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Ask Engadget: Best accessories management solution for cluttered desks?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Steven, who needs to hit a Spring Cleaning streak in the worst possible way. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "I am overwhelmed by power cords and travel chargers and am looking for a good way to organize them until I need them. The top drawer of my desk is no longer cutting it. I've got too many power cables and AC adapters to count. I can't be the only one with this problem. Is there a solution? Thanks in advance!" Anyone got a great mechanism for keeping these adapters and cables in some sort of order? We're certain the neat-freaks in attendance would love to hear your input in comments below.
Belkin unleashes overpriced USB 3.0 peripherals: PCIe card, ExpressCard and cables
We've seen a few USB 3.0 peripherals pop up overseas, but by and large, the American market has been left to ponder the future of their transfers. Will they really be stuck with USB 2.0 and FireWire 400 (rest its soul) forever? Will no one rise to the occasion and provide the necessary gear to support the raft of SuperSpeed USB kit that's just around the bend? At long last, those restless nights are coming to an end, as accessory mainstay Belkin has announced today a foursome of devices to help you get every last MB/sec possible from your next external HDD. The SuperSpeed USB 3.0 PCIe add-in card ($79.99) gives your existing desktop a pair of USB 3.0 ports, while the ExpressCard adapter ($79.99) adds a pair to your laptop. Closing things out are a duo of USB 3.0 cables (A-B and Micro-B), both of which are available for $39.99 in a four foot run or $49.99 in an eight foot version. Mama always said speed didn't come cheap, and now you wish you would've listened. Don'tcha? %Gallery-86304%
DLO WallDock iPhone charger shoots for minimalist practicality
Yesterday's in-wall USB charger hackery might have inspired plenty of you to take up tools and start the USB power revolution, but if you own an iPod or iPhone and just a smidgen of common sense, you might wanna look at this first. The DLO WallDock is a teeny tiny charger that plugs into those familiar standard wall sockets, and its designed so that your iDevice leans back when connected, turning it into a neat (and wireless) substitute for your regular dock. We still wouldn't sacrifice the $25 asking price at the altar of cable freedom, but the more important question is, would you?
HDMI logos updated: version numbers out, supported features in
A response to cable sellers marking hardware v1.4 compliant before a test was even available or just another way for Monster Cable to ratchet up prices, we're not sure, but HDMI Licensing, LLC has reworked the packaging requirements for all new cables and products. Cable packaging must lose version numbers starting today, while HDMI-equipped components can only use version numbers in conjunction with listing specific features supported, and lose version numbers entirely starting January 1, 2012. The picture above features logos you'll find on certified hardware going forward, while we can appreciate being tied to supported features and not just version numbers that may or may not fully apply (*cough cough* remember the "HDMI 1.3" PS3Fat?) there's no way things get any less confusing when hooking up the new 4K or 3D capable HDTVs.
AmazonBasics: Bezos and Co. starts private-label consumer electronics line
You had to see this coming. Or not. While Amazon has certainly shown an ability to do well in the consumer electronics space (ahem, Kindle anyone?), we never exactly envisioned the mammoth e-tailer to spark up its own private-label line of consumer electronics. Designed to go mano-a-mano with the likes of Monoprice and other cut-rate accessories providers, AmazonBasics will -- at least initially -- offer consumers AV cables, blank DVD media and other inexpensive doodads for not much cheddar. Everything the outfit sells through this initiative will ship in frustration-free packaging, and Bezos has already committed to expanding the line "in the coming months." As expected, these products will be eligible for free (albeit slow) shipping if you break the $25-per-order mark, and while Americans can begin ordering today, it'll be a tick before these wares trickle out to international portals. So, industry -- are you scared yet?Read - AmazonBasicsRead - Amazon's press release
Microsoft: Dropping HDMI cable gives Xbox 360 consumers 'flexibility'
Microsoft's VP of Interactive Entertainment Business in Europe, Chris Lewis, tells GI.biz that the removal of the HDMI cable from the Elite packaging was to enable more "flexibility to consumers who can then decide which type of cable they want for their specific gaming and TV screen set-up." Pardon us, but that's like saying Sub-Zero ripping out your spine gives your body more "flexibility." Of course, the drawback is that you're dead. Adding insult to injury, the new Elite bundle isn't just shipping sans HDMI cable, it has no HD cables at all; meaning that consumers now have even more flexibility to purchase better cables. While any old HDMI cable will do (they're cheap too!), the Xbox 360 component cable is proprietary and priced at $40 (as is the VGA cable). Want optical audio with your HDMI? That adapter's proprietary, too -- and $50. In fairness, PS3s don't ship with HD cables either (they do have an optical audio port, though), and that's always been a joke -- a joke that Microsoft is now in on. %Gallery-71096%
Engadget HD giveaway: win a 3x1 HDMI switch and HDMI cables!
