The Locking HDMI Cable from PPC.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)I've never believed in the so-called "high-quality" HDMI cables that cost hundreds of dollars. It's just electrical engineering, and as long as the cables are made of standardized conductor material, which most, if not all, of them are, they should work the same in regard to picture quality when plugged in securely.
There's no proof that the $100 Monster Cable HDMI cable would make your hi-def movie look better than a generic $20 one. If you actually see the difference, maybe you should check with your optometrist, or find a shrink. It's all mental.
With that said, I would look for other qualities when choosing a cable. Take length, for example. You definitely don't want to have a cable that's way longer than necessary because that only clutters the space. And some cables definitely look better than others.
Today, however, I got my hands on a cable that offers a feature none has offered before: a stronger port hold. It's called the world's first locking HDMI and it's from PPC.
Originally introduced back at CES (but I didn't have time to check it out then), the PPC's patented Locking HDMI Cable is designed to offer three times stronger connector retention than other HDMI cables. This means you are less likely to accidentally push it off of the HDMI port.
It's important to note that the cable is not actually locked into the port so if you happen to kick or stumble on it, it will still fall out without pulling your TV or Blu-ray player down on the ground.
Other than that, the Locking HDMI Cable is capable of delivering 1080p--the highest HDTV signal--and is compatible with all HDMI spec ports. And like all other HDMI cables with its specs, it will make your hi-def movies look great.
For this added feature, the Locking HDMI cable is more expensive than a regular one. It comes in three lengths, including 3 feet ($48.99 ), 6 feet ($59.99), and 12 feet ($72.99). They all come with a lifetime warranty.
Not all of us will find use for this cable, but if you have a busy entertainment corner with tons of cables around, this could be an easy solution to keep the HDMI connections secure.
(Credit:
Justin Yu)
As an avid cyclist, my biggest concern about riding my bike in New York City isn't king-size potholes, wayward pedestrians, or even the hordes of aggressive cabbies itching to smash me into gray matter, but rather the constant fear of getting my bike stolen. I've been a victim of bike theft in the past, and it literally feels like the loss of a limb (not good), so I'm constantly researching new ways to deter thieves from snatching up my precious Surly Cross-Check. Whether it's making my bike ugly with stickers or carrying around extra locks in my bag, there's only so much you can do, because if a thief wants what you got, they're gonna get it no matter what.
(Credit:
Mike Lambourn)
Michael Lambourn gives cyclists one more bullet in the barrel with his SmartLock design. It's a cable lock with colored liquid inside that explodes everywhere if the lock is cut. It's a clever idea, and one almost certainly hatched after a freak skunk accident, and I applaud Michael Lambourn for making an effort to make cycling safer for paranoid city dwellers like myself. The goal is to achieve peace of mind while your bike is locked up, and the SmartLock is definitely a step in the right direction. If this product is successful and helps get people out of their cars and onto the bike, then I'll get behind it 100 percent. I just have a few critiques to make in the meantime.
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Boo! This episode is all about the scariest of scary gadgetry. Listen, if you dare!
Listen now: Download today's podcast
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EPISODE 112 |
Bomb baby stroller ensures your baby grows up strong and warlike
Look at the legs on that: Walking house looks like giant metal beetle
Netflix streaming comes to TiVo
Dubai’s newest insane skyscraper to house a restaurant in a glass pod at 2,150 feet
Scariest jack-o’-lantern of 2008 - The stock-market pumpkin
Pink Watch
These belong in Hell: Half Croc, half Ugg (thanks, phatemokid!)
Why didn’t I think of that?!
Caps Lock Key Trainer Key HAS GIGANTIC SPIKES (ow)
Gender Gap
Feel the throbbing with the shocking 'Thumbwars' game
Hot Asian Gadget
Tuttuki Bako
Tool Time
iPod Blazer from Park Avenue
(Credit:
Crave Asia)
If you're the hopelessly paranoid sort who identifies with Mel Gibson's character in Conspiracy Theory, a New York cabbie who barricades himself at home with a phalanx of deadbolts, you'll love the KwikSet Smartkey. The secret to this formidable piece of security is its "un-bumpable" technology, a "side locking bar" that bypasses the traditional pins-and-tumblers system that just seems too easy to pick if you've watched enough CSI episodes. (Wikipedia has more on this.) If that's not enough peace of mind for you, there's an option to self-program any key for the system by using a small learning tool that re-keys the lock, thus rendering the old key useless if it goes missing. Apartment Therapy has a video that explains it all, lock, stock, and barrel.
