Slashdot Mirror

So all the external battery pack needs to do is connect the batteries to the power lines, probably via a voltage regulator.

This does suggest that one could use a USB A-A extension cable and the Belkin auto adapter that comes with their USB "Sync/Charge" cables for palmtop devices to charge the Shuffle from a car.

Strange... From the connector diagram they look like DVI connectors to me.

...USB/DVI KVM switch. The cheapest one that I've found is this one. NewEgg has the Belkin model for $133 not including cables (another $32 from NewEgg.) I'd like to get a MacMini, but it's not going to be able to replace my current workstation immediately and as such, I need some kind of KVM. Are there any others out there that are cheaper?

Oh snap! That took me five minutes dude, you've got to come up with a better argument.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=ipod+batter y+replacement&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

Or if you would like an additional 15 hours battery life, try a Belkin Backup Battery Pack for iPod:

http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process ?Merchant_Id=1&Product_Id=148969

It seems that the majority of Belkin's products consist of things like $39.99 usb cables. Which Best Buy, etc. stocks right next to the $100.00 HP, Epson, etc. printers that *don't* include a USB cable. Anyone else smell some collusion?

Oh. Here is a little hint. Add the aformentioned amazingly overpriced cable into your cart. Enter the code "12345" into the "redeem coupon" field near the top and click the button.

This magically lowers the price to $20.00. Now they are only making 300% profit!

As others have pointed out, you can buy USB-to-PS/2 adapters, but I bought the Belkin OmniView SOHO 4-port KVM with PS/2, USB, audio and VGA. You plug a PS/2 keyboard and mouse into it and you connect it up to PCs or Macs with PS/2 or USB cables. It also switches your microphone and audio out. It's pretty handy. It comes in two or four port versions.

We have an IP KVM at each of our offices http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process ?Merchant_Id=&Section_Id=201720&pcount=&Product_Id =152988 and hung off the KVM is a modem. You can control multiple KVM's behind the IP KVM and configure hotkeys for each of your KVMS. This enables us to control all of our servers from our laptops when we are at the site, and when we are not. If the internet goes down it also gives us the ability to dial in to the KVM and do maintenance. They're under $1000 CDN and we've had great successs with them. They also keep the ps/2 ports on the server live, so if we have to plug a keyboard and mouse in locally we can (without having to do that annoying reboot). Just a forwarning they say it can have two serial devices attached to the device, we've only ever had success with the one port.

Yes. Check out their GPL'd firmware page.

From TFA:
It uses revolutionary smart antenna technology to boost wireless network speed and range far beyond that of today's standard 802.11b/g and 802.11a wireless networking technologies.

So anyone knows how these so called smart antenna work?

And talking about antennas, does anyone have more information on NASA's deer antler antenna?

At $500, though, I would pick one up along with a $50 keyboard/monitor switch and start playing around with it.

I don't want to discourage anyone from doing what you describe, but you might want to avoid the $50 KVM switch.

Sure, back in the old days I used a $30 physical A/B/C/D switch for VGA connections which worked fine with my Amiga (15kHz) and VGA (31kHz), but as soon as you crank the resolutions and frequencies up, the cheap KVMs don't hold up.

If you want to do it right, you need a good KVM. Specifically, you need to look at the specs of the device, and how high a bus rate it can handle; this makes all the difference in your display quality. Personally, I use a Belkin OmniView 4-port PS/2 & USB device (vendor page here) which has worked great for me. You can get it cheaper, and despite what I found on pricegrabber about the device (reviews), I have had no problems. Unfortunately, it doesn't QUITE end there, though. You still need cables, and you can't get away with cheap cables; you should really go with the ones that Belkin sells, since they're up to spec. I tried the $15 cables, and your screen ghosts pretty bad.

In the end, total cost for the 4-port KVM I bought? With 2 sets of high quality cables and another set of cheap cables, I ran nearly $190, though I probably could have done better by going online. YMMV.

(note: I don't work for Belkin and have no particular love for the company, its just that I did a little research and found this to be the best product circa early 2002)

What, like this? Or maybe this?

Been out for a while now.

What, like this? Or maybe this?

Been out for a while now.

Nope, iPod's got that already. With a pricey gadget from Belkin, though...

The click-wheel iPods can be used with an accessory by Belkin (F8E477) which allows USB transfers of photos from a digital camera right into your iPod.

It's about $80 on Belkin's site, probably cheaper elsewhere:

http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process ?Merchant_Id=&Section_Id=201526&pcount=&Product_Id =173207

-WS

You need to get one of these.

For the rest of us I think the Belkin TuneDok Car Holder looks pretty cool. Griffin also has a lot of iPod stuff. Both companies offer car chargers too. Check out the iPod Lounge forums for user recommendations before buying.

Belkin has what you are looking for. http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process ?Merchant_Id=&Section_Id=201526&pcount=&Product_Id =148969

May I humbly suggest connecting your iPod either directly to the car player (if it has mp3 support, it might have also line-in jack) or indirectly beaming music via devices such as Griffin iTrip and similar? That's what I do.

