USB 3.0 is just around the corner (kind of), and the first computer hardware manufacturers are getting ready to deliver products supporting the new standard (even though there were some backlashes along the way). Last month, Asus announced the world’s first USB 3.0 + SATA 6.0 PCI-E card. In May, NEC said they’re going to release the first USB 3.0 host controller.

And now Japanese computer hardware company Buffalo has announced [JP] the world’s first 12x Blu-ray burner, which supports USB 3.0 on top of that. The BR-X1216U3 is backward compatible with USB 2.0 but will burn your Blu-rays with “just” 7x speed in that case. You can only use it with a Windows machine (XP/Vista/7).

But actually there are no Blu-ray discs which could be used with a 12x burner and no USB 3.0-equipped computers out there at this point, but Japan is known to be a tad quicker than the rest of the tech world sometimes.

Buffalo says they will roll out the burner at the beginning of next month. Japanese street price: $460. The company hasn’t said anything yet about international sales.

Tokyo-based Cube Works, whose products regularly find their way outside Japan (example: the humping USB dog), has announced a mini Yoda figure (the little green guy from Star Wars) that you connect to your computer’s USB port. The power is needed to make Yoda’s cheeks blush and illuminate his light saber.

The mini Yoda requires Windows (XP or Vista), comes with an installation CD for some reason and runs only on computers with a 1GHZ Intel Pentium processor or better.

The figure is Japan-only, but you can pre-order it over at Geek Stuff 4 U for $65.52 plus shipping (leading time: end of next month).

Via Akihabara News

Go ahead and take that second helping of bacon-broasted mashed potatoes and high-fat gravy this Thursday, friends, because even if your tummy gets big and round like a steamed black bean bun, there’s an app for that.

Fitness apps for all!
iPhone fitness apps have come a long way since Nike+iPod. The addition of GPS opened entirely new vistas for running and biking enthusiasts and the iPhone’s video and audio capabilities made it fun to use the iPhone in the gym. Here are a few of my favorites.

PumpOne FitnessBuilder

FitnessBuilder offers [$9.99] 500 little workouts for you and allows you to stick to them by forcing you to record and possibly report them to friends when you’re done. You open the app, select a work out – there are a number of sets for various workouts including shorter sets for busy folks – and then you can record your reps and weight for posterity.

If you’re ripped like me you don’t need all 5,000 of the pictures and videos then you can just use the app to figure out what to do between hits of Muscle Milk. However, if you need some help in the gym this is definitely the way to go. One of my favorites and well worth the investment.

iFitness

iFitness [$1.99] is one of the first workout programs for the
iPhone and includes a method for creating your own workouts as well as a list of ready-made workouts for the lazy.

The app is less visually attractive than FitBuilder but it is considerably cheaper than the PumpOne offering.

Trimble AllSport GPS

Do you like to do all sorts of things? Running? Dancing? Hiking? Hang-gliding? Space walking? The Trimble AllSport GPS [$4.99] has you covered. The app allows you to select multiple activities including hiking, biking, skiing, and even driving. When you start a run it will map your exercise as you go and even allows for basic music control inside the app.

RunKeeper Pro

RunKeeper Pro is one of the first apps to use the iPhone’s GPS capabilities to track your runs. To use it, you start it up and press start. Then you run or bike. That’s it. You can then view your workouts online and share your runs with friends.

The app comes in two versions, Free and Pro [$9.99] and the Pro version includes voice prompts as well as photo and status updates from the road. The Pro version also allows you to set a special iPod playlist for your workout.

My Therapy Exercise

My Therapy Exercise [$19.99] might not be for everyone but it is an interesting addition to the fitness canon. The app includes 170 exercises for folks who may need to take things a bit slower due to injuries or illness. The system allows you to work on your therapy exercises at home and then email a trainer or doctor tour results.

It’s a bit pricey but it’s a very specific tool for a very specific purpose.

ChromeOS may not be powerful, it may not play Far Cry and it may not run Microsoft Office but it’s a game changer. The underpowered laptops that limped along under Vista, XP, or 7 will fly under a new ChromeOS regime and thin-and-light laptops will fall below the vaunted $199 mark as the so-called “Microsoft Tax” – basically the small cost manufacturers pay for OEM licenses – disappears.

