Articles about USB

Using cloud-based storage is extremely convenient, and arguably safer than traditional hard drive storage. Why? If, God forbid, there is a fire or other disaster in your home or office, your files are safe and secure offsite.

With that said, there are some deficiencies with the cloud, such as a need for an internet connection, and the potential lack of control of your own files. Yes, internet is seemingly ubiquitous nowadays, but do you feel uncomfortable not having access during an outage? If so, a USB solution coupled with offsite storage for redundancy is a smart choice. Today, Silicon power announces the ultra-rugged Armor A65M. Designed for Mac, it should work with Linux and Windows too.

Continue reading →

The world of computing is getting very scary. I tend to be a bit of a conspiracy-theorist, mostly due to my inquisitive nature. While being concerned about hacked hardware and government surveillance would be viewed as paranoia years ago, it now becomes a sad reality.

In light of Kaspersky Labs' bombshell and brilliant research (deserving of an award, in my opinion), we now know that nothing can be trusted -- your hard drive may be an undetected spy. Today, Imation announces the IronKey S1000, a hardware-encrypted USB 3.0 flash drive, which the company calls the "world's fastest hardware-encrypted USB flash drive". Can it thwart the now-infamous Equation Group?

Continue reading →

In a cloud-focused world, more and more people are shunning physical storage. It's hard to blame them, as cloud services are very convenient. Best of all, services like Dropbox and OneDrive store your files off-site, keeping them safe from floods, fires and other disasters.

Unfortunately, not everyone can utilize cloud storage. Businesses in particular may be wary of using the cloud to store or transport sensitive information and trade secrets. Yes, a flash drive may be an option, but what if it gets lost? They are small, and can easily fall out of a bag or pocket. Today, Toshiba releases its solution; the unimaginatively named Encrypted USB Flash Drive. While the name may not be impressive, the AES 256-bit encryption surely is.

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 →

Kickstarter projects are ten a penny these days, as startup after startup vies for attention and financing. While many projects fall by the wayside, just a handful come to fruition and one of the latest is a handy USB dongle that allows for secure, anonymous web browsing. In just 45 days the campaign reached its target of $60,000, meaning that larger scale production can now go ahead on the line of security-focused USB sticks.

Webcloak is designed as an alternative to the likes of Tor, offering users a secure, self-contained browsing environment. This not only helps to keep browsing anonymous, but also protects against the threat of viruses, and its blend of hardware, encryption and "secure access" software has been designed with ease of use in mind.

Continue reading →

As a system builder, I am a sucker for all hardware. What really gets my motor running is when something is the "world's first". Yes, I am an early adopter. What does this mean? I buy unproven new hardware at a premium, just for the glory of having it first. Smart buyers will wait for price drops and bug fixes, but not I!

Today, MSI announces a new motherboard that has a world's first, and quite frankly, it is something the world has been waiting for. Here it is folks, the first-ever motherboard with an integrated reversible USB 3.1 Type-C port! This is definitely something that will have early adopters drooling.

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 →

Using e-cigarettes, or vaping, is widely touted as being healthier for you than smoking tobacco, however, it may not be so healthy for your PC.

Many e-cigarettes offer a USB charging option but a story on social news site Reddit suggests that this is a potential source of malware attack. An executive's PC became infected after he'd recently given up smoking and the infection was traced to his e-cigarette charger.

Continue reading →

When USB was first introduced to consumers, it changed everything. The connection standard made adding peripherals and accessories extremely easy. Before it, adding things over parallel or serial ports was tedious and confusing for consumers.

USB has evolved and become faster over the years, however it is slowly learning new tricks too. USB is now capable of pushing high-quality video, but now it goes further. You see, mobile devices will be able to push 4K video over the upcoming USB 3.1 Type-C connection, thanks to MHL's new "Alternate Mode".

Continue reading →

While traveling, my smartphone's always running out of juice sooner than it normally does. This leads to some frustrating moments, like being unable to make calls, open a map or send texts, not to mention having to watch the percentage indicator. Not knowing where someone is, for instance, is never great news in such situations. I know I could use an external battery charger, but I tend to avoid them, and for good reasons.

They generally tend to be bulky, ugly, and almost fragile. Getting the impression that what can only be regarded as a tool is flimsy is not confidence-inspiring -- if it breaks, it's going to be a problem. Microsoft's new Portable Power appears to be different, however. And why wouldn't it be, when it has some Nokia DNA in it?

Continue reading →

Growing up, one of my favorite films was Back to the Future. Marty McFly was probably the coolest guy ever; he could skateboard, play guitar and oh yeah... travel through time! Sure, him making-out with his mom in the car was a little weird, but the protagonist was undoubtedly awesome.

While there are many memorable moments from the movie, one thing tends to resonate with movie-goers the most -- the Flux Capacitor. This cheesy-looking box was the technology behind time-travel, but most importantly, it looked super-cool (nerds and geeks love flashing lights). Today, ThinkGeek announces a USB smartphone and tablet charger for the car, which is modeled after the popular Flux Capacitor.

Continue reading →

Nowadays, if you buy a laptop, it will have a built-in wireless card (desktops; not always). For the most part, these integrated cards work well -- on Windows. You see, most manufacturers build their machines with only Windows in mind. If you only use Microsoft's operating system, you should be golden. However, for nerds that like Linux (including myself), nonexistent or problematic wireless drivers can be an absolute nightmare.

This is why I recommend a USB wireless adapter to every Linux user; you never know when you may need it as permanent or temporary internet solution. Unfortunately, not all USB adapters work with Linux out of the box, so the model you choose matters. Today, Kinivo releases two USB wireless adapters that are promised to work with Linux-based operating systems.

Continue reading →

USB 3.0 Promoter Group announces that the much-awaited USB Type-C connector, which can be plugged in both ways, is now finally ready to enter mass production. It makes way for faster transfer speeds, courtesy of the USB 3.1 standard, increased power delivery, more compact device designs and, arguably, fewer moments of frustration thanks to its reversible orientation, which is similar to that of Apple's Lightning connector which launched in 2012.

"Interest in the USB Type-C connector has not only been global, but cross-industry as well", says USB 3.0 Promoter Group chairman Brad Saunders. "Representatives from the PC, mobile, automotive and IoT industries have been knocking down our door anticipating this new standard. This specification is the culmination of an extensive, cooperative effort among industry leaders to standardize the next generation USB connector as a long-lasting, robust solution". Here is what else you should know.

Continue reading →

When I go to the grocery store, nothing drives me crazier than people using the speakerphone function of their phone to talk with their partner. When I hear "honey, should I buy 1% or 2% milk?" and then listen to the discussion, it makes me nuts. It's like, I just want to throw their phone into the live lobster tank. Does no one have a sense of privacy and consideration anymore?

This nonsense also happens in the workplace. It is not uncommon for an employee to run a video chat or web-based conference call through their speakers. They then shout at their computer, so the cheap mic picks up their voice. This is very inconsiderate; it negatively impacts the entire office's productivity, as attention is diverted from tasks. Today, Logitech wants to quiet these annoying coworkers with the H570e USB headset.

Continue reading →

It seems that we all have way too many USB devices these days -- thumb drives, external hard drives, charging needs for phones and tablets. No computer has enough ports for the needs of a family, and many customers require help via a hub that can support all of those items.

"Most multi-gadget chargers have up to 4 ports that may only do one amp per port which is not optimal charging capacity. That’s why I was blown away when I first saw the Octofire with double the amount of ports and power", says Chris Johnson, Founder of BiteMyApple, the company that produces the product. "This monster charger is perfect for households or businesses that own many devices, and need a single power solution".

Continue reading →