Victorinox to launch 1TB USB / eSATA II flash drive with built-in LCD at CES

January 9, 2012 – 9:40 am

Well it looks like everyone’s favorite pocketknife company is readying a 1TB combo USB 2.0/eSATA II flash drive for a CES launch next week — yes, one TERABYTE. From the looks of it, the Victorinox drive will come in black and red finishes with two bodies — one with a scissor and knife, and a TSA-friendly version without. Besides the optional implements, both drives appear to be virtually identical, with a key ring and plastic clasp to keep the drive safely covered when not in use. Once you’ve wrapped your head around that gigantic one-terabyte capacity, take a gander at the built-in monochrome LCD, which will be used to display drive contents and possibly a custom message. All we appear to be missing at this point are pricing and availability, and with an entire terabyte of storage, we can’t imagine this thing will be cheap.

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Plus.net, a tale of broadband, bags and ho’s

December 25, 2011 – 8:04 pm

Good Honest Broadband from Yorkshire

If your considering joining Plus.net as a new broadband customer or moving from an existing provider to Plus.net as I did, then please read on and discover why you should avoid this company at all costs.

My voyage of digital discovery (aka my worst nightmare) with Plus.net started on the 27th October 2011, when I migrated my landline phone and broadband service from Sky to Plus.net. At this point, I would just like to clarify that the only reason I decided to leave Sky, is that Plus.net was simply £5 per month cheaper and included 0870 and 0845 calls in its calling package. I was with Sky for over 18 months, without any issues on my line, and received a stable 6Mbps connection throughout the whole 18 month period.

Looking back, I can see now, that I made a terrible decision to leave Sky, all for the sake of £5 (or in modern terms, the price of a Starbucks coffee,….a pint of lager,…..or a really bad whore)!

Ever since that fateful day, when I plugged in my cheap router from Plus.net, I have had constant problems with the router keeping constant connection, actual connection speeds, wireless LAN speeds, and the rash on my balls from the stress of it all.

I must also point out, that these are not one-off issues with my router, as there are many other disgruntled  customers voicing their concerns in the Plus.net community forums. I have managed to resolve my wireless problems myself, by freeing my internet connection from the shackles from this vile cruel beast of a crap Thomson router (as supplied by Plus.net), and using my own Netgear router. Unfortunately however, I was still left with a bitter taste in my mouth…the Netgear router didn’t resolve the constant disconnection issues.

Nearly every day for the first week, when I came to my PC in the morning, I was presented with no connection to the internet.

This is something I am not familiar with, as my previous ISP’s such as Sky, BE and O2 all had stable connections. I have found myself constantly having to reboot the router to get an internet connection. And what makes it worse, is every time I have called Plus.net, I am told by some banana chomping, script monkey (and I believe this is verbatim)…

“Dont reboot the router, this will affect the connection speed!”

Well Plus.net, without sounding stupid, how am I to use my broadband connection when it’s down everyday? It only comes back on, once I reboot it! Plus.net seem to think that just leaving it for days will magically resolve the situation. That’s quite hard to do when you work from home and your PC is your work tool!  But maybe the little Plus.net leprechauns will magically appear and wave their magic dust over the router to make it work!

(For the record, I hate leprechauns – filthy little bastards – and if I see one in my room, I will put it in my microwave, and blow it up….like a gremlin!).

Not only have I had to face constant disconnections, but the speeds have been terrible! My connection speed with Sky and O2 has always been around 6Mbps. When plus.net first came on, I was seeing speeds of around 5.5Mbps which I was willing to accept, I have no need for high speeds as I only use my PC for work. However, the speeds are quite simply horrendous and fluctuate by the hour. I constantly find my speeds now below 2Mbps which BT claim is not acceptable for my line, yet Plus.net continue to do nothing to resolve. I have even posed numerous screen shots on the Plus.net forum of my speeds, some which are as low as 0.5Mbps (It would actually be quicker for me to drive to my local library, download this month’s video edition of Busty Asian Ho’s, and drive back home, than try to download my own personal filth over this connection!) .