The recession antidote giveaways over at Engadget Classic have been a huge hit, and nothing could make us happier -- except a special set of giveaways just for HD readers, of course! We're sure AV gear is one of the first things to get trimmed from the household budget, but we want to make sure our readers aren't totally cut off. Luckily, the good folks at Next Generation Home Products sent us a raft of HD-centric goodies. This week we've reached in the gift bag and come up with two fistfuls of good, basic HDMI connectivity. We'll give away eight bundles: four will come with a 3x1 HDMI switch and a 4-m length of Next Generation's bulk Xtreme HDMI cable; the other four will consist of a 3x1 HDMI switch and a 3-m stretch of Xtreme HDMI cable. With the all the gadgets stacking up underneath your TV, you can never have enough HDMI cables or ports, so check the rules below and start commenting! Special thanks to Next Generation Home Products for providing the gear!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once.If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winners will be chosen randomly. Four winners will each receive one (1) 3x1 HDMI switch and one (1) 4-m HDMI bulk Xtreme cable; approximate retail value is $246. Four winners will each receive one (1) 3x1 HDMI switch and one (1) 3-m HDMI Xtreme cable; approximate retail value is $290. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Thursday, May 7th, 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Engadget HD giveaway: win a 5x1 HDMI switch and long HDMI cables!
The recession antidote giveaways over at Engadget Classic have been a huge hit, and nothing could make us happier -- except a special set of giveaways just for HD readers, of course! We're sure AV gear is one of the first things to get trimmed from the household budget, but we want to make sure our readers aren't totally cut off. Luckily, the good folks at Next Generation Home Products sent us a raft of HD-centric goodies. This week, we're handing out stuff for those with gear separated by less than a stone's throw but more than an arm's length. We've got two bundles, each with a 5x1 HDMI switch with remote control and a HDMI EQ extender. To cover those long run lengths between components, one winner will get a 15-m HDMI cable, the other will get a 10-m length. Just in case you want to run that cable through your walls, we'll throw in two double HDMI wall plates in each bundle as well. Whether you've got a projector up in the ceiling or a noisy Xbox 360 in a closet, this giveaway is the one for you, so check the rules below and start commenting! Special thanks to Next Generation Home Products for providing the gear!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once.If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. One winner will receive one (1) 5x1 HDMI switch, one (1) HDMI EQ extender, one (1) 1-m HDMI bulk cable, two (2) HDMI double wall plates and one (1) 15-m HDMI bulk cable; approximate retail value is $456. One winner will receive one (1) 5x1 HDMI switch, one (1) HDMI EQ extender, one (1) 1-m HDMI bulk cable, two (2) HDMI double wall plates and one (1) 10-m HDMI bulk cable; approximate retail value is $431. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Wednesday, April 29th, 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Engadget HD giveaway: win a 5x1 HDMI switch and Copperhead HDMI cables!