I’ve been saying for most of this year that Android will replace Windows Mobile as the “default” smartphone operating system. Thus far, if a manufacturer didn’t have their own OS or wasn’t in bed with a certain provider, they chose Windows Mobile. That operating system is still popular with a certain subset of user, namely users with lazy IT departments or computer owners cursed with the inability to download and install odd syncing software. Android will change all that.

The same will come to pass for lower-end hardware solutions, solutions where Windows or Windows CE were once standard.

My prediction is this: netbooks, as we know them, will come with ChromeOS as a boot option. Ultrathin laptops (think the Dell Adamo or the HP Envy 13) will come with Windows 7. Netbook configuration, then, will consist of entering your IMAP and SMTP info, a few social media credentials, and maybe uploading a picture of your dog as a background image. The rest – installing apps, buying games (other than Android/ChromeOS games), and running Microsoft Office – will be gone, thrust into the cloud.

I’m usually a pessimist. I’m not when it comes to something like ChromeOS. This is just what Asian OEMs are looking for – a respected software stack for their underpowered hardware.

Woot.com has a pretty good deal on the refurbished 11.6-inch Gateway LT3103 for $280. This machine opts for an AMD processor over an Intel Atom, so you’ll get a little extra oomph while giving up a couple hours of battery life.

Features:

• AMD Athlon 64 L110 CPU at 1.2GHz
• 11.6-inch LED-backlit screen at 1366×768
• ATI Radeon X1270 graphics
• Windows Vista Home Basic
• 2GB DDR2 SDRAM
• 250GB SATA hard drive
• Six-cell battery (up to 5 hours), three USB ports, VGA out
• Dimensions: 11.26” x 7.99” x 1.03” and 3.04 pounds

Since this is a refurbished machine, you’ll unfortunately lose out on the free Vista to Windows 7 upgrade. There’s a 90-day Gateway warranty included.

Gateway 11.6-inch Netbook [Woot.com]

PCR-Online interview,

One of the things that people say an awful lot about the Apple Mac is that the OS is fantastic, that it’s very graphical and easy to use. What we’ve tried to do with Windows 7 – whether it’s traditional format or in a touch format – is create a Mac look and feel in terms of graphics. We’ve significantly improved the graphical user interface, but it’s built on that very stable core Vista technology, which is far more stable than the current Mac platform, for instance.

I’m thinking that last sentence could be debated seeing as OS X is built on top of Unix, but whatever. Windows 7 works great and that’s all I really care about.

[image via arstechnica]

Tokyo-based gadget maker OTAS is selling sunglasses [JP] that feature, for some reason, a built-in video camera and MP3 player. The so-called aigo glasses come with a 1.3 megapixel camera, a music player that supports MP3 and WMA files, 4 GB of internal memory, and a USB 2.0 port.

OTAS says the internal memory is enough to store up to 10,000 songs. You can shoot pictures (in JPEG format) in 1,280×1,024 and videos (in AVI format) in 640×480 resolution and at 12fps. The sunglasses weigh 52 grams and support Windows XP/Vista/7.

You can get them over at import specialist Geek Stuff 4 U for $220.78 plus shipping.

Look away, pretty netbook lady. Observe the world around you. I have a feeling that once you do, you may wonder how you ever let your life become about smart tweed jackets, tightly-pulled hairstyles, and monthly mobile data plans for the netbook that seems permanently attached to your delicate hand.

Take a step back from it all, pretty netbook lady. You don’t need to completely give up your corporate lifestyle, but it’s time for you to LIVE! damn it. LIVE! And in order for you to be able to immerse yourself back into the corporate world from time to time, Verizon now offers pre-paid wireless data plans for casual use.

Available in daily, weekly, and monthly increments, the plans aren’t cheap by any means. You’ll get 75MB for $15 (daily), $30 for 250MB (weekly), or 500MB for $50 (monthly) and Verizon will begin rolling out the service on November 15th, packaged with a USB modem for $130. You can afford it, pretty netbook lady. You can afford it.

