The netbook universe has expanded once again with the welcome addition of the Dell Inspiron Mini 9. Features include available 16 GB solid state hard drive, 8.9″ glossy LED display and built in WI-FI. About the only thing we don’t like about this unit is the oddity that the Windows configuration is $15 cheaper than the Linux option. Troublesome since Linux is a free open source OS…
Grab It: Dell Inspiron Mini 9
Let’s see our mouse, keyboard, cell phone, iPod, printer, scanner, external HDD, digital camera and thumb drive all connect via USB. I am not sure about the rest of you, but crawling around behind my desk to find an open port is not an enjoyable task. From the dozens of USB hubs we have used over the years, this compact unit from Cables to Go is our favorite.
For starters, the glossy black and aluminum case is quite classy. The base can be securely amounted but the hub can slide right out for easy transport when we hit the road. Plus its AC or PC powered to help keep all our gadgets charged.
Grab It: Cables To Go 7 Port USB 2.0 Hub
The prices of Blu-ray drives and media have been dropping as of late, making it a more interesting data back-up option since each single layer disc can hold 25 GB of data. This unit from LG is multi-talented handling a variety of formats including DVD-+RW CD-RW, Blu-ray and HD-DVD discs. Dual layer Blu-ray and HD-DVD media is also compatible. Other features include LightScribe for neat labeling.
Compared to external HDD, Blu-ray is still more expensive averaging $0.47 per GB versus $0.20, but it just might be more practical for off-site storage and archiving. But hey, being cutting edge is never cheap.
Grab It: LG GGW-H20L Super Multi Blue – Blu-ray Disc Burner / HD DVD-ROM Drive w/ Lightscribe
A paperless office has been a dream of ours for sometime and one that is slowly coming true. If you share this dream the the S300 is a must see. It can handle most any sized paper from legal to your gas receipts, transforming them into nice and neat PDF files. Which pretty sweet since PDF files are readable across any OS and searchable. The small size makes it easy to travel with, but great for the office too as it will not take up much desk space. Windows and Mac version are available.
Grab It: (Windows) Fujitsu Scansnap S300 Color Mobile Scanner
Working in the field, like the wet and flithy remains of burned out house, requires gears that stand up to almost anything. Corsair has come through for us with their Survivor series of USB flash drives. Available in 4
Grab It: Corsair 8GB Flash Survivor USB 2.0 Flash Drive – CMFUSBSRVR-8GB
Thermaltake has just updated the popular BlacX Dock with the BlacX SE model. The SE adds 4 USB 2.0 ports. It supports all 2.5″ and 3.5″ SATA HDD’s up to 1 TB with transfer speeds up to 480Mbps. But what we like best is that its hot swappable, just switch drives as needed. Neat! Compatible with both Windows and Mac. Amazon has them in stock for just $45.25
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