Hasta La Gadget!

Plextor just unearthed a new lineup of mSATA drives that will be targeted at enthusiasts looking to give their ultraportables an additional shot of adrenaline. Known as the M5M series, the diminutive chips will come in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB sizes, each which boast a highly respectable sequential read speed of 540 MB/s. Meanwhile, sequential write speed for the three models is rated at 160 MB/s, 320 MB/s and 430 MB/s, respectively. The M5M series carries a mean time before failure (MTBF) of 2.4 million hours, and is said to become available this quarter. No word yet about pricing, however. To learn about the security features of the Plextor M5M series, feel free to hit up the PR after the break.

[Image credit: AnandTech]

Continue reading Plextor trots out M5M series mSATA drives at CES

Filed under: Peripherals

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The CES show floor was packed with tons of companies that you’ve probably heard plenty about this week, such as Panasonic, Sony, LG, etc. But the hidden gems and oddballs among the consumer electronic giants were the real treat for world-weary attendees who felt it was hard not to stifle a yawn at yet another 4K TV. Bad Dog Tools, a company demonstrating its super-hard drill bits, is one of those gems.

While I had trouble understanding exactly why there was a tool-making company on the floor of the Consumer Electronics Show, I had to admit that what they had to show off was impressive. We got to see their drill bits undergo all kinds of stress and strain, and come out working perfectly fine on the other side. I’m not exactly a handy guy, but I’ve used a drill enough to realize that bits that can endure the kind of punishment these were facing are something special.

I liked when they got so hot they gave off smoke. Not enough things at CES gave off smoke.

Earlier at CES, we got our hands on the Rode iXY 30-pin stereo microphone iPhone add-on that left our Lightning users a bit sad. Cheer up! The folks over at Zoom got us over to their booth to take a peek at the company’s new iQ5 professional stereo microphone. The iQ5 is a different beast than its aforementioned competition in that it works in conjunction with native iOS applications. What this means is that you can use it while recording video on your iOS device. The microphone itself rotates for this specific purpose, allowing for both horizontal and vertical audio recording in raw, 90- and 120-degree field positions. The recording resolution is capped at a respectable 16-bit/44.1kHz — though slightly less than we were hoping.

We didn’t get a chance to actually hear an audio sample from the iQ5, but we’re pretty confident it’ll sound better than the standard mic equipped on any of the supported devices. The Zoom iQ5 lacks a bit in customization department as well as build quality — we’re generally not fans of the cheap plastic construction, which is unlike most other Zoom products. The spec sheet certainly leaves us wanting, but it’s a start in the right direction for current-gen iOS devices. The iQ5 will set you back $100 and will start shipping Q2 of this year — until then check out the gallery to hold you over.

Filed under: Peripherals

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You may remember the rumors of a $99 Nexus 7 that were popping up a few months back. That never came to pass, but it looks like Archos is trying its hands at that pricepoint now with the new line of Titanium tablets, including a $119 7-incher. And it feels…OK. More »

Withings was one of a pretty busy section of the CES 2013 show floor demoing health, fitness and lifestyle monitoring apps, and it had a couple of new things to add to its line of Wi-Fi scales and monitoring devices. One was the new Withings Smart Body Analyzer, which is a version of its Wi-Fi scale that, for the first time, measures heart rate. The other was the Smart Activity Tracker, a FitBit-style device for keeping track of your activity.

The Withings Smart Body Analyzer will be hitting stores in Q1 2013 and retails for $149.95. It does weight and body fat readings like the existing versions and beams all that info either over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to its companion app for iOS or Android. The scale can also detect air quality and is intended to be used in a bedroom so that you can check its readings to figure out when you need to open a window to increase air flow.

The Withings Smart Activity Tracker is like the Jawbone Up, FitBit One, etc. It’s tiny, and it’s hard to convey just how small in words, but you can check it out in the video for a better idea. Besides being incredibly small, which is a big advantage for a device you have to wear constantly, it also connects to your iOS and Android devices via Bluetooth, has an on-device display, and can send you alerts.