Computer on a Stick

Intel is coming out with a 'Compute Stick' that is a full personal computer. It is about the size of a USB memory stick. On one end, the device has a full-size HDMI plug which attaches to your TV or monitor. On its side is a microUSB port which plugs into the wall for power using a standard USB cable. A second, full-size USB port allows you to attach peripherals and a microSD card slot provides for memory expansion.

Not to get too technical, but it is a quad-core Atom-powered mini PC with 2GB of RAM, 32GB eMMC storage, running Windows 8.1. The price when it comes out later this spring should be about US $150.

It also has a power button, and in addition to its USB port, it can pair with a keyboard and mouse using Bluetooth. Since Bluetooth sends a signal to about 30 feet, you can sit in your easy chair and have the best of TV and PC on one device, with no extra wires or gadgets. It also supports 802.11n Wi-Fi for connecting to the Internet and your home network. Now you can have a real PC TV with a keyboard, etc. No longer necessary to send YouTube videos from your PC as they are already on the screen. Am very sure I need one of these and hope by the time it is available I will be able to explain/justify to myself why.

USB Business Card

Here is a novel use of high tech and low tech. It is a folding business card that turns into a USB drive. Currently it is still in the Kickstarter stage, but is planned to be available October, 2014.

A swivelCard is a premium paper business card that includes a USB drive and analytics that can be updated even after giving it out. LINK

3D Printer for Home

Origo may be the last toy you ever have to buy for your child. The prototype 3D printer under development by Artur Tchoukanov and Joris Peels allows children aged ten and up to design figurines and shapes on a computer, and then print them out to play with.

It will likely have a USB port, wireless connectivity, a price around $800, and it will use 3Dtin as its design software. The printer will be able to produce objects about the size of a large mug. Depending on complexity, Origo should be able to produce a small object (like a ring) in a manner of minutes, but larger objects, like a baseball could take a few hours.  Material costs for 3D printing are high as you might imagine. Instead of buying your children more toys, let them make their own.

USB Drive

A new USB 3.0 drive was announced last week by Super Talent Technology and it should be available next month. It can support data transfer rates up to 5Gbit/sec or 10 times faster than current USB 2.0 products. It fits into the current 2.0 ports, but would be limited to those slower speeds. The price wasn't announced yet, but I would think the largest size would be many hundreds of dollars and the smallest about two hundred bucks.

It comes in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB capacities and is 3.7 inches by 1.4 inches by half inch thick. The drive can deliver data transfer speeds up to 200MB/sec in USB 3.0 ports. To compare size, it can likely hold about 35,000 songs or about 500 half hour TV shows.  I love new technology.

Steampunk

Many probably have not heard of steampunk. These gadgets are modern equivalents of old-looking objects, many with practical uses. It is a sub-genre of fantasy and speculative fiction that denotes works set in an era or world where steam power was still widely used, usually the 19th century, but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, like Jules Verne. Here is a modern working steampunk USB drive.

It is amazing to see how much time some folks dedicate to create these odd contraptions. To see more steampunk pictures, try this site.