Articles about Peripheral

Smartphone speakers are rubbish when it comes to playing music. There are some exceptions, like HTC's One M flagships, but, generally speaking, the sound quality just isn't there. There is only so much you can ask for from a tiny little speaker, trapped inside a small shell. So, if you want more oomph, you will have to hook up your smartphone to an external speaker.

Of course, if you want something that you can carry with you, you should actually be looking at a portable speaker. An interesting such offering is Divoom's rugged Voombox-Outdoor, which can connect to your smartphone either through a cable or, better yet, via Bluetooth. Here is what you should know about it.

Continue reading →

ViewSonic has announced a new 4K monitor designed for professional work. The Ultra HD VP2780-4K, to give the monitor its full name, is a 27-inch LED panel offering a resolution of 3840 x 2160. It uses SuperClear IPS panel tech and is a 10-bit color panel.

Accurate colors are promised, with 100 percent sRGB, and 80 percent Adobe RGB high color coverage, meaning pinpoint colors for CAD work, serious photography and video editing and the like.

Continue reading →

The wireless mouse isn't new -- the technology is growing fairly old now, actually.But in this case that doesn't make it obsolete, as many of us still use them on a daily basis, and we aren't going back to wired. There's also no shortage of them on the market, but finding a good one can be a painstaking task, as everyone's needs are slightly different.

There's the gaming mouse, the travel mouse and plain old utilitarian daily-use mouse. We've reviewed many of the tiny peripherals here, but they never get old. Tolday we're looking at the Logitech M320, a simple wireless mouse. It isn't gaming and it's not considered travel size, but it's quite decent for daily use, which I'm doing as I type this from  my laptop -- I hate toucpads.

Continue reading →

The oft-forgotten peripheral that makes computer use possible is the mouse. Yes, some simply use the trackpad on a laptop, but there are many of us who opt for something more familiar and simple. There's no shortage of the little products on the market, covering everything you could possibly want from travel to gaming to just plain, simple functionality.

Now Logitech, a company that makes a variety of these products across the spectrum of use, has a new offering. The MX Master is a multi-platform mouse that works equally well with both Windows and Mac and can be paired with up to three devices at once. There's an "easy switch" button that allows the user to move between devices.

Continue reading →

Curves are en vogue these days with both monitors and TVs, though they still come at a premium price and the benefits are open to debate. Still, it seems to be the latest fad, coupling with 4K and riding on the heels of the failure to sell people on 3D. Samsung is no stranger to the market, manufacturing upper tier screens for living room and office alike.

Now the company is announcing its latest line of monitors, featuring five curved models. The latest offerings range in size from as small as 23.5 inches up to 31.5 inches, the latter approaching TV size. The specs of each are as varying as the sizes.

Continue reading →

While many users likely don't give much thought to the computer mouse, there is a segment of the population that cares a great deal -- travelers want portable and gamers tend to look for fast response times, extra buttons to control things and a bit of bling to go along with it. After all, if you invest in a computer from, say, Alienware then you'll want a mouse that matches up with that tower case.

The mouse is an area of computing in which Logitech excels, designing several top products, including the specialty models. Now the company is introducing the latest member of its family, the G303 Daedalus Apex.

Continue reading →

While most everyone is familiar with Chromebooks, the Google operating system also comes on a few desktop computers, a system generally referred to as a Chromebox. Like any computer, a Chromebox requires a keyboard and mouse, but sometimes those using notebook computers also prefer an external mouse instead of using the trackpad. Now Logitech plans to have everyone covered in this growing market.

The hardware maker is announcing a new line of peripherals designed specifically for Chrome OS computers. You're likely thinking that any wireless keyboard or mouse will work, and you'd be mostly right. I type this now from a Chromebook using a standard Microsoft wireless mouse. But what Logitech has is a bit more interesting.

Continue reading →

Small computers are proving very popular these days. As well as the likes of Raspberry Pi, there are Windows 8.1/Linux devices like Intel's Compute Stick on the way, and fans of Linux Mint can purchase the CompuLab MintBox Mini. Given the size of this new generation of diminutive device, it’s perhaps surprising that no one has (successfully) tried to squeeze a PC into a mouse before.

