DoD Lifts Ban on Flash Drives, Great Relief for Secure USB Storage Makers
That's right, the government has pardoned the insidious flash drive, at least partially. Last year, the DoD forced the mobile data leaking tools to walk the plank, banning their use from American military facilities. You'd think they would have just relabeled them Freedom Drives, and moved on but they have been blackballed since November 2008. The ban came after an internal virus infection and several embarrassing gigs of information turned up on abandoned drives around the world.
The ban is only conditionally lifted, personal drives are still expressly verboten. Removable drives are only to be used when there is no other option. The 2-year ban has given the military and the commercial world at large time to mature and be re-integrated into sensitive environments. New entrants may now be purchased that are built around high security technologies and certifications. The list of FIPS-2 Level 2/3 certified devices continues to grow, and should make much better candidates for sensitive work. Look for them to be introduced slowly into these environments. Lastly, check out this page that provides some guideline as to what one should look for when shopping flash drives for federal agencies.
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MSI's Mini HTPC Keyboard with Motion Sensing Mousing
HTPC fans will need to take a look at this new ultra compact keyboard with a fresh branding from MSI. The tiny text'er friendly keyboard is made to remotely control PCs and act as a mini keyboard, mouse and media remote. Sporting a wireless connection and USB interface the remote works like many of the others we've seen. Favorite contenders have added touchpads and trackballs to take the place of the mouse albeit somewhat clumsily or reverted to more full sized keyboards with no mouse. The MSI entrant has an accelerometer within that is able to turn the mini keyboard into an air mouse as well. Borrowing none of the precious keyboard real estate is a huge win. The all internal mouse interprets tilting the keyboard up and down, left and right as mouse movements. Left and right buttons are shoulder mounted on the keyboard, like the all too familiar game controllers they will like lie next to on your couch.
The wiley mouse acts as if it is being controlled by a laser pointer that is invisible to the naked eye. The accelerometer has made amazing strides replacing the sad gyroscope system that completely failed to take off, mostly due to the obscene amounts of power that gyroscopic systems consume. The mini keyboard commands a bit of a premium over other models at about $108 but anyone who really needs a seamless controller experience. Expect it to leave Germany for the rest of the planet in the coming months.
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Infinite's So-called USB Memory Drive - Ad-hoc Media Extender in Disguise
More details about the possible uses for the Infinitec Infinite USB Memory device (IUM) have emerged. Images of the release-ready device have showed up, and the company is ready for people to start thinking about where they are going to want to use it. The IUM has no memory to speak of, but instead mounts a remote share wirelessly via WiFi. The remote mount is represented to the operating system where it is connected as if it were actual flash memory. This means that you can put as much or as little content as you desire.
The IUM is configured on a base PC machine through their configuration web tool; it is then paired to exactly one person, that is, one owner decides what files that device gets access to. Any USB host device, like a game console, USB-enabled Blu-ray player, HDTV or another PC, sees exactly the same shared drive. The resource can also be configured on the fly as the IUM stays slave to the settings of its individual Infinite Portal settings. With individual addressing, any number of these so-called USB flash devices can be used side by side without interference. Users of boutique media streaming device will appreciate the additional revelation of the capacity of the IUM to handle high-def media streaming. Pricing is the only thing that is still a bit of a mystery, but that number and the release date should be forthcoming soon.
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Cyber-shot DSC-TX5 Becomes Waterproof, Retains Sony Sleek Factor
Style maven Sony has brought forth a sleek, sub-compact camera that owns ...y in traditional Sony style. This Cyber-shot DSC-TX5 has some serious grit under the hood, but it doesn't show through and make the ultra slim pocket shooter any less sleek. This compact camera adds waterproofing and shockproofing to an already dense package of features. The 17mm thin camera is waterproof up to about 3m. Able to take pictures underwater with no problems, the touchscreen interface works just fine soaking wet as well. Don't worry about little drops as well, this slender little fellow is certified to withstand little falls up to 1.5m. All these are unusual for Sony, but it still retains its suit pocket or purse-worthy slender style.
Other more standard features are included as well. An automatic panorama stitching mode - like the found one on TX1 is included. Click and wave the camera across your desired field of view, and the DSC-TX5 bursts the shutter and stitches the photos together for you. HD video is shot at 720p @ 30fps, which is the norm for these days. Also of note is the new standard on Cyber-shots released in 2010, SD memory capability. Sony has finally given up its hard sell on the Memory Stick format, and now accepts SD and SDHC memory cards as well. This should make Sony a more palatable option for those who have invested in SD as opposed to Sony's proprietary format. The Cyber-shot DSC-TX5 should be up for sale around the end of March with an MSRP of $350.
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