Posts filed under 'USB'
by Jeff Bordeaux
Product development. It really has no boundaries. Imagine being at a creative meeting for Spencer Gifts, how fun and irreverent would that be? Think of all the ideas that don’t even make it to production. What do people need? What do people want? American consumerism is blurring those lines more each day. I myself can be a total impulse buyer and a master of delusional purchases, thinking about all the ways I’ll use something I don’t need. Today we have the USB Beverage Chiller from Cool It Systems. The company makes a variety “Cooling Applications” for the PC and this is their first foray into the novelty gadget world. Let’s see what it’s about.
What is it?
The USB Beverage chiller is basically a cold plate with the circumference of your basic 12 ounce aluminum can. It’s a robust little guy with a small cooling fan on the back and a heatsink grill on the front. It needs a powered or dedicated USB port to work, and won’t be compatible with lower powered USB ports such as Apple keyboards. It’s shiny plastic white finish is attractive, and should fit in well near any computer.
How does it chill?
Upon plugging it in, the chiller almost immediately got cold, only taking a few seconds. We then cracked a cold beer and applied it to the cold plate. The starting temperature of the beer was 34 degrees Fahrenheit and we left it there “unsipped” for two hours. At that point the temperature had risen to 56 degrees, which means you have to drink your drink in a short period of time in order for this device to work effectively. The specs on the site says the cold plate chills to 45 degrees, but no mention to the variable of time. Also, due to the narrowness of the cold plate’s circumference, any container with a base bigger that of an aluminum can won’t fit. Gangster’s won’t be able to chill their 40’s of Old English, though tech blogger’s will have no problem jamming a Red Bull atop the cold plate. I’m sure if you got all MacGyver on it you could configure a way to expand the base, but I don’t see anybody with the time or passion to do something like that.
In the end?
There are definitely some practical applications for this device. It would be great in hot and tropical climates where your drink just sweats balls from start to finish, or you are like my roommate who is a human aquifer of Pabst Blue Ribbon. An exceptional gift idea, it should be fun to talk about whenever your showing a new person around your house. That being said, the USB beverage chiller does it’s job for the most part, provided your drink of choice is it’s drink of choice.
For Company Specs, FAQ, and to Purchase for $24.99 go here.
April 30th, 2008
I was in desperate need of a USB hub the other day so I picked one up at my local PCMall. I came home, plugged it in and presto, I had 7 additional USB 2.0 ports (it’s also backwards compatible with USB 1.1). A few days passed and the mouse I had plugged into it (an old Logitech MX7000) was having problems being recoginized when waking my computer from sleep. I thought nothing of it and just figured it was the Logitech drivers being wonky. Another day passed when I woke my computer from sleep and I realized that none of the peripherals were working. In addition, the LED lights on the face of the device that illuminate to show use, were all blank with the exception of the red LED power light. My frustration was furthered when I visited the Belkin site and couldn’t locate the USB hub by typing in the model number, F5U237. A quick search in Google, though, uncovered the associated page on the, you guessed it, Belkin site, but no help there. Why did it die? I have no clue, but it doesn’t work after a few modest hours of use.
I’m gonna give the D-Link 7-port a shot with fingers crossed.
Included in the box:
1 x 7-port USB Hub with LED status Light
1 x AC power adapter
1 x USB cord
Feel free to purchase it here, but you’ve been warned.
April 23rd, 2008
I am not sure what the practical application of the USB Theremometer could be, but where there’s a product there’s a way. It’s pretty simple: the device plugs into your computer and records the room temperature at custom set intervals - seconds or hours. You can then view the temperature log on screen. The USB Theremometer can measure -40 F to 248 F - I’m pretty sure your ‘puter would explode at that temperature as would your brain.
Available here for $15.
April 10th, 2008
Don’t be mistaken, this isn’t a converter. In fact, its a gag gift for those friends that have a death grip on the gold old analog cassette. The faux cassette tape, yes fake, actually hides a 64MB USB drive. The idea behind this ingenious gift is that you fill the memory stick ala mix tape style, write the songs on the cassettes included paper fold out and give it to your favorite crush.
Available here for $24.
April 4th, 2008
The USB200PC is so niche it’s not even funny. I am not sure who needs to copy data to 20 USB sticks simultaneously, but if there’s a product there’s a need, sometimes. Unfortunately, it won’t work as a USB hub.
No word on price.
More info here.
