Hasta La Gadget!

It’s taken a while – a very long while – but Belkin’s Thunderbolt Express Dock has finally hit shelves, offering Mac users a simple way to hook up a workstation’s-worth of peripherals by stringing a single cable. First announced back in January 2012, and clearly missing its original release date in September of the same year, the $299.99 Thunderbolt Express Dock offers three USB 3.0 ports, gigabit ethernet, and a pass-through Thunderbolt connector of its own, among other things.

That second Thunderbolt (the first hooking the dock up to your Mac or MacBook) means you can attach up to five more Thunderbolt devices to the same machine. As we’ve already seen, Thunderbolt’s hefty throughput – bidirectional 10Gbps, in fact – means you can have RAID arrays, Full HD displays, A/V interfaces, and more, all connected and operating simultaneously.

The dock also includes a single FireWire 800 port, handy if you’ve got legacy devices but a newer Mac which dropped the connection, and both audio-in and audio-out. In total, Belkin says, you can hook up eight devices with a single cable to your Mac.

It’s not exactly cheap for a dock, and we’re a little unimpressed that Belkin doesn’t even include the Thunderbolt cable you’ll need in order to use it. Still, if you want to make your MacBook Pro the hub of a desktop setup, it’s a straightforward way to do that without needing to hook up half a dozen cables every time you get home or into the office.

Belkin Thunderbolt Express Dock finally arrives, only seven months late is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

When it comes to controlling a computer from across the room, such as your home theater PC, finding a place to use a traditional mouse can be a challenge. The problem with using a mouse from the couch is that you often end up having to lean forward and use it on the coffee table or the curved arm of your couch, which doesn’t always work well. Genius previously offered the original Ring Mouse and the company has announced an updated version.

The new version is called the Ring Mouse 2 and Genius says it’s a cutting-edge ring style touch air mouse. The mouse is designed to be worn on the finger and can be used by business travelers, HTPC users and more. The ring section of the mouse is made from a flexible rubber material allowing it to attach securely to your finger during use.

The Ring Mouse 2 is also easy to remove and compact enough to fit in a pocket and have it ready to go whenever you need it. The mouse uses touch control technology on top allowing you to slide your finger on the touch panel allowing you to navigate web pages and documents. Cursor controls is done using the in-air mouse functionality.

The Ring Mouse 2 has left, middle, and right buttons and also supports the ability to drag and four-way scroll. Power for the mouse comes from an internal rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Connectivity between the mouse and the computer is supported via a small nano adapter using 2.4 GHz technology. Wireless range is up to 10 m. The mouse comes in silver or titanium colors. Pricing and availability are unknown at this time.

[via Genius]

Genius unveils wearable Ring Mouse 2 is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Razer, one of the most well-known manufacturers of gaming gear, is now re-launching its gaming peripheral line-up designed for Blizzard’s StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm expansion. The collection of gear is designed to give StarCraft II players the edge that they need in order to dominate in their matches. Razer is bringing back its StarCraft II product line because of the positive response it received during its initial launch. This re-launch will only be available for a limited amount of time.

There are 4 things that gamers are able to purchase from Razer’s collection. There’s the Razer Spectre Staracraft II Gaming Mouse, the Razer Marauder Starcraft II Gaming Keyboard, the Razer Banshee Starcraft II Gaming Headset, and the Razer Starcraft II Zerg Edition Messenger Bag. The Razer Spectre, Marauder, and Banshee all have an APM (Actions-Per-Minute) lighting system that responds to the gamer’s movements and speed. The lighting system features a multicolor LED that can be customized to any color the gamer wants.

The Razer Spectre is a lightweight, 5-button, gaming mouse that gives RTS (real-time strategy) gamers the control that they need. It also features a 5600 dpi Razer Precision 3.5G laser sensor and a 1000 Hz Ultrapolling/1ms response time. It is priced at 59.99 in both the U.S. and Europe.

The Razer Marauder is a gaming keyboard which features a multi-colored backlit keyboard that has elevated keys which will improve rapid command input as well as increase your gaming performance. There is also an “on-the-fly” macro recording system, and the keys are laser-etched and conveniently spaced. The Marauder is priced at 99.99 in both the U.S. and Europe.

The Razer Banshee is a gaming headset that comes with a configuration utility that allows you to adjust your equalizer, pitch, and volume, providing you the best sound experience while you game. It also comes with a detachable microphone boom that will allow you to easily transport this device. The device is priced at 89.99 in both the U.S. and Europe.

Last, but not least, there is the Razer Zerg Edition messenger bag. The bag is a weather-proof, tear-resistant bag designed to protect all of your gaming gear. It has a compartment for your laptop, gaming peripherals, and also a mobile gaming device. It’s inner-lining is shock-absorbent in order to protect all of your expensive devices. The messenger bag sells for 79.99 in both the U.S. and Europe.

If you’re a diehard StarCraft II fan, or if you need peripherals that can enhance your gaming experience, you should act on this sale now before Razer discontinues it again. Razer is also holding a sweepstakes. Players will choose the race they align themselves with, whether it’d be Protoss, Zerg, or Terran, and 3 lucky players from each race will be awarded the Razer StarCraft II gaming headset, mouse, and keyboard, along with a StarCraft II strategy guide and clothes.

[via PR Newswire]

Razer is re-selling StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm gear for a limited time is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Logitech has outed a new keyboard, the UC Solution for Cisco 725-C, complete with dedicated VoIP controls and a caller ID display. The new ‘board – which Logitech says pairs up neatly with its C920-C webcam and M525-C wireless mouse – is designed specifically to work with Cisco’s Jabber service, allowing users to throw out their desk phone and instead handle incoming and outgoing calls, voicemails, and more from their PC peripherals.

Dedicated buttons for answering/ending calls as well as muting are present, with illumination so that you can be alerted to an incoming call even if you have the volume shut off. The voicemail button also lights up when there are new messages.

As for the other companion peripherals, the M525-C mouse comes with one of Logitech’s Unifying receiver dongles, which can plug directly into the K725-C keyboard, and has a scroll wheel and rubberized grips. The C920-C webcam can handle up to 1080p video at 30fps, and includes stereo microphones and onboard H.264 encoding for reducing computer processor strain.

Obviously you’ll need a Jabber system in order for the bundle to be any use to you, but we can envisage Logitech developing another version of the keyboard targeting home users instead, perhaps with Skype controls instead. As for the K725-C, that’ll land in March 2013 priced at $269.99, complete with both webcam and mouse, while the C920-C webcam will also be sold separately at $109.99.

Logitech K725-C keyboard adds VoIP Caller ID screen and controls is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

With CES 2013 coming to a frigid conclusion here in Las Vegas, we moseyed our way to the Genius booth and went thumbs-on with the Ring Presenter and the Ring Mouse 2. Both use a 2.4GHz wireless USB connection, providing you with a 10-foot radius of Ring Mouse action on either OS X or Windows. The Ring Mouse 2 packs the standard mouse functions, while the Ring Presenter offers left / right / middle buttons, dragging, four-way scrolling and — drum roll, please — a laser pointer. Wearers simply navigate the cursor by perusing their thumb across the Touch Control sensor capable of a 1000dpi sensitivity.

After donning the ring we found it to be quite large, so those with smaller paws might have a harder time using it. From within approximately two feet out we observed great response and ease of use. The duo of diminutive peripherals may prove interesting for a niche that’s tired of the conventional pointer, and if you find yourself in that group, you can purchase either in the near future for $50+.

Filed under: Peripherals

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Source: Ring Presenter, Genius Shop