I have telephoned Plus.net around 20 times since this nightmare began, and each time I am presented with what I can only describe as “robots” reading from generic scripts who have no interest in me, my connection problem, or the rash on my bald scrotum.

On the third week of Plus.net Hell, I rang Plus.net and asked to speak to a manager, thinking if the “robots” can`t help, then maybe a manager could. Well, let me tell you, don`t bother! I was greeted by what I can only describe as an arsehole (or as the French would say….le arsehole!) who continued to repeat himself over and over, stating that I should escalate my issue with the faults department. I tried to explain to him that I had done this on numerous occasions, and this was now my third week with a wholly sub-standard service, but his ears simply would not take in the information and he continued to sing the same bullshit about escalating the fault.

After a whole 34 minutes of listening to his constant dribble, I firmly asked to be connected to a higher manager, as I felt like the conversation was on a road to nowhere, to which he abruptly put me back in the queue to speak to faults! I then had to wait a further 15 minutes, just to tell someone all the information that I had already told the last arsehole.

I decided to leave it a few more days under advice from the faults department, who assured me the line would become stable. It didn’t. I rang Plus.net back around 4 to 5 days later to ask for a MAC to move my service back to Sky. I spent over 30 minutes on hold and then after explaining all the reasons why they had failed to provide me with a service, I was then told I could leave….but I would be subject to all the usual termination fees!

I quite simply cannot believe, that a company owned by BT can leave a customer with no service for nearly a month, and then have the sheer audacity to charge the customer to leave! I advised the cretin that I was speaking to, that I was only leaving due to THEIR poor service and the fact that it was completely unusable, but he simply kept repeating “You agreed to the terms at the start of your contract”. Yes I did, on the provision that I received an adequate service, which you have not provided.

No, according to Plus.net, once you sign that contract, your signing away your soul, and you’ll be paying for that connection, whether they provide you with a service or not. This is a company with no morals, standards, or rash cream.

Any decent company would have apologised and said ‘Fair enough, we have been unable to resolve the problems, so on this occasion, we will release you without charge’. But no, not Plus.net. 

Their slogan which is currently doing the rounds on TV is “Good Honest Broadband from Yorkshire”.

Good Honest Broadband, my hairless ballbags!

If you looking for a Broadband provider, I would recommend Sky Broadband or O2 Home Broadband.

The views in this article are those of the author and are not those of Go Gadget News and it’s affiliates.

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Glass Keyboard and Mouse Shrug Off Crumbs and Spills

November 29, 2011 – 10:51 am

Using the same technology as biometric systems that capture fingerprints, Jason Giddings has created a drool-worthy glass keyboard and mouse with multitouch functionality. But he’s turned to Kickstarter to fund the prototypes and software needed to make it all work.

The technology is known as FTIR, or Frustrated Total Internal Reflection, and it uses a series of LEDs at the bottom edge of each device to bounce invisible infrared light inside the thick panels of glass. But when a finger makes contact with the glass, it frustrates the internal reflection redirecting the IR light downwards where it’s captured by a simple camera. The images from the camera are then processed to determine where the finger or fingers have made contact, and whether they’re in motion, performing a gesture.

Because the system is a combination of existing tried and true technologies, it will mostly require software development to become a reality. So Jason’s Kickstarter project is currently seeking $50,000 in funding with some 33 days left to go at the time of writing. But if you’d like to support his efforts and secure a keyboard and mouse combo for yourself, you’ll have to pledge at least a hefty $350. So if they ever make it into production, hopefully Jason will use some of that fifty grand for marketing studies that result in a more reasonable price point.

