Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

Feeling a bit cramped when it comes to screen real estate? The new Matrox M9148 LP PCIe x16 graphics card comes with 4 DisplayPort connections that each support a resolution of up to 2560×1600. So with a simple 2×2 monitor configuration that should give you a combined screen resolution of 5120×3200. Not too shabby. The card also comes with 1GB of memory, a low-profile form factor, a fanless design (translation: giant heatsink) and full support for Vista’s Aero eye candy. While no pricing info has been announced, the M9148 LP PCIe x16 should be available sometime in Q3 of this year.

[ Matrox M9148 LP PCIe x16 ] VIA [ Fareastgizmos.com ]

By Evan Ackerman

Now that wireless routers are cheap and ubiquitous, there’s one way that a router can separate itself from the rest of the pack: features. The D-Link DIR-685 Xtreme N Storage Router takes this concept to the Xtreme (okay, sorry, no more of that) by including a 3.2″ LCD, room for a hard drive, and a whole bunch more. We’ve got a full review for you, after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

By Andrew Liszewski

We originally brought you the Phantom Keystroker back in March of 2008, and at that time it was a rather homebrew-looking device that even my grandmother would find suspicious if she found it attached to the back of a computer. Well ThinkGeek’s now selling the Phantom Keystroker V2, and while the latest model actually looks like a professional product, it’s still far from what I’d consider ‘phantom.’

Like the original, the Keystroker V2 will emulate a keyboard and mouse attached to the victim’s computer, and will periodically make random mouse movements, toggle the caps-lock and throw out random bits of text. The new version’s also got a set of switches on the side allowing you to choose what events will actually plague the PC it’s attached to, as well as how often they occur. Convenient, but once again they make the device look rather suspicious were someone to discover it. $12.99 from ThinkGeek.

[ Phantom Keystroker V2 ] VIA [ bookofjoe ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Sony Japan has just released a compact bluetooth mouse that looks like a perfect complement to the Vaio P ultraportable laptop they introduced earlier in the year. The VGP-BMS10 features an aluminum sliding cover that powers the mouse on and off and also protects the scroll wheel and buttons while it’s stashed in a laptop case. Otherwise it’s not exactly swimming in extra features or functions, though it does have an 800dpi laser and a decent range of about 10 meters. The VGP-BMS10 will be officially available in August for about $67, and it appears to be only Windows compatible, so anyone who’s endeavored to install OS X on their Vaio P is out of luck.

[ Sony Vaio VGP-BMS10 Compact Bluetooth Mouse ] VIA [ Newlaunches ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Last year I wrote about a product called the CarCapsule which was basically a large inflatable bubble made of PVC you could use to protect an expensive sports car. Well a company out of the UK called Carcoon has a similar product, though they also produce a smaller version designed to protect a server when a clean and temperature controlled server room isn’t available.

The Server Shield inflates to about 6 feet tall, and when placed over top of your server (it seems designed to protect a system mounted in a server rack) gravity keeps it mostly airtight while it’s resting on the floor. A set of 4 small ventilators with filters keep air flowing through the Shield, which helps maintain the temperature inside and keep things clean and dry. There’s also a digital temperature readout on the outside indicating the current temperature inside the Server Shield, and special openings that allow quick access to the computer without having to completely remove the cover.

[ Carcoon Server Shield ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]

By Andrew Liszewski

My desk seems to be plagued by a constant turf war between my mouse, keyboard and Wacom tablet who are constantly battling it out for real estate. But could the Combimouse finally bring peace to my desktop? It takes the idea of the split ergonomic keyboard one step further by allowing the right side to double as a mouse, so in theory you never have to take your fingers off the keys.

When your hands are poised in a standard typing stance the right side operates like a regular keyboard, but when you hold it like you would a mouse, you end up touching a contact switch on the side which automatically changes it to ‘mouse mode’. So not only can it be used to move the cursor, but the I, O, J, K, L and < keys become your mouse buttons. But don't get excited about ordering one just yet. It seems the Combimouse is still in the prototype stages at this point, though successful usability tests have been carried out by Wichita State University, so it just might make it to the market some day.

[ Combimouse ] VIA [ Coolest Gadgets ]

By Andrew Liszewski

If you’re looking for an extremely stripped down way to play media files on a hard drive through your HDTV, this SATA hard drive adapter from Brando is as simple as it’s ever going to get. (Until hard drives themselves get an HDMI connector that is.) It functions like a standard SATA USB adapter, allowing you to connect either a 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch SATA hard drive to your PC via USB, but it doubles as a media player too, letting you connect the drive to your hi-def TV via HDMI, without the need for a computer in-between.

It supports pretty much every type of multimedia file you could ever want to play, from MPEGs to VOBs to the all important Divx files when it comes to video, and MP3s, WAVs and even AC3 when it comes to audio. It also comes with a decent sized remote for controlling playback, a basic composite video breakout AV cable and a universal AC adapter, and you can order one now from Brando for $69.

[ SATA HDD Multi-Media Player Adapter ] VIA [ The Gadgeteer ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I just replaced an aging Linksys router with a D-Link 655 recommended by a friend, and I have to say I couldn’t be happier with the upgrade. And today things get even better since D-Link has released an updated version of their router desktop widget. It supports Yahoo! Widgets, Vista Gadgets and the Mac Dashboard and provides a dashboard-like real-time read out of your network and internet performance.

The widget is compatible with all of D-Link’s 802.11n routers like the DIR-655, DIR-855 and DGL-4500 and is available as a free download from D-Link’s site. (Note: A firmware update may be required to use the widget.)

[ D-Link Network Monitor v2.0 Widget ]

By Andrew Liszewski

When you think about it, handing people a small paper card with your contact info in this age of wireless communications is a bit old-fashioned. But I’ve yet to find an easier, or as universal a solution as the business card, so as antiquated as they may seem, I don’t think they’re going to be disappearing anytime soon.

Thankfully the WorldCard Ultra serves as a handy middle-man for getting the contact info from a business card into your contacts database. It’s a palm-sized scanner that’s actually powered via the integrated USB cable, making it particularly convenient for business travelers who have to deal with a new stack of cards every day. And not only will the WorldCard Ultra produce a full color scan of every business card (allowing you to ditch the originals) but the included WorldCard software will automatically OCR and add the contact info to your databases in Outlook, Lotus Notes or pretty much any other application. At $179.95 it isn’t cheap ($199.95 for the Mac-friendly version) but it’s probably well worth the investment if you’re on the road a lot.

[ WorldCard Ultra ] VIA [ Acquire ]