Dec 28

Warpias USB Adapter Connects Your PC to Your TV without Wires

Posted in: Today's Chili, TV, usb, Wireless

Warpia - Adapter

If you’re looking for ways to connect your desktop or laptop to your HDTV, you have the option of running a really long video cable from your computer to the back of your set, but depending on the type of TV you have and the type of computer you have, you may be missing the necessary ports to connect the two together. With Warpia’s USB audio/video adapter, you can connect your PC to your TV using a simple USB PC adapter and a display base station that can connect to your computer via VGA or HDMI. 
The set comes in two pieces, a wireless PC adapter that connects to your desktop or laptop via USB 2.0, and the display adapter that receives the audio and video signal from your computer and routes it to your TV. The base station connects to your TV via VGA PC port or HDMI, and supports audio over HDMI or a 3.5mm stereo jack. The solution costs $179.99 and is available now in retail stores and online.
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Dec 28

Brando’s USB 3.0-to-SATA adapter gives any old HDD those SuperSpeed powers

Posted in: adapter, hard drive, HardDrive, peripheral, storage, Today's Chili, usb, usb 3.0, Usb3.0

Oh, Brando — how we do love thee. Be it random accessories we don’t need at all or legitimate peripherals that make our lives all that much easier, you’re always there — steadfastly waiting for us to fall in love over and over again. Mushiness aside, the outfit’s new USB 3.0-to-SATA adapter is indeed one of those remarkably useful devices, enabling any old SATA hard drive to be accessed externally at USB 3.0 speeds. Essentially, this is the pocket-friendly version of Sharkoon’s latest SATA QuickPort, but rather than forcing you to carry around a dock, this simple dongle travels easy and plugs directly into the port-laden side of your spare HDD. Granted, you’ll need a USB 3.0-enabled PC or expansion card in order to take advantage of the additional speed, but for $48, this looks to be an excellent excuse to get that dusty, unused drive of yours back into service.

Brando’s USB 3.0-to-SATA adapter gives any old HDD those SuperSpeed powers originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 09:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 22

USB Hourglass flips itself, generating random numbers in the process

Posted in: Today's Chili, usb
This is such a bizarre combination of the old and the new that at least a few of our geekiest readers are sure to get a kick out of it. The USB Hourglass is essentially an egg timer equipped with an optical beam for keeping an eye on sand levels and a rotating mechanism for flipping the thing when all the sand has landed at the bottom. But that ain’t all! The observed light levels are sent to a host PC (via USB, which also supplies power) where any of your favorite open source tools can use it to generate random numbers. The rest of this — “entropy,” “random” versus “pseudorandom” number generators, etc. — is simply a little beyond us this morning, although we’re sure that this will produce a lively and intelligent discussion in the comments (where many a lively and intelligent discussion has taken place over the years). Just make sure you peep the video after the break first — it’s a blast.

Continue reading USB Hourglass flips itself, generating random numbers in the process

USB Hourglass flips itself, generating random numbers in the process originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Dec 2009 12:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 19

Sprint puts out fact sheet for dual-mode U301 WiMAX modem, release imminent?

Posted in: 4G, Sprint, Today's Chili, usb, WiMAX

So Sprint just published an official fact sheet for a U301 USB modem with support for both WiMAX and EV-DO — it’s not accompanied by any press release or product page on Sprint’s online store, but we can only assume this means that a release is around the corner. Of course, the dual-mode capability alone doesn’t set it apart — the carrier’s existing U300 model already handles those duties with aplomb — but what seemingly sets the U301 apart is its support for Mac OS. We’d just as soon they’d release drivers for the U300, but failing that, alright, fine, we’ll take a new modem. If we’re sustaining over 3Mbps down, we’ll take a lot of carrier and manufacturer abuse, actually.

Sprint puts out fact sheet for dual-mode U301 WiMAX modem, release imminent? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Dec 2009 04:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 15

Novero Unveils Five More Phone Accessories With Silly Names

Posted in: bluetooth, charger, headset, Smart Devices, speakers, Today's Chili, usb

Novero_TheTrulyOne.jpg

Novero has unveiled a series of five cell phone accessories that build on the company’s existing TheFirstOne Bluetooth headset.

TheTalkyOne is a Bluetooth speakerphone that works with calls and music, and is designed for home, office, and in-car use. Next up are two car kits: TheTrulyOne (pictured) is a Bluetooth car kit with a remote control and an LCD display. TheTrustyOne is a more basic hands-free Bluetooth car kit.