[Gearfuse]
March 24th, 2008
What can I say, it’s just one of those days. The details on this product, the Cellink M, aren’t entirely clear, but from the looks of it, it doubles as a USB plug for compatible phones (not sure on the serial port) and can also be used as a USB
memory stick. It might also be a ‘mobile charger’ according to some text slapped on the outer casing of the device, but I don’t see how it accomplishes that. Lastly, it looks like it can also work as an SD
memory card
reader.
More pics after the ‘leap’
[Aving]
March 21st, 2008
If you travel abroad you’re probably already familiar with the numerous travel chargers on the market. None of them include a USB plug for powering the likes of an
iPhone until now. It’s apty called the Universal Travel Adapter With USB Port and goes for $17.
Available here.
[Ubergizmo]
March 19th, 2008
One of the inherent problems with a multitude of USB cords plugged in to your computer is reaching in between them to unplug or plug them in. This USB hub takes an innovative approach and allows each input to spin 180 degrees enabling easy access. It also folds up for easy storage and includes an AC adapter for those powered devices.
Available here for $25.
March 17th, 2008
No, this isn’t a digital photo frame. In fact, it’s a regular photo frame with a built-in light at its base to illuminate the framed picture. So what’s cool? It plugs in via USB and provides 4 additional USB 2.0 ports. Okay, so it’s actually a USB HUB then a photo frame, so what!
“Happy Feet” photo not included.
More pics after the ‘leap’
[Akihabaranews]
March 14th, 2008
Do you ever get that spinning colored wheel featured in the Mac OS? If you’re like me, it drives you nuts and you just wanna bitch slap
someone something. Well, I think I’ve found the solution: the Punch Head. It connects to your computer by USB and detects the power of your punch, which is reflected on screen with a face of your choosing getting one in the sucker.
Available here, but not price or order info just yet.
[EverythingUSB]
March 13th, 2008
Called Portomedia, the start up plans to offer
movies via a proprietary USB flash drive and reader, with a supposed ultra fast download/upload speed (95 Mbps). To obtain movies - you can either rent or buy - you must visit one of the company’s touch screen kiosks that’ll be found in supermarkets, etc. At the kiosk, which contains 100s of movies on
hard drives, you insert the flash drive, enter payment, and the movie is transferred in less than a minute. Currently their site doesn’t detail cost and expiration time of the rentals. They company is based out of Ireland, so don’t expect it state side any time soon.
More info here.
[Therawfeed]
March 4th, 2008
Sierra Wireless introduced what the company claims as the smallest
EVDO USB modem on the market today, the Compass USB 597. Included in the tiny package is a microSD slot, which should allow the device to do double duty as a USB
memory stick. Compatible with EVDO Rev O and A.
Price unknown, but should be available Q2 2008.
More info here.
March 4th, 2008
This might be the best or worst gift to give on secretary day - I guess it depends how much they’re into their job. The USB Speedometer keeps track of words typed per minute and words typed per day. I’ve decided: worst. Why? They’ll realize how much damn typing they’re doing and ask for a raise.
Available here for just under $40.
Via TFTS
February 28th, 2008
I don’t know why I find this USB hub so appealing. Perhaps it’s that all other USB hubs only seem to cause more clutter than organization. The Belkin In-Desk USB hub should fit in most standard desk holes (those thing you jam cords down), but if not you can easily drill your own. Don’t expect any LED lights to indicate activity and like most, if not all USB hubs you’ll need to plug this sucker in.
More pics after the ‘leap’ 
Via EverythingUSB
February 19th, 2008
The flash memory doesn’t fit inside the unit (I think it’s just below the base) but anytime you transfer data to or from the phallic device, it gyrates like a dog in heat…would naturally…right?
Video here.
USB Humping Dog Flash Drive Mod (Only Humps During Transfer) [EverythingUSB]
March 14th, 2007
If you’re aren’t willing to bare network configuration to stream your recorded shows or
movies from your PC to your media center, then the
SanDisk USBTV has the quickie fix. From what we gather you essentially transfer up to 2GB of data/media (expect actual capacity with firmware to be lower) to the thumb drive like device and then plug it into the included USB-to-video out dongle, which also includes the necessary video decoder. Control looks like it can be harnessed from the cradle portion of the device (almost an all in one device) which includes, from the looks of it, your standard
DVD controls – pretty slick. According to
EverythingUSB many LCD TVs now include a USB input – I’ll have to inspect next time I visit my local electronics retailer – thus making the dongle not necessary. No word on release or availability, but apparently SanDisk will be giving out free devices for testing and feedback.
February 1st, 2007