(Source: Crave Asia)
(Credit:
Belkin)
While others fret about people breaking into their digital equipment, we often have more immediate concerns. Maybe it's a comment on the Wi-Fi coffee shops we frequent, but we often find ourselves worrying about the computer being stolen altogether--and, in those cases, older tech might be more effective than the newer stuff.
Case in point: an alarm for your laptop. Belkin has developed a USB security device that works kind of like a bicycle chain with a built-in alarm. Basically, you secure the base to a desk or something else too large or heavy to be carried away without arousing suspicion, then connect the USB plug at the other end of the cable. If it's cut or disconnected without being unlocked first by the accompanying key, according to Everything USB, an alarm will sound. Or you can just lay off the quad soy lattes so you won't have to keep leaving your computer unattended.
Do you know what day it is? DO YOU? IT'S INTERNATIONAL CAPS LOCK DAY! YAY!
This little-known holiday, according to geek lore, is an ironic little tradition stemming from the perceived overuse of capital letters in online conversation. But even though today is a day for celebrating/lampooning the keyboard key that can turn a simple hello into a verbal strike, we at Crave will resist the urge to yell our way through this post. Being the highly sensitive geek souls that we are, after all, we try to live by the old adage: type unto others as you would like them to type unto you.
Pieter Hintjens and the Caps Lock key: one little keyboard key can cause a whole lot of friction.
(Credit: CAPSoff.org)The Caps Lock key has generated much passion, with caps fans (often considered Net newbies) defending their right to freedom of sentence construction, and some caps haters going so far as to call for the death of the Caps Lock key.
"The Caps key is an abomination, Pieter Hintjens, a software developer and head of CAPSoff.org, wrote on his blog last year. "It's a huge key, stuck right there where the Ctrl used to be, and as far as I know, it's only used by 419 scammers and Fortran programmers."
But why we gotta hate, people? Today is a day for family, friends and respecting our differing keyboard philosophies. Or, as Engadget puts it: "Caps Lock Day is the one occasion when lovers of capitalization can come together with the haters from CAPSoff and hack-a-day and pay homage to the little key that habitually blows up your spot when trying to type a lower-case 'a.'"
(Credit:
ThinkGeek)
Sometimes, the simplest solutions are the most effective. As computer companies cater to the paranoid among us with such USB security devices as fingerprint readers and handwriting analyzers, this little upstart from ThinkGeek takes the most basic approach: plug the hole.
All you need to do before leaving your machine unattended is insert one of four "blockers" included with the gadget into your USB port, which prevent foreign flash drives or anything else from gaining access through that connection. The blockers can be removed only by the master key.
No complicated software or equipment to go haywire, though things could instantly go south if one of these got stuck the the port. In any event, it may not be the highest-tech security, but it ain't bad for $10 either.
(Credit:
AutoSport)
As much as we hate to think about gasoline--its ever-rising prices, more specifically--this is an item that could save a good bit of mess at the pump.
Gas caps can be a pain to use, especially if you're as forgetful as we are: We've left a few of them behind by accident, next to the coffee on the roof. But there's an alternative called the "InStant Fill," a device with a "trapdoor mechanism" that allows you to insert the nozzle without removing the cap. Book of Joe notes that it's also an official NASCAR product, so you can time yourself at each pit stop while reliving Talladega Nights.
(Credit:
Waleli)
In the Digital Age, the postman never needs to ring twice. That's because of inventions like the "GSM Doorbell" from Dutch start-up Waleli, which will automatically call your mobile phone if you're not immediately available to greet visitors--and you can unlock the door remotely just by punching in a designated number.
As Gearlog points out, it's really more of a smart system that includes an intercom, electronic lock and SIM card for your handset. Waleli says the system, which works with any phone on an international GSM network, has already been on the market in the Netherlands and may be released in other countries this year.
The company has seen a variety of uses for its product and says hospitals are testing it for use with homebound patients. But we envision more common situations, such as letting in the kids when they're home from school. This could render the term "latchkey children" entirely obsolete.
(Credit:
Locca Tech)
We can't count how many times we've wished for something like this. If car makers have long known the convenience of an electronic remote key, why haven't homebuilders figured out a similar concept for the front door?
Locca Access is one such remote system made by a U.K. company that can unlock your door from up to 50 meters away. (That's about 164 feet to us Yanks.) It can store up to 19 keys and promises to work even in a power outage, running on its own battery for 48 hours.
The kicker? Red Ferret says it can work from inside the house as well, meaning that you can let in visitors without ever leaving the couch. Sweet.
