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Thinking about buying a USB 2.0 hub? Whenever buying a hub, the 3 most important things you should be looking for are: power, ports and speed.

POWER
Always buy a powered USB hub. Any hub that comes without an AC power adapter is a total waste of time. As soon as you plug in a power hungry USB device (like a memory card reader) you will probably get a low power warning. I got an un-powered USB hub as a corporate gift last year and eventually just threw it in the garbage. It would just randomly give me a low power warning and disconnect all USB devices connected to it including hard drives that I might have been working with at the time. Total pain in the ass.

PORTS
Besides power, the other thing you should be looking for is ports. The more, the merrier. Seriously, you can never really have too many USB ports these days. My PowerMac G5 has 3 USB 2.0 ports in the back and 1 in the front. But I still had to buy two powered USB hubs to connect all my external devices to my computer. I have an iPod Video, Chub City charactor, Kensington Turbo Mouse, Apple Mouse, Apple Pro Keyboard, a Cannon scanner, lava lamp, Christmas Tree, and a SanDisk memory card reader. I try to keep the USB port on the front of the computer free in case someone comes by with a USB keychain. Most USB hubs only have 4 ports. The Iogear GUH227 hub has 7. I always want the most ports possible.

SPEED
Another factor you should consider when buying a USB hub is speed. The Iogear GUH227 hub has 7 Hi-Speed USB 2.0 ports capable of a data transfer rate of up to 480 Mbps. Have no idea what that means? Don't worry about it. Just know that as far as hubs go, this baby is pretty fast.





The MiniHub also supports USB 1.1 devices. In general, most USB devices are backwards compatible but not always. I have a EP USB 2.0 memory stick that's not backwards compatible with USB 1.0 devices.




Features

• 7 USB 2.0 ports for easy expansion
• Supports data transfer rate of up to 480 Mbps
• 40 times faster than USB 1.1 products
• Plug-n-Play, hot swappable
• Backward compatible with USB 1.1 specifications
• Supports Windows 98, 98SE, 2000, ME, XP, and Mac OS X or later version
• 1 USB 2.0 A-B cable included
• 3 Year Limited Warranty

Requirements

• Windows 98SE, 2000, ME, XP
• Available USB 2.0 port
• Mac 8.6 or greater. Requires OS X for USB 2.0 support
• Available USB 2.0 port

Package Content

• GUH227 - Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Hub
• Power Adapter
• USB A to B Cable (6’)
• User Manual
• Warranty Registration Card

The Iogear GUH227 USB 2.0 hub supports Windows 98SE, 2000, ME, XP, and Mac OS X 10.2 or later.


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Labels: gadgets, review

Wicked Lasers is a company that makes lasers that are so powerful that they can melt plastic and light matches. One of their more extreme products is a flashlight called the TORCH

The Torch, according to Wicked Lasers is the "world's brightest and most powerful flashlight and has 4100 Lumens with an adjustable high efficiency reflector." Let’s put that in perspective. A typical flashlight is only 100 Lumens.

So what can you do with 4100 Lumens? There are videos of people frying eggs and burning stuff with this “flashlight.”

Why you would want to cook an omelet with a flashlight is beyond me, but its nice to know you could. The Torch sells for about $300. The biggest drawback to the Torch is the battery life is a low 15 minutes.

Here’s a full review of the TORCH and several demonstrational videos of stuff being burned to a crisp.

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Labels: gadgets, review

Here are some lovely butter cookies made with Adobe's new Photoshop Cook software! We wish. The video is actually a clever stop motion animation created for the AdobeYouGC competition. The ingredients? A camera, cardboard, kitchen utensils and a lot of free time.

If only real life had an Undo key.

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Labels: review, software, video

Get ready to cause massive mayhem with your iPhone! Guess what showed up in the Apple App Store this week? Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars.

The main character in the game is Huang Lee, a smart-ass kid who wants to avenge the murder of his mafia boss father and keep control of his father's Hong Kong Triad empire. Just like most GTA games, you start our small doing seedy missions and build your way up to the big time. And yes, you can expect plenty of colorful characters throughout the game.

At $9.99, it's one of the more expensive games in the Apple App Store, but keep in mind, this is a very deep game. It's also one of the most sophisticated iPhone apps we've ever seen. There are plenty of missions to keep the average gamer busy for months.

The controls were a little difficult for us, especially while driving. The game left us wanting some sort of directional-pad or gaming controller add-on for the iPhone. We've seen iPhone gaming grips, but none yet with D-pads.






