Newer Technology’s Universal Drive Adapter bills itself as the Swiss Army Knife of drive connectivity. The USB 2.0 adapter supports:

• ATA/IDE/SATA/ATAPI
• Compatible with any 2.5″, 3.5″, 5.25″ IDE or SATA device
• Supports IDE & enhanced IDE 3.5″ internal IDE hard disk
• Supports ATA/ATAPI-66 specification 1.0
• Supports SATA I and SATA II
• USB 2.0 up to 480Mbps transfer speed

The specs sound great, and as a gadgeteer, the flexibility is very attractive. Lets see how it looks on closer inspection.

The adapter can be configured a number of ways, here is a shot of some examples from their web site:

What’s In The Box:

• USB UDA adapter
• Heavy Duty 2.0 Amp AC Power Adapter
• Power Cable
• ATA extension cable
• SATA 2.5″ Power Adapter Cable
• USB 2.0 Connecting Cable
• SATA-SATA Connecting Cable

The USB UDA Adapter is the hub for the whole setup.

The left-side has the an IDE/ATA drive connector, the right-side has a IDE/ATAPI connector. The indicator lights let you know when the power is on, as well as successful connection of USB, IDE/ATA, and/or SATA.

The top has a power connector and USB port:

The bottom has the SATA port:

Power is supplied by the included AC Adapter. The power connector is a standard power connector for larger drives. They also include an adapter to power the SATA, or through the adapter itself (for 2.5″ drives):

I had no issues with my computer recognizing any of of my drives. Here it is connected to an older 3.5″ drive I have:

Notice the power cable plugs right into the drive, and the adapter fits into the drive connector.

The only issue I ran into with the adapter was the power adapter. The power adapter is needed when connecting to a SATA or smaller IDE drive. I found it difficult to attach to the USB cable. I actually needed to use a needle-nosed plier to straighten the connectors. This wasn’t a huge issue. and I am not sure if it was an issue with how the adapter came, or a result of my ham-handedness when I used it the first time.

I did e-mail their support, and they made some good suggestions. I think it is important to understand that the molex connector, as well as the IDE connectors were not designed for being plugged and unplugged frequently. Then again, this kit is aimed squarely at the techie, and we should know better.

It does not come with a case, but they do offer a $5 one that fits. I have plenty of random bags and cases, and had no issue finding one for it.

Bottom line, I really like this kit. It has already come in handy, and have had no issues with the connectors since I started being a little more careful with the use. I highly recommend this to anyone that may need to access bare drives in a hurry. They have also come out with a USB 2.0 version.

Filed in categories: Desktop Computer Gear, Laptops and Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Adapter, USB

Newer Technology Universal Drive Adapter Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 30, 2010 at 9:30 am.

Well, forget cool – this thing is pretty ugly and weird looking. Thin on top and wide on the bottom. Not pretty.

Don’t be fooled, though; the dockStubz is beautiful on the inside. And in the short month I’ve been using it, it has become absolutely irreplaceable. This little gizmo lets me plug my iPhone clothed in any case I’m using into any dockable product (old and new) I have… period. There’s probably something that it won’t fit, but I’ve yet to come across it. How neat is that?

The dockStubz works with iPhone, iPod and the iPad. And it will pass through any charging from the dock, so your battery still gets the juice it needs. In fact, anything that works with a direct connection will still work. CableJive also managed to fit a mini USB port into the side of the dockStubz to allow for any alternate charging you might need. It also weighs practically nothing – .7 oz.

CableJive is one of those companies that make all kinds of “That’s exactly what I was looking for” products. And the dockStubz fits that niche perfectly.

That’s about it. There’s really no need for a long, drawn-out review on such a simple concept. So if you have a shiny, new iPhone and some older docks it won’t fit anymore (thanks, Apple!), then this may be “exactly what you’re looking for”.

It is what it is. And that IS cool.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Reviews

Tagged: Adapter, iPhone, iPod

CableJive dockStubz Charging Adapter Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 2, 2010 at 10:32 am.

