Cloud Engines has announced today the second generation Pogoplug. That’s all fine and dandy but what’s a Pogoplug most people will ask. A Pogoplug is an interesting device that will let you access all the content you want from your USB drives over the Internet. That means you don’t have to carry with you portable hard drives anymore. Instead just get a Pogoplug and access everything on those USB drives from anywhere in the world. It’s like setting up your own cloud.
(more…)

If you love the idea of giving dictation so that someone else can type for you later, this device may be on interest to you. It may also be of interest if you want to record your weekly podcast while you are stuck in traffic. Either way, since we all know that size matters, how about you try out the USB Dictaphone.

(more…)

Before telling you about this Pulse smartpen I’ll have to admit that I happen to type a lot more words than I’m writing. And there’s a simple reason for that. I can understand the words I’m typing whereas my writing isn’t that easy to decipher. Furthermore I’m not getting tired as fast when using both of my hands to type instead of simply writing everything done.
(more…)

Corsair have announced the immediate release of their new, 64GB Flash Survivor USB Flash Drive which, according to Corsair, is the ‘the most rugged high-capacity flash drive on the market’ thanks to its CNC-milled, aircraft-grade aluminum casing which makes it ‘practically indestructible’ (safe to say that Corsair have obviously never met my wife who, trust me, can destroy just about anything with ‘one of those looks’).
(more…)

GlideTV announced today its first remote control solution, the GlideTV Navigator. The device is the first product of the company and it’s a gadget meant to help you control various devices around the house.
(more…)

We’ve already covered a fair few USB 3.0 touting devices here at TFTS but it looks as though buffalo are set to get the jump on everyone thanks to officially confirming that the Buffalo HD-HU3 USB 3.0 Hard Disk is set to become available as of this month in Japan.
(more…)

Clickfree have today announced that their new Clickfree Transformer SE USB adapter, that will allow end users to backup files to both their iPods and/or iPhones as well as any external USB hard drives as well as assist in importing music from iPod/iPhones to Windows or Mac based computers has been released.
(more…)

Exactly as expected, more USB 3.0 gadgets are going to miraculously appear in the following period. After we’ve seen the first USB 3.0 external hard drive, the Freecom XS 3.0, we now have the second (we will eventually stop counting them) USB 3.0 external drive! The Buffalo DriveStation HD-HXU3 is expected to arrive in the following months and you should definitely get it by Christmas.
(more…)

Sub monitors that facilitate a convenient extra display courtesy of USB connectivity are increasingly cropping up these days and along with the previously featured MIMO UM-710 & UM-740, Century Plus One LCD-8000U and the Samsung Syncmaster U701 (to name but three) DoubleSight Displays have added to your range of consumer options thanks to the release of their new range of USB sub monitors – namely the 7” DS-70U, 9” DS-90U and 9” DS-90U which also packs in an integrated webcam.
(more…)

LaCie and loudspeaker manufacturer Cabassee have joined forces to come up with a stylish pair of USB-powered speakers. Designed to be used with any Mac computer or PC, with the iPhone, iPod and virtually any media player there is, the  LaCie Sound2 Speakerss ystem has a plug-and-play connection that will help you set it up in no time — it’s driver-free for Mac and PC.

(more…)

It wasn’t that long ago that the only option a notebook user had for docking stations were the proprietary (and hugely expensive) docking stations and port replicators that were made by the PC companies themselves. We all know the pain of being forced into buying peripherals specific to a single device and when you have no choice you’re at the mercy of the manufacturers when it comes to pricing. The days of the proprietary docking station are all but numbered with devices like Kensington’s new SD400V Universal Notebook Docking Station giving you complete freedom when it comes to PC compatibility. (more…)

At last we have it. The culmination of what I’m sure were minutes of product development effort has finally led us to what can only be described as the pinnacle of USB multi-card reader design, the Enter+Ctrl Keys Card Reader from the folks at usbgeek.com. Not only does it read the cards, it looks like a couple of well-known computer keys at the same time. Pure genius. (more…)

