Tag Archives: usb

The PrintPod Is a Handheld Printer That Can Print on Almost Anything

Posted on by

Normally, printers are designed to print on flat sheets of paper. But this ingenious little gadget can print on smooth, curved, or bumpy surfaces, and all kinds of materials, including wood, metal, fabric, rocks, or even your skin.

Created by Evebot, the PrintPod is a rechargeable, battery-powered handheld printer that outputs designs in 1″ strips as you move it across just about any surface. It works in concert with a mobile application that wirelessly sends designs to the printhead, which automatically dispenses ink as you move it across your print surface.

There are three different kinds of ink available for the PrintPod, including a permanent black ink that sticks to just about everything, a skin-friendly, washable ink (in blue, red, or black) that works for temporary tattoos, and an invisible ink that only appears under UV light. I’m hoping they come up with more colors for the permanent ink, as that’s where I think this thing really has the most utility – printing on unusual surfaces.

Connecting to the printer is fast – it starts up in less than one second, and you can output as many as 1000 images with just one charge. Each ink cartridge can output the equivalent of 1200 A4 pages of images.

The makers of the PrintPod are currently raising funds for its production over on Kickstarter, where a pledge of at least $109 will secure you one of the machines if you get in on the Super Early Bird round. Initial deliveries are expected to start in October 2020.

Best Way to Make USB Copies At Home Office

Posted on by

Today, more than ever, people are working from the home office. Working in a comfortable environment is nice and can be very productive. However; sometimes the home office doesn’t have the same computer equipment or gear to do the jobs needed. With many organizations who are practicing social distancing, or building a work community of remote offices, one will find certain items are still needed. Let us look at a simple way to make USB copies at the home office. For example, let us think about an IT manager who needs to roll out restore installation packages, or a software…

The post Best Way to Make USB Copies At Home Office appeared first on Trendy Gadget.

Tetris Lamp: Stack ‘Em If You Got ‘Em

Posted on by

Full disclosure: as much as people loved Tetris, I sucked at the game. Every time the blocks started falling from the sky, I’d survive for about two minutes before I got overwhelmed, and they hit the top and my game was over. Another quarter down the drain until my pockets were empty. At least with this Tetris lamp, I never have to worry about that.

This fun USB-powered lamp comes with 53 stackable Tetromino blocks for you to stack and arrange however you want. Just start humming the Tetris theme song to yourself, and you’re all set. The blocks won’t automatically disappear when you complete a row, but they will look cool sitting there on your desk or bookshelf.

Best of all you can stack the blocks any way you want. Challenge yourself, and if you can make them look like Mario or Pac-Man or a Space Invader. The Tetris lamp is available from I Want One of Those for $25.99.

Star Wars-Inspired USB Arcade Controller Hits Kickstarter

Posted on by

I always loved playing Atari’s vector-based arcade games back in the 1980s. Games like Tempest, BattleZone, and Quantum were some of my favorites. And then there was Star Wars. I loved shooting down TIE fighters, zapping radar towers, and zooming into the belly of the Death Star to take aim at its exhaust port.

Part of what made the game so good was its unique controller, which combined the turning mechanics of a racing wheel with the yoke style controls of a flying game. Of course, this specialized controller means that the game is nearly impossible to play on a home arcade system. Now, arcade enthusiast Glen Planamento of Glen’s Retro Show set to release a brand new controller that not only works like the original, but is better in every way.

The GRS Arcade Flight Yoke has the same functionality of the original Star Wars controller, but unlike the original, which used a complex system of gears and potentiometers, it uses magnetic sensors to detect movements. That contactless mechanism means less potential for breakdowns, and smoother and more precise control. It’s body is made from metal, while its handle grips are made from hardened plastic.

The yoke connects to a PC, Mac, or Raspberry Pi via a USB connection, and works just like an analog joystick. That means you can use it to play other games too. In the video below, Glen shows it off controlling everything from Paperboy to Spy Hunter to Space Harrier – all of which work best with an analog steering control.

GRS plans on retailing the Arcade Flight Yoke for around $200 when it comes out, but early supporters can pre-order one on Kickstarter for just $150. Keep in mind that price doesn’t include a mounting base for the controller, so you’ll either need to fabricate one, or reach out to the guys at 99 Lives Arcade, who fabricated the base shown in the images here. Glen hopes to start shipping the controllers by this July.

Also, it’s not an officially-licensed Atari or Star Wars product, so it doesn’t come with the graphics shown here. That said, it wouldn’t be hard to make your own.

USB-powered Bears Keep Your Hands Warm While Typing

Posted on by

Do your hands get cold while you type away at your computer keyboard? Mine do here in my drafty office with the snow falling outside my window. And while I could just type with gloves on, I think some USB-powered hand warmers might be better a better idea. These should do the trick.

These Smoko Toasty Handwarmers should keep your hands from freezing up while click-clacking all day at your keyboard. Just strap one of these plush Kawaii-style bears to each of your mitts, and you’ll feel toasty and look good doing it. They offer two different temperature settings and plug into a standard USB charger to generate warm and fuzzy feelings.

They’re available for pre-order now for $35 a pair over at Urban Outfitters, and are expected to start shipping on 2/19/2020, so we’ll should still be in the depths of winter here in much of the Northern Hemisphere at that point.

Pro audio giant Solid State Logic makes a play for bedroom producers

Posted on by
Solid State Logic is a big name in the pro audio space, but it's entering a new category by serving a very different customer: the bedroom producer with a tight budget. Its first dedicated audio interfaces, the USB-based SSL 2 and 2+, aim to transla...

The Symbus Q wirelessly charges, provides extra ports, connects devices, and fits into your pocket

Posted on by

The Moshi Symbus Q is a literal two-bird-one-stone scenario, with the added benefit of the stone being a stylish rectangle that’s compact enough to fit right into your backpack. The Moshi Symbus Q provides you with a way to wirelessly charge your smartphone (even through rugged cases) while giving your laptop extra ports to work with, namely a 4K HDMI, Ethernet, and 2x USB 3.0 ports. Additionally, it comes with a USB Type-C input that supplies it with power, and a USB Type-C output that you can plug into your laptop to fast-charge it too.

The Symbus Q does a couple of useful things and does it well. Its advanced Q-coil technology allows it to wirelessly charge your smartphone through cases as much as 5mm thick (so you could charge your phone through a Pop-socket). The wireless charging surface is a plush fabric that cushions your phone without scratching it, paired with a non-slip pattern printed on it that holds your phone in place. The rest of the Symbus Q is a nifty aluminum body that looks great alongside your laptop, while ultimately dissipating heat to remain cool as it juggles all its activities, whether it’s the ability to give your laptop an external 4K display, or super-fast 1000mbps speeds via a wired internet connection, or just the ability to plug your USB drives into your Type-C laptop or ultrabook. A perfect multitasking metallic cuboid for the multitasking professional.

Designer: Moshi