Radio Shack’s Enercell #23-1113 2-in-1 Battery and AC Adapter is a handy little rig for your gadget bag. It combines a USB/AC adapter with a rechargeable USB battery power pack, with a bonus 2nd USB port and a small built-in LED light!

It uses a 1700mAh Lithium-Ion battery pack and can work on dual voltage, so can be used pretty much world wide (always a handy feature for a travel accessory.)  The compact unit is 3.5x2x.75″, and the power plugs fold into the body to make it easier to carry.

What you see in the photo on top is what you get- 2 USB ports on the lower edge, along with a single LED light, about as bright as most cheap keyring LED lights. Two unlabeled LEDs on the top indicate charge status and power. The single button toggles between LED, LED and USB, USB, and off. Some reviewers claim that it only stays on for 10 minutes at a time- mine did not do this, maybe it does it when the unit’s charge is low?

Charging lights on the EVO and Enercell, and the 'flashlight' on.

I wanted something like this to toss in my gear bag to help with the battery of my HTC EVO smartphone. My battery use is generally OK but there have been a couple of times I have been unpleasantly surprised by a low battery, so a battery-powered charger seemed a good choice. This particular model was available at my local Shack, although I was hoping to score an iGo model I will touch on a bit later.

When my EVO was blinking a red ‘recharge now’ message, I hooked it up with a retractable USB to micro-USB cord (from eBay) and was happy to see that it was taking the charge nicely. About 15 minutes later, it was at about a 60% charge- not bad at all. When I was at a wall outlet, I was able to just plug the unit in and it charged the EVO and charger up nicely.

I do like this unit, but the iGo Charge Anywhere is a bit smaller with an 1800mAh battery. It has the same base price, but is often on sale, and is available through the Shack as well- Since Enercell is a Shack store brand, this is odd, but that’s the way the Shack does things.

Ever since going to a good smart phone, I find myself using the laptop or netbook less and less with the result that my gearbag is getting smaller and lighter. A unit like this, with the proper retractable USB cord, is a smart addition to my kit.

Filed in categories: Gear, Travel Gear

Tagged: Adapter, Battery, USB

Enercell 2-in-1 Battery and AC Adapter Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 18, 2010 at 12:17 pm.

The purpose of the Headset Buddy ($9.95 to $14.95 available from Webko)  ) is a little hard to conceptualize or appreciate at first glance.  In fact it is rather a niche type of product.  For those of us who a) do not enjoy clutter; b) do not particularly care about Blue Tooth (gasp); and c) appreciate gadgets that make ones life easier even though they are not glamorous (the gadgets that is), this is indeed a nice buddy to have.

The main idea behind the products is to allow you to either a) use your telephone headset with your PC [which is what I’m doing right now with my “Phone Headset-to-PC Buddy”] or use your fancy gaming or Skype PC headset with your phone.  So if you have a favorite head phone set (say noise-canceling or super comfortable) you can pair it up with a headset buddy and save a little space.  Neat. Concise. Useful.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Desktop Computer Gear, News

Tagged: Adapter, Spotlight Gadgets

Headset Buddy – Weird Name, Neat Idea originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 21, 2009 at 4:05 pm.

If you have ever had a multi-monitor setup you know the added productivity it can provide.   The Diamond USB Display Adapter is a simple device that allows you to add an additional monitor using a spare USB port.  The adapter is basically a portable video card that works with your Mac or PC. The Diamond USB Adapter provides a portable solution for setting up multiple monitors, particularly ideal for laptop setups.

Traditionally, in order to support two monitors you would need a video card with two outputs or two video cards, which can be expensive and especially hard to do on a laptop.  The Diamond adapter provides a solution in a far simpler form.

In the box:

-  Diamond USB Display Adaptor
- Mini USB to Standard USB cable
- DVI to VGA adapter
- Quick Start Guide
- Installation CD

It is important to note what is not included, as you may need one or more of the following to complete the setup. You will not find the following in the box: Monitor cables, DVI cable, MAC drivers (see link below), and HDMI converter/cable.

