling | ALL Xbox 360s to come with HDMI sockets from now on
USB lunchbox pumps out 60°C of face-melting heat
This scares me a little. It’s a little bag with a heating element in, which claims to cook your lunch when plugged in via USB. In reality though, 60C is barely warmer than a cup of tea – certainly not enough to kill any bacteria. Don’t rely on it to grill a steak beyond “rare”.
On the other hand, if all you’re doing is heating up your cous-cous, then my objection isn’t so pronounced. Who knows? Maybe in the hands of Heston Blumenthal it could be a force for good. Now there’s a program I’d like to see – Heston Blumenthal’s USB Lunchbox.
Thanko (via Oh! Gizmo)
Related posts: USB Wristband makes fashion history | USB 3.0 spec set in stone – move your files about at speeds of 4.8Gbps
Denon introduces the DN-S3700 CD Deck
Although Pioneer’s CDJ-1000MK3s are the standard CD player in every nightclub across the UK, Denon produces a range of DJ-standard CD players, too. They’ve just announced a new iteration, too – the DN-S3700. It’s got a rotating 9″ platter on the top with vinyl emulation, so if you can’t mix CDs with the buttons, then you can do it using the platter.
Additional features include USB and MIDI control, internal USB sound card, five built-in effects, and loop functionality, as well as your standard pitch/speed adjust and slot-loader. It certainly competes with the CDJ-1000 on features, but it lacks a lot of the style of Pioneer’s rival player – the DN-S3700 is covered with garish buttons and flashing lights. It doesn’t compete much on price either, costing £900 new, compared to £770 for the Pioneer. I’d love to give it a spin and see how it compares when actually ‘in the mix’. You can buy it ‘soon’ from from HTFR.
Denon (via Akihabaranews)
Related posts: Denon announces top-end AH-D7000 headphones | Denon shows off super-high-end DVD-3800BD Blu-ray player with “wonder” DVD upscaling