However, you can buy a USB Bluetooth dongle with 100 meter range. 100 meter range is more than enough for the most people.

It'd be cool to have two batteries on a long bike trip and just be able to pop in a fresh one when the first one died.

Which format card reader would you put in? Compact flash? MMC/SD/Mini SD/TransFlash (last two with adapters)?

You make a good point, but Apple still needs to provide a adaptor an an option, though it needs to be small unlike the huge adpator from Belkin. Even if Apple goes with option 3, they really need to make this an option in their build to order list - I just checked and this is not an option.

The other thing which would be cool is if digital cameras, such as the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II, could make use of their Firewire connection to transfer photos to the iPod.

Just out of interest I just saw that DP Review had their own comments.

I don't think that would have worked. There's no market for a low-quality digital camera add-on, I think. You can get a "real" no-frills digital camera (ie: the equivalent of a 35mm point-n-shoot) for just about $100 at BestBuy, and probably for a lot cheaper with rebate. Or you can sometimes get one for free with a new computer or printer. That pretty much covers the price range of the cell phone cams.

The iPod appeals to people who already have a lot of gadgets. It's like a Sharper Image/Brookstone version of the walkman (yes, oversimplification, I know). That audience probably either has a real digital camera or a cell phone camera, and addding $50 for a decent camera lens on the iPod isn't going to help.

What I think they're doing here is offering a neat little feature that will be a plus when comparing models. It also plays up the "more than just a music player" aspect of the iPod (I've been using mine to backup my HD for a while now, but the average person probably doesn't).

If they're clever, they had a little chat with Belkin when coming up with the idea for this, since the photo feature evokes thoughts of the CameraLink. Currently, all it does is provide a USB port to hook up a camera and function as a mass storage device. Assuming Apple and Belkin were smart, the new version of the CameraLink will copy the images to the iPod along with the relevant metadata to have them displayed by the Photo feature. Now *that* would be pretty darn cool. Except that my digital camera speaks serial, not USB :-(

iPod Your BMW. Apple has links to pages on BMW's site showing how they're integrated as well. Says Apple, this is "The first seamless integration of iPod and automobile."

Others had made similar homebrew iPod and non-iPod solutions before (and iPod and non-iPod after) Apple/BMW's solution.

At this point, it doesn't look like Apple has any official plans to unveil further integration of Apple technology with automobiles. Of course, Apple almost always "does not comment on unreleased products."

iPod Your BMW. Says Apple, this is "The first seamless integration of iPod and automobile."

Others had made similar homebrew iPod and non-iPod solutions before (and iPod and non-iPod after) Apple/BMW's solution.

At this point, it doesn't look like Apple has any official plans to unveil further integration of Apple technology with automobiles. Of course, Apple almost always "does not comment on unreleased products."

You mean, like this?

For what it's worth, the system works pretty well with the iPod, except for the need to have a flat surface to lay out all three items for the transfer. Also, it doesn't seem to work with any of my film cameras.

• It is made for laptops.
  
• It has a detachable padded pouch which you can use to just carry your laptop to meetings etc
  
• It has a big compartment in the front to hold cds, cables etc
• It has a side pocket for the ipod - allows earphones to come out of the pocket
  
  Bottomline, its really convinient and I have gotten a couple of my friends to buy it. All of us love it, so its worth a look.
  
  KAR.

Digital Camera Link for iPod
iMedia reader for iPod

First one connects to a USB camera, second one directly loads from the flash media.

-T

Digital Camera Link for iPod
iMedia reader for iPod

First one connects to a USB camera, second one directly loads from the flash media.

-T

Where are they going to fit a CF reader in the iPod? They've been working pretty consistently to bring down the form factor. Adding media reader slots will severely reverse that downward size trend. Besides, Belkin sells an external media reader for $99 that does the job without messing up iPod's famous simplicity.

can I just plug an USB compactflash card reader to it and transfer the pictures?

Come to think of it, any other player that does support that? I don't need a fancy color screen, just the storage capability.

Belkin makes a Media Reader for the iPod that allows you to transfer images onto an iPod.

Sorry about the typo; it's spelled Nostromo n45.

Yes - to simply extend the range of a single USB device you can use something like http://www.inmac.co.uk/product.aspx?SKU=E439231 or active versions are available for USB1.1 to give >5m range.

I think what you are after is a sort of USB laplink solution though: http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process ?Merchant_Id=1&Product_Id=20963

"but a mainstream, commercial-grade bluetooth TCP/IP router"

Have you even bothered to hit google?

Searching for Bluetooth AP gave me this Belkin and this Axis, both of which are commercially available, and the Axis even supports SNMP and RADIUS for enterprise installations.

I think Thinkgeek used to sell both a BT LAN AP and a cordless phone with a BT modem.

Bluetooth devices are out there in larger quantities than people assume.

Verizon says that crippling Bluetooth implementation is a "fraud prevention" tactic to prevent strangers from sending unsolicited text messages to your phone.

Umm... I don't buy it. They say they crippled OBEX to prevent people from sending spam via Bluetooth?