Installation on a Windows system is straight forward.  The installation CD includes all the Windows’ drivers you will need.  The adapter connects to the computer’s USB using a mini USB cable. If your monitor or LCD screen does not support DVI, the adapter comes with a DVI to VGA adapter. Unfortunately, no HDMI adapter is provided.

Once the drivers are loaded and the device is wired up, it is pretty much plug and play and can handle hot plug in and out. You may need to adjust the screen settings on the second monitor in order to maximize viewing. On a LCD TV the best way to do this is via the TV menu’s auto adjust feature.

On Windows, the software will install an icon in your taskbar to give easy access to configuration settings. There are two modes: Mirror and Expand. Mirror mode duplicates your screen on to the second monitor whereas Expand mode expands your desktop to the second screen. Expand up, down, left or right. Aspect ratios may prevent different screens from lining up completely flush, as shown in the screen capture below.

The tool bar will not expand to the second screen. However, Ultamon (only for Windows) provides some great software to maximize the multi-monitor experience including extra taskbars in each screen, windows management, shortcuts, display profiles, desktop wallpaper span, and screen saver spanning.

While Windows set up was pretty simple, Mac setup proved to be a little trickier. Diamond does not include the drivers for the Mac on the CD.  I called up Diamond support and they instructed me to download the Mac driver from DisplayLink from here: http://www.displaylink.com/support/mac_downloads.html

This could have been helpful information to include in the Quick Start Guide or anywhere, especially since the box and all the marketing information tout the fact they support Apple OS X. I did find the fine print on a product spec sheet from Diamond’s website but that was about all.  To Diamond’s benefit, their phone support was helpful.

The adapter can work on Apple OS X systems. I ran mine on a MacBook Pro. If you use hot corners on your Mac the Expand mode will stretch them to the corners of your expanded screen.  The display menu from the system preference is where to select the direction of the expand or mirror mode.

Each adapter supports only one additional display. Therefore, if you want to add another monitor, you will have to purchase another USB Display Adapter.  Windows systems can support up to 6 monitor and Mac can support 4.

Diamond also sells a lower version of the adapter under BVU160.  What is the difference between Diamond’s BVU195 and BVU160? The BVU195 provides a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1200 and 2048 x 1152 (wide) whereas the BVU160 provides 1600 x 1200 and 1680 x 1050 (wide).  If your second screen is an LCD TV then the BVU195 could be a better buy if you want to maximize quality (e.g., movies, DVDs), but if you have a standard monitor then you may be better off going with the BVU160.  The price difference is 10 bucks.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Desktop Computer Gear, Laptops and Gear

Tagged: Adapter, USB, Video card

Diamond USB Display Adapter Pro Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 24, 2009 at 7:27 am.

The Mvix claims that their new Nubbin USB Wireless-N adapter is the world’s smallest. The price is pretty small too. It’s only $39.

Filed in categories: Wireless

Tagged: Adapter, WiFi

Don’t swallow the Mvix Nubbin WiFi adapter originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 4, 2009 at 7:18 am.

This 2.5 inch enclosure from Sans Digital allows you to replace a 2.5 inch SATA drive in a laptop with a solid state drive. Just pop in a compact flash card (up to 32GB) and you’re all set to enjoy the benefit of a system with less heat, less power consumption, noiseless and shock resistant.

Filed in categories: Uncategorized

Tagged: Adapter, Spotlight Gadgets

Make your own solid state drive with a CF card originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 22, 2009 at 11:14 am.

Did you recently purchase the latest and greatest iPod Shuffle and wished you had a slightly more elegant way to charge  / sync it with your computer? Dexim has come to the rescue with the Shu-Lip. The Shu-Lip is a small adapter that replaces the USB cable that shipped with your Shuffle. Let’s test it. The packaging says that it Turns your new iPod Shuffle into the thumb driver. I think they meant thumb drive, AKA USB flash drive…

It’s a small adapter with a USB connector on one end and a 3.5mm plug on the other end. The body is made of aluminum that matches the Silver Shuffle. Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be a Black version of the Shu-Lip, so it doesn’t quite look all that great with my Shuffle.

