I fail to see why the U-Socket is special. They [USB powered sockets on mains sockets, just different brands] have been around for a fair number of years now, well in the UK anyway. I already have two of them in my home.
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MWSF 2010 Odds and Ends: Gloves, Xserve Rack, Speaker Helmet, USB Power
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U-Socket, not the first
While the U-Socket is a great idea / product, it is in no way the first or an original idea. We have had those on the market over here in Asia for well over a year now. Of course we don't have to put up with near the amount of regulatory B.S. that they may have had to put up with in the US, so they may have thought of it first, but people over here beat them to the market place.
While the U-Socket is a great idea / product, it is in no way the first or an original idea. We have had those on the market over here in Asia for well over a year now. Of course we don't have to put up with near the amount of regulatory B.S. that they may have had to put up with in the US, so they may have thought of it first, but people over here beat them to the market place.
Ouch.. yeah I can't imagine it fairing too well during a crash, in particular with wet snow and/or hard pavement.. nevertheless I'm glad to see that more exploration is being done with tactile transducers! While it will provide some nice audible sound for those around you to love, I can't imagine the fidelity to be comparable to normal headphones.. which won't break upon impact... instead we need a portable rerelease of the Interactor
edit: snap- the new BT device is rubber molded for water resistance... not too shabby
Well, quite simply, you stop using those ports. For $20, getting one next to my bed is a no brainer since I lost the little plug for my iPhone USB cable. Whatever use you get from it ought to be $20 worth. There's been an agreement for most cell phone manufacturers (not Apple, of course) to use mini-usb as a standard in the not-too-distant future. Expect your phone to charge via usb for a while.
On a separate note, the bike speaker is a bad idea. The reason a speaker when you're riding is a bad idea is because of potential distraction. I bike to work every day. Music would get me killed in DC.
Considering the cord for iPhone is like 3 feet long, it's a pointless idea unless you never use your phone while plugged in. Buy a couple extra USB socket adapter like the one that came with. The phone and use any socket and use extension cords, etc.
Does it come with some sort of surge protection?
Man, every Hotel chain and Airport in the world should be scrambling to install USB sockets. A great idea!
These wouldn't pass new build / retrofit electrical code in my province as of last month. Outlets now require a tamper resistant mechanisim and from what I can see this doesn't have it.
Seems gimicky.
s.
I cant wait to see what the stylus options will be for the ipad. I know that is only tangentially related, but hey...
Plus I'd like to have UL-listing on a device which could potentially burn down my house. I don't care how good I am at DIY; I'm not taking that kind of risk.
Are you sure that the Asian version of this is approved by the regulatory agencies there? Just because something is available on the market doesn't mean it's approved and safe. There is an issue in the US with having low-voltage and high-voltage in the same wall plate. You can imagine that if this were poorly designed and/or miswired you could get amperage of orders of magnitude greater than the 500mA that USB supplies, frying anything connected to the USB port, or worse.
In the US we can tamper with our outlets as long as we follow code. It's in the Constitution
EDIT: Please, mods with awesome post-merging skills, help a brother out!
Hey, if you like it, more power to you... but to me, the USB outlet is actually two big steps backward. To me, the big appeal to USB charging is that I DON'T have to have an AC outlet for whatever device I have. I actively seek out USB chargers because that way my laptop becomes a universal charging station. I long ago stopped using the USB->AC adaptors, so having this isn't much of an improvement.
But hey, that's just me.
But hey, that's just me.
I don't know about any technicalities, but hot is hot, and neutral is a grounded conductor. One has voltage (with respect to ground) the other does not. Hence the very appropriate terminology.
For those playing at home, the internet is not a good place to get advice about dangerous topics like electrical wiring.
I dont understand those people that speak of problems with the gloves while driving, using your nose and not being able to see etc...
First off, if you need gloves to warm your hands while driving enough to still have them on when using your phone or to text etc., then either your car heater doesn't work or your driving time is too short for the car to warm up enough to not have to wear the gloves. Wait till you get to work or destination to work the phone or at least wait till its warm enough to remove the gloves.
Secondly, I dont think the makers of either glove product wants to infer that its ok to use their product while driving and using your phone simultaneously.
The gloves I think were for those that are walking outdoors or some place not indoors and have to wear gloves, but not while driving.
Bluetooth and Voice commands are the real way to go. The iPhone is almost there with some good voice command apps as well, but not all the way there to run the entire phone functions like editing contacts, bookmarks, emailing, texting, etc., but hopefully soon enough.
PS: I see more drivers with one hand driving one hand phone texting surfing whatever it is, than I do ever with a bluetooth headset and actually watching the road. Granted some people travel all day, its their(my) job, and perhaps they are adept at one handed cell phone use while still maintaining a safe driving practice. But I think its more likely the opposite.
(coming from over 15 years mobile office experience)
First off, if you need gloves to warm your hands while driving enough to still have them on when using your phone or to text etc., then either your car heater doesn't work or your driving time is too short for the car to warm up enough to not have to wear the gloves. Wait till you get to work or destination to work the phone or at least wait till its warm enough to remove the gloves.
Secondly, I dont think the makers of either glove product wants to infer that its ok to use their product while driving and using your phone simultaneously.
The gloves I think were for those that are walking outdoors or some place not indoors and have to wear gloves, but not while driving.
Bluetooth and Voice commands are the real way to go. The iPhone is almost there with some good voice command apps as well, but not all the way there to run the entire phone functions like editing contacts, bookmarks, emailing, texting, etc., but hopefully soon enough.