Except... one of the major specifications for Bluetooth is that it is intended for local connections, not long range. I have a USB Bluetooth adapter with a maximum range of 10 meters. Is Verizon seriously trying to tell me that local Bluetooth spam will be serious enough they had to turn it off?!

Granted, there are adapters with 100 meters (I don't actually know what the maximum range is on this specific phone), but is even 100 meters a wide enough area for spam to be a serious problem? In fact if anyone is within 10 meters attempting to spam me, there's nothing stopping me from simply walking over to... er.... "confront" the bastard :)

I'm using a Belkin Nostromo speedpad under winxp for photoshop and softimage|xsi. Its not quite the same as the "button box" that you've described, but it does allow for similar functionality. There are linux drivers available, but I have not gotten around to trying them out.

The iPod is a great information carrier, as you say. However, it is a crappy information retrieval device, unless the information you're trying to retrieve is music. Try reading complicated directions of one sometime. Or, even better, taking text notes with one. (And, no, the Belkin voice recorder doesn't count.)

The idea of a "wireless monitor" isn't a bad one, but if this device doesn't incorporate the functionality of a standard tablet - that is, if it is useful only in conjunction with a computer, it's going to be a complete flop. I can't see that the market for Macs is deep enough that Macheads will be willing to shell out signifigant bucks for a Universal Remote Control for the iMac in the corner.

But then, I've been wrong before, and us Mac fans have been known to shell out a hell of a lot of money on items of questionable utility.

Picture

One-handed keyboards sell for $99 to $350, but here's one that can be had for $25 at a well-known net merchant, and a little more at the CompUSA. Of course, it's intended for gamers, but can easily be made into a one-handed chording keyboard to nurture your inner cyborg, if you just...

design an appropriate keying pattern and learn it, and write a little software. This is just crying out for an Open Source project. You can help handicapped people, perhaps even influence a new generation of low-budget cyborgs!

The Belkin Nostromo n52 Speedpad has 14 typewriter-style keys that chord (meaning they can all be read individually), LEDs, a dial, and a game controller with firing button. That's easily enough to make a chording keyboard. You can use the game controller as four shift keys (your thumb rests upon it).

To make the job easier, here's C code to read the device on Linux. To finish the job, you'll also have to push key events back into the Linux console or X Windows. Code to do that is already available on the net, it's been written for use with other USB devices.

/* Copyright 2003 Bruce Perens.
You may use this software under
the BSD license without the
advertising clause. */
#include

REST OF CODE DELETED FROM THIS COPY BECAUSE SLASHDOT THINKS THE LINES ARE TOO SHORT - SEE ORIGINAL WEBSITE FOR THE REAL CODE.

So the device they are talking about is the Belkin n52.
You can see the mirror (thanks to JWSWythe) over at his /. link mirror.
And you can order it from any of these vendors.
There are numerous reviews of the device, including some at PC Mag, Extreme Review, and Tom's Hardware. For the lazy it receives rather good reviews when looked at for it's original gaming purpose.

Strangely enough, yes it is left handed.

Take a look at where your thumb is going to have to be to use the direction pad"

Actually, from the description at Belkin's site, this keyboard is designed for gamers, not the physically challenged. It only comes in a left-handed configuration, so it wouldn't be very useful to someone who had lost the use of their left hand.

There IS software for the product. It's a gaming "keypad/keyboard". The idea of the poster is to use it for other stuff too. Like normal typewriting for handicapped or to leave one hand free. for using the mouse i guess... :?

http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process ?Product_Id=157024

Seems the technocrat site is already slashdotted.

For RTS games, there were a few devices out. Out the top of my head there was the N-50 Speedpad which involved a one-hand control with 10 buttons, a directional pad, and the usual ability to map macros and the like. There was at least one other I saw advertised... looked vaguely like the Atari Jaguar controller complete with 50+ buttons.

Honestly, I have never seen either of the devices in use, but the people who reviewed them always seemed to find them handy. I suspect it's like buying an X-Arcade stick for playing MAME games, something that you do if you're hardcore, but probably not worth the cost for a casual gamer.

Yes, as a backpacker I won't have much access to power sockets on my travels.

How about the Belkin battery pack?

Here's a cheaper possible alternative. Nostromo SpeedPad n52

I'm not sure - I've been looking at the devices myself, but haven't actually bought or tested one yet.

There may be another alternative for you, though... Many cell phones actually have data and fax capability built in - I know my S/E T68i does. There are two ways to use it, IIRC; one is to connect through the data cable, the other is to connect using bluetooth. I prefer the bluetooth option myself. Since most PCs don't yet have BT connections, Belkin Components has some relatively inexpensive BT/USB adapters. I use this myself for communicating between the phone and the PC.

So you may already have the capability you're looking for without spending the extra on the cradle.

Hope that helps!

Mattcelt

One popular solution I've seen is to use a Belkin TuneCast or similar item. Plugs into your speaker jack/line out/whatever and broadcasts a (short range. 50 yard) FM signal that you can tune in to. This one offers a choice of 4 different broadcast frequencies.