The recession antidote giveaways over at Engadget Classic have been a huge hit, and nothing could make us happier -- except a special set of giveaways just for HD readers, of course! We're sure AV gear is one of the first things to get trimmed from the household budget, but we want to make sure our readers aren't totally cut off. Luckily, the good folks at Next Generation Home Products sent us a raft of HD-centric goodies. There's still more good stuff in the bag, which brings us to round two of the giveaway. Up for grabs this week are four bundles that should help alleviate any HDMI shortages in your system. Each bundle has a 5x1 HDMI switch with remote control, a 1-m length of Copperhead HDMI cable and a 6-inch HDMI extension. Four lucky readers will be picked, so your odds should be a bit better on this giveaway; check the rules below and start commenting! Special thanks to Next Generation Home Products for providing the gear!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once.If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. Four winners will receive one (1) 5x1 HDMI switch, one (1) 1-m length of Copperhead HDMI cable and one (1) 6-inch Copperhead HDMI extension. Approximate value of each package is $250. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Friday, April 17th, 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapters now available for under $20
Got a Mini DisplayPort equipped laptop or video card and need to connect it to something... um, not Mini DisplayPort? If you've got a crisp Andrew Jackson, then Monoprice has an adapter for you with HDMI, DVI and VGA outs, all of which are now shipping for $14.25 and up. Unless you don't like saving money, nor enjoy your peripherals actually working with your new machine, it'll be hard to find a problem with this.[Thanks, Phil]
Mini DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapter ships next month for under $15
Who says you need a knock-down-drag-out to determine whether your next component should have HDMI or DisplayPort? The forward-thinking cats at Monoprice have finally provided a ship date for the forthcoming (March 15th) Mini DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapter, which ought to help bargain shoppers out who have found themselves with a Mini DisplayPort-equipped laptop or graphics card. The best part? It's just $14.25 for one, and even less if you buy in bulk. How's that for fair pricing in a tough market?[Thanks, Charbs]
Flexicord cables get bent... and stay that way
Ever have a cable you wanted to strangle? Well you're not alone, apparently. A company called E-Filliate issued a new series of USB, HDMI, Cat5, S-Video, and composite cables called Flexicord at CES this year which will bend -- and stay -- in any position you please, thus eliminating that frustration you must feel every time you plug in your camera or hook up your high fidelity sound system. The cables act like pipe cleaner or Gumby, so you can twist and shape them as you please, though apparently Pokey had to be killed and dissected so the technology could be obtained. Enjoy your new cable, murderers.[Via Everything USB]
Research shows HDMI climbing, DVI slipping
It was already made clear that both HDMI and DVI have a struggle on their hands with DisplayPort entering the picture, but new research from In-Stat asserts that HDMI is still on the up and up while DVI is slowing fading away. The report found that HDMI sockets were included on a staggering 95% of all digital televisions shipped worldwide in 2008, which unsurprisingly goes down as "the greatest volume for HDMI in any product." It also found that the "vast majority" of DVI shipments occurred in PC and PC peripheral markets, noting that DVI-enabled product shipments would decline at an annual rate of 30% through 2012; in the same breath, we're told that HDMI-enabled product shipments would increase at an annual clip of 23% over the same period. Now, if only this research would have included DisplayPort, we'd really have ourselves a showdown.[Via CNET]
HDTV Cable Kit For Dummies is really just for suckers
You know, we typically have nothing but respect for the For Dummies line (with one title in particular being our fav), but this is just downright insulting. For those buying a new HDTV on Black Friday or soon after, 4D Global Partners and Cables To Go have linked up schemed to sucker you into buying this pathetic kit for hooking things up. Ironically enough, this supposedly simple package gets confusing right from the get-go by coming in two versions -- as if HDTV newbies will really understand which one to go for. Beyond that, the only difference between the HDTV Cable Kit For Dummies and the HDTV Premium Cable Kit For Dummies is the number of HDMI cables (two and three, respectively). Each box comes bundled with a few basic HDMI connectors, "additional cables required to connect non-HDMI components," reusable cable ties and a booklet that provides vague installation details for a TV you don't actually own. Worst of all, the For Dummies crew somehow got the idea that pricing these at $99.99 and $149.99 (in order of mention) was a bright idea, which makes us awfully suspicious that Noel Lee has his sketchy hands in this somewhere.
