PicoLCD is a family of Intelligent USB LCD displays with true HID USB interface, that you can connect to your PC with ease and use them to display any info you want on them. Current end existent products range from simple 2×20 LCDs, 4×20 as well as graphic models. The picoLCD has strong application support (SDK included) for Windows XP and Linux as well as native Vista SideShow auxiliary display driver support and SDK. But the most interesting model seems to be the PicoLCD 4×20 Auxiliary Display with Vista Sideshow support, because it is more affordable, quite useful and even very cool looking, compared to the simpler smaller screens or the graphical models. That is why we are going to look into the PicoLCD 4×20 Auxiliary Display…

You can use this cool external device to show Vista Sideshow applications (stocks, weather, music information, news and sports updates) on a 2nd dedicated LCD display that also looks very cool on your desk, especially with the blue backlight of the screen. The PicoLCD display has the ability to display 4 lines of text data with up to 20 characters on each line with gives you the ability to display quite a lot of data on the screen. The unit is self-powered via a full speed USB connection so there is no need for any external power supply. The device also has some built-in functional buttons allowing direct control on some of it’s functions, without having to touch the keyboard or the mouse on the PC. However you should have in mind that the PicoLCD 4×20 Auxiliary Display requires Microsoft Windows Vista operating system, and that the Vista Home Edition does not come with Sideshow functionality supported. You can also use the device with Linux, because it also has drivers for different Linux distributions available.

The price of the PicoLCD 4X20-Sideshow is $49.95.

- To get a PicoLCD 4×20 Auxiliary Display for your PC…

PC Peripherals | No Comments »

The German company TrekStor showed of quite an interesting product at IFA, we are talking about an upgradeable wireless sound system called the Wireless SoundBox. The system is using a small audio transmitter in the form of a USB stick that transfers your favorite digital music noise-free (using 2,4 GHz radio frequency) from the PC to the Wireless SoundBox’s loudspeakers. The transmitter and the loudspeakers can be up to 25 meters apart, meaning you can place the speakers in any room at home or in the office. The compact stereo loudspeakers also have individual volume control, power button and a line-in connection for MP3 players or other audio sources for direct connection to the speaker. The Wireless SoundBox is powered by 4 batteries (when in wireless mode) which can last for up to 12 hours of music playback, and you can always switch the speakers to be powered by USB connection, although you’ll still need to use cables for that. It would have been a nice idea to include rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that could be charged by plugging the speaker to a USB connector, but maybe that will be available in the next version.

The speakers come with a very attractive look and compact size, providing up to a 0.5W each and weighting about 140 grams each (without the four batteries), which should be more than enough to provide you with good and loud enough sound for home or small office use. The good thing is that after you get the starter kit, which consists of a speaker and the transmitter you can add up to 20 speakers later on using the same USB transmitter to provide them with a signal, so the sound system remains quite open and upgradable.

The Wireless SoundBox Starter Set, including a transmitter and a loudspeaker box, is available for about $70. Every additional loudspeaker will cost you additional $45. The Wireless SoundBox is expected to be available for sale in the next month (October).

- For more information about the TrekStor Wireless SoundBox Speakers…

PC Peripherals | No Comments »

Now that is something that is usually hard to find and a bit expensive, but it might be very handy at times. If you have an old laptop that uses the older PCMCIA (CardBus) standard for extension cards you might be out of luck if you have to insert a new ExpressCard device for some reason. At such time this small Filco ExpressCard to USB adapter can be very useful, although it may not be very convenient to be used while traveling and using the mobile computer. The good news is that you can also use an ExpressCard device designed for your laptop on your desktop PC with the help of this adapter…

The adapter is compatible with both the smaller ExpressCard/34 standard and the bigger ExpressCard/54 devices so you don’t have to worry your device wont be compatible and of course you’ll still have to install drivers for the device in order for it to function correctly.

The ExpressCard to USB Adapter will cost you $39.09.

- To buy this useful adapter for your laptop or desktop pc…

PC Peripherals | 1 Comment »

This a bit strange looking Japanese MP3 player may not win a design award, but that is beside the point, because it has a different idea behind it. This time the guys from Thanko turned up with a MP3 player that can be recharged with hand cranking if you don’t have a PC with a free USB or a power adapter nearby. The player has 1GB built in memory and supports playback of MP3 and WMA music files with 32 to 250 kbps bitrate and as an additional feature you get a built-in flashlight.

In just about a minute cranking the built in hand crank you’ll get up to ten minutes of music playback from the device and by a bit more (or maybe a lot) you’ll be able to recharge the battery to maximum, but don’t expect too much, because the capacity of the rechargeable battery isn’t too high. Anyway this music player utilizes a good eco-friendly idea and if it gets a bit optimized and enhanced it will become even better, especially if it becomes cheaper…

The price of the MP3/WMA player is a bit high at $62.54.

- If you can’t wait to get your hands on this music player, literally…

MP3/Video Players | 1 Comment »