ASUS Wavi waltzes through FCC, ready to stream from your PC to your TV

Remember when we first encountered the ASUS Wavi just before CES? Well now the wireless streaming device that looks to get your TV and your PC in sync has moseyed on through the FCC, and in the process, confirmed a few of our suspicions. The duo will allow you to stream content in full 1080p via a 5GHz band and at distances of up to 25 meters (about 80 feet) — of course, with a clear line of sight between the two. Not to be forgotten is the Xtion 3D depth camera, which provides a more expensive Kinect-esque experience, that will round out the trifecta for what we hope will be even more embarrassing dance-offs. At any rate, keep your eyes peeled for this tandem, as they should be on shelves in no time.

ASUS Wavi waltzes through FCC, ready to stream from your PC to your TV originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jul 2011 05:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aviiq Portable Charging Station does kitsch-free USB juicing in small black bag

We’ve seen some rather inventive USB chargers in our time, but surprisingly few have managed to make charging while traveling a painless process. Aviiq’s new Portable Charging Station, on the other hand, has threatened to make the outside world a more welcoming place when it comes to juicing up. Acting as a sort of USB hub in a bag, this little black travel sleeve lets you pack and power three USB devices — even an iPad — with one outlet. What’s more, the station allows for easy syncing by way of a retractable USB port. So $80 ain’t cheap, and it won’t cook up pork and beans while you sing Camptown Races, but if you’re willing to shell out a little extra scratch for a practical USB travel charger, you can get your hands on one at the source link below. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Aviiq Portable Charging Station does kitsch-free USB juicing in small black bag

Aviiq Portable Charging Station does kitsch-free USB juicing in small black bag originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jul 2011 02:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask Engadget: best USB 3.0 hub on the market?

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 inquiry is coming to us from Sam, who couldn’t be more excited to hop onboard the SuperSpeed bandwagon. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“I finally got a new laptop with a lone USB 3.0 port. I’m now looking at getting a USB 3.0 hub with a power adapter so I can use both of my USB 3.0 hard drives at faster speeds. I’ve read lots of horror stories where some hubs either don’t come with power adapters — and as a consequence the portable drives don’t work with them properly — or they are designed poorly which results in USB 2.0 speeds. Or, the hard drives keep getting disconnected. Do your readers have any suggestions or experience using USB 3.0 hubs? Thanks!”

A timely question, indeed. We too have seen USB 3.0 hubs act awfully finicky — particularly when mixing USB 3.0 and 2.0 HDDs — so we’d love to hear what one(s) are working out for folks. Shout it out in comments below!

Ask Engadget: best USB 3.0 hub on the market? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 Jul 2011 22:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Victorinox Swiss Army Slim, Slim Duo USB drives begin shipping, won’t get you into trouble with the TSA


For frequent business travelers, the days of carrying around a Swiss Army knife on your keychain were gone even before the TSA was born. Well, that familiar pocket multi-tool is back, in the form of Victorinox’s Swiss Army Slim and Slim Duo. Both products pack a tool that many of us use far more often than scissors and knives: the USB flash drive. We first took a look at Victorinox’s latest gadget at CES, but the colorful, waterproof storage devices are finally shipping, in capacities that range from 4GB ($40) all the way up to 128GB ($350) with the Slim Duo (which, as its name implies, includes a pair of 64GB drives). Both flavors are designed to let you file photos and presentations, not your fingernails — but if you’re looking to do both, Vic’s got you covered there, too.

Continue reading Victorinox Swiss Army Slim, Slim Duo USB drives begin shipping, won’t get you into trouble with the TSA

Victorinox Swiss Army Slim, Slim Duo USB drives begin shipping, won’t get you into trouble with the TSA originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vitamin Water bus-stop ad lets devices juice-up before the commute

Battery running low during the rush-hour commute? Glacéau’s Vitamin Water Energy Bus Shelter by Crispin Porter & Bogusky wants to help you get charged while you’re waiting to board. The new billboards feature a bottle of the vitamin / caffeine-packing drink, sporting a triple-USB port, which you can plug your devices into for some extra juice. Apparently, you’ll be seeing these if your daily public-transit hustle takes you through the fine cities of Boston, New York, Chicago or Los Angeles — we’d imagine owners of HTC’s Thunderbolt will find them very useful.

Vitamin Water bus-stop ad lets devices juice-up before the commute originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 Jul 2011 03:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony HD-PG5U USB 3.0 drive puts family first, works best with other Sonys

Plug Sony’s new 180g portable drive into your PC and you’ll get decent USB 3.0 storage plus some preloaded software that claims to accelerate transfers over USB 2.0. Underwhelmed? Us too. But wait — hook this baby up to some of that other Sony bric-a-brac you’ve got lying around and it’ll unlock a bunch of extra features. It can record broadcasts straight off a Bravia TV, for example, so you can watch them back later on another device. It’ll also hoover up footage directly from a new HandyCam (such as the DCR-SX21E or DCR-SR21), removing the need for a PC. And, when you’re done, you can connect the HD-PG5U to your PS3 and watch all your AVCHD videos back via the Filmy app — again, no PC required. Now, if Sony had done something similar with the MemoryStick, we might have turned down the hate. Full details in the PR.

