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Switching to a new computer can be difficult, and the process is only exacerbated cross-platform when you need to migrate your data from XP or Vista to OS X. Belkin has responded to the hassle with their Switch-to-Mac Cable, a USB to USB dongle that comes with software tools to automate the transition.
The concept of "checkpoint friendly" laptop bags have been around for a couple months—with Solo and Mobile Edge leading the charge—but Belkin's now getting in the action with their own FluThru Laptop Case. Their version will run you $US59, complete with "minimal metal zippers", 15.4-inch laptop capacity and notebook isolation for easier screening. Not having to take out your machine so screeners can drop them onto the concrete is definitely worth $US59, unless you want an excuse to buy a new laptop. [Belkin]
Announced at CES 2008, the wireless HDMI streaming Belkin Flywire was supposed to be market-ready by CES 2009. But unfortunately, Belkin has delayed the release until April at the earliest. In the meantime, we're thankful that HDMI is already just a one-cord affair.
The Gadget: A semi-solid cushion for your laptop that separates hot aluminium from fleshy thighs, plus has a small space to store random things (like your charger).
Belkin has unveiled several solutions that'll help keep laptop people like me from burning our tender flesh. Come this October, the bunch of us that adamantly refuse to work from an actual desk can choose between the US$64.99 CushTop Hideaway, which doubles as a laptop storage case, or the US$39.99 Laptop Cooling Lounge, which uses a fan to divert heat from the body. Having used the smell of searing leg meat as a sign that I've been tethered to my computer too long, I guess I'll now have to find other ways to convince myself to get off the couch. [Belkin via Notcot]
Your house is wired for networking and you probably don't even know it. Wires are wires, and the ones that give you power outlets every six feet aren't much differen than the ones connecting your modem to your network. They're already in the walls and can carry data as well as power, so think about using this Belkin Ethernet-to-powerline conversion hub to let you utilise the wiring you already have, converting the digital signals from up to three devices and transferring it through your house via a "powernet" to other devices.
The BreakFree is Belkin's fix for crazy rockers who can't get through a set without ripping up their amp or guitar's cord jack by flailing around too much. One part of the US$20 two-piece kit fits in the axe's cord jack, while the other goes to the cord itself, and you can rock safe knowing that if you make any wild moves the plugs—which don't degrade sound quality—will snap apart without ruining your gear, a la Apple's MagSafe MacBook cable. Super extreme rockers can get another pack to use for the amp as well, but if you're that wacky on stage, you should probably just go wireless. Out in September, press release after the jump.
Many portable media players have audio recorders built in so you can record audio directly to them. The iPod does not. Interested in adding that feature? Say hello to Belkin's crazy, US$120 solution to this problem: the GoStudio (initially announced as the Podcast Studio. Essentially, it adds an audio-in to your iPod, but it also has a speaker for playing your awkward voice notes back, dual-XLR microphone inputs and a bunch of knobs and stuff for tweaking your recordings. And even though it's expensive and looks all professional, it only records in 16 bit, and we all know that true audio nerds demand 24 bit. It's mucho overkill for people who just want to make voice notes, but if you want to record your band's demo directly to your iPod for some reason this could work for you.
We first saw Belkin's slick-looking wireless HDMI kit at CES, when it was due in September for about $US600. Now dubbed FlyWire (nice and catchy!), they've got two initial entries: FlyWire will shoot full 1080p goodness using the 5GHz band to anywhere in your house, walls be damned, for $US999. Plus, it has an IR backchannel for controlling hidden AV devices. Or FlyWire R1 gets you in-room wireless for $US699.99.
In Belkin's new line of iPhone 3G cases, their standout has to be this webbed Micro Grip. Rubberised and poked with holes in all the necessary places, we're not so sure it's our cup of tea, but we can't take our eyes off it either. Still, one thing's for sure—somewhere in Cupertino, Jonathan Ive is writing one sad LiveJournal entry about how he can "now never see SpiderMan 4" but at least "possibly enjoy Iron Man 2." [Belkin's iPhone 3G cases and just for reference Griffin's iPhone 3G cases]
