iConvert Photo Scanner promises simple 4×6 snapshot

You don’t really have to start in on your New Year’s resolutions until Monday. Friday was pretty much a gimme and now it’s the weekend, so just rest up for whatever thing you’re going to try to do for a week before quitting. If digitizing old-timey family photos is on your list, this new-ish scanner is powered via
USB cable and features simple one-button operation.

Designed for 4×6 photos, the iConvert Photo Scanner turns your old pictures into 100, 300, or 600dpi digital images. It’s both Windows and Mac compatible and costs $100 though SkyMall or Brookstone.

PQI Cool Drive U366 USB 3.0 flash drive

Get ready for the USB 3.0 flash drive enslaught. PQI has launched its first salvo and it looks mighty strong. The Cool Drive U366 comes equipped with a 64GB capacity and speeds up to 5Gbps. That’s ten times faster than USB 2.0, kiddies. Previously the only way to get that type of speed on a portable drive is to
opt for an eSATA flash drive — if you can find one — and even then, most aren’t as fast as this drive from PQI.

Don’t worry if your rig isn’t USB 3.0 friendly yet, the interface is backwards compatible with USB 2.0. The drive will be available in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB sizes, but the company hasn’t announced the release date or MSRPs just yet. You can bet though that it will cost a tad more than the average Newegg-special flash drive.

PQI Announces USB3.0 UFD ~ Cool Drive U366

2009.12.28

Taipei, Taiwan ~ Only just a week ago, Power Quotient International Co., Ltd. (PQI) announced two 2.5inch USB3.0 external hard drives, H566 and S533. Today, PQI releases their first USB flash drive device in the form of Cool Drive U366. PQI’s U366 is encased in an all aluminum shell with a clear plastic lid that can perfectly fit on the end tip so users need not worry about loosing the lid.

The new USB3.0 features 5Gbps/sec maximum bandwidth, which is 10 times the maximum bandwidth of USB2.0 as it eliminates the issue of external connection bandwidth being smaller than the output bandwidth of the storage device. This allows portable, ultra fast and high capacity storage device to flood the market as USB3.0 is deemed to take over USB2.0 as the standard for future external connections!

PQI’s Cool Drive U366 is one of the few USB3.0 flash storage devices on the market, and it features a read up to 97MB /sec. The release of U366 reassures PQI’s dedicated advancement in storage technology, research and development capability!

Cool Drive U366 specification:

Interface: USB 3.0 (backwards compatible with USB 2.0)

Transfer rate: Read up to 97MB/sec

Capacity: 16GB / 32GB / 64GB

Dimension: 87 x 22 x12 mm

Lenovo’s mini wireless keyboard/trackball combo looks sofa-friendly

Well hello there, Handsome. File this one under “Stuff I Want Despite No Practical Use In My Household” and cross file it into the “Not Bad For $60” folder.

We’re looking at an HTPC-friendly remote control with built-in keyboard, trackball, and media buttons from Lenovo.

It’s a 2.4GHz wireless affair with a range of over
30 feet, which should be plenty unless you like to sit reaaallly far away from your TV. It’s priced at $60 and is compatible with Windows.

Gyration Air Mouse for only $30

If you’re diligent about mail-in rebates, you can get this Gyration Air Mouse for $10. For the rest of us, it’s $30 through Woot.com today only.

The Air Mouse, if you’re interested, is a standard wireless mouse with the added feature of being useable in mid air – like magic! Imagine the bewildered looks on
your coworkers faces as you run your next team meeting. You’re sitting down, then you open a PowerPoint presentation and – GASP!!! – stand up from your chair and present like you’ve never presented before! You’ll be the talk of the break room for hours, maybe even days.

The $20 mail-in rebate is good until the end of January.