Full press release:

Reliability Meets Flexibility With Prepaid Plans for Verizon Wireless’ Mobile Broadband Service

Customers Can Choose From Daily, Weekly or Monthly High-Speed Internet

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Nov. 5 /PRNewswire/ – Verizon Wireless today announced three new Mobile Broadband plans that will be added to the company’s Prepaid portfolio. Customers will be able to get speed when they need it on the Verizon Wireless 3G network with pay-as-you-go plans for daily, weekly or monthly access. The new Prepaid options are ideal for those who need access for occasional or seasonal use whether on vacation, enjoying a weekend getaway or for students away at school. Verizon Wireless gives customers the following service options:

• Daily – $15 for 75 MB
• Weekly – $30 for 250 MB
• Monthly – $50 for 500 MB

Prepaid Mobile Broadband will be sold in a convenient grab-and-go package with the Verizon Wireless USB760 modem for $129.99. The USB760 comes with a high-performance internal antenna, removable memory of up to 8 GB and support for Windows® 2000, XP, Vista and Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) or 10.5 (Leopard) or Linux. Prepaid Mobile Broadband will be available in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores beginning Nov. 15 and at select national retailers beginning Nov. 20.

Remember when the first VAIO P came out and everyone was like, “I can’t believe it has Vista! That angers me! I am currently outraged!” – something along those lines? Well now it has Windows 7 and comes in four different models ranging in price from $850 to $1900.

The base model features a 1.33GHz Atom CPU, Windows 7 Home Premium, 2GB of RAM, and an 80GB 4200RPM hard drive for $850. Then there’s a model for $1000 that features a 1.6GHz CPU and 64GB SSD, followed by a $1500 model with a 1.86GHz CPU and 128GB SSD. The top of the line offering features Windows 7 Professional, a 2GHz CPU, and 256GB SSD for $1900.

VAIO P Series Lifestyle Notebooks [Sony via Electronista]

So what kind of gain is Redmond looking at? Round-about a 1% increase in October. Now before you put your flaming hats on, Mac-lovers, that’s a 1% absolute increase, meaning that the percentage of computers running 7 in the world went from 1.75% to 2.82%. That’s a pretty significant gain, though I admit it is ripe for mockery by the ignorant.

The 1% gain, indicated by statistics collected by StatCounter, is accompanied by a 1.2% drop in Vista and .5% drop in XP installs. It’s worth considering that since these are based on computers browsing around the internet, a lot of business PCs and servers are probably left out of the count — though they too will take a while to ramp up as IT departments figure out just how they want to go about it.

OS X gained half a point during October too, so they’re not standing still either. 7 represents a bigger threat than the divided XP/Vista front. In a year that 2.82% will probably have the decimal point moved right one place, and its user-friendly features and critically-acclaimed status may actually put a bit of pressure on Cupertino. We’ll soon see, though.

Gather round, everyone. Gather round. I’m going to show you a trick that 98% of you will never use. But for the 2% of you that actually use the information contained herein, I hope you’ll consider removing at least part of the CrunchGear staff from your “People to Punch” list.

Why?

If you’re like me, you have multiple computers scattered about your house — not because you need them but because every time you get a new computer, you can’t bear the thought of getting rid of the one before it. And every once in awhile you want to access one of your old computers, but not nearly often enough to keep it hooked up to a monitor, mouse, and keyboard all the time.

Windows’ built-in Remote Desktop Connection software makes it easy to access all of your old computers from your new computer but, traditionally, the old computers that you want to access need to have user accounts with passwords for security’s sake.

This presents a problem when one of the old computers that you use for, say, some auto-start task either gets rebooted automatically because of a Windows update or the power goes out or whatever. In my case, I have an old computer I use as a TiVo Desktop Plus server. When the computer gets rebooted, the TiVo server doesn’t start back up until someone logs in with the correct username and password. This can, of course, be done via Remote Desktop Connection from my main computer but I wanted to just be able to reboot the machine all the way into Windows with no password so everything starts humming along automatically.

Like I said, only 2% of you will use this trick. But here it is.

How to Allow Remote Desktop Connections with Blank Passwords (Easy)

This is the easy way, but it requires that your target computer is running a big-boy version of Windows XP, Vista, or 7 – namely Professional or Ultimate. If your target computer is running a Home or Premium version, skip to the next section.

For Vista or 7, click Start then type gpedit.msc into the search box. For XP, click Start then Run, then type gpedit.msc into the Run box.

That’ll open the Local Group Policy Editor. Drill down through the menu like so: Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Options.

In the right-hand pane, double-click “Accounts: Limit local account use of blank passwords to console login only” and change it from enabled to disabled.

That’s it. Now make sure the computer’s user account isn’t password protected (Control Panel > User Accounts > Remove your password) and from now on, you’ll be able to use your new computer and Remote Desktop Connection to access this old computer without a password.

