Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Art Lebedev Studios has offered up a new image of their Optimus AUX keypad.  The new photo (above) is said to be a glimpse at the final pre-production prototype, and, in addition, they have given some idea of a price point.  Sadly, the price, just like many of the other Art Lebedev items, will be out-of-reach for many customers.  The Optimus AUX is expected to retail in the ballpark of $650.

Of course, one of the original concepts behind the Optimus AUX was to have it used as a supplement to the Optimus Maximus keyboard, and if you can afford to shell out $1,590 for a keyboard, then this may also be in your budget.

Personally, I will be thankful for the nice pre-production image that they have supplied, because that is about as close to it as I will be getting.  As for availability, that has yet to be announced.

Read [Art Lebedev]

• Sub-$1000 Optimus Keyboard on the works
• Optimus Pultius is the Optimus Prime
• Art Lebedev intro’s the stylish Folderix 4GB flash drive

You may remember the slightly odd Thanko Hot Cooler USB Keyboard which warmed/cooled your hands whilst you typed, which could be in some circumstances quite good.  Well, undeterred they have moved to mouses (yes, that is the plural of a computer mouse) and mouse mats with the “USB Warm mouse” and “USB Warm Mousemat.“  Unfortunately, it would appear that they still haven’t sacked the guy who names these things, as they are as unimaginative as ever.

However the awful naming does make my life a little easier: it is fairly obvious what they do.  The mouse version is a basic optical mouse that connects to your PC through USB and comes in a range of colors such as black, black, black or black (seriously, I’ve seen paving slabs more imaginative than this company).  The only clever thing about this mouse is the heater inside it, operated by a little switch about 10cm up the wire which can reach temperatures of up to 45 degrees Celsius.

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Code Name: Pionen White Mountains.  Location: Stolkhom, Sweden.  Assignment:  Perform as a Data Center?? 

Yep…the Pionen is a real, working data center located in central Stockholm.  It was totally redesigned and rebuilt from 2007 to 2008; after having served during the Cold War era as a nuclear shelter and military bunker.  The “code name” for the center?  Its actual code name from back in its military days.

James Bond would be proud.  Although it is serving a practical purpose, housing the Network Op Center for not only Sweden’s biggest ISP, but also the NOC for all of the operations for Bahnhof; it also clearly has a high tech almost science fiction class and style.  It also serves as a co-location hosting center; so others can come in and put their own servers there as well.  And once you’ve seen this place, you will not forget the experience.  More after the break.

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Looking for something that will allow you to have totally portable images for use anywhere?  Check out the new Pico Projector PK-101.  You attach this tiny device (it is smaller and lighter than a mobile phone even!) to either your smart phone (and yes, it works with iPhones too) or media player, and it throws an image onto a nearby screen or white surface.  Pretty cool.  Continued after the break.

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As we get closer and closer to Black Friday, we find more and more deals being leaked by stores.  In addition to Dell ads, which were leaked earlier today, we have a few Staples ads that show what they have planned for us.  There are only about 6 items listed, so I think this is just a sampling of what they have to offer. 

First, we begin with their computer-related deals as we have an eMachine 19” Flat Panel LCD Monitor, which is set to be on sale for $99.99.  Also, we have the SanDisk 8GB Cruzer Contour USB Flash Drive, which also comes with ReadyBoost as a main feature.  ReadyBoost makes your Windows Vista machine perform faster as the computer uses the flash drive’s memory to expand its RAM.  The Cruzer Contour is normally on sale for $59.99, but on Black Friday, it will be available for only $12.99. 

Check out even more deals after the break.

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If Santa is looking for stocking stuffers, or if you are just looking for some portable storage at a good price, you may want to check out one of Newegg’s latest “Special Buys.“

Right now, they are offering the Kingston DataTravelor 100 4GB flash drive for just $7.99 complete with free shipping.

I’ve compare shopped the item at some other sites.  Overstock is actually asking $21.99 for the same item. (Which is just ridiculous, even Newegg doesn’t list that as the regular price). . . .

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Getting a docking station from the maker of your laptop is expensive.  One way to get around the high price is with this: the Startech.com USB to VGA 4-in-1 Docking Station.  Small and tidy, this simple device requires only you to plug in one USB cable to make all the magic happen.

And what magic is that?  Dual monitor usage is the rage, so why not use the unit’s VGA out which supports 1680x1050 and 1600x1200 displays and has three distinct video operating modes allowing you to easily extend your laptop’s workspace.  There are the 4 USB ports so you can keep your mouse, keyboard and other gadgets waiting for your laptop when you are away.  Upon returning, simply plug in one USB connector and you are up and running.  The unit also has a USB Mini B port, one RJ45 10/100Mbps network port, and two 3.5mm audio (mic, line out) ports that all feed off that one USB input. 

How’d the Startech docking station work?  How much does it cost?  Keep reading.

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You remember Drobo, right?  It’s the cute, little storage robot, now with up to 4TB of storage.  Well, some interesting news surfaced that might make you take another look at this gem: Drobo Apps.

Yes.  With all the ways our phones can become different and more useful devices with 3rd party applications, now your Drobo can as well.  Currently, there are 20 Apps for Drobo.  In what ways will Drobo change?  Find out by following.

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I really like simple things.  I got this press release today about a DIY (do it yourself) flash hard drive using little more than six SDHC cards.  SDHC cards are simple things.  This tech comes straight out of Germany and almost as good as that is, it sells for just $102 US (SDHC cards not included).

The Flexi-drive S2S is slim and supposedly fast.  The modular design can handle SD cards up to 32GB meaning you can build up to a 192GB drive.  And because it is a flash drive, it is silent, uses little power, and it typically unaffected by shock so its perfect for a drive on the go.  Sweet!

I can hear you asking about speed.  Sharkoon, the manufacturer, tested six 8GB SDHC memory cards with Class 6 speed ratings.  The drive was clocked at reading at 140 MB/s and a write speed of 115 MB/s with HD-Tune.  Respectable numbers for sure.  I wonder how it will fare in the real world.

The drive will be available from retail partners now.

Product page [Sharkoon]

• More storage for the Eee PC
• Lucky Europeans get LocoRoco 2 Flash minigame
• Dell rolls out 32GB SSD equipped pink, red Inspiron Mini 9’s in Japan

I don’t know if any of you can remember the old 3D films where the glasses were given out at the start, but just the memory recalls feelings of nausea.  In fact it is these films that automatically put me off anything with ‘3D’ as a prefix.  However the “Novo Minoru 3D Webcam” (Minoru meaning “reality” in Japanese) is different and not just because it is cute.

The webcam is really two cameras that are positioned roughly the same distance apart which is important as it means the images can be correctly interpreted by the brain that sees them.  Conveniently, this also means that when coupled with a study and well designed plastic case, it can create a particularly cute creature that appears to gaze at you.  This is enhanced by the multi-position stand which, when upright, look suspiciously like two arms.  Plenty more after the break.

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