For those of you that are really into the whole graphic design thing, you’ve probably been working with digital pens and tablets for years now. Where tablet and pen technology is still a relative newcomer is within the home and general consumer market. Most computer users are more comfortable using a mouse for their digital photo manipulation and until very recently digital tablets have been out of reach of the average consumer price-wise. Not only that, but you were pretty much stuck having to use a stylus as your input device rather than your own digits. All that’s about to change with the latest product updates from the tablet-makers at Wacom. Their new Bamboo consumer tablets have been updated with five new products that now include multi-touch technology. (more…)

The idea of sharing your wireless connection with other users certainly has some people a bit hesitant, especially when it comes to the security of the whole deal. I wouldn’t want anyone snooping around on my hard drives. But if the people at FON have their way you’ll be able to openly share and share alike your wireless network with any number of other users on the FON international wi-fi network. Their latest wireless router, the Fonera 2.0n, improves upon their last model with several added social networking functions as well as speedier 802.11n protocols. (more…)

USB is everywhere. It’s hard to remember a time when the ubiquitous technology wasn’t at the business end of just about ever piece of computer peripheral equipment on the market. While the current standard, USB 2.0, has been around for nearly a decade (it was standardized back in 2001) it seems that it may finally be nearing the end of its useful life. We want faster and it looks like we are getting closer than ever to achieving that goal with USB 3.0. Need proof that the new standard may be right around the corner? How about the fact that digital camera technology masters Point Grey have already demonstrated the world’s first USB 3.0 webcam? (more…)

TRENDnet have announced that their TEW-648UB Mini Wireless N USB Adapter, which is billed as being ‘the world’s smallest 150Mbps Mini Wireless N USB Adapter’ thanks to in measuring in at only just larger than a quarter has now been released.
(more…)

The folks over at Kingston are renowned for their storage devices, and the latest example to grab our attention from our daily routine is the new Kingston DataTraveler 410 USB Flash Drive that the company has just introduced.

(more…)

After spending hours and hours writing about seemingly random and utterly useless USB-powered devices (you know what they are, so I won’t waste more space writing about them) it’s nice to see that a company has actually taken the time to come up with a USB gadget that might, just might mean something to the world. Bayer, creators of the Wonder Drug that Works Wonders, have done it again with their latest invention, the Bayer CONTOUR USB blood glucose meter. Take one part plug-n-play USB 2.0 device, one part high-tech blood glucose monitor and one part user-friendly software program and you get the CONTOUR USB. (more…)

When I was gainfully employed by Corporate America as a product manager, I spent untold hours creating and giving PowerPoint presentations. Actually, not only did I give my own presentations, I’d spend hours creating other’s presentations because I just happened to be a whiz with the PowerPoint software. If only there was a way for the less adept to create basic slideshows without having to learn the complicated software applications. It turns out that there is. Honestech has just announced their latest product, FOTOBOX™, and it is set to take the thinking out of the presentation equation. (more…)

Skype VoIP technology is growing in popularity as an alternative to the more traditional telephone service providers because of its ease of use and dirt-cheap costs. Who wouldn’t want the ability to basically chat with anyone on the planet that has a computer connected to the Internet…for free? Oh yeah, and they also have video. Now you can see why technology like this has the big phone companies scrambling to slow down their own obsolescence. In support of the continued growth of VoIP providers like Skype, ClearOne has announced their latest high-end speakerphone, the CHAT™ 160. (more…)

Last week we let you in on the announcement that ASUS had just added a touchscreen interface to its AiGuru standalone Skype phone the SV1 and renamed it the SV1T. This week, we bring you the other half of the ASUS announcement, the introduction of a new Dolby headphone and microphone set, the HP-100U. (more…)

Network Attached Storage, or NAS, is still a relative newcomer to the technology scene. What used to be the realm of corporate IT engineers is now making its way into the consumer market. People want the ability to access and store their multimedia files on a centrally located HDD that can be poked into from just about anywhere. Looking to provide yet another viable option for those home users looking for NAS solutions, NETGEAR has just announced the launch of their latest NAS device, the 1TB Stora network-attached storage device. (more…)

