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Ajay Bhatt co-creator of USB Port on Conan

Nerd Grind — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 21:53:16 +0000

Conan O’Brien interviewed Ajay Bhatt, the co-creator of the USB Port (universal serial bus) who works for Intel, and pointed out that Ajay was played by an actor in the Intel rock star commercial that ran on television.

As is the late night tradition, Ajay appeared in his own comedy parody of the Intel ad, which I thought was better.

On a side note, we like Ajay’s approach that easier is better when it comes to computing.

Now if computer manufacturers would only put quad eSATA ports next to the quad USB ports we’d be in heaven.

Earth Trek Offers VGA Webcam With 2-port USB Hub For $45

Nerd Grind — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 12:46:05 +0000

Earth Trek has dubbed their webcam the "hottest webcam" in the world. All boasts aside, it’s still a pretty nifty unit. It packs a 1.3-megapixel camera, VGA capture abilities, auto focus / auto brightness and a 2-port USB hub. Those extra peripheral ports sure do seem handy.

The unit is on sale now for a measly $45. Go get your cam on.

USB Powered Lunch Bag Will Keep Food Hot While You Pretend to Work

Nerd Grind — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:39:27 +0000

Finally, a USB powered device designed to eliminate that long wait for the microwave at work! The USB Lunch Bag may be your dream come true.

The unit keeps your food at a steamy 140 degrees Fahrenheit all day, although it does warm consumers to make sure the plastic container housing the food is "of a certain grade and quality" to assure there is not "an adverse chemical reaction." Minor concerns!

The bag is currently available in Japan, of course. The company has offered no word if it will ever be making the trek overseas. Come on! We eat too. We love eating actually.

Clarion Releases ClarionMiND MID in the US for $649.99

Nerd Grind — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:23:21 +0000

Clarion’s MiND mobile internet device is finally set to launch. As promised, it is November and the device is available. It comes in black, red or white hues. The MID boasts a 4.8-inch WVGA (800 x 480) touchscreen. It comes preloaded with maps of the entire US and Canada, RealPlayer, Linux OS, an Intel Atom CPU, 512MB of RAM, a 4GB SSD, Firefox browser, Bluetooth 2.0 / WiFi, a microSD card slot, 2 USB ports and a battery good for 1.5-hours of usage. Phew. The unit is pricey though, coming in at $649.99. Full-fledged netbooks are cheaper than that. Still, it is convenient for sure. Check a presentation video below:

Dell Mini 9 Netbook Hacked to Offer Touchscreen Support

Nerd Grind — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 13:02:57 +0000

The Dell Mini 9 is one mod-friendly netbook. First people hacked OSX support. Then, someone figured out a way a rig a working GPS unit into the system. And now? A user named Deldotb of the myDellMini forums has turned the screen into a functional touchscreen.

They did it by strapping on one of those eBay touch panels and loading the appropriate Ubuntu drivers. It seems rather easy to do, the only negative being the loss of a USB port. Below is a video they made to show off the discovery. What’s next for the little netbook that could? Minesweeper?

Pentagon Bans Flash Drives Due to Perceived Threat of Global Virus

Nerd Grind — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 14:06:33 +0000

Various sources have reported that the Department of Defense has banned USB Flash Drives from being used in the Pentagon. All drives currently in use at the building are being rounded up and collected and employees are being told they may not receive the drives back.

The Pentagon has not issued an official statement but a spokesman said they are taking precautionary measures against a "global virus" that affects external storage devices. The spokesman did not offer any information as to how long the ban would last. More on this as it develops.

Asus Ships R50A Portable Computer – Runs Vista and Extremely Expensive

Nerd Grind — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 12:21:37 +0000

The Asus R50A is shipping and it’s quite expensive. The UMPC will cost an estimated $1,878. It may be worth it for some of you, as the portable unit will run Windows Vista and features a 1.33GHz Intel Atom processor. It also features a gig of RAM, a 32GB SSD hard drive, a 5.6"screen at 1024 x 600, three USB ports, a microSD slot, a wireless keyboard and an external DVD reader / writer. The R50A will also allow you to connect wirelessly via 802.11 b / g WiFi, Bluetooth and 3G. The unit is currently shipping if you have the money.

Legacy Entertainment Releases USB-enabled Joystick that Looks like Atari Controller

Nerd Grind — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 11:12:33 +0000

Legacy Entertainment has released a joystick that doubles as an homage to the legendary Atari 2600 controller. The joystick just looks like an Atari controller, however. It’s fully Windows, OS X and Linux compatible and connects via USB. The company claims it will work flawlessly with "nearly any emulator" so you can seek out the original games that the joystick helped make so much fun. It costs just $14.99 and it’s currently available.

Lenovo Announces ThinkPad USB Portable Secure Hard Drive – With Passcode

Nerd Grind — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 10:51:56 +0000

Lenovo has announced their ThinkPad USB Portable Secure hard drive. It features a passcode system that uses a physical keypad. This should be useful for those who store sensitive information. The unit is just 3 x 5-inches, and is designed to pair up with ThinkPad laptops. It can have up to 10 unique user IDs and an admin account. The unit should be available by the end of the month. The 160GB model will cost $180 and the 320GB model will run $219.

Blue Microphone Readies their XLR-to-USB Audio Interface – Icicle

Nerd Grind — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 14:53:39 +0000

Blue Microphone, purveyors of professional audio gear, have announced the Icicle: A USB to XLR audio adapter. This XLR-to-USB audio interface offers 48V phantom power, an analog preamp with gain control and the option to work with nearly any XLR microphone. The sound quality rests in the 16-bit / 44.1kHz range. This looks to be a quick and easy way to capture some noise with a condenser mic. The unit will be available sometime in December at a suggested retail price of $60.

NerdGrind - How-to Computer Help - Tutorials - Tech and Gadget News » USB

Ajay Bhatt co-creator of USB Port on Conan

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Earth Trek Offers VGA Webcam With 2-port USB Hub For $45

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USB Powered Lunch Bag Will Keep Food Hot While You Pretend to Work

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Clarion Releases ClarionMiND MID in the US for $649.99

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Dell Mini 9 Netbook Hacked to Offer Touchscreen Support

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Pentagon Bans Flash Drives Due to Perceived Threat of Global Virus

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Asus Ships R50A Portable Computer – Runs Vista and Extremely Expensive

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Legacy Entertainment Releases USB-enabled Joystick that Looks like Atari Controller

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Lenovo Announces ThinkPad USB Portable Secure Hard Drive – With Passcode

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Blue Microphone Readies their XLR-to-USB Audio Interface – Icicle

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