Using it is pretty straight forward. Just plug it into the 3.5 mm jack on the Shuffle and then plug it into an open USB port on your computer.

On the back of the adapter is a lame looking sticker with a serial number or model number. It’s been attached with really goopy glue, so removing it is a hassle. Below the sticker is what I thought appeared to be an LED. But it doesn’t light up when plugged in or when accessing data on the Shuffle. So I think it might just be where the plastic part of the adapter snaps into the aluminum shell.

This adapter doesn’t provide any additional features over and above what the short USB cable included with the Shuffle gives you. It allows you to charge through your computer, sync music via iTunes and also copy files to and from the Shuffle like any other flash drive. The only advantage is its size. There are two disadvantages to it though… The adapter covers the Shuffle’s status LED, so that you can’t see if the battery has finished charging. You can swivel the Shuffle on the jack to view it though… The main disadvantage is the price. $10 is ummm… crazy for this little adapter. I mean you can find similar looking adapters for the previous version of the Shuffle for as little as $1.57 (DealExtreme)! Before you go there and order one for this new Shuffle, don’t. Apparently there is something different with the new Shuffle that keeps it from being compatible. <sigh>

The Dexim Shu-Lip iPod Shuffle Charge & Sync adapter performs as expected, but in my opinion, I’d save your money and continue using the cable Apple included with your player. At least till they are available for less than $2 on DealExtreme

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear

Tagged: Adapter, iPod shuffle

Dexim Shu-Lip iPod Shuffle Charge & Sync Adapter Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 20, 2009 at 5:00 am.

If you’re looking for an easy way to enjoy the music, photos and videos on your iPod through your television, then DLO’s HomeDock Deluxe is a solution that you should definitely consider. With this product, you don’t need a network connection, PC or Mac. You just need a television with good old RCA composite inputs (if it has S-Video, it can use that too).

I’ve reviewed a few different products like this one (Kensington Entertainment Dock 500, Marware’s iPod Dock with Remote and Keyspan TuneView for iPod), and each time I came away with the same set of complaints. #1, no on-screen navigation menu and/or #2, they wouldn’t allow me to play music on the iPod through my TV. The HomeDock Deluxe claims to fix both of these issues, so I was anxious to test it out.

Package Contents

HomeDock Deluxe Dock
iPod support stand
User manual
DLO sticker
Postcard for 12 free issues of RollingStone magazine
Card with 35 free MP3s from eMusic.com
Remote control
Composite cable
S-Video cable
AC Adapter

I automatically give DLO extra credit for including an S-Video cable in the package. I think their product might be the first video product I’ve reviewed to actually have that cable included. Thanks DLO! Everything you need to connect to most current television sets is included with the HomeDock.

The dock is a light weight (a little too light…) plastic base that has the familiar iPod docking connector on top. On the front face there is an IR window for the included remote control and next to it is a small power indicator LED.

All the A/V connections can be found on the back side. From Left to Right you see S-Video, Composite Audio and Video, AC and a USB port. The HomeDock can be used as an iPod dock for your PC or Mac by using the USB connector and a USB A-to-B cable (not included).

The Left side of the HomeDock has a Aux Input. So you can use it to pipe audio from another device into your TV.

If you look down on the dock, you’ll notice a thumb screw. It holds the adjustable support stand in place.

Take out the screw and set the support in the indention, put the screw back and volia…

The support slides back and forward to accommodate iPods as thin as the nano or as thick as a iPod video.

Next to the dock connector, there’s a slot that you can use to keep the remote in while it’s not in use. An added benefit of the HomeDock is that it charges the iPod while it’s docked. Even when the dock itself is not powered up.

The remote is the nicest one I’ve seen for a product like this. It has real buttons (rubber) with good tactile feedback. It is powered by a 3V, type CR2032 coin cell.