If you're a big GTA fan, then the eagle-eye perspective in Chinatown Wars will probably remind you of some of the original GTA games from the late '90s. Just like in Grand Theft Auto 2 (now a free PC download), the vehicles all look like Matchbox cars.







If you have a long plane ride in your future or a boring commute, then you'll no doubt enjoy this game. And we're sure it will sell like hotcakes GTA fans with iPhones.

You can download GTA: Chinatown Wars for iPhone and iPod Touch from the Apple App Store here.


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Labels: games, review

Amazon.com started out as an online book store in 1995. They now sell everything from toys to furniture, but their roots have always been in books. So when Amazon announced the Kindle, an electronic book reader, we were hardly surprised. Amazon's vision for the Kindle is to have every book ever printed, in any language, all available in under 60 seconds.

The 2nd generation Kindle, the Global Wireless edition, or the K2 as it's been nicknamed by fans, brings the Kindle much closer to Amazon's vision. The K2 has a lot of new features including free global wireless connectivity, longer battery life and PDF support. But how does the Kindle 2 compare to its predecessor or the competition? Let's find out.

REVIEW: Kindle 2 (Global Wireless Edition)



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Labels: gadgets, review

Flip Mino HD puts the power of HD video in your pocket. Flip Mino HD offers all the signature Flip Video features you love—sleek design, simple user interface, flip-out USB arm, rechargeable internal Li-ion battery, built-in editing and sharing software, instant uploads to YouTube and MySpace—plus stunningly crisp, clear HD-quality video. Weighing only 3.3 ounces and featuring a slim, sleek design that fits into any pocket or purse, super-small Flip Mino HD lets you capture life in HD anywhere you go. Weighing only 3.3 ounces, Flip MinoHD features a super-sleek, super-portable design that truly puts the power of HD video in your pocket.

Here's a video of Chris Lesinski and Kelly Sutton from Hack College reviewing the Flip Mino HD in their own special way.




You can find the Flip Mino HD on Amazon.com. If you think HD is overkill and are just looking for a low cost stocking stuffer, then check out the non-HD Flip Mino camera.

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Labels: gadgets, hardware, review, video

There's a new Ziggy Marley app for the iPhone in the iTunes Store. The app, called Ziggy Marley's Music Mixer, allows users to mix tracks, break beats and create their own dub sounds. There are also a couple features that take advantage of the iPhone's accelerometer feature. Just select one of these options in the app and shake your iPhone or iPod Touch to make instant randomized music.

• "Jackpot Mix" - randomly mixes different sounds
• "DJ for Me" - picks a track and then randomly remixes interchangeable reggae riffs

You can download Ziggy Marley's Music Mixer app from the iTunes Store here.




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Labels: iphone, itunes, music, review, software

The timeless holiday film, A Christmas Story, is full of plenty of classic scenes like the Chinese turkey, Ralphie's Black Bart fantasies, the schoolyard flag pole and last but not least... the infamous Leg Lamp.

It took about 20 years, but now you too can own the coveted Leg Lamp. And you don't even have to win a contest like the Old Man to get one. They sell the damn things on Amazon.com, and they even come in multiple sizes!

This half-scale reproduction of the Leg Lamp from the 1983 movie A Christmas Story isn't completely accurate, but for a mere $40 bucks it's probably close enough for most Christmas Story fans. And honestly, it's smaller scale will be more apt to blend in with the average living room.

Full Review: The Leg Lamp (from "A Christmas Story")


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Labels: holiday, review

Wonder what your cats do while you are at work? Is the nanny drinking again? Don't trust your roommates? Did the dog walker forget to come today? Are the kids throwing a party at your house while you're on vacation? Want to keep an eye on your store employees while you are at home?

There are a million reasons to install a hidden camera at your home or office. Installing a security camera system has traditionally been both expensive and difficult. But not anymore.

The Panasonic BL-C131A wireless network camera sells for under $300 and will do everything from email you a photo when the motion sensor is triggered to to let you watch and control the camera angle live over the Internet.

Unlike a webcam, a "network camera" doesn't need a dedicated computer. Just plug in the power and connect the camera to your wired or wireless network. The Panasonic BL-C131A wireless network camera is about the size of a 16 oz. jar of peanut butter. No clunky tape decks. No frozen computers. And since it's so small, it's easily hidden on a bookshelf or a dark corner. It's also very easy to setup. All you need is a web browser like Safari or Internet Explorer so both Mac and PC users can take advantage of this great camera.

