One device that is pretty hard to find in most computer hardware stores is one that allows you to take a 3G cell signal from a tower (you know that signal you pay about 60 bucks a month for) and convert it into a standard 802.11 Wifi signal that anyone you want can use.  This unit, commonly referred to as a mobile broadband router, is a good way to cut down on your cell phone data plan bill.  Also, imagine being able to carry a portable wifi halo around wherever you go.

Have you ever taken a VGA signal and tried to run it over more than 100 feet of VGA cable?  It will work sometimes, but often you will get ghost images and occasionally the signal will fail all together.  Plus, if you’re laying down that much VGA cable, I’m assuming you’re doing a full blown cable installation where you’ll need to get that cable to wrap around walls and make all kinds of twists and turns before it gets to its destination.  VGA cable is often thick and cumbersome, and if you bend it or kink it too much, you can easily damage it.  And those cables can get pretty expensive to replace.

One other solution that won’t cost you an arm and a leg now, and probably will never need to be replaced, is a VGA Cat5 extender, like the EXT-VGA-141SR from Gefen.  It basically will boost your VGA signal to ensure a clear and perfect picture, and then it will send it over Cat5 cable for hundreds of feet.  The included receiver at the other end translates it back to a standard VGA connector, also accepting UXGA and XGA.

Although HDMI’s new standard, HDMI 1.3, is already a year and a half old, we are finally beginning to see some devices to support the new standard. There aren’t really any ground breaking changes, but some audiophiles and video nuts might find it quite necessary to switch. Switching of course means that you’ll have to switch out a lot of your devices and connectivity. But if money is no object, its definitely worth while. But for those of us that actually need to constantly monitor our bank accounts, lets analyze the differences.

HDMI 1.3 has increased their single-link bandwidth to 340 MHz (10.2 Gbit/s) and optionally supports deep color, which basically means at the 48-bit level it will allow for 281 trillion colors. The other main thing that audio enthusiasts will like is optional support of Dolby high definition and/or DTS High Definition sound, which replaces the old 7 channel sound in the old HDMI standard. Automatic audio sync and the availability of a smaller connector for devices like camcorders are other perks.

So, if these changes catch your fancy, you should switch. Speaking of switching, you’ll also need a new HDMI 1.3 switch to take advantage of all the new features. I’d recommend Gefen’s EXT-HDMI1.3-441, or for home theater set-ups, take a look at a new member of Gefen’s “GefenTV” line: EXT-GEFENTV1.3-441.

Do you wish you could just take your laptop anywhere, like the beach or the park, or even in the middle of the desert while you’re on I-15 headed for Las Vegas, and access the internet?  You might have heard of 3G technology.  Its the internet signal you can get through your cell phone provider.  These plans are a little pricey.  They typically run you for about $60 a month, and its only for one user.

A good way to maximize on your monthly investment is to get the Kyocera KR2.  This router will accept your PCMCIA card, ExpressCard, or USB 3G dongle, translate the 3G signal coming from the cell towers, and make it into an 802.11n signal that any person with wifi can access and use.  The KR2 is a great way for a business team to share one data subscription and avoid paying their hotel gobs of money to rent an internet connection.

Many people would like to add an additional monitor to their PC or laptop, but simply don’t want to have to install new hardware. Now there’s an external usb to dvi product that will give you an additional DVI port by just plugging the product into your Windows-based (Mac support coming out in March 2008) computer’s available USB port. It can drive displays up to 22″ (including widescreen) and takes just minutes to install. That’s HTF technology you can’t beat!

In the previous article it was discussed how to extend USB effectively.  As stated before, USB really is an amazing and convenient protocol that has truly become universal (as its name suggests: Universal Serial Bus).  With a transfer rate maxing out at 480 mbps, why wouldn’t you want to extend it?

Another way to extend it besides the before-mentioned USB extension cable is a Cat5 extender.  Essentially it takes your USB signal, converts it to travel through a Cat5 cable for your desired length, and then converts it back into USB.  So you have a sender and a receiver, all connected by a Cat5 cable.  Try one out, we suggest the one by Gefen… the EXT-USB-2.0

Nowadays it seems like everything has a USB port: printers, mice, keyboards, scanners, hard drive enclosures, media players, the list goes on and on. Most of these components include USB cables, but often they all seem to suffer from the same problem: they’re all too short! Anyone in who’s been in a situation where the cable is just too short for what they needed will agree that the experience was ridiculously frustrating. To make matters worse, if you ever needed to carry a USB connection farther than 15 feet, you had to buy a signal booster!

Those who have been grappling with these issues can finally heave a sigh of relief as this active USB Extension Cable not only extends the cable an additional 16 feet, but includes a built in repeater, boosting the signal out an additional 16 feet as well! By integrating the booster in with the rest of the cable, it completely bypasses the need for an external booster and the hassle associated with it. End result? A neat package that answers the most common USB cable needs.

If there’s ever something that networks never seem to have enough of, it’s network cable. Even with the growing proliferation and popularity of wi-fi connectivity, you can’t match the sheer speed afforded by some good quality Cat5 network cable.

When buying this particular cable, you essentially have two options: you can purchase lots of individual patch cables and pay for shipping on each order or you can simply place one large order for bulk cat5e cable, using it as needed and storing the rest for future use. It doesn’t take an economics degree to figure out that you get more bang from your buck by purchasing in bulk.

When it comes to touch screen displays,  price has often been the limiting factor preventing businesses and individuals from purchasing them. However, as time goes on, the cost to implement this remarkable technology keeps falling, finally putting it in reach for small businesses and average consumer alike.

The touch screen monitor boasts a variety of potential applications: from businesses seeking to provide an interactive media experience through sleek kiosks or consumer terminals to individuals wanting to minimize their exposed peripherals in kitchens, workshops, or other environments where space is crucial.

Having trouble getting your data acquisition devices to interface with newer computers? The USB to GPIB lets you control all your GPIB-run devices using an available USB 1.0 or 2.0 port on your PC. The device comes with the software you need to make your new hardware talk with virtually any OS.