Ever wished there was a faster, easier way to share files between your computer and your iPhone or iPod Touch? Mobile computing is increasingly being split between notebook computers and phones, but the data transfer isn’t always easy. The AirStash is a WiFi-enabled USB flash drive that stores data on SD cards up to 32 GB. The idea is that you can get files on and off the device in a number of ways: By USB connection, WiFi, or SD Card. You can load it up with files before going to a meeting, then allow those in the meeting access to your portable hotspot to read the files. The wireless feature can be encrypted with WPA2. The drive is a bit bigger than a non-hotspot USB drive, measuring about 2 by 3 1/2 inches. It carries a lithium polymer battery that recharges when plugged into a computer’s USB port. No exact price is indicated, but the web site compares it to one month of iPhone service.

A problem faced by everyone who attaches a computer to their television for media center purposes is how to handle mouse operations. Keyboards can be juggled on knees when they are occasionally necessary, but getting the pointer around the screen is a constant hassle.  Either you run a wireless mouse on a book or coffee table, or you might go for a wireless keyboard with an integrated touchpad.

Hillcrest Labs has another option, the Loop pointer.  The Loop is an elegant handheld unit that senses movement in a similar way to a Wii controller, but communicates with the computer via a USB interfacing RF receiver that plugs into the computer.  With subtle wrist movement you can guide your cursor around the TV screen, and you don’t have to worry about maintaining line-of-sight with your computer.  The Loop is compatible with Windows, Linux and Mac OS X, as well as the Playstation 3 and Apple TV running aTV Flash.  Beside sensing movement, input can be entered through four buttons and a scroll wheel.  The Loop is available at Amazon for $99.00.

Via Electronista

Cabling isn’t the sexiest part of technology, but it’s an aspect (really a twisting maze) with which we all have to deal.  I’ve got suggestions for both ends of your tangle-prone friend/foe, which can help with both identification and keeping that often unplugged cable, be it for power or data, close at hand for the next time you need it.

Dotz produces some great little tags that can be fitted with pictures of the devices they connect.  Need to identify the computer cord where it plugs into your surge protector?  Put a little computer picture in the tag, snap it on the cord and you’re set.  There are a bunch of great photos at the web site; sadly, though, you’ll have to fight your way through one of the most annoying Flash implementations I’ve ever encountered to see them.  A pack of ten Dotz tags will run you $9.99.

Now you’ve got your cable identified, but if you ever unplug it from your device (as is likely with anything portable), you’ll likely have to go crawling under your desk or couch to retrieve it later.  That’s where the CableDrop from Bluelounge Design will help you out.  It’s a small plastic clip that will attach to any handy surface and hold your cables right where you’ll find them when you return from your journeys into portability.  You can get six CableDrop clips for $9.95.

An interesting trend in geek gadgetry is the increase in devices made to hook directly to a bare drive (and leave it bare).  As people upgrade computer storage, they’re starting to have perfectly good drives lying around, though usually without a good connection solution.  Two hundred GB drives are seemingly the new floppy disk. Bare drive dock solutions have been around for a while, and are great for access from a computer, but what if you want to just plug a drive full of video content straight into your television?  Brando, purveyor of all things USB, has a solution.

The HM-181 is a media player dock that will accept a SATA drive (2.5″ or 3.5″), SD cards, or a USB drive (if it’s Brando, there had to be USB somewhere!)  It can output directly to a a television, in up to 1080i through a HDMI cable.  The adapter has built-in video playback controls, and also comes with a remote for operation from the couch.  Most major video and audio formats are supported, and if you do want to attach it to your computer for use as an external drive, there’s a USB connection for that.

The HM-181 is available at Brando for $69.

Keyboards have an unenviable position in the computing world.  When we eat at the computer, and admit it, most us do at some time or other, they catch the crumbs that don’t quite make it to our mouths.  And who among us hasn’t heard a horror story about a spilled coffee or soft drink bringing a keyboard to an untimely end? If they survive splashed drinks, they wind up in serious need of cleaning.  While some are brave enough to put ordinary keyboards through the dishwasher, many of us are nervous about that and would feel better with a keyboard designed to take a dip and still keep working.

The Silver Seal Antimicrobial Washable Keyboard provides water proofing and drain holes in a design intended to be washed, either by hand, or by going through a dishwasher.  When you’re not giving it a good scrubbing, the Silver Seal will work like any less amphibious keyboard, with full-travel keys and a USB connection.  If you think it’s time to clean things up at your workstation, the Silver Seal is available from the manufacturer for $49.99.

Via Popgadget

A friend took a long flight to Australia last week, and like many of us computer obsessed people, she wanted her computer with her and functioning on the plane.  She opted to take her older MacBook Pro over the new unibody model because the older one had swappable batteries to keep it going, and the new one does not have user removable batteries.  With an external battery, she’d likely have taken her newer machine.

Today, The Unofficial Apple Weblog reported on the new HyperMac line of external batteries for the MacBook line.  Made by Sanho, the chargers come in four sizes (60/100/150/222Wh). The largest one promises to power a MacBook for over a day. A full battery life chart is available at the site.  A nice touch is a built in powered USB port, allowing you to recharge your iPhone, iPod, Kindle2, or any other device that takes a charge through a USB connection.  Included is a MagSafe-equipped cable. Prices are $199.95, $299.95, $299.95, and $499.95, by capacity.  Just need a little extra juice while in your car?  Try the HyperMac Pure DC Car Charger for $149.95.

That’s where Seagate’s new Replica backup system comes in.  The Replica is a portable USB drive with software to make the backup process transparent to the user who’d rather not spend hours tweaking settings.  Plug it in, and you’re done. In the event of data loss, retrieval from the backup image is drag-and-drop easy.  It comes in 250 and 500 GB capacities, with the larger one being designated a multi-PC system.  The 500 GB model also comes with a USB dock. The prices are $129 and $179, based on capacity.

This is the backup system your mom should be using to make sure those pictures of the grandkids don’t vanish into the digital ether.

Via DVICE

This isn’t the first really tiny USB flash drive, but it may be the smallest one yet.  The EagleTec Nano is 19 mm long, and most of that is the USB plug that will get buried in the computing device of your choice.  The little black nub that still sticks out is just enough to get a hold of when you want to extract it; much smaller and it would actually get a bit difficult to handle.  I see this as being a neat thing to leave plugged into a laptop all the time, always available for a quick physical transfer to another machine.  Bigger drives would tend to get in the way, especially during transport, possibly taking whacks that could damage both sides of the connection.
The drive comes in 4 GB and 8 GB capacities for $22 or $33 respectively.

Via OhGizmo!

via TechFresh

VillageTronic has an answer with the ViBook, a USB graphics adapter that will allow up to six monitors to be attached to a single system.  Each monitor will need its own adaptor (which is small and can be attached to the back of a display), and depending on how many USB ports you have, the use of a USB hub may also be necessary.  The device will drive up to a 23-inch display at a maximum resolution of 1680 x 1050 widescreen or 1600 x 1200 on a 4:3 display through a DVI connection. Supported operating systems are Windows 2000 through Vista and Mac OSX 10.4 and up on an Intel processor.  ViBook graphics adapters are $129 and come with software for extending your desktop across your multi-display setup.

via The Red Ferret Journal