Tiny USB Drive from LaCie

This new USB drive from LaCie is so tiny, the first thought is probably, “I’d lose that thing in a heartbeat.” It’s not much bigger than the cap on many drives. It’s called the MosKeyto, and it’s not much bigger than its irritating flying namesake. But the hi-tech version is

The reason I haven’t lost mine yet?  It’s so small you can simply leave it in your computer most of the time. It sticks out a mere 6mm. And for transporting, they provide a handy cord (not the easiest thing to install – the trick is to use a toothpick or ice pick to pull the ends through) so you can easily attach it to your key chain. Since it weighs nearly nothing, it won’t add either weight or bulk to your key collection.

The one we sample was a 4gig unit, the smallest MosKeyto LaCie makes. It comes in capacities up to 16gb. OK, maybe we could do without the tag line that the MosKeyto provides “big bytes.” The 4gb is a mere $18,

so pricing is quite comparable to USB drives of similar capacity. The bonus with the MosKeyto is that it fits nearly flush with your laptop,

There’s another bonus. You get 4gb of free back up service along with your MosKeyto purchase provided by Wuala. It’s a simple sign up process.

As of this posting, the 16gb version was not yet available on the LaCie web site. The 8gb version lists at $27.99, but you still only get 4gb of free backup storage. We assume the same will be true of the 16gb product.

All-in-all, we think this is a great little drive and the idea of a USB drive you can simply keep installed has some real merit. After all, those other USB drives aren’t all that hard to misplace either, and having them stick out of your laptop can be a real pain. We think this is a great solution.

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Small Photo Scanner is USB Powered

Plustek has introduced a small photo-scanner (it handles up to 4×6 prints) that us powered by your computer’s built-in USB port. The SmartPhoto P60 includes a unique protector sheet to allow the user to scan old, fragile or irreplaceable photographs with confidence.

Fast and easy to use, any 4×6 inch photograph can be scanned and imported into a computer in as little as 18 seconds. No additional software is needed to convert or upload photos. Photos can be viewed with any photo viewing and organizing application.

iPads in the Fortune 500

The iPad is hardly a new Cool Tool, but the news this week was surprising. I thought it was pretty cool when my 84 year-old mother-in-law wanted an iPad. I was more surprised to learn that half of all Fortune 500 companies have gone the iPad route. To whit, an article on Electronista stating, “About 50 percent of the top companies are already either using or testing the tablet for corporate use. Chief operating officer Tim Cook didn’t have specific adoption rates but characterized the early acceptance at the workplace as “incredible.’”

Apple in the Big Business Market? It does seem strange, doesn’t it? But then again, why not? About 80% of the Fortune 100 are already supporting the iPhone.

Statistics provided by Apple aren’t specific, but seem to indicate that folks are opting for the 32GB WiFi or 16GB 3G Models. Mine’s a 32GB WiFi, so I guess I’m on track to become a Fortune 100.

RPG Photoshop

RPG makes plug-ins for Photoshop primarily designed to speed up the production process. To really speed things up, they offer a bundled hardware keyboard extension (pictured) to create hot keys for dozens of functions.

They also have plug ins for Adobe Lightroom, Bridge and Acrobat. The keyboards come as a wireless 16 key version or a wired 58 key model.

The RPG KEY company was founded by two brothers from Maine who figured out that they made a living while working with their clients and not at a computer editing photographs.

Mac and PC versions are available.

This Laptop Sleeve also Cools your PC

We had a chance to go hands-on with the Coolguard Laptop Sleeve From Thermapak. The only think complicated about it is the company’s branding: the company name is Innovations International, the product is called Coolguard, and the trademark is Heatshift. Just to make it easy for you if you actually want to try one of these things, the web site is thermapak.com.

There are several flavors of Heatshift products, but they all do the same thing: keep your laptop running cooler. My old Macbook Pro could literally burn your legs on a day like today when you might be wearing shorts. The Heatshift products use crystals which are solid at room temperature, and turn to liquid as they warm up. The heat dissipates as it melts. And yes, it works.

The model we got was the laptop sleeve, which is a perfect combination of very useful tools in one product. It’s a heavy duty protective sleeve as well as a cooling pad. Of course the beauty of this pad is not just it’s dual functionality. The truth is, most laptop cooling solutions are not terrible good solutions. The fan units are noisy and heavy and difficult to carry around with you. My favorite solution prior to this was a padded cushion made for a laptop, and even though it had rubber feet, the laptop would tend to slide around, and frankly it’s not all that comfortable.

The Coolguard/Thermapak/Heatshift product (see, I’m still not sure what to call it) answers all those objections. It’s completely portable: in fact you’ll WANT to carry it with you since it also protects your laptop (they use memory foam on the top). Your laptop doesn’t move a bit when you place it on top of the pad, and it’s completely comfortable. With no wires or fans it couldn’t be simpler. And it really does cool down your laptop.

Thermapak makes a plain pad and a carry bag as well, but the sleeve really seems like the most useful form (15” and 17” versions). We noticed that Amazon and Buy.com don’t have the new sleeve models yet, but they are available from  http://www.thepowerxchange.com Here’s a Direct Link: Laptop Cooling Sleeve.

Correction: This link is to the cooling PAD, not the laptop SLEEVE. We will update it when the proper link is available.

Here’s the Direct Product Link:

http://www.thepowerxchange.com/heatshift_coolguard_sleeve_black_10281_prd1.html

Cool “Air Multiplier”

As the majority of the U.S. heads into the summer months, Dyson has the answer for sweltering temperatures with the latest Dyson Air Multiplier™ fans: the AM02 Tower and the AM03 Pedestal. Engineered for larger spaces, the floor standing machines produce a far greater airflow than the previous iteration – AM03 Pedestal generates nearly 50% more airflow at maximum than the AM01 Desk fan.

Dyson first introduced Air Multiplier™ technology in October 2009 offering the first real innovation in more than 125 years. Dyson’s patented technology replaces fast spinning blades and awkward grilles with loop amplifiers. The machines draw air in at the base through a mixed flow impellor – a combination of the technologies used in turbochargers and jet engines.

Unlike conventional fans with limited settings, Dyson Air Multiplier™ fans can be infinitely adjusted up or down. The new tower and pedestal fans offer precise airflow and oscillation control and can be adjusted remotely. Air Multiplier™ technology is easier to clean and a safer way to keep cool this summer.

Both new fans come with a remote control, which is magnetized to conveniently locate itself on the machine.

“The new machines are engineered to circulate smooth un-buffeted air in larger rooms. They draw in and multiply nearly 50% more air than our desk fan,” says James Dyson.

A Walmart eReader?

We ran a release last week from Quark talking about their new partnership with Blio eReader and Baker and Taylor. The Blio is a multi-faceted full color eReader technology and certainly looks promising. The relationship with Quark and the biggest distributor around, Baker & Taylor, also sounds full of potential.

Now inventor and founder of Blio Ray Kurzweil told the New York Times that his company’s technology will be more widely available over the next two months. In the Times piece he doesn’t mention names: only that, “large PC” manufacturers are interested. But the one name he did drop is Walmart. What he said was that some large retailers “like Walmart,” will soon be offering it on their own products.

Since the eReader market is still developing, Blio has a very good chance of success since it appears to be the most fully featured technology of its kind.