February 13, 10 by Daniