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Accessories

Plantronics Voyager PRO+ Review

September 27, 2010


Today, Plantronics launched the Voyager PRO+ headset, featuring several improvements over the older but very popular Plantronics Voyager PRO headset. Improvements to the Voyager PRO+ include A2DP support, Battery Meter indicator for the Apple iPhone, and support for the Vocalyst speech-enabled hosted service offering. This is the second major headset launch today by Plantronics. Today, they also launched the Plantronics M1100 "premium class" Bluetooth headset (see review).

Like the M1100, the Voyager PRO+ supports voice recognition commands.


Plantronics K100 In-Car Bluetooth Speakerphone Review

September 15, 2010


The Plantronics K100 In-Car Bluetooth speakerphone was launched today and I have an exclusive first look / review. Ever wish your car had an in-built speakerphone with full Bluetooth integration with your mobile phone? Ever hop in a friend's or family member's Mercedes, BMW, or Audi and watch them make a full-duplex phone call over their car's stereo speakers? Now you too can have this capability without shelling out $30,000+ for a premium vehicle.

Plantronics M100 Review

August 17, 2010

The Plantronics M100 Bluetooth headset has arrived and here is my unboxing + review. The first feature you should be aware of is the dual mics on the M100. When the dual mics are combined with the built-in Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and Plantronics wind and background noise reduction technology, in theory you have the best damn sounding headset on the planet. But before I we determine that, first the unboxing video...

Wisair Wireless USB Audio/Video Adapter Streams to HDTVs

August 3, 2010

Wisair Wireless USB Audio/Video Adapter is an interesting little gadget designed with laptops in mind - to stream any laptop content to any HD screen. Thus, you can wirelessly stream movies, TV, photo slideshows, presentations, web content, and more. It'll work with desktops as well, but really their target market is laptops.
 
The Wisair Wireless USB Audio/Video Adapter Set is a USB adapter that sports a HDMI video/audio support and VGA connectivity with stereo audio support through a 3.5 mm audio jack, and offers 32-bit True Color depth and up to 1400x1050 screen resolution. It also features 48 kHz, 16-bit stereo sound and HD video resolution up to 720p.
 
The wireless laptop adapter plugs into any USB port on the computer.



Cool New Microsoft 720p LifeCams with TrueColor Technology

March 16, 2010

Microsoft today announced TrueColor Technology which they claim enhances the color and brightness of webcam video in the worst of lighting conditions. True Color Technology is a new image processing technology that automatically adjusts the picture quality to provide more colorful video. It does this through a proprietary combination of software and firmware technology. TrueColor Technology actually leverages face tracking technology developed by Microsoft Research, which can detect a person's face and help ensure it's not overexposed or underexposed, so the video call picture looks great even in the most challenging lighting scenarios.

StarTech KVM Console to USB 2.0 Portable Laptop Adapter Review

December 23, 2009


If you are an IT or network manager you know how frustrating it can be to try and troubleshoot a rackmounted server that doesn't have a monitor or keyboard hooked up to it. After all, LCD rackmount console can be pretty expensive.

Often referred to as "headless servers", in many cases you can use Windows Remote Desktop over an IP connection to access the machine and troubleshoot. However, if you have a BSOD (Blue Screen of Death), the network card dies, you have an IP address conflict, or you need to get into the BIOS, you can't use Remote Desktop or other remote desktop software.

Well, StarTech.com's USB 2.0 Laptop KVM Adapter turns your notebook or netbook into a portable server crashcart, eliminating the need to carry a large, heavy video monitor, keyboard, and mouse. This device will turn any laptop into a portable console for headless servers, PCs, ATMs, kiosks etc.

How does it work?






StarTech.com ConXit Connection Wizard Helps You Find Right Connector for Home Theater, PC, and more

November 19, 2009

Ever get frustrated trying to convert Component to HDMI or convert from one video connector to another because your TV is 10 years only and doesn't support HDMI? Even if you are a home theater guru, the number of converter options and cabling options can be immense and downright confusing.

Well, StarTech.com, a manufacturer of hard-to-find connectivity and technology parts, launched the ConXit Connection Wizard, an online tool that helps users find the right converter, extender, splitter, interface card, cable and more. The search tool will help you find the right connector for Bluetooth, BNC, CameraLink, Coax, Compact Flash, Component, Composite, Digital Coax Audio, DVI, eSATA, ExpressCard, HDMI, RJ-11, RJ-45, and more.

This online tool recommends the best products for connecting IT and/or audio-video peripherals after just two easy steps.


Step One - Select the type of connector for the peripheral or device you wish to connect from a drop down list of options.

Step Two - Select the connection type on the host computer or component.








What??? No More Exploding Laptop Batteries?

November 12, 2009

Aww darn, no more cool explosions from exploding laptop batteries! STOBA, a new material technology will steal the joy of seeing your laptop explode from faulty batteries. Boy, it seemed like a week didn't pass without Apple, Toshiba, Sony, Dell, Sanyo, Lenova, or some other laptop manufacturer issuing a battery recall due to exploding batteries. Well, apparently STOBA will make consumer electronics safer.

FREETALK Everyman Skype Headset Review

August 6, 2009


The FREETALK Everyman is a foldable super wideband audio "Skype certified" USB headset designed by Skype themselves. Why this isn't called the Skype Everyman headset is beyond me. I guess perhaps why want to market this headset as doing much more than Skype calls. They sent me one for review today so I thought I'd write up my impressions.

When I opened it out of the box I noticed the large speakers and the flexible rotation for additional comfort when wearing it.


WildCharge Wire-free charger for iPhone & iPod touch

June 23, 2009


WildCharge, makers of wire-free charging skins for various mobile phone models today has announced a wire-free skin for the iPhone and iPod touch, which enable the popular Apple devices to be charged instantly simply placing them on the WildCharger Padâ„¢ or on other surfaces that are embedded with the WildCharge technology.

"The market is demanding a move towards wire-free charging, and WildCharge is thrilled to answer that call in adding Apple devices to our lineup of commercially available products," said WildCharge chairman and CEO Dennis Grant. "With the addition of these two designs to our reference design library, both of which are Apple "Made for iPod" and "Works with iPhone" approved, WildCharge is solidifying our position as the leading, wire-free charging developer in the industry."

The WildCharge Skins are durable, protective, form-fitting cases that when placed on the WildCharger Pad, transfer wire-free power from the Pad to the device inside the skin. The soft cases provide the same protection consumers already enjoy from traditional skins, but have the added value and convenience of enabling a wire-free charge. The WildCharger Pad, used in conjunction with the skins, delivers full power to multiple devices, allowing them to simultaneously charge together on the Pad while eliminating the clutter caused by multiple chargers and power strips.




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