Oh! Gizmo

By Luke Anderson

I like to think that I’m pretty good when it comes to securing my data, though I certainly don’t go to the extremes that some others go. For instance, my laptop is locked down tight, however, I don’t bother to encrypt my SD cards or password protect them. These sorts of things rarely ever have any sensitive data, so I don’t really care. For those that do store top-secret files on your SD card, here’s something that might interest you.

The USB Memory Card Unlocker is a device that you hope that you’ll never need to use. What it does has a good side and a bad side. The good side is that if you forget the password to your SD card, you’ll be able to use it again after popping it into this little device. The bad news is that you’ll lose all of the data contained on the card. It’ll only set you back $16, which is about the same as a new SD card.

[ USBFever ] VIA [ RedFerret ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Because they’re an essential item for any home, the companies responsible for making smoke detectors don’t seem to put too much thought into their aesthetic design. Consumers are going to buy them whether they’re ugly or not, so why bother? Thankfully Kidde has decided to move away from that mentality with their Silhouette model. It protrudes from your ceiling a mere half-inch and the visible face plate features a slick contour design. But it’s got more than just good looks going for it.

The Silhouette is actually AC powered but features a sealed rechargeable backup battery that will last for the life of the alarm. In the event your electricity goes out, the Silhouette will continue to operate off the battery and will automatically recharge it when power is restored. It can even be linked to other smoke detectors and security devices in your home so that when smoke or fire is detected by one device, all the alarms in your house go off. While installation is a bit more involved because of the AC power and other wiring, if you’re in the middle of a renovation it might be worth planning for one of these in advance.

[ Kidde Silhouette ] VIA [ Gizmag ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Whenever I replace a hard drive I usually dismantle the discarded drive for security reasons, and because you can never have too many really strong magnets kicking around. Other slightly easier methods for wiping the data off a hard drive include degaussing machines or software solutions that write over the original data until it’s unreadable. But both of those can take a long time, particularly when compared to what the Hard Disk Crusher can do in just 10 seconds. It basically ‘drills’ through the hard drive’s spindles which physically creates ripples in the platters making it impossible to recover any data.

The site claims the Crusher can destroy over 60 disks an hour (at 10 seconds per crush that doesn’t seem to add up) but they also mention that they’ve had customers destroy over 800 drives in a single day. It runs off a standard 110V outlet but there’s also an emergency hand-pump accessory that allows you to use the Hard Disk Crusher without an electrical power source. About 15 pumps creates enough power to destroy a single drive. Not surprisingly the Hard Disk Crusher has a price tag of $11,500 which includes a one-year warranty. Extending that warranty will cost you $995 per year (yikes!) and the aforementioned emergency hand-pump option is another $895.

[ EDR Solutions Hard Disk Crusher ] VIA [ Gearlog ]

By Andrew Liszewski

If you’ve ever been worried about losing your luggage while traveling, the Trace Me luggage tracking system might appeal to you. However, if you’ve ever actually lost your luggage, or had an airline lose it for you, this will probably seem like a pretty good idea. The tags don’t use GPS or any kind of electronic tracking system, but instead feature a unique barcode and serial number that gets registered no the Immobilise database with your contact info. So in the event your luggage does go missing, a handling agent can either scan the barcode or enter the serial number which should provide them with your contact info. Once you’ve been identified, a text message is sent to your mobile phone letting you know that your bag has been located and what you should do next.

The tags appear to be pretty durable, and since your contact information is stored in an online database, you don’t need to have private information like your name, phone number and home address written somewhere on the bag itself. The tags run about $24 each, which is a one-time fee. So once they’re bought and registered on the website, they’re good for as long as the tags (or the company) last. While they might not stop your luggage from actually going missing, they’ll hopefully increase your odds of getting them back if they do. (At the moment the Immobilise website appears to be for UK residents only, but they do claim the service will soon be available to US residents as well.)

[ Trace Me Luggage Tracker ] VIA [ Shiny Shiny ]

By Andrew Liszewski

The next time you break into someone’s home or office and notice an adapter plugged into the wall that’s missing a cord, you might want to think about stealing that too. Because there’s a good chance it could be this fake AC adapter from Ajoka that’s recording your every move. Not surprisingly, the camera is actually powered by AC whenever the adapter is plugged into an outlet, but also features a lithium ion battery allowing it to record up to 3 hours of audio and video without an external power source.

