usb

Necktie or noose? Japanese corporate culture and the knot fan

It's no surprise that the first necktie to come with a USB-powered fan built into the knot comes from Japan. Having lived in Tokyo for nearly three years, I can confirm that which you already know: Japan is technology heaven.

It's where old tech hopes to go when it dies so it can be resuscitated by an Atari 2600 fetishist, and it's where new tech hopes to be born. It's one of the few countries in the world where bleeding-edge cell phones shaped like pens and that, in fact, are pens can enjoy a limited if well-lit 15 seconds of fame.

USB + OMG = Mr. Tengu

Ah, if only all your pals could display a limited range of emotions, sit silently on your desk, and draw power from a USB port.

Yes, these dreams can come true with Mr. Tengu, the latest USB toy sold by Japan's Solid Alliance.

Mr. Tengu reacts to various noises with light-up facial expressions. Just like normal human beings, Mr. Tengu's facial "emotions" include large block-mouth, narrow block-mouth, oval mouth, and mouth-that-turns-into-a-secondary-face mouth. A full chart of Mr. Tengu's multiple moods can be seen here.

Of course, you may know Solid Alliance as the retailers of … Read more

Philips, Swarovski put the flash in flash drive

When I look at my Sony noise-cancelling earbuds, I'm embarrassed. Although I love their sound quality--I can completely block out everyone when I'm listening with them--their black and silver minimalist design is nothing to brag about. So when I heard that Swarovski and Philips Electronics will start selling their new crystal-adorned headphones and other gizmos in August, I was pleased.

The new line, called Active Crystals, features eight styles of sound accessories and USB drives. My personal favorite is the key-shaped USB drive, which can be worn like a necklace, featuring signature Swarovski crystals embossing the pendant. There'… Read more

Toshiba's docking station without wires

Rounding out this week's wireless USB news is Toshiba and its Wireless UWB Port Replicator.

The Portege R400 series is one of Toshiba's high-end laptops (with a twisty screen!), which can now be paired with a wireless port replicator docking station that needs no cables to connect with peripherals like a printer, monitor, projector, mouse or external hard drive.

The dock uses an ultrawideband technology that will stream uncompressed video wirelessly to a monitor at 1280X1024 resolution. It's available now for $499 and can be purchased separately.

It's been a big week for Wireless USB. Earlier … Read more

A hub of activity in Wireless USB

As promised, more gadgets have been approved as official Wireless USB devices. D-Link and IOGEAR both announced Wireless USB hub and adapter kits Monday.

D-Link's Wireless USB Adapter & 4-Port Wireless USB Hub and IOGEAR'S Wireless USB Hub & Adapter Kit are both backward compatible with wired USB and have bandwidth capabilities of up to 480 Mbps at a distance of 10 feet, and 110 Mbps at 30 feet. While Wireless USB does free you from using cables, the signal does not go through walls, so make sure your laptop and the peripherals you want to connect have … Read more

Two notebooks approved for Wireless USB

It's taken long enough, but they're here: the first computers that can make USB connections sans cables.

Dell's Inspiron 1720 notebook and Lenovo's ThinkPad T61 and T61p models are the first PCs to receive certification for the standard, the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) is expected to announce Monday. Texas-based WiQuest Communications makes the Wireless USB chipset in both notebooks.

The Thinkpad can be ordered now for $1,814. The Inspiron notebook will not ship until late summer or early fall and pricing is not yet available, according to Dell spokeswoman Anne Camden. She said Dell does … Read more

USB pendant made of wood (yawn)

We're not exactly sure if this qualifies as part of the gadget jewelry trend, but it's probably the closest that Hong Kong-based Brando will ever get. (This, you'll recall, is the outfit responsible for the massaging mouse and a pig-shaped USB card reader.)

Yet valiently they try, in the form of a 2GB wooden USB memory strap that's apparently meant to be worn around the neck. Yeah, pretty ugly. Some unsolicited advice for the company: Stick to the stuff you know, like the mouse hand warmer.

Ducati takes memory for a spin

Maybe it's just us, but we never really thought digital storage products would ever be considered sexy enough to merit the attention from the likes of Ducati. But the motorcycling legend must see something we don't, because it's lent its famous name to SanDisk to stamp on a USB flash drive and memory cards, according to Fareastgizmos.

The marketing link is speed, as in data transfer rates, which we think will be lost on most true Ducati fans. The items do at least bear the company's signature red-and-black glossy color scheme, however, and the USB drive … Read more

Gamespot: Japanese PSP to get TV tuner

Gamespot is reporting that when the new, slimmer PSP is released in Japan on September 20, buyers there will also be able to pick up a new TV tuner accessory, the PSP-S310, which will attach to the new PSP's USB port.

The article says that, "The peripheral weighs in at only 17 grams and is very portable, but is compatible only with the new PSP model. Also, since it's a 1seg digital TV tuner (ISDB-T broadcasting format), its use is limited to the Japan airwaves. The TV tuner will be released at the same time as the … Read more

Belkin says 'no' to the USB hokey-pokey

Most desktop and laptop PCs have, at most, four USB ports for peripherals such as cameras, hard drives, and printers, but most of us have more than four peripherals to connect to our PCs. So we're all familiar with the USB hokey-pokey: you put your camera USB in, you take the printer USB out, your put the thumbdrive USB in, and your cords get tangled about. So not fun. Today, Belkin announced four new USB hubs that let you keep all your peripherals connected and that don't block adjacent USB ports.

The $30 Swivel Hub is a 4-to-1 … Read more