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USB stick plus monitor equals an Android computer

November 21, 2011 – 9:20 am

I doubt mobile computing will evolve to computers on a USB stick for most people, but this prototype device offering found by The Verge is certainly intriguing to a gadget geek like me. Called the Cotton Candy, the small device looks like a traditional USB flash drive with one extra hardware bit on the outside; an HDMI port. While the stick can be plugged into any computer’s USB slot, it works as a standalone computer as well, capable of running Android, Ubuntu Linux or, through a virtualization client, Microsoft Windows or Mac OS X.

We’ve seen “PC on a stick” products before, but the HDMI port helps make the Cotton Candy stand out. Attach a monitor to the HDMI port and a power supply to the USB jack and y0u’re up and running. Adding to the feature set is a microSD slot, and integrated Wi-Fi and BlueTooth radios; these wireless options provide both connectivity and support for a keyboard or a mouse.

Of course, if the Cotton Candy prototype ever makes it to market, don’t expect a full desktop or laptop level of performance. Internally, the device is expected to have the guts of a capable smartphone: 1.2 GHz Cortex A9 processor, 1 GB of memory, and a quad-core graphics chip supporting 1080p video encoding and playback. But with dimensions of 8 cm x 2.5 cm, you weren’t really expecting an 2.8 GHz multi-core desktop processor, were you?

While I like the mobile aspect of the Cotton Candy, a better use for the product may be to extend the feature set of a traditional laptop or computer. It can be used to transfer media from a mobile operating system to a desktop environment or for running Android inside Windows or Mac OS X as needed. Sure, it’s a very niche product, but we geeks often gravitate to such things!

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Commodore USA goes Extreme, stuffs a 2.2GHz quad-core i7 into its C64x

November 3, 2011 – 8:44 pm

We’ve loved Commodore USA’s C64 computer recreations ever since it began producing them back in 2010. Much to our delight, the company recently outed its third variant, the C64x Extreme. This unit features the ’80s flair we’ve come to appreciate, but supercharged to 2011 spec. Crammed inside its case is a 2.2GHz Intel core i7 quad-core CPU (capable of turbo boosting to 3.3GHz), 8GB of DDR3 RAM, Intel HD integrated graphics and a spacious 2TB HDD. Externally, you’ll find a duo of USB 3.0 ports, a triplet of USB 2.0 ports and an eSATA connection, along with HDMI, 3.5mm S/PDIF, VGA and DVI ports for A/V hookups. Best of all, it’s loaded with Bluetooth, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, an Ethernet port and even a DVD-RW drive on its side. The C64X-Ex will initially come loaded with Linux Mint 11, and it’ll fully support Windows once the company’s “retro inspired” Commodore OS Vision becomes available. Of course, the C64x-Ex’s blend of vintage looks and modern-day power will cost ya — to a tune of $1,500. If that’s cool by your books, Commodore USA plans to ship orders placed by November 25th before December 15th.

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HP replaces the Slate 500 with the Slate 2, adds Swype and cuts the starting price to $699

November 3, 2011 – 11:17 am

Until Microsoft gives Win8 the final seal of approval, the Windows tablet show must go on, right? Right. HP just refreshed its enterprise-friendly, Windows 7-flavored Slate 500 with the Slate 2, and took the opportunity to knock the starting price down a hundred bucks to $699. In terms of design, there’s nothing much to see here — it’s the same 8.9-inch tablet that’s been on sale for the past year. Only this time, HP added Swype, refreshed the CPU with Intel’s Atom Z670 and proffered a smaller 32GB SSD option to appease the IT guys who are going to heavily lock these down anyway. Speaking of security, it also packs TPM circuitry and Computrace Pro for tracking lost or stolen laptops and then deleting the data remotely. It’ll be available worldwide this month — just in time for corporate to buy you a lil’ somethin’ somethin’ for the holidays.

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Disk prices double after flood – and could ‘double again’

November 3, 2011 – 10:04 am

Platter chatter says Thai flood will affect us all

Hard disk prices doubled in the past fortnight following the severe flooding in Thailand and could potentially rise by the same amount again, channel sources have warned.