Well, now, finally they have. Mouse-Box aims to be a complete computer inside in a fully functioning pointing device. You’ll be able to use it with your normal PC, and then switch to the Mouse-Box computer with ease. You just need access to a screen and keyboard (you already have the mouse!)

Continue reading →

To compensate for that bigger, higher-resolution screen, faster processor and other power-hungry components, manufacturers put larger batteries inside our smartphones and tablets. Batteries have evolved very little over the past couple of years, so increasing their size feels like a logical thing to do. After all, who wants a big and fast device that lasts only a couple of hours with light usage? It would be terrible.

However, having a bigger battery also means longer charging times, excruciatingly long if you charge your device using a PC. So what can you do about it? Well, you can get SONICable, a new charging cable which promises to charge your iPhone, iPad or Android device twice as fast.

Continue reading →

If you need a portable storage device, then are you are most likely looking to buy an external HDD. They are available in lots of sizes, and they are also pretty affordable. However, they are also slow. Too slow, I would say. So, if you need something that is fast -- that can transfer files quickly and open everything almost instantly -- then a portable HDD is not the answer.

However, a portable SSD would fit the bill just fine. On top of being faster, it will also be more energy-efficient and less sensitive to shocks. Targeting this crowd, Samsung today announced Portable SSD T1, which is about to hit store shelves in three storage trims. And it is so small and light, you can carry it in your pocket.

Continue reading →

It is difficult to imagine that 4K is no longer the best that you can get today. After all, it is just starting to gain traction among consumers, and the selection of available devices has not even matured yet. However, 5K is already here, knocking 4K down a notch.

Apple is the first major player in the industry to have embraced 5K, when it announced iMac with Retina 5K display a couple of months ago. And, now, HP is following suit with its own 5K offering, the new 27-inch Z27q.

Continue reading →

Curved displays look cool. There is no question about it. Frankly, anything that deviates from the norm in this space -- meaning, it is not flat -- tends to have a certain appeal to it. Is it a useful change? That depends. Personally, I'm inclined to believe that it has potential in certain scenarios, although there are some who believe that a curved display is nothing more than a gimmick. No matter where you stand on the matter, one thing is certain -- we will have to get used to them, as they are growing in numbers.

After first announcing TVs with curved displays, South Korean maker Samsung has started to offer desktop monitors with this feature, the latest of which is the 34-inch SE790C, rocking Ultra-WQHD resolution. In plan English, that means 3,440 by 1,440 pixels. Here is what else you should know about it.

Continue reading →

Many of us own multiple devices that charge or are powered via USB. Even though many PCs come with at least two or four USB ports these days, and USB charging adapters that plug into wall sockets are commonplace, that may not be enough. In other words, you may occasionally find yourself needing to charge something, without a spare USB port, or a cable for the task -- especially if you live in a house with teenagers. If all devices used Micro USB life would be simpler, but sadly, they do not.

This is where Hub It comes in. It's a powered sync and charging station that can power/charge up to seven items simultaneously, and includes connectors for all of your devices, including smartphones, tablets, iPhones and iPads, and digital cameras.

Continue reading →

Tablets are fantastic for casual tasks such as checking email, browsing the web, watching movies and playing games, but they’re not so good for doing work on because the virtual keyboard takes up so much of the screen space, and it’s difficult to touch type on.

If you want to boost your productivity, you need to consider buying a keyboard for your device. There are plenty of good ones to choose from, but that adds yet another thing to carry around with you. The Atongm Bluetooth Virtual Laser Keyboard is a tiny solution (36x18x74 mm, approx. 40g) which gives you back your screen space and turns any surface -- such as a table in a coffee shop -- into a keyboard.

Continue reading →

Bluetooth speakers are a dime a dozen these days, as they are convenient and, depending on brand model, can offer very good sound quality. With that in mind, brands set out to separate themselves in a very competitive marketplace by offering certain stand-out feature that get them noticed. That's the case with the Braven BRV-1.

The company touts several interesting features on this model. Some do exist on rival models, but it's enough to set  the little speaker apart from others.

Continue reading →