For less than $300, this feature rich network camera can really give you piece of mind.

Tutorial: How to Setup and Monitor Your Home or Office Remotely Using the Panasonic BL-C131A Network Camera


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Labels: gadgets, review, tutorial, video

Looking for an easy way to copy files to multiple USB drives at the same time? If your company frequently has a booth at trade shows like CES, then you've probably run into this problem before. NexCopy makes great USB duplicators that can copy files to 20, 40 or 60 USB sticks in one shot.

Something to keep in mind if you ever find yourself manually coping files to hundreds of USB sticks one at a time.




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Labels: hardware, review, usb

Back in college, my parents got me a sandwich maker for my dorm room. I didn't realize it at the time, but it was the perfect gift. My roommate and I used to steal ingredients from the dining hall and keep them in our mini fridge. The hours the dining halls were open didn't always mesh well with the typical college social schedule... and we were poor students and the dining hall food was free. So at any given hour we might be making anything from BBQ chicken and Swiss melts to peanut butter and M&Ms sandwiches (a late night favorite).

After freshman year I threw my sandwich maker away because it was so scratched up and dirty. It made great sandwiches but it was impossible to clean. I remember using a plastic knife and trying to scrape it clean in the common bathroom's sink. Yuck.

Ten years later, college is a fading memory, no one owns a beeper anymore, Sean Kelly's band The Samples have broken up and sandwich making science has reached new technical heights. The engineering geniuses at T-Fal made a sandwich/waffle maker with dishwasher safe interchangeable grilling plates that snap in and out.

Review: T-Fal Sandwich/Waffle Maker




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Labels: gadgets, review

Looks like the perverts from Mattel have been busy. Their latest creation is a vibrating Harry Potter broomstick that has teenage girls everywhere going wild.

Amazon was selling the vibrating Harry Potter Nimbus 2000 broomstick for only $19.99, but the sex shops in New York City sell it for double. After sending Amazon.com an email asking for a comment, they temporarily stopped selling the item. If you go to Amazon's page for the Nimbus now, you will see that not only did they delete all of the controversial reviews, but they no longer sell the product. Too bad, it would make a great Halloween costume.

You still might be able to find the Nimbus on eBay or through a third party seller, but regardless where you buy this thing, make sure you pick up some extra batteries and keep your teenage daughters away from it. Who knew Harry was such a stud?

Review: Harry Potter Nimbus 2000


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Labels: gadgets, holiday, review

Feel like using some slamming loops to create a nasty, floor shaking electronic/hip hop track for your next party or record? To get your groove on, just take out your iPhone, go to the App Store and get busy with GrooveMaker.

Review: Making Music on Your iPhone with GrooveMaker










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Labels: gadgets, iphone, music, review

You might think that in the current economic climate, spending money on a high-end digital camera would be a luxury that most people couldn't justify.

After all, millions are being lost on Wall Street and in the city every day. High street sales are down, jobs are being lost and nobody is spending money on anything. How on earth could you think about trading up that little point and shoot camera for something serious?

Well, here's the good news. Sony has come to the rescue of your wallet with this, the Sony Alpha A300 - which is available online for a mere £330 including an 18-70mm lens. Now that is a super price for a digital SLR especially one that includes a live preview mode. And you know what? It's just perfect for some credit crunch-busting fun.

Review:  Sony Alpha A300 DSLR Camera



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Labels: gadgets, review

Rockstar, the company famous for the Grand Theft Auto video game series, sometimes like to flex their creative muscles beyond just games. With the help of documentary filmmaker, Carol Strong, Rockstar released a DVD documentary called Sunday Driver about the lowriding subculture of Compton, CA.

Lowriders have been a prominent part of several of their Grand Theft Auto releases and this lowrider documentary is a natural evolution of their brand and a treat for their existing gaming audience.

The low rider is a little higher...

REVIEW: Sunday Driver: Living the Lowrider Lifestyle


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Labels: review, video

Apple’s new operating system, Snow Leopard, hit stores last Friday. To encourage upgrading, Apple has slapped a super low $30 price tag on the upgrade.

But hold on Apple Fanboys. Snow Leopard isn't a major OS upgrade. Snow Leopard is mainly just a performance boost for Macs equipped with 64-bit Intel processors.