If you’ve been paying attention than you probably know that Cricket Wireless is one of North America’s largest and fastest growing pay-as-you-go wireless providers. If you haven’t been paying attention, wake up. Pay-as-you-go providers are making inroads and upsetting the status quo. No longer do you have to get saddled with long-term contracts or spotty, low-cost carriers. You can get low-cost, great coverage, and the freedom to move on if you decide they aren’t meeting your needs. In an effort to keep their momentum going, Cricket has announced the introduction of their new UM185C wireless USB modem for use on their 3G high-speed network. (more…)

Since I don’t like to work off of my laptop while I’m at my desk for extended periods because of the uncomfortable keyboard and small display, I hook it up to my monitor, printer, keyboard and mouse. Viola, I have a desktop PC again. I have also used docking stations where all of those devices where plugged in and you jack the computer into the base. Not a bad deal, but you have to buy a port replicator that’s made for your brand of laptop. The Toshiba dynadock U is here to help. Now you can connect all of your USB devices into the dynadock and with one USB cable connect them all to your laptop. (more…)

OK, I admit it. I can’t help myself when it comes to writing about new USB flash storage devices. They’re all so cute and full of potential. Yeah, I didn’t think I could pull it off either. But there’s one thing I can say about the newest flash drive offering from Sony; they’re pretty damn cool. They haven’t really done anything novel with the concept of the USB flash drive, but the design, which offers a unique spin on the whole “no-cap” thing, is most certainly worthy of mention. So let’s begin. (more…)

It’s all about sharing. People want to share their lives with anyone that’ll listen and sites like YouTube and FaceBook are a testament to this personal media exodus. On top of this, we all want to be able to access our data and information no matter where we are on the planet and if we have friends we want them to have access to it as well. Could we be any more high maintenance? Seagate has just announced a new network adapter called the FreeAgent DockStar and it too is all about sharing.
(more…)

How’s this for an interesting concept. You can connect any two PCs that are located anywhere in the world and as long as both machines are connected to the Internet you can share files between them. It gets better. Not only are the two machines networked, but it’s all done using a simple, plug-and-play USB device that splits in two. One half goes in one PC and the other half goes in the other. That’s it. No cables, no network cards, passwords, usernames, or any of that other fun stuff that we have to deal with when we attempt to share data between to computers. I know, that technology doesn’t exist yet, right? Wrong. A Singapore-based technology company called iTwin has just developed what they are calling a cableless network cable and they are set to completely disrupt the portable storage market. (more…)

It’s pretty well known that wireless Internet speeds in North America are lagging greatly behind those of the rest of the modernized world. Blame it on government bureaucracy or unwillingness to spend the capital, whatever the case the public has been starving for faster speeds with little hope of relief. Today, Canadian telecomm giant Rogers has announced a North American first. Rogers network will be evolving from 3.5G (up to 7.2 Mbps) to HSPA+ (up to 21 Mbps). The nationwide rollout is ongoing and has started this month with Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto Ottawa and Montreal. (more…)

Western Digital is known for their cutting-edge digital storage solutions so it should come as no surprise to anyone that they have decided, yet again, to give their fairly extensive line of external hard drives a makeover to keep up with the times. Their latest introduction features five new external HDDs in a pretty wide variety of flavors. According to Western Digital, the latest product portfolio move is an effort to move storage solutions into a “smaller, smarter, and safer” arena. To this end, every one of the new drives will come dressed up with 256-bit hardware encryption, built-in automatic backup software, and password protection. (more…)

When it comes to getting accurate color representation from your computer’s display, it’s a safe bet to say that most people haven’t a clue. This type of anal-retentive behavior is most often the stuff that professional photographers and graphic designers are paid to worry about not your average Joe with a point-and-shoot in his fanny pack. But let’s be honest, when you take a picture, no matter who you are, you want your leaves to be green and your sunsets to be orange when you check them out on your monitor at home and when you go to print them out. The color obsessives at Datacolor have just brought monitor calibration to the masses with their latest product, the Spyder3Express Monitor Calibration System. (more…)