PS: I see more drivers with one hand driving one hand phone texting surfing whatever it is, than I do ever with a bluetooth headset and actually watching the road. Granted some people travel all day, its their(my) job, and perhaps they are adept at one handed cell phone use while still maintaining a safe driving practice. But I think its more likely the opposite.
(coming from over 15 years mobile office experience)
This is so ridiculous I don't know what to say. The "instructions" completely ignore the most difficult part of the project: recessing the outlet, so the chargers will fit. It does not ignore the fact that the project is illegal and dangerous, they are perfectly honest about that.
I want my 30 seconds back.
Touch screen gloves have been around for a while, this isn't anything new.
I've got a pair of North Face touch gloves that i can use, they're thin, thicker than a liner glove, but i wear them all winter for driving.
So they've been around for over a year for sure, and i think that i first saw touch gloves at least 3 years ago
I've got a pair of North Face touch gloves that i can use, they're thin, thicker than a liner glove, but i wear them all winter for driving.
So they've been around for over a year for sure, and i think that i first saw touch gloves at least 3 years ago
Man am I glad I skipped MWSF this year. I think most of the attendees went this year just out of curiosity and/or inertia. The ones with the curiosity went just to see what MWSF would be like w/o Apple. The ones with the inertia went last year so they went again this year, possibly not even knowing Apple wouldn't be there.
So I'd expect a huge dropoff in MWSF attendance next year. I mean, really. Helmet-mounted speakers? Big perforated aluminum RAID enclosures? Can''t you see that at your local Radio Shack?
So I'd expect a huge dropoff in MWSF attendance next year. I mean, really. Helmet-mounted speakers? Big perforated aluminum RAID enclosures? Can''t you see that at your local Radio Shack?
Seriously... single-gang boxes are too crowded as it is.
I thought about a USB receptacle a few months ago, but realized I didn't have much use for 'em. Besides, there are much better things to do with receptacles and switches
Make your own Capacitive Gloves
Follow these instructions:
http://www.machackpc.com/iphone/3g/make-your-winter-glove-work-on-iphone/
Follow these instructions:
http://www.machackpc.com/iphone/3g/make-your-winter-glove-work-on-iphone/
Standard two-plug electrical wall outlets cost about $2. Devices to change those two into six cost $4. My wall phone chargers for myTouch as well as for Motorola RAZRs cost $8. Or I can plug my phone into my USB hub using any of the cables I already have. Why would I spend $20/$30 for a replacement AC outlet with a built-in DC transformer? Give me a break! Someone is trying to create a need that does not exist.
The electrician who installed switches in my home pushed the stripped wire into holes in back of the switch but failed to turn in the screws. Consequently, the screws would sometimes arc where the switches are ganged. Not everyone working as an electrician has a brain!
Do you REALLY need to use your phone with your gloved fingers? Then buy gloves with no fingers or cut out the fingertip of one of the fingers.
The electrician who installed switches in my home pushed the stripped wire into holes in back of the switch but failed to turn in the screws. Consequently, the screws would sometimes arc where the switches are ganged. Not everyone working as an electrician has a brain!
Do you REALLY need to use your phone with your gloved fingers? Then buy gloves with no fingers or cut out the fingertip of one of the fingers.
Has MWSF become pointless with Apple products pervaisve in the market place?
For years Apple and its loyalists enjoyed the fact that they were 'outsiders'. An Apple PC was a 'Mac', not a PC, right? MS was the evil empire, etc, etc, etc. And for years Apple had no significant presence at COMDEX (in the old days) or CES using MWSF instead to perpetuate that 'us' vs 'them' mentality.
But this year, Apple chose to leave MWSF behind and go on its own for a whole host of reasons. They abandoned the show to the point where, as best as I know, the Jesus device, the iPad was no where to be found for the loyalists to touch and feel.
In the mean time, Apple devices are now defacto standards in some areas (iPod) and industry leaders in others (iPhone). Though the desktop and laptop overall market remains low, these facts beg the question:
Why should there be a MWSF anymore? Wouldn't CES be a better place to show one's wares for a global market? It just seems silly to me. If I had products that support Apple devices, CES would be the place to be. Apple products shine brightly over their competitors so why not shine in Vegas?
For years Apple and its loyalists enjoyed the fact that they were 'outsiders'. An Apple PC was a 'Mac', not a PC, right? MS was the evil empire, etc, etc, etc. And for years Apple had no significant presence at COMDEX (in the old days) or CES using MWSF instead to perpetuate that 'us' vs 'them' mentality.
But this year, Apple chose to leave MWSF behind and go on its own for a whole host of reasons. They abandoned the show to the point where, as best as I know, the Jesus device, the iPad was no where to be found for the loyalists to touch and feel.
In the mean time, Apple devices are now defacto standards in some areas (iPod) and industry leaders in others (iPhone). Though the desktop and laptop overall market remains low, these facts beg the question:
Why should there be a MWSF anymore? Wouldn't CES be a better place to show one's wares for a global market? It just seems silly to me. If I had products that support Apple devices, CES would be the place to be. Apple products shine brightly over their competitors so why not shine in Vegas?
or you could just buy some Troy Lee's
99 for a set of sh*t looking gloves?
Or you could just buy a pair of Troy Lee riding gloves (with clarino palm), that are actually comfy good looking and well made gloves... and just so happen to work fine with the phone. £15. Bargain. If these work as well as they do, so will most mtb gloves with the same material.
99 for a set of sh*t looking gloves?
Or you could just buy a pair of Troy Lee riding gloves (with clarino palm), that are actually comfy good looking and well made gloves... and just so happen to work fine with the phone. £15. Bargain. If these work as well as they do, so will most mtb gloves with the same material.