So what should you expect to find in Snow Leopard? Here are the 5 most important things you need to know about Mac OS X 10.6:

1. Performance Boost
2. Lighter - Less OS Bloat
   
3. Third-Party Software Compatibility Issues
   
4. Minor Interface Improvements
   
5. No PowerPC Support
   

Performance Boost
Snow Leopard was coded to take full advantage of the hardware in 64-bit Intel Macs. So all applications coded for 64-bit processors will be much faster.

Lighter
As operating systems add new features, they get bigger and bigger and take up more of your hard drive. But Snow Leopard is unlike most bloated OS upgrades. Snow Leopard will actually free up some space on year hard drive. We're read reports of users seeing anywhere from 2-7GBs of extra space after installing Snow Leopard.

Third-Party Software Compatibility Issues
One of the biggest drawbacks to Snow Leopard is the incompatibility of some third-party applications. If your livelihood depends on a third-party application, for example a cash register app, then you will want to wait to upgrade until the developer gives Snow Leopard the green light. Snow Leopard is still compatible with 32-bit applications, but Apple admits that some third party software will have issues.

Minor Interface Improvements
Apple made a few minor user interface and software improvements to SNow Leopard. For example, Expose was moved into the Dock, time stamps added to screenshots and QuickTime Player now has the playback controls from iTunes' full screen mode.

No PowerPC Mac Support
Still rocking an older Mac these days? If you own an older PowerPC Mac and have yet to upgrade sine Apple's switched to Intel, then Snow Leopard is not for you. Snow Leopard will only run on an Intel Mac equipped with at least 1GB of memory. You also need 5GB of free hard drive space and a DVD drive.

Final Thoughts
Snow Leopard isn't enough of an OS upgrade to knock your socks off, but the speed improvements alone are well worth the $30 price tag.

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Labels: apple, review, tech news

Unfortunately for us dog owners, our canine companions will probably get sprayed by a skunk at one point in their lives. Rural pets are much more likely to have a skunk encounter, but even city dogs who join you on weekend getaways or camping vacations might find themselves downwind from a skunk's anal scent glands. And dogs aren't alone in this stinky honor. Cats, pigs, horses and other domesticated pets have all been skunked before.

So what do you do after a pet gets sprayed by a skunk? Does tomato juice really work? Can over the counter products like Skunk Off save the day? Apparently I was about to find out.

Review: Skunk Off


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Labels: review

Do you feel like your iPhone or iPod needs more bass? Is your favorite Equalizer setting "Bass Boost?" Wish your headphones sounded as good as your home or car stereo system? Then maybe it's time you invested in an "atomic" pair of bass enhancing earphones.

Radius, a relatively new audio company based out of Nashville, Tennessee (USA), prides itself on using premium parts in their products to deliver premium performance.

Radius sent us over a pair of their Atomic Bass Earbuds to test out. Here's how it went...

Review: Radius Atomic Bass Earphones


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Labels: music, review

After a recent 4-hour flight with 3 different types of earbuds jammed in, wrapped around and loosely falling out every time I shifted in my seat, it was time to invest in a good pair of nose canceling headphones.

I dropped $125 on a traditional pair of headphones 2 years ago and it was a big mistake. Lacking the portability and performance I wanted the head band finally broke a few weeks ago while I was struggling to get them wrapped up going through airport security. If you travel quite a bit, commute on the subway or train, and want the best sound quality to complement your iPod or iPhone it makes sense to spend a little extra and get a more complete package.

After researching several different brands and models I chose the JVC HA-NC250 for their style, performance, comfort, portability and value. According to CNET, "[they] make a great travel companion for those who demand quality sound. And they may not be cheap, but they seem that way next to the Bose QuietComfort 3."

Review: JVC HA-NC250 Noise Canceling Headphones


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Labels: gadgets, music, review

Ok, so you have a stereo mix of your music that that needs a little EQ, a good fade out, and some volume so it's louder on the web. Or, you have a bad recording of dialog for your film that you want to compress and remove some noise from. Maybe you have some drum loops you need to cut up and add underneath the dialog in your new podcast.

Whether you're a musician, composer, sound designer, audio editor, podcast/multimedia producer, or mastering engineer, you will find Peak Pro feature rich, yet flexible and friendly. It is industry-renowned for sonic quality and precision.

Designed specifically for recording, processing, editing and mastering audio on the Mac platform, Peak Pro 6 is a major update from Peak 5. The newest version builds upon its predecessor and includes many new developments that offer more creative potential than ever before.

Full Review: Bias Peak Pro 6


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Labels: music, review, software