Continue reading Sony HD-PG5U USB 3.0 drive puts family first, works best with other Sonys

Sony HD-PG5U USB 3.0 drive puts family first, works best with other Sonys originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 15:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cryptex flash drive uses combination lock sleeve, brings a whole new meaning to hardware encryption


256-bit AES not doing it for ya? Now you can replace that dedicated-processor encryption with actual mechanical hardware, thanks to the Cryptex flash drive and its five-wheel combination lock sleeve. Modeled in AutoCAD and constructed using various glistening metals, the Cryptex’s five-digit combination will keep prying eyes far from you sensitive files — and, well, it just looks insanely awesome. Like many shiny objects that seem too good to be true, it’s barely more than a concept at this point, so you’ll have to settle for the digital version for now.

Cryptex flash drive uses combination lock sleeve, brings a whole new meaning to hardware encryption originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jul 2011 01:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T launches USBConnect Force 4G USB modem, offers it for zilch on contract

You’d better be darn sure AT&T’s data service is solid in your neck of the woods before making the leap, but if you’ve managed to survive this long sans a USB WWAN dongle… well, here’s your chance to grow that much more connected to your inbox. Ma Bell has just issued its latest USB modem, the USBConnect Force 4G. Priced at a downright delicious $0.00 with a two-year contract (or $89.99 straight-up), the Huawei-built stick supports the carrier’s “4G” (read: HSPA+) services and offers a microSD slot for good measure. Interestingly, AT&T’s allowing users to buy this with post-paid and prepaid options, and of course, data roaming’s available in over 200 nations for those insane enough to pay for it. If you’re going post-paid, you’ll get 5GB of data for $50 / month, while prepaid buyers can select 100MB for $15 (day package), 300MB for $30 (weekly package) or 1GB for $50 (month package). It’ll operate with both Mac and PC platforms, and should be on store shelves by July 17th.

Continue reading AT&T launches USBConnect Force 4G USB modem, offers it for zilch on contract

AT&T launches USBConnect Force 4G USB modem, offers it for zilch on contract originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jul 2011 13:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Soundfreaq unleashes Sound Step wireless speakers for audio-loving multitaskers

Soundfreaq made quite the first impression last year with its Sound Platform SFQ-01 audio system, which is why our ears perked up when we heard about the company’s newest creations — the Sound Step and Sound Step Recharge compact wireless speakers. Compatible with all iOS, Android and BlackBerry devices, these Bluetooth-enabled docks allow users to remotely stream audio directly to their speakers, which feature a set of 2.75-inch, Kevlar-reinforced balanced drivers, a dedicated sub-woofer and a UQ3 spatial enhancement processor. There’s also a 3.5 millimeter line-in jack and a USB charging port, meaning you’ll be able to juice up multiple gadgets as you kick out multiple jams. And, since these guys are just 3.6-inches tall, you probably won’t have to freaq out about making space for them, either. If your appetite’s already whetted, you can grab the Sound Step for $139, or opt for the Recharge (with its six hours of rechargeable battery life) for $159. Otherwise, you can find more details in the full PR, after the break.

Update: We’ve just received a bit of clarification from the company here. A “grey” colored model actually won’t be on the docket, and as for the speakers, there’s a pair of 2-inch drivers + a single 3-incher.

Continue reading Soundfreaq unleashes Sound Step wireless speakers for audio-loving multitaskers

Soundfreaq unleashes Sound Step wireless speakers for audio-loving multitaskers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jul 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Super Talent USB 3.0 Express RC8 looks like a thumb drive, acts like an SSD

It seems too much to hope for, but Super Talent insists it has the benchmarks to prove it: a USB 3.0 stick that achieves 270MB/s reads and 240MB/s writes under optimal conditions. Unlike your average joe flash drive, the RC8 boasts a fully-fledged (albeit previous-generation) SandForce SSD controller that permits the simultaneous use of eight channels of NAND memory. In other words, this zippy little thing actually is an SSD, enclosed in an aluminum case that measures 1-inch wide, 4-inches long and 0.3-inches thick. No definitive word on pricing yet, but it was reported at Computex that a 50GB variant would go for around $110, while 25GB and 100GB capacities will also be available. Now, could someone please hurry up and build a Thunderbolt version?

Super Talent USB 3.0 Express RC8 looks like a thumb drive, acts like an SSD originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 09:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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