Basic HTML Version
www.binfo.co.uk
magazine
26
innovations
Pink ribbon USB
PNY has added Breakthrough Breast Cancer to the list
of cancer charities it supports, alongside the American
foundation
Susan G. Komen for the Cure
and the French
association
Le Cancer du Sein, Parlons-en!
. To mark the
relationship, PNY is bringing out specially designed pink
ribbon USB Flash drives and SDHC memory cards. For each
one sold, PNY will donate 50p to Breakthrough Breast
Cancer. The drives are currently available from Sainsbury’s,
Argos and play.com, with prices starting at £7.99 for the
4GB model.
www.pny.eu
Playing the
percentages
Serving as a reminder that
the Olympics is not the
only sporting occasion this
summer, Canon has launched
a new EURO 2012 range of slim-line
calculators, including the X MARK I Card
and X MARK I Pointer for travelling
business professionals.
The X Mark I Card (£17.99 inc VAT) is
a 100% solar-powered, credit card-sized
calculator that can be kept in a wallet and
used on the go. The top-of-the-range X
MARK I (£29.99) doubles as a red laser
pointer for presentations and boasts more
sophisticated features such as memory
store and recall functions. It also features
components part-made from plastics
recycled from other Canon processes.
The other new model, the KC-30 EURO
2012 (£3.99), is an eight-digit mini-
portable calculator with metal key-chain
for clipping to bags or folders (available in
purple, black or white).
www.canon.co.uk
Easy PlexEasy!
The PlexEasy DVD/CD writer from
Plextor lets users transfer and back-up
data without the need for a computer.
The built-in SD/MMC card reader and
USB port allow home and officer users
to transfer data to the 8x DVD/CD writer
directly from tablets, smartphones, hard
disks, flash drives, camcorders, digital
cameras and memory cards. Alternatively,
they can use the PlexEasy to transfer files
from an SD/MMC card to a connected USB
storage device.
PlexEasy supports the Picture Transfer
Protocol (PTP) integrated into most
cameras and smartphones for backing-up
directly from a camera or smartphone.
The PlexEasy can also be used with a PC
or notebook, offering all the functionality
of a high-end external DVD burner with
8x writing speed and support for all types
of CD and DVD.When used with a PC, the
PlexEasy draws its power from the USB
ports using the supplied USB Y-Cable. It
costs £90.
www.plextor.com
Protecting you and your
keyboard
MediaDevil is bringing out two ultra-thin,
clear, anti-bacterial Typeguard keyboard
protectors for the Apple Macbook and
Macbook Pro. The waterproof covers
protect the keyboard from dust, liquid
spills and other contaminants whilst also
preventing the spread of germs between
users. Embedded silver nanoparticles are
scientifically proven to prevent the growth
of over 600 types of bacteria. MediaDevil
says Typeguard is over 50% thinner than
regular silicon protectors and practically
invisible when applied allowing back-lit
keys to shine through.
Mini vault
keeps IT
cool and
quiet
A lockable mini-
vault designed to protect, power and
cool IT equipment in small or remote
offices has been launched by Schneider
Electric.
The NetShelter CX Mini is part of
the company’s server-room-in-a-box
range and is designed specially for home
offices, schools and small offices without
dedicated IT rooms.
It can accommodate a complete IT
installation of one or two servers, network
hardware and associated peripherals
and comes with integrated ventilation,
soundproofing and a basic power strip.
Small enough to be stowed under a
desk, it can also be used as a surface for
printers, fax machines or other equipment.
www.schneider-electric.com
Userful launches its cheapest
solution yet
Linux desktop virtualisation specialist Userful
Corporation claims to have developed the world’s
lowest cost Linux thin client solution.
The technology, called Userful MultiSeat, combines
Userful software with $99 HP t200 thin clients (including
keyboard and mouse) and a regular PC (no server required)
to redefine the cost of a full featured high performance
computer.
Userful MultiSeat enables schools and businesses to run
multiple workstations from a single host computer, with
each one running their own choice of application. Userful
says this arrangement allows organisations to deploy more
than twice as many computers for the same cost, with the
bonus of significant environmental benefits, such as reduced
energy consumption, heat, noise and pollution.
Through electricity savings alone, an installation can pay
for itself within four years, Userful claims.
Another benefit of the HP t200 is that it supports both
Ethernet and USB. This gives users the flexibility to connect
multiple stations to a single host PC, such as the HP
ms6200, via Ethernet or over USB (i.e. without the need for
a LAN).
More than 50,000 schools worldwide already use Userful
MultiSeat to give computer access to millions of students.
www.userful.com