usbstick
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Verizon rolls out global laptop data with USB1000 stick
The promise of global data is finally becoming a reality for modem users on Verizon today with the release of its Novatel-sourced USB1000, a USB stick (hence the "USB" in the name, we're willing to bet) that features EV-DO Rev. A for domestic use plus triband HSPA when you're roaming around the globe. The stick itself runs $149.99 on contract after a $50 rebate, while monthly global data plans run from $129.99 for 100MB of data in 31 countries to $219.99 for 200MB; both plans include 5GB for use in the US and Canada. It'll be available online starting tomorrow.[Via Phone Scoop]
Sony's Walkman E-series lets music nerds play dress up
Think USB sticks are fashion statements? Then listen up nerds, Sony's get a sackful of Walkmans to match your technicolor style. The Walkman E series will get to poppin' next month in 2GB (NW-E042), 4GB (NW-E043), and 8GB (NW-E044) capacities starting at ¥8,000 (about $80, tax inclusive) on up to ¥13,000 (about $132). Each stick ships with a second front panel / cap combination for a quick color swap. Spec-wise, you're looking at a 3-line color LCD display, FM radio, quick 3-hours on 3-minute charge (or 90 minute full charge for 28 hours of MP3 playback), and Sony's excellent earbuds with 13.5mm driver. Japanese launch video demonstrating the finer points of handbag matching posted after the break.[Via Impress]
Samsung U5 DoReMi, out of pocket and in the wild
If you can set aside the emotional ire evoked by its unfortunate DoReMi subtitle, French site Le Journal du Geek has procured a Samsung U5 pocket audio player and posted a plethora of pics of it dans la nature. No impressions here, but it does appear to come with a handful of colored face plates. They certainly won't cover the player the ones we saw in the official photos, but if you need a change of scenery, we guess every little bit helps. Still no word on pricing, availability, or that certain je ne sais quoi that'll help the player rise above the fates of its U3 and U4 predecessors.
T-Mobile webConnect available today, carrier's first 3G modem
"T-Mobile USA" and "3G modem" aren't two things you frequently heard uttered in the same sentence -- but now that the number four carrier's got a budding HSPA network that's all dressed up with no place to go, it's time to start rolling out some serious hardware (G1 aside) to take advantage. On that note, T-Mobile's finally getting serious about laptop data, launching its rumored webConnect USB stick today with an integrated microSDHC slot, HSDPA 1900 / 2100 / AWS for compatibility in the US and abroad, and triband EDGE for those times -- and there will be many at first -- when you're out of 3G coverage. The webConnect launches today for $49.99 on a two-year contract after rebate or $249.99 contract-free.
Samsung's U5 DoReMi rekindles hatred of DRM
You know, you'd think that branding executives would actually stop and have a think about things before just putting it out there, but no. As we've seen in separate instances before, Samsung's U5 DoReMi unnecessarily highlights itself in the worst possible way, capitalizing the three letters -- in order, no less -- that remind us why digital downloads still aren't as accessible and easily manageable as they should be. If you can get past all that, the USB stick music player boasts 2/4/8GB of internal capacity, a tiny OLED display, FM radio / recording and up to 18 hours of battery life. Look Sammy, we know the U3 and U4 basically went unnoticed, but is this really the light in which to paint the U5?[Via AnythingButiPod]
LifeSource Wellness Connected family brings wireless health monitoring home
Giving mere mortals the power to monitor their own health at home isn't a shocking revelation, but LifeSource's new Wellness Connected family takes in-home status checking to another plateau. Three products in the line are being announced: the Wireless Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor, Wireless Precision Scale, and Wireless Activity Monitor. The trifecta utilizes FitLinxx's proprietary wireless technology in order to link together and provide users with information on blood pressure, weight, and "activity" that can be logged and analyzed on a typical computer. Regrettably, no pricing information was mentioned, but we get the sense that this trio won't be coming without a noticeable premium.[Via medGadget]
USB drive goes missing with Japan-US troop deployment maps
Before you start having a complete panic attack, let us inform you that this whole fiasco actually took place last year, but as these things have a way of going, it's just now coming to light. Reportedly, a 33-year-old captain in the Ground Self-Defense Force ganked a USB flash drive (along with ¥2,000 [$19] and a ¥10,000 [$94] airline coupon) and proceeded to "dump it." Aside from the laughably small amount of cash and prizes this guy accepted, the unfortunate part of all this is what resided on the flash drive: troop deployment maps used in Japan-US military exercises. Worse still, we get the idea that said USB key is still out there somewhere undiscovered (or unrevealed), so if you happen upon one with all sorts of undecipherable schematics on there, now you know what's up.[Via The Register, image courtesy of University of Texas]
EazzzY USB stick camera concept, for taking pretend pictures
Our mediocre efforts at "photography" are bad enough with a full-on viewfinder, so we shudder to think what might come out at the other end of a session with this here artsy EazzzY USB camera stick concept -- which is exactly why we're so interested. Designed by Sungwoo Park and featured over on Yanko Design, EazzzY probably hasn't a chance at ever making it to market, but we can imagine quite a few hipster types that'd jump at the chance to do some shooting-from-the-hip with this colorful thing. And that's really what matters.
