Hasta La Gadget!

Wireless gamepads are more convenient, but for latency, copper trumps 2.4GHz. What to do? Build hybrid controllers that can instantly cut the cord. It seems that’s what Microsoft’s thinking, as the company applied for a patent on just such a controller in March, using infrared, Bluetooth or RF technologies alongside a wired (possibly USB) connection and switch between the two “without permanent disruption to an ongoing game.” Of course, dual-mode controllers have been around for months in a slightly different form — Microsoft’s own Sidewinder X8 and the Razer Mamba did the same for the high-end gaming mouse. It also doesn’t bode well that this particular application clearly describes the original chunky Xbox.

Note: As some of you have surmised in comments, this is similar to how the PlayStation 3’s controllers work, though they hardly perform the task seamlessly. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Play & Charge kit doesn’t interrupt a game, but only uses the physical cable to charge a controller’s battery pack.

Microsoft patent application cuts controller cords, sews them back together originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So you’ve got a nice secure thumbdrive, but did you ever think to lock its port? Engineers at the Royal Military College of Canada say the plug and play functionality built into most computers automatically trusts whatever’s plugged into the USB slot. That doesn’t just go for flash drives left out on the street, but all manner of other peripherals as well, as the trio of triumphant researchers demonstrated when they (presumably) infiltrated colleagues’ offices with a totally sweet spy keyboard. That particular device flashed an LED or made the mark’s sound card warble to covertly transmit stolen data, but such exotic methods are reportedly not required — so you’ve yet another reason to cringe when your coworker trots out his Humping Dog.

Researchers say any USB peripheral could steal your data, even a coffee-cup warmer originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Jul 2010 05:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Pogoplug got an update this week that will let you, with an e-mail from any computer or mobile device, print a document on any printer you have connected with a Pogoplug.

The Pogoplug’s simplest use is for accessing your stored files over the Internet. The $130 device plugs into your Ethernet connection, and has a USB port – plug in a hard drive or a USB drive, and the Pogoplug puts all those files on the web for you to access via the Pogoplug site or the company’s iPhone and Android apps. You can also e-mail files to your Pogoplug – if you’ve got a file on another computer, you can e-mail it straight onto your hard drive instead of attempting any of the other, universally obnoxious options for getting a file to your computer.

The latest Pogoplug update lets you connect a printer to the Pogoplug, instead of just a hard drive. That means that any printer with a USB port can get connected to the internet, and you can print something just by e-mailing it. Need to print from your iPad or cell phone? Now you can.

HP announced the same feature a few weeks ago, but you’ll need to buy a new HP printer in order to print by e-mail. Pogoplug supports all HP printers and all Epson printers made since 2005 right out of the box, with more likely coming.

More and more companies are likely to adopt this same kind of feature, and printing’s going to get a lot more convenient, no matter your location or device of choice. As the world goes mobile, printing’s catching up, one funny-looking pink device at a time.

Hey England, in need of some retail therapy after an unsatisfying sporting weekend? Dell’s got the goods for you with a rich new selection of cables, plugs, adapters, and cases for your new Streak. It looks like the HDMI dock we’ve been jonesing for has probably become a retail reality, but there’s no way to be sure right now — Dell’s only listing an AV dock without going into the TV connectivity options. The fresh offerings also include the kickstand-equipped wallet case that we found intriguing, spare battery and sync cables, and an international travel kit. Of course, every silver lining has a cloud, which in this case is the pricing: nothing here costs less than £24 ($35) and the car- and TV-enabling docks will set you back a cool £55 ($80) each. Jumbo smartphone, jumbo accessory prices.

[Thanks, Kingsley]

Dell Streak car and AV docks now on sale, HDMI may or may not be included originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Jun 2010 03:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Now that the USB-wielding cat’s out of the bag, it’s looking like supplies of the iPad Camera Connection Kit aren’t keeping up with demand — one Engadget reader tipped us off to the fact that the $30 attachments are worth up to $180 on eBay. A quick bit of sleuthing showed that Apple’s actually still selling the things — they’re simply backordered, with a three to four week shipping delay — but sure enough, niche e-tailers currently list the dongles for as much as $150, and eBay auctioneers are finding the kits sell for two to five times the original MSRP. If your external HDD experiments didn’t work out the way you’d liked, at least you can be sure you’ll get your money back.

[Thanks, Paul P.]

iPad Camera Connection Kit a commodity item, now fetches $100+ on eBay originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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