iPad / MIDI hardware options detailed, awesome (video)

If you have an iPad and you’re looking for ways to incorporate it into your music-making setup, the kids at Create Digital Music have put together a handy guide to the wonderful world of iPad / MIDI integration. Featuring the Apple Camera Connection Kit (which plays well with MIDI USB, by the way), various apps, and quite a bit of video, there should be plenty to keep the music-lovin’ geek entertained. Our favorite video, which we attached after the break, features an unholy collaboration between the FunkBox iPad app and a x0xb0x sequencer / synth. But what are you waiting for? Hit the source link to get started.

Continue reading iPad / MIDI hardware options detailed, awesome (video)

iPad / MIDI hardware options detailed, awesome (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceCreate Digital Music  | Email this | Comments

Ask Engadget: best high-capacity USB thumb drive?

We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Jakob, who needs a huge (speaking of capacity, not of physical size) USB thumb drive for reasons known only to him. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“I want to replace my old 4GB USB stick with a new one. It should be at least 16GB, fast, and it can’t look awful, either. Oh, and not too pricey.”

Brevity. Jakob has it. Here’s hoping you’ve got a favorite flash drive suggestion to toss down in comments. Go!

Ask Engadget: best high-capacity USB thumb drive? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 22:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile’s upcoming HSPA+ WWAN offerings get leaked, comical codenames revealed

It’s been a hot minute since the folks at T-Mobile have introduced a new USB WWAN modem, but if the document above is to be believed, that could be changing in short order. As the Jet ages, it looks like a few others — codenamed Kitty Hawk, Washington and Wayne — could be swooping in to take things from here. The former is rumored to hit shelves in March, offering HSPA+ speeds of 21Mbps and the ability to solve most of the world’s problems. As for Washington? That’ll be T-Mob’s first USB modem to offer HSPA+ speeds approaching 42Mbps, and if all goes well, this guy will also splash down next month. Moving on, there’s a pair of Waynes that’ll serve as the carrier’s first mobile hotspots, enabling five WiFi-enabled devices to mooch off of a 21Mbps (Lil’ Wayne) or 42Mbps (Big Wayne) connection. Here’s hoping T-Mobile does the smart thing and sticks with the codenames — the marketing exec in us just knows it’s the right thing to do.

T-Mobile’s upcoming HSPA+ WWAN offerings get leaked, comical codenames revealed originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 18:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Electronista  |  sourceTmoNews  | Email this | Comments

Another firmware update grants Roku owners USB channel, MKV containers come along

Another firmware update grants Roku owners USB channel, MKV containers come along

If you have a Roku player with a USB port, like the XDS above, you’ve been able to play media directly from USB storage for some time now using third-party channels. For whatever reason it’s taken Roku this long to get an official USB playback channel on there, allowed in the latest firmware (2.9 build 1529) and finally available for download in the Channel Store. We’re told that MKV playback has also been added, which might make watching those downloaded Top Gear episodes a little easier.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Another firmware update grants Roku owners USB channel, MKV containers come along originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 07:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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USB 3.0 Transfer Speeds are Blazing Fast

This article was written on August 19, 2008 by CyberNet.

usb 3.0.jpg
Picture of a USB 3.0 cable

Last week Intel unveiled USB 3.0 specs that demonstrates how the next generation USB is going to work. USB 3.0, also known as SuperSpeed USB, is due out in 2009 or 2010. Intel was even kind enough to make the new specification royalty free so that developers don’t have to fork out money just to make devices that utilize the new technology.

What’s so great about USB 3.0 that will make you want to jump on the bandwagon? Here’s a list of some of my favorite features:

  • Faster transfers, duh. USB 3.0 will be able to move data at a mouth-watering 4.8Gbit/s (614MByte/s). That’s 10 times faster than USB 2.0, and the speed difference will definitely be noticeable with larger files. For example, a 27GB movie will take 70-seconds to transfer as opposed to 15-minutes with USB 2.0.
  • Read and write simultaneously. With the current USB technologies devices can’t read and write at the same time, but that’s a thing of the past with USB 3.0.
  • More power output. The power output will be bumped up from 100 milliamps to 900 milliamps. You’ll therefore be able to charge more power-hungry devices at a single time.
  • Power friendly. USB 3.0 will use an interrupt-driven protocol instead of a polling system when the host is looking for traffic. That means your laptop won’t have to waste precious resources trying to see if a connected camera is trying to send data.
  • Backwards compatible. You’ll be able to plug-in a USB 3.0 cable into a USB 2.0 device, and still reap some of the benefits like the new interrupt-driven protocol for conserving power.

Sounds great to me. Some of the things like the faster data transfers will be governed by what your hardware is capable of though. Mechanical hard drives will be one of the biggest limitations for users as they won’t be able to write data faster than USB 3.0 will be able to transfer it. SATA drives capable of 6.0Gbit/s speeds might be out in time for USB 3.0, otherwise we might be relying on solid state drives (SSD) to make the most of the technology.

