Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Portable storage seems to be increasing rather quickly, and the latest to see a nice increase is the DataTraveler 150 USB flash drive from Kingston.  The DataTraveler 150 is now available in storage capacities up to 64GB.  Personally, I am far from needing anything this large, but would imagine that there are plenty of people that will be happy to see this size available. 

The one downfall here is the price, the MSRP is listed at $177.  Of course, you could always opt for the smaller 32GB, which is priced at a little more affordable $116.  Aside from the pricing, the DT150 has the usual features and support found with USB flash drives.  It is compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems and measures in at 3.06 x 0.9 x 0.47-inches in size.

Read [Kingston]

• More storage for the Eee PC
• A hot keyboard always needs a partner…
• HD-capable Flip Mino Camcorder arrives just in time for the holidays

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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If the just released Flip Mino HD would be available in any of the local stores in the country where I’m currently residing, I would certainly not hesitate in getting this as a gift to myself.  In fact, I might even get another one for my son.  The Flip Mino may be so cool and attractive enough to get you to buy it even before you take a look at its specs.  In fac,t you don’t have to worry about the specs, as you would certainly not be short changed in this department.

The Flip Mino HD is Pure Digital’s take on HD-capable camcorder market.  And instead of clashing with the other HD-capable camcorders in coming out with their own units touting support for large-capacity storage SD cards, Pure Digital opted to use built-in 4GB flash memory only.  For some camcorder users this would be enough for a one-hour video which they can easily upload to YouTube or other video sharing sites.  Find out more 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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In the last few years there has been an influx of fun/pointless/interesting/small/useful USB powered devices, and you will be hard pushed to find something you can’t power using USB.  However, amid the rubbish that you can find (like the USB powered fragrance oil burner) there is occasionally one that is genuinely interesting, and this is one of them.

For those of you who think science is cool and wish you had a microscope or who just like looking at small stuff, the USB Microscope is for you. Although perhaps designed for the younger generations, people of any age can have fun looking at anything under a microscope, and in pretty good quality too.  It has a resolution of up to 1600x1200 which is not bad and looking at a screen definitely beats looking into a tiny hole.  Naturally, there is a pretty good zoom.  Keep reading for more details.

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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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Motorola has announced that its MOTOZINE ZN5 will be available via T-Mobile for $99 with a two-year service agreement.  The MOTOZINE was first announced this past June.

At first blush, the MOTOZINE looks like a very simple phone.  Its secret—a 5 MP camera packing lots of goodies, including some Kodak technology, Xenon flash, auto-focus, and a multi-shot mode.  It also has special capture and edit modes (like a panorama mode).  Photos can uploaded to photo sites directly from the phone via Wi-Fi, printed via Bluetooth or USB, or sent out via MMS.

The design of the phone is clean and the screen size is decent relative to the size of the keypad.  The phone is lacking a QWERTY keyboard, though this is not necessarily a negative.  Why use words when you can say it with a picture?

Check out the phone [Moto ZN5]

• AT&T branded Nokia E71 spotted in-the-wild
• Yahoo finally getting their act together
• Kingston announces 64GB DataTraveler USB flash drive

You may remember earlier this year Thanko, a Japanese company, released the imaginatively named “Thanko Cooler USB keyboard.“ 

For those that don’t, here is a brief recap: it is essentially a solidly build keyboard complete with three fans that are designed to keep your hands cool whatever the weather.  So, what now?  Well, in keeping with their unimaginative naming method, the new “USB Hot Cooler Keyboard” does exactly what it says on the tin.  More after the break.

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HP has just introduced their latest USB flash drive, and although flash drives rarely offer any unique features outside of the exterior design, the Floppy Drive Key does give you a little more.  The Floppy Key Drive is actually a two-in-one device that offers the traditional USB storage, but it will also work as USB floppy drive.

Sure for most people a floppy drive is long since outdated, but anyone who is still performing BIOS updates will likely find this useful.  The HP Floppy Drive Key has a small switch on the drive that allows the user to switch modes between functioning as a flash drive and a floppy drive.

The Floppy Drive Key is currently available from HP for a slightly expensive $79 (1GB) or $49 (256MB).  Aside from the convenience of having just one device, it may be a little more cost efficient to pick up an old school and much less expensive flash drive and look for a used external USB floppy drive.

Product [HP]

• Kingston announces 64GB DataTraveler USB flash drive
• Bring the net to your TV: Sony Bravia leads the way
• HP ships touch screen laptop before Apple, we’re not worried

Better start writing to Santa folks because this one doesn’t come cheap.  Introduced on Tuesday, Motorola’s new AURA might even make Hugh proud.

It sports the “world’s first circular display” and certainly doesn’t lack colors, it has 16 million of them with a 300 dpi resolution. That cyclops display is covered with Grade 1, 62-carat sapphire crystal lens.  What does that mean to you?  The lens is made of one of the most scratch resistant materials on the earth.

Find out more details about this phone including the unbelievable price after the break.

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