The world’s second largest producer of drives behind China, Thailand, is dealing with the aftermath of flooding that has killed 380 people, inundated 14,000 factories and left 660,000 people out of work.

Distributors have already put the brakes on disk drive shipments and are prioritising supply for loyal trade customers ahead of expected shortages. Some analysts estimate that some 48 million fewer drives will be shipped in Q4 than in the same quarter a year ago.

The average price of a 1TB drive was £45 prior to the disaster, but such disks are now being flogged for a 100 quid or more, a distie source told The Reg, adding that given the scarcity of stock “prices could double again”.

The severity of the shortfall in supply means that additional price rises are on the cards, predicts James Ward, boss of specialist storage distributor Hammer.

“Shortages became so severe so quickly and will have a lasting impact on the industry for at least the next six to nine months,” he said.

Sukh Rayat, senior veep at distil Avnet, added: “Prices could go up significantly further based on what we are seeing in the market.”

Not all of the major distributors were willing to make a call on incremental price hikes.

“I believe that for the quarter shipments will be significantly down. I don’t know if we’ll able to sell more than 40 to 45 per cent of what we could,” Alain Maquet, EMEA president at Ingram Micro told The Reg.

Taiwanese vendor Acer has confirmed pending PC price rises due to the supply problems and Asus said it will run out of drives by the end of this month.

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Asus roadmap sees Windows 8 tablets coming your way next year

November 2, 2011 – 9:14 am

A leaked PowerPoint file revealed more than just Asus’ third quarter earnings – it also opened up the door to the rest of the Taiwanese company’s strategy for their Eee Pad range. It seems that the Eee Pad Prime is more or less guaranteed to hit the markets this coming November 9th, with a couple more Android-powered slates being, er, slated for a Q1 2012 rollout to boot.

Asus does seem to be hedging their bets though by revealing that they have also thrown their hat into the ring with Windows 8 on the other hand, but it will still take a good one year or so before that happens. Guess it does not matter whether you are part of the Google or Microsoft camp – there is a little bit of something for you to look forward to, although those siding Mountain View will be able to get their hands on it sooner than a Windows 8 tablet.

I am not quite sure just what ‘hero products’ mean in the leaked slides, but it does sound like something huge, perhaps in the flagship level. What do you think?

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Amped Wireless gives your WiFi 1.5-mile range: never lose signal in the garden again

October 25, 2011 – 1:45 pm

Those of us stationed inside the Engadget compound are always wishing we had better WiFi signal at the outer reaches of the battlements. Thank heavens for Amped Wireless’ range of professional networking tools. With a 600mW amplifier and a high-gain bi-directional antenna, its SR600EX Pro Smart Repeater can expand the range of your internet transmissions by up to 1.5 miles. The device also has two extra network ports for other devices and is designed for large buildings, boats, RVs or, you know… massive gadget labs. On the other hand, the AP600EX Pro Access Point can sit on the end of a wired network and do the same job for building-to-building connections. Both devices come with a 30-foot power-over-ethernet cable and are available today for $180.

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Windows 8: Half million previews downloaded in 24 hours

September 16, 2011 – 1:18 pm

Half a million previews of Windows 8 have been downloaded by developers since the software became available on Tuesday, Microsoft has announced.

Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer stated that it showed the strong developer interest in Windows 8, the re-imagining of Windows for the brave new world of fondleslabs. Built to re-conceive Windows for a world of phones, tablets and cloud computing, and to beat Cupertino’s iPad at its own game, it has had a warm reaction so far: see our analysis of how it lines up.

“While it’s clear we have a long way to go still with Windows 8, we’ve been gratified by the reactions and the interest,” Ballmer told a bunch of developers today in a conference in Anaheim, California.

The OS should be able to run thinner, lighter tablet machines with battery power that can rival that of the iPad, although x86 applications will not be able to run on the ARM-based systems expected to form the majority of Windows tablets.

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