How to Allow Remote Desktop Connections with Blank Passwords (Hard)

And it now for the rest of us; the huddled masses with run-of-the-mill Windows operating systems (Home, Basic, Home Premium, and so on). Our task involves registry editing.

First, a little test. Open your registry editor. If you don’t know what that means or you don’t know how to open your registry editor, then that’s a pretty good sign that you probably shouldn’t be trying to do something like this. It’s not rocket science by any means, but I’d feel pretty bad if you messed up your computer because of this post.

If you’ve actually opened your registry editor, please navigate as follows:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SYSTEM > ControlSet001 > Control > Lsa

Find the registry key labeled “LimitBlankPasswordUse” and change the value from 1 to 0.

Then you’ll need to repeat the above steps using the following registry path as well:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SYSTEM > CurrentControlSet > Control > Lsa

Again, change the registry key “LimitBlankPasswordUse” from 1 to 0.

That it, we’re all done. Now make sure that this computer’s user account doesn’t have a password set (Control Panel > User Accounts > Remove your password). Once that’s all taken care of, you should be able to use Remote Desktop Connection from your new computer to log into this old one without a password.

Special thanks to Dan Dar3 and My Digital Life for the above info.

Following the GPS watch introduced last week, Tokyo-based USB gadget maker Thanko is selling another product that actually makes sense. The so-called AV Bank [JP] is being marketed as a versatile media player that can be used as a music player, photo frame, video player and voice recorder. And it’s relatively cheap, too.

The device has a 4.3-inch screen with 480×272 resolution (aspect ratio: 16:9). It also features 4GB of internal memory, a microSD/SDHC slot, a USB port (needless to say as this is a Thanko product), built-in mini speakers and a retractable stand (so you can use it as a digital photo frame). The AV Bank supports AVI/FLV/3GP/RM/RMVB video files, audio in MP3 and WMA and JPEGs.

The main selling point here is the price: Windows XP/Vista/7 users can get the AV Bank for $78 on Thanko’s Japanese web site.

But there’s a problem now. International buyers will have to ask other stores like Geek Stuff 4 U to get one for them since Thanko has quietly closed their English online shop, which the company operated until last week. But I understand our friends at Geek Stuff 4 U are their connection to the Non-Japanese geek world, so today really isn’t that sad a day.

It looks like MSI is getting set to launch a 12-inch Windows 7 netbook from its U200 series. You’ll recall that the company released the Vista-based U210 back in mid-September, and this new one, the U230, appears to be very similar with the exception of the newer operating system and a bumped ATI Radeon GPU.

Let’s run down the specs for good measure:

• AMD Neo X2 MV40 CPU at 1.6GHz
• Windows 7 Home Premium
• AMD Radeon HD3200
• Up to 4GB of RAM
• 12.1-inch LCD at 1366×768
• 160GB/250GB/320GB hard drive options
• 1.3-megapixel webcam
• Card reader, Ethernet, b/g/n Wi-Fi, optional Bluetooth
• VGA and HDMI output
• Three- or six-cell battery options
• Weighs 2.86 pounds with three-cell battery
• Up to four hours battery life (with three-cell battery)

No word on pricing or availability yet, but the Vista-based U210 model carries an MSRP of $429.99 so it’s likely that the U230 would settle in close to that number – maybe $449.99 or so. It’d also stand to reason that the machine would go on sale in the near future, what with all the recent Windows 7 hoopla still fresh in everyone’s minds.

Wind12 U230 [MSI Global via The Link]

Tokyo-based Thanko, famous for its plethora of USB-enabled gadgets that make no sense whatsoever, has announced a GPS-enabled watch [JP] today. And this device has a USB (2.0) port, too. It’s compatible with Windows XP and Vista.

The so-called GPS Travel Watch shows your location, can point you to your destination and is designed to work with Google Earth. This means you can switch on the GPS module in the watch before you go hiking, come back and connect it to your PC to let Google Earth display where you’ve been on a map. It’s not the prettiest watch in the world but for a Thanko product, it makes a lot of sense.

Thanko sells the watch for $190 in its Japanese online store, but Akihabara News says Geek Stuff 4 U will list it soon for everybody living outside Japan, too.