S.T. Dupont's uber-pricey 2GB USB flash drive
If that Pasha De Cartier USB drive is getting a bit stale these days, why not replace it with yet another grossly overpriced, albeit totally fashionable one from S.T. Dupont? This designer flash drive, dubbed the Lacquer and Palladium USB Key, sports that trademark diamond head pattern and a vividly colored cover. Apparently, these gems are available in turquoise blue, soft pink, palladium, and black, and while we personally feel that 2GB of data should never be worth the $480 asking price without some pretty confidential documents already loaded on, those with more money than sense can have at it. More colors after the break.[Via Sybarites, thanks JW]
di[rec] could tempt labels with post concert live recording drives
If you thought picking up a full-length studio album on a USB stick was hot stuff, di[rec] is out to make such an idea seem second rate. Founded by two ex-Sony BMG colleagues, the company is looking to round up support from their former employer, Warner Music, and various independent labels as it records live performances, mixes and masters on-site, and offers up the show on a USB drive or "download voucher" as folks are filing out of the exits. Sadly, there's no word yet on how much the outfit plans on charging gullible concert goers for the privilege of reliving their deafening experiences over and over, but it has already given the system a go at Nova Rock in Austria last month. So, for those of you at the festival just weeks ago, how about clue the rest of us in on the quality and value of di[rec]'s offerings?[Thanks, Lars G.]
Bob Marley's "Exodus" released on limited edition USB stick
It's not the first album to be released on a USB stick, but this new limited edition drive packing Bob Marley's classic "Exodus" is certainly one of the highest-profile releases to date, and apparently the first from a major label catalog artist. While the exact capacity of the drive isn't clear, there's at least enough space to store three videos of Bob Marley's 1977 performance at London's Rainbow Theatre in addition to the ten tracks from the album itself. As it's not coming from a record label that's seen fit to ditch DRM, however, there's also presumably a few restrictions on how you can use those tracks, so you'll just have to save your rendition of "No DRM, No Cry" for another day. You'll also have to act pretty fast to get one, as there'll apparently only be 4000 drives produced, with them only available to those joining the Bob Marley Passport Fan Club for $45 a year.
WiebeTech's Mouse Jiggler USB stick prevents sleep
We've certainly seen crafty methods of keeping humans from dozing off when alertness matters most, but WiebeTech's latest actually does a number on your exhausted computer by refusing to let those power savings settings kick in. The admittedly clever Mouse Jiggler rocks a diminutive USB design, and once plugged into your Mac or PC, it takes over your motionless cursor and shakes it all across the screen, effectively denying the machine its heartfelt wish to fall asleep when idle. Of course, this may not do the average user a whole lot of good, but for those locked-down corporate workstations that frustrate IT heads on end by dozing off just before a download / installation is complete, here's your hero. Notably, the Mouse Jiggler comes in "Fast" and "Slow" flavors to suit your cursor-dementing needs, and each can be snapped up right now for $29.95.[Via MetaFilter]
Buffalo's USB WiFi adapter boosts range 210%
If your built-in WiFi antenna is less than phenomenal, or you're just looking to jack some WiFi from another country to avoid severe punishment, Buffalo's AirStation WLI-U2-SG54HP might be the answer. This USB 2.0 stick adapter operates like any vanilla 802.11b/g wireless LAN adornment, but ups the ante by suctioning to the rear of your display and reportedly boosting your reception capability by 210-percent. Granted, we're not sure where the firm is deriving this lofty figure, but it's probably safe to assume that strapping a relatively large antenna on the back of your lappie will persuade a few more far away signals to come your way than your factory-installed alternative. So if you're looking for a way to extend that range (legally), or just enjoy having a tethered weapon at your disposal at all times, Buffalo's WLI-U2-SG54HP can be snapped up next month for ¥3,700 ($31)[Via OhGizmo]
Princeton's "psychic" USB stick isn't very convincing
USB memory stick manufacturers will stop at nothing to give their particular mass produced piece of plastic an edge over all the other mass produced pieces of plastic. Unfortunately, that means companies like Princeton from Japan are all too happy to market a range of 256MB, 512MB, and 1GB USB memory sticks as having psychic powers, all thanks to an endorsement by Masako Mitaki -- an apparently well-known Japanese psychic -- and a cheap software bundle. We'll give you a prediction: you won't buy this USB dongle. That'll be $5 and your soul, please.
Pasha De Cartier's luxurious USB flash drive
While there's a USB drive for just about every obsession or off-the-wall niche out there, we're glad to see that the same folks rocking the million dollar beds, musical showers, and D&G RAZRs can finally toss a USB memory stick on their keychain that expresses their style status. Pasha De Cartier, the world renowned French jeweler, has unveiled a 1GB flash drive that supposedly borrows styling cues from the eloquent line of Pasha watches. Surrounding the stainless steel bezel are numerical etchings that resemble the dial of a luxurious timepiece, a nice, if purposeless, touch. To cap it off, the device rocks a silk drawstring that's likely to be worth more than your entire stash of flash memory alone, and of course, the engraved "Cartier" is nothing short of priceless. While this just may be the most expensive way to carry around 1GB of data, its price is likely the least of your worries if you're even pondering picking this up.[Via Sybarites]
TrekStor's 8GB CS-D USB micro-drive
Seems like everyone and his monkey has an 8GB USB flash drive these days. Still, that hasn't stopped TrekStor from claiming that their 8GB CS-D USB stick is the "world's highest capacity stick storage device." Hey TrekStor, maybe you forgot about PQI's 16GB U510 or Kanguru's 64GB KFDM flash drive? Oh wait, your $180 drive is based on a shock-mounted, 1-inch hard drive! Well, give us a shout when you hit 12GB, m'kay?