It’s a great size and has a nice heft to it. Too bad the buttons aren’t backlit though.

Hooking the HomeDock Deluxe to your television shouldn’t take you more than a minute or two… unless you have to get behind your TV to find unused inputs first. Lucky for me, I have a set of inputs on the front panel of my rear projection TV.

Pressing the little power button on the remote turns on the dock and places you at the root of the menu system. As you can see, you can play Music, Videos and two types of playlists.

The navigation system should feel familiar as it is pretty much identical to what you’re used to on the iPod itself. Music is separated into Playlists, Artists, Albums, Songs, Genres, Composers, Audiobooks and Podcasts.

Scrolling through a large library can take awhile. Holding down the up / down button will quicken the scrolling, but it’s not near as nice/quick as on the iPod itself.

Using the HomeDock to play music through your TV is worth the pain of scrolling through the lists though as the sound quality is quite nice and just having the ability to play anything in your library is great.

You can customize what you see on the TV while music is playing. There are several screensavers available.

Two such screensavers can be seen above. I’ll have to say that all but the most basic ones tend to annoy me as they are gaudy and weird…

Speaking of customization, you can also change the color of the menu system if you so desire.

I like Black, but there’s also a whole rainbow of color options (12 in total) that you can choose from.

Playing video through the HomeDock yielded the same results as all the other iPod-through-your-TV products that I’ve reviewed so far. The video quality is ok. It’s not going to knock your socks off. How could it when the best connection scheme offered is RCA / S-Video. It’s probably on par with VCR quality. I’d like to see an HDMI version of the HomeDock sometime in the future. )

Ok, you can play Music and Videos through your TV using the HomeDock. But what about viewing your Photo slide shows? That feature is available too, but unfortunately a GUI interface to do so is not offered in the HomeDock menus. To view your photos, you have to press the little mode button on the remote to toggle into iPod mode. At that point, you have navigate to the Photo slideshow feature directly on the iPod and start it there. I find it a little odd that there isn’t a way to allow interactivity through the HomeDock for this feature… FYI: photo playback is not supported with iPod nanos.

The photos look good on a TV though…

One last feature I want to tell you about is the on-the-fly playlist which is accessed through the My Jukebox menu pick. To build a playlist, you just navigate to a song and hold down the Enter button on the remote until the status bar blinks. That song is now in your playlist. It’s important to note that the My Jukebox playlist is not saved though. It will be lost if the iPod is disconnected or power is toggled on the HomeDock.

All in all, I have enjoyed testing DLO’s HomeDock. It is easy to setup and easy to use. Improvements that I would like to see in future versions would be photo slideshows integrated into the menu system and faster remote response. As is, this is a good product for those of you that want to output your iPod media to a TV in an easy and convenient way.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear

Tagged: Adapter, iPod

DLO HomeDock Deluxe originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 11, 2007 at 6:30 pm.

I ran into the folks at DLO (Digital Lifestyle Outfitters) while I was attending CES earlier this year. If you are not familiar with DLO, they sell a wide variety of iPod gear. I came away from the CES party with a nifty little trinket: a PowerBug for the iPod shuffle.

The 2nd generation shuffle ships with a small USB dock, but it isn’t very convenient to use for travel because you need a computer with a USB port in order to use it. The DLO PowerBug offers a nifty little solution that solves that problem.

You get a small AC adapter with fold out prongs, a USB cable that has one end that plugs into the adapter and one end that plugs into the shuffle, and a coupon for 12 free Rolling Stone magazine issues. Yeah, I don’t really understand the Rolling Stone thing either, but oh well…

The AC adapter isn’t that much bigger than the shuffle. It’s made of White plastic with a small Green LED on the front that lights up when the adapter is plugged into an outlet.

I like the adapter because it has prongs that fold down when it not in use, making it easier to pack in a gear bag. There is also a female USB connector built into the base of the adapter. This is where you plug in the included USB cable. You can also plug the 1st generation shuffle directly into this connector to charge it.