Finally, there are two new chargers. The TravelOne is a microUSB wall charger that comes in white or black, and includes adapters for North America, the EU, the UK, and Australia and New Zealand–193 countries in all. Finally, TheCarOne is a universal microUSB charger that works with any car’s cigarette lighter.

All products will see an official unveiling at CES on January 7th, and will soon be available at Amazon.com and other retailers.

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Dec 10

DMC champ DJ Rafik puts Native Instruments’ Traktor Kontrol X1 through its paces (video)

Posted in: controller, Music, Today's Chili, usb
That Traktor Kontrol X1 hardware controller that one eagle-eyed trainspotter hepped us to a while back isn’t out until February, but in the meantime Native Instruments (and the editors of Engadget) thought you might enjoy seeing the thing in action. Going for $229, this bad boy connects to your Mac or PC via USB and integrates fully with Traktor to allow you all the access to controls and effects normally reserved for the mouse / trackpad — as you know, there really is nothing less “rock’n’roll” (er, “rave”) than a mouse or a trackpad. Go past the break to get your block rocked (or something) by DMC world champ DJ Rafik.

Continue reading DMC champ DJ Rafik puts Native Instruments’ Traktor Kontrol X1 through its paces (video)

DMC champ DJ Rafik puts Native Instruments’ Traktor Kontrol X1 through its paces (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 09

Pogoplug second generation unboxing

Posted in: Features, nas, network, storage, Today's Chili, unboxing, usb

We hope you like pink. Cloud Engines’ new iteration of Pogoplug just landed on our doorstep, oddly enough packed with an unopened pack of microwavable popcorn (something tells us we’re missing a joke here). We’re still in the plugging-in-and-testing phase, but no point in depriving you of the unboxing fun while we do that, right? Right. Enjoy the gallery below.

Gallery: Pogoplug second generation unboxing

Pogoplug second generation unboxing originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 09

Buffalo outs USB 3.0 ExpressCard adapter, we see a trend coming

Posted in: accessories, Today's Chili, usb, usb 3.0, Usb3.0

After our adventure in figuring out the particular ExpressCard version of the StarTech USB 3.0 adapter, here’s Buffalo joining the fray and, naturally, there’s zero indication about whether this is an ExpressCard 1.0 or 2.0 device. The difference is that with the latter you can get all the way up to 5Gbps theoretical throughput, which is just above the USB 3.0 max rating of 4.8Gbps (typically advertised as 5Gbps), whereas the former hardware will get you only up to 2.5Gbps. Considering there’s a pair of USB SuperSpeed ports on there, you’ll want to make doubly sure you’re getting what you think you are. Or, given that early bird UK e-tailers are listing it for £35 ($57; no stock yet), you could just order one up and pray to Cthulhu that you get the maximally awesome stuff.

Buffalo outs USB 3.0 ExpressCard adapter, we see a trend coming originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 04:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 07

USB 3.0 ExpressCard adapter promises more than it can deliver

Posted in: adapter, Today's Chili, usb, usb 3.0, Usb3.0

Been fretting over the upcoming slew of USB 3.0 devices and your relatively new laptop’s inability to exploit their full speed? Well this isn’t going to help you much, but it’s a great example of why you should shop with a careful eye and preferably from reputable stores. British e-tailer StarTech.com (no, we haven’t heard of them before either) is now offering an ExpressCard-based USB 3.0 adapter for £39 (about $64), which seems a bargain considering the promised 5Gbps transfer speeds and general bragging rights associated with having SuperSpeed. But here’s the rub: while USB 3.0 certainly supports such speeds, the ExpressCard 1.0 device in question doesn’t. In fact, you’ll be limited to a tenth half the speed the 3.0 controller onboard is capable of, leaving us to question what the exact point of this device really is. Any ideas?

Update: We’ve double-checked the specs and this card can in fact give you 2.5Gbps throughput, which isn’t quite so terrible, but still isn’t the full USB 3.0 spec which is lauded on their sales page.

USB 3.0 ExpressCard adapter promises more than it can deliver originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 08:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 05

$10 USB power outlet leaves no plug behind

Posted in: power, Today's Chili, usb

Don’t freak out or anything. But all that time you spent building a DIY in-wall USB charger may have been for naught. Of course, you’ve gained a useful learning experience and potentially gotten a lesson in the dangers of electricity, but you could have simply ordered this TruPower UCS outlet from FastMac, which packs the same two USB charging ports as the DIY outlet, along with two standard power outlets for your other power-hungry devices. Best of all, it only costs the same ten bucks that the DIY option would have set you back, but it looks like it won’t start shipping until sometime early next year.

$10 USB power outlet leaves no plug behind originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Dec 2009 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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