Ask Engadget HD: Which cable / interconnect brand should I rely on?
We've heard this question so many times that we've taken for granted the answer, but given the recent increase in competition in the cable market, we figured we'd pass along Josiah's question on the matter: "I'm not going to pay hundreds of dollars for those cables sold in Best Buy and Circuit City, but I want the best possible audio and video quality. I've got a pretty basic setup, and I just need a few HDMI cables, a set of component cables and a few optical audio cables. Where would I go to get the best for my money? Is there a particular brand I should look for? What has worked out for your readers?" Unload your experiences with cables -- however expensive (or cheap) -- below, and be sure to elaborate on which brand / store / etc. you found to be the best for the price. Oh, and make no mention of Furutech, we're trying to keep the cost-per-cable under a grand.Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.
Black Rhodium HDMI cables hit "every price point" except ours
Actually, we're being too kind. It hits every price point except the one below "absurdly inflated." For whatever reason, Black Rhodium figures it can get away with launching a pricey new line of HDMI cables that are "engineered for optimum performance at every price point," yet the cheapest one is a full £35 ($69)... and that's for a 0.5-meter edition. The sure-to-be-noticeably-faster (ahem) Sapphire HiSpeed cables boast gold-plated connectors, copper conductors and meet the ridiculous demands of HDMI 1.3b . Oh, and they go for £75, £130 and £180 for the 1/5/7.5-meter models. Sure, maybe these aren't quite as baffling as Monster Cables, but they're way too close for comfort.
Solid Signal hops in the HDMI 1.3b cable game
Solid Signal, generally known for its OTA satellite sales and the like, has announced that it too will be throwing its hat in the HDMI cabling ring. Said wires will be sold under the Solid Signal brand name, and the first line will of course consist of HDMI 1.3b units. The company will be offering the cables in lengths ranging from 1- to 32.8-meters, and prices will respectively range from $8.99 to $118.99. You can have a peek at the whole lot right now (and yeah, they're all shipping as we speak).
Atlona's AT16010-X cables deliver on its DisplayPort promise
Just a few short weeks ago, Atlona threw in its support for DisplayPort by promising to deliver cabling for the freely licensable format. Lookee here, the AT16010-X cable lineup will be available at the end of the month in lengths from 1- to 10-meters, with either male or female terminations. Prices start at $39, which seems reasonable. The bigger question, of course, is whether DisplayPort will thrive in the HT marketplace; if it only exists alongside HDMI, its license- and royalty-free nature free-license nature is moot. As much grief as we give the HDMI connector, we don't relish the thought of swapping out equipment for a new cabling standard, either.
MilesTek intros slew of HDMI cables and devices
Got a need for a few new pieces of HDMI equipment, do you? Fret not, as MilesTek most definitely has you covered. The outfit has just revealed a new line of long-distance and standard-length commercial-grade HDMI 1.3b cabling, and in case you're after a bit more than just wires, it's also introducing distribution amplifiers, switchers and "a variety of device / cable kits that combine an amplifier or switcher with several HDMI cables." The whole lot is available as we speak, though you'll have to do a bit of investigation to find out pricing information.
Atlona announces support for DisplayPort, promises to release cables
Make no mistake, Atlona's a bona fide supporter of HDMI, but it's making absolutely sure you know that it will also be throwing its support behind DisplayPort. Of course, all it's saying at the moment is that it will soon be providing DisplayPort cabling "for as long as one of its customers has a need for one," but it looks like we'll have to be patient before finding out what other sort of DisplayPort contraptions the firm has up its sleeve.