Windows 7 is your idea, friends. That’s what this new spot – along with some 7 second demos after the jump – is trying to say. It’s basically pointing out that Windows 7 is a nice, clean update. Yes, I would agree it’s a Vista Service Pack and, in a way, it’s kind of like Snow Leopard in that it changes little in the UI but improves quite a bit under the hood. But Windows 7 is Microsoft’s big product for 2010 so let’s let them have their day in the sun.

The marketing message here is quite clear: Windows 7 is all about you. After having a decade of updates thrust upon us, this new version is for you and you alone. Your laptop won’t suck, your PC won’t slow down, and you’ll get more work done, and that beautiful, handsome people want to help you make your life better.

The unit is physically indistinguishable from the rest of Bose’s stereos. CD player, AM/FM, alarm clock. But the magic happens in the provided USB key. Plug into your computer running Windows XP, Vista, or Mac OS 10.4, and you should be able to hear beautiful music coming from your Bose unit up to 60 feet away.

At the end of story, it’s pretty much just a Bluetooth-capable Bose Stereo. So don’t get too excited. But if you have $599.90, why the frak not?

Powered by Intel Core2 Duo processors, a 16:9 HD screen, HDMI and VGA outs are just some of the features. Lenovo also really hit the VoiP market hard with these. You’ve got WiFi, Ethernet, Bluetooth, and some models have 3G built in. The camera resolution is supposed to be better, but we didn’t get any specs for it, so who knows. The integrated microphone now has a dedicated mute button for when you need to cut the audio. These laptops are even EPEAT and Energy Star certified to be green. So you’ll know that you aren’t horribly destroying the planet when you buy one.

The SL series is the lowest of the ThinkPad’s but the new SL410 and SL510 are the only members to be certified under Lenovo’s Enhanced Experience program. I’m not really completely sure what that means. According to the press release, “certified PCs deliver a faster, richer and easier computing experience over identical configuration, non-optimized PCs.” So they have the same hardware, they just run better for some reason? Why not just optimize all of them?

These should hit stores tomorrow, with a starting price of $529.

Windows 7 has been a long time coming. In some ways it’s what Windows Vista was supposed to be back in 2006. It’s fast, super stable, but also clean and sleek. I love it and switch from OS X because of Windows 7. It has restored my faith in Microsoft and it feels good to be back on a Windows system after a five year hiatus. I don’t think I’m alone either.

Reviews and previews of Windows 7 have been posted ever since the first public beta in January of 2009. Everyone seems to love it. I haven’t seen or heard of any major bugs or flaws in the operating system. Microsoft nailed this one and should be proud.

Tomorrow, October 22, is the official launch date of Windows 7. Preorders are already shipping out from online retailers and I wouldn’t be surprised if the retail boxes are already on the shelves in some brick and mortar stores. In fact, TG Daily is reporting that Windows 7 has dethroned Harry Potter as Amazon’s most successful preorder item of all time. It’s clear that people want Windows 7.

But do you? Seriously, I’m asking. Do you plan on purchasing Windows 7? I’m not saying you should pay full retail for the system as there have already been a few deals for the OS including a student discount and the Signature edition found in the Windows 7 Launch Party packs landing on eBay for cheap. Or you can snag an OEM version on the cheap too if you can manage without the retail box and documentation.

But if you do have to pay full retail, at least Windows 7 rings up at a lot lower price than previous editions of Windows 7 with the most expensive Ultimate edition costing only $319, which is slightly less painful than Vista’s $399 MSRP.

That’s still a good chunk of change though. I can tell you that Windows 7 does provide a significant usability boost over Windows Vista, but besides that, even I have a hard time justify the price. I know Microsoft and Apple’s business model are totally different, but Apple wins people over when it prices new operating systems for $29 while Microsoft charges more than a cost of a netbook. Apple also doesn’t have 17 different versions of the same operating system. Its K.I.S.S. strategy obviously means hardware and software.

You already know how I feel about the OS. I’m using it right now and have enjoyed the free beta versions the entire time. I doubt anyone will actually line up at Best Buy for the chance to be the first tomorrow to purchase the OS. (Okay, maybe a few will) There’s a good chance that savvy Windows users already have the OS either through one of the beta programs or from one of those “torrent” sites I hear about occasionally…

So what’s your plan? Is your computer getting a Windows 7 upgrade sometime soon or are you still going to live in the depths of hell that is Windows Vista.