The video and audio are recorded to a microSD card, and a 2GB card is capable of recording up to 66 hours of footage. Of course the video has a resolution of just 176×144 pixels at 15fps in the 3GP format, so unless the perp walks right up to the lens and look into it, there’s a good chance it will be hard to recognize anyone’s face.

[ Charger DVR ] VIA [ Chip Chick ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Until someone discovers an easy way to compromise fingerprint security scanners, they’ll be making their way into more and more devices that have typically required you to memorize a password or combination.

Take this run-of-the-mill safe for example. The traditional spinning combination lock or numeric keypad has been replaced with a considerably easier to use fingerprint reader. And like with any device that uses this means of security, a simple swipe of your digit will lock or unlock your valuables. Unfortunately I have no idea how many users this safe supports (probably just one), what kind of abuse it can survive (fire etc.), or how long the 4 AA batteries will remember your prints.

You can find it at Gadget Universe for $399.95 and because it weighs close to 30 lbs, you’ll have to add an extra $19.95 for shipping charges.

[ Fingerprint Safe Box ] VIA [ IT Rush ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Looking to keep an eye on your property, employees or baby sitter? While the ConnectVu Cam 3G is not exactly the most subtle solution to the problem (unless you can stuff it in a large teddy bear) it does allow you to monitor the video signal from a 3G cellphone. The camera itself features a 352×288 pixel CCD with viewing angles of 58° diagonal, 46° horizontal and 38° vertical. It’s actually designed to be tied into an existing alarm system, and when the alarm goes off, the camera will automatically call your cellphone (up to 5 numbers can be programmed) allowing you to monitor the situation in real time.

The camera also features infrared LEDs for use at night, and a small microphone for hearing what’s going on around it. The camera’s settings can be adjusted by simply sending it an SMS text message, and it features a USB connection for software updates. The internal battery is good for about 250 hours of standby time and about 4 hours for a continuous video call. The camera can also be connected to an external power source if you intend to use it for longer than that.

[ ConnectVu Cam 3G ] VIA [ MobileWhack ]

By Evan Ackerman

Flashlights are generally considered a bludgeoning weapon, so if you’re in a situation where you need to get a little bit stabby, traditional flashlights won’t make it easy. The K2 Porcupine tactical flashlight has an array of specially sharpened spikes that stick out of the front when a cover is twisted back, allowing the flashlight to transform from soft comforting glow to lethal weapon with a flick of the wrist. It has a 70 lumen Xenon bulb that should last about an hour, and costs $129.

Or, you could do what I do, and just duct tape a fork to a Zippo… It’s stabby and burny! Yay!

[ K2 Porcupine Light ] VIA [ RFJ ]

By Evan Ackerman

I used to play paintball… I had a totally badass setup which is now collecting dust in my basement. Seeing the EMT Paintball Sentry Turret is making my trigger finger itchy again, especially with the suite of add-ons that you can get to make this thing the terror of your backyard and/or workspace. The most basic version includes what appears to be a custom made double barreled paintball gun, sitting on top of a mechanized pitch and yaw mount (350 degree rotation and 90 degree tilt) and bolted to a big tripod. The markers are powered by CO2 and gravity fed from hoppers (200 rounds each) on top. A camera mounted next to the guns relays a picture along a 25 foot cable back to a monitor and remote control, which allows you to aim and fire the weapon from the safety of a bunker. More specs on all the sweet add-ons, after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

By Andrew Liszewski

If you’re carrying around launch codes, CIA dossiers or even a script for the funniest screwball comedy of all time, you’re probably in the market for some level of data encryption. Might I suggest the STARAY S-Series drive enclosures from RAIDON, which come in 3 varieties catering to all levels of paranoia. All of the enclosures allow you to setup both public and encrypted partitions on the drive, so you don’t necessarily have to deal with the security measures for files you’re not worried about.

However for the data you want protected, the S1 Series uses a software password that has to be entered on the computer once the drive has been connected. The S2 Series steps things up with a fingerprint scanner that requires you to swipe, before you can access the encrypted data. Finally, the S3 Series has a keypad running down the side that requires you to punch in a code to unlock your data. I’m not sure if the use of Roman Numerals on the buttons is the best approach, particularly if you failed that section in grade school. But you can always write over them with a Sharpie. That looks professional right?

[ RAIDON STARAY S Series Drive Enclosures ] VIA [ 7 Gadgets ]