Checkout Maximum PC for more photos of what the USB 3.0 cable looks like.

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NewerTech adapter turns eSATA into USB 3.0, makes legacy external HDDs feel young again

There’s a powder-blue USB 3.0 port on the side of your shiny new computer, whispering your name, but you simply can’t afford to replace your perfectly good eSATA external hard drive for the sake of compatibility. You could simply resist the urge entirely, but if you have the need for speed, there’s a USB 3.0 to eSATA adapter with your name on it, and it just might come in a NewerTech case. Sure, Addonics, Siig and Bytecc sell similar, but as Everything USB points out, NewerTech did the legwork here, benchmarking the cable to be sure it could handle 206.4MB / sec writes and 247MB / sec reads. That’s enough to handle most solid state drives, and you should be completely covered when it comes to anything with spinning magnetic plates. You’ll find it for $30 this week at the likes of OWC.

Continue reading NewerTech adapter turns eSATA into USB 3.0, makes legacy external HDDs feel young again

NewerTech adapter turns eSATA into USB 3.0, makes legacy external HDDs feel young again originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 01:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Everything USB  |  sourceNewer Technology  | Email this | Comments

Razer trots out mildly overhauled DeathAdder Black Edition USB gaming mouse

When you’ve got a good thing rolling, why stop? That’s the mantra applied to Razer’s latest, which is actually the third DeathAdder to be released. You may remember the original slinking out way back in 2006, with the southpaws in attendance finally getting one of their own in March of last year. Today, in order to celebrate the device’s Wood Anniversary, Razer’s loosing the USB-connected DeathAdder Black Edition. For all intents and purposes, this is the same DeathAdder that we came to love last decade, but with an ever-so-slightly tweaked design that adds non-slip rubber sides and an all-black finish. It’ll ship globally next month for $59.99 / €59.99, with orders being taken right… about.. now.

Continue reading Razer trots out mildly overhauled DeathAdder Black Edition USB gaming mouse

Razer trots out mildly overhauled DeathAdder Black Edition USB gaming mouse originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 14:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hack brings USB tethering to HTC Windows Phone 7 devices, Dell Venue Pro

Cutting through the back and forth surrounding Windows Phone 7 tethering are two new hacks, with one being markedly easier than the other to implement. After discovering the option in Samsung’s Focus and Omnia 7 late last year, engineering minds over at xda-developers have now uncovered a method to allow USB internet tethering on HTC’s smattering of Windows Phone 7 handsets. Unfortunately, you’ll need to unlock your device before any of this will work, but the case is definitely different for Dell’s Venue Pro. For that one, you’ll simply need to modify the .INF file — no unlock required. Hit the links below for the devilish details, and try not to set up a P2P farm using your phone’s 3G connection. We hear carriers are none too fond of that foolhardiness.

[Thanks, Lake]

Hack brings USB tethering to HTC Windows Phone 7 devices, Dell Venue Pro originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 15:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Mobile Tech World (1), (2)  |  sourcexda-developers  | Email this | Comments

Double USB concept ends your fear of USB plug rejection

Maybe there are greater aggravations in your life, but the symmetrical-on-the-outside, asymmetrical-on-the-inside USB connector has been a source of frustration since its introduction. To combat the problem of USB plug rejection, Ma Xi Xuan has developed the Double USB connector that works right side up or upside down thanks to twin spring-loaded plastic connectors on its interior. The design seems more robust than previous solutions we’ve seen, but sadly the switch-hitting plug is only a design exercise at this point. We can only hope that company will exercise some common sense and make these plugs a reality. Tomorrow works for us.

Double USB concept ends your fear of USB plug rejection originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 10:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Wired  |  sourceYanko Design  | Email this | Comments

Double USB-Plug Concept Slots in Both Ways

This concept design eases one of the most annoying inconveniences that humans suffer in the modern age: trying to stick USB plugs into sockets, and getting them the wrong way around. We have all done it: you jab the cable into the side of your computer and it just won’t go in. You get mad, your skin grows greener, and your clothes start to tear.

The Double USB-plug will save you, along with your wardrobe. It can be plugged in any way you like, thanks to an intricate and easy-to-break system of internal componentry. If you look into the end of a regular USB plug, you’ll see that it is half-filled with the plastic part containing the contacts. The Double USB has two of these, filling the entirety of the metal tube. Both are spring-loaded, so whichever one is redundant in a given orientation will simply be pushed back as you plug it in.

It’s a solution that would certainly work, but it would also require much more complicated plugs that would bring their own frustrations. Imagine you are away on a trip and you want to charge your [insert gadget here]. You brought one USB cable, the fancy Double USB we see here. Only unlike the million indestructible USB cables you left back at home, this one has taken a whack and is now rendered useless, springs poking out like a Swiss watch that has been hit with a hammer.

This USB plugs in both ways [Yanko]

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