To charge the 2nd gen shuffle, you just connect the included USB cable to the AC adapter and shuffle as shown in the image above. You can also use the USB cable by itself to charge and sync with a computer.

The AC adapter can charge other iPods as well. Just plug any iPod 30pin USB cable to the adapter and you’re good to go. Actually, you should be able use this adapter to charge most other devices that can be charged via USB cables. The specs for the adapter are:
Input: 100-240VAC, 50/60Hz, 1.0A. Output: 5VDC, 500mA.

The DLO PowerBug is a useful accessory for travelers to charge their 2nd gen shuffle, iPods and other devices, while keeping a small footprint in your gear bag.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear

Tagged: Adapter, iPod

DLO PowerBug for iPod shuffle originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 19, 2007 at 5:16 pm.

Last month I purchased a 2006 Mazda 3 5 door, which I’m totally enjoying. It is my first new vehicle in 15yrs. Yes it’s true that I’ve been driving the same little Red pickup truck (1991 GMC Sonoma) for the last decade and a half. There’s something to be said for no car payments )

So anyway, I was really looking forward to this new car having a much better radio than the junko Delco in the Sonoma. Unfortunately, the stock head unit in the Mazda turned out to be a little disappointing. It lacks an Auxiliary Audio Input, so that means no optimal way to play an iPod through the speakers. I tried several iPod powered FM transmitters, but struck out there too. Unlike in my truck, the sound quality using one was horrible. Also, the location of the cigarette lighter adapter ruled out using the TransPod, which worked wonderfully in the truck.

A little research turned up a third party add-on for my radio from Sylfex that would equip it with an Aux Audio Input. Once that was installed, I was able to plug a 3.5mm stereo jack into the headphone jack of the iPod and route music through the car stereo. Yay! Only problem was that I wasn’t completely happy with the sound AND I had to turn the volume high on both the iPod and the stereo in order to get the adequate volume from the car speakers. Boo! Luckily for me, I googled around for another solution and found one… Sometimes it is the littlest things that can make me the happiest. My latest nugget of gadgety goodness is the PocketDock from SendStation. Available in 4 versions, this module plugs into the bottom of any Apple iPod with a dock connector, to give it a Line-Level Output.

The PocketDock is 1.375 x 1.031 inches in size and weighs a scant .4oz./10g.

Included with the purchase are 2 cables. One 6ft 3.5mm – stereo RCA cable and one 6ft 3.5mm – 3.5mm cable. A small little cap for the dock connector is also included, if you care to put the PocketDock on your keychain.

I purchased the LineOut Firewire PocketDock ($29.95). Also available are:

LineOut USB PocketDock ($29.95)
USB / Firewire PocketDock ($22.95)
Firewire PocketDock ($14.95)

I didn’t really care about the USB or Firewire connector, I just wanted the Line Out. For those of you that are interested in connectivity / charging with a computer, you’ll need either a 6 pin Firewire cable, or a standard full sized USB cable. Personally, I don’t understand why the USB version doesn’t use a mini USB connector instead of the full size. I know I have a Blue million mini cables crowding my junk drawers, but I would be hard pressed to find a full size cable.

To use the PocketDock, you just plug it into the bottom of your iPod. I use mine with my 5th generation 60gb Video iPod. Then I plug in the 3.5mm stereo cable running from the Aux input of my car stereo, and I’m ready to play my tunes. Using this adapter, I no longer have to adjust the volume on the iPod itself. Actually, doing so has no effect at all on the sound from the stereo. Only changing the volume on the car stereo will effect the sound. And speaking of the sound, it is EXCELLENT. Much much much better than using the iPod’s headphone jack.

The PocketDock from SendStation has made every ride in my car a more enjoyable experience. If you’ve been using an FM transmitter, or your vehicle’s audio input by way of the headphone jack, you really owe it to yourself and your ears to try this little module. Good things do come in small packages.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear

Tagged: Adapter, iPod

SendStation PocketDock originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 13, 2006 at 6:24 pm.