Fun with USB

Last month I purchased some new headphones for my laptop. They are the headphone/microphone
combos used for VoIP conversations. I found some from Logitech
but they were USB instead of the normal mic jacks. I decided to check them
out. There was no real reason I could think of that USB would not be a good
connection for headphones.

The sound quality of these headphones was amazing. Truthfully, I've never had
headphones which delivered this level of quality. I can actually tell if the
song I'm listening to is on a CD or from MP3. It really is amazing. So, I started
to wonder what else is out there for USB might be cool. The results of my search
may interest you, or just make you laugh, but I will warn you, the USB port
has opened some brave new worlds in the computer industry.

The USB port of your computer allows for fast data transfer, as well as power
transfer, which makes it unique in the port area. USB can connect peripherals
such as mice, keyboards, gamepads and joysticks, scanners, digital cameras,
printers, hard disks, and networking components. For multimedia devices such
as scanners and digital cameras, USB has become the standard connection method.
For printers, USB has also grown in popularity and started displacing parallel
ports because USB makes it simple to add more than one printer to a computer.
As of 2004 there were about 1 billion USB devices in the world. As of 2005,
the only large classes of peripherals that cannot use USB (because they need
a higher data rate than USB can provide) are displays and monitors, data acquisition
devices that use FireWire ports, and high-quality digital video components.

The USB connector provides a single nominally 5 volt wire from which connected
USB devices may power themselves. In practice, delivered voltage can drop well
below 5 V, to only slightly above 4 V. The compliance spec requires no more
than 5.25 V anywhere and no less than 4.375 V at the worst case; a low-power
function after a bus-powered hub. In typical situations the voltage is close
to 5 V.

This is something to keep in mind when using USB devices on your laptop when
you are not plugged in. USB devices are going to drain your battery much faster
than normal.

So, we have great data transfer rates (which is what makes the headphones so
nice) and we have 5v of power coming off that we can play with, and play with
it we have.

Pacro Pacific Ltd, came out with
(along with some other interesting gadgets) a USB powered Shaver. Yes, that
would be a shaver as in a tool to shave your facial hair. The electric shaver,
recharged by your USB port is small, convenient and retails for about $50.00
US or 42,00 EU.

I am attempting to not say something like "My favorite" because most
of these are just as dear to me as any other, but if I had to choose the
Japanese USB Noodle Strainer would have to be my choice today. Noodle is
an important part of Japanese diet, but it's difficult to imagine a company
would go so far to develop a USB-powered cookware that actually makes soumen
- a type of Japanese cold noodle. Really, you have to see it, words can not
describe the over-all utility given to the simple USB port.

While these last may seem odd to most of us, I placed this next in the same
category at first, but then I bought a pair. The USB
Heating Gloves are just too good of an idea to pass up. I'm on my keyboard
all day, and when it gets cold, I can't type. I'm hoping these will help with
that. For 22.00 US or 18 EU, how can I possibly go wrong if they let me get
to typing rather than trying to heat my fingers with my breath?

On the other side of the seasonal environment, once the sun starts pouring
in through the overheads, we have the USB
powered Drink cooler. Yep, you heard that right. Set your drink on this
little pad and it stays cool all day long. A bit pricey, going for 34.00 US
or 28.00 EU, I suspect it will get much more use than the heated gloves, but
not quite as much use as the Noodle Strainer.

Of course my son is asking me "Why would you do that? Don't these people
have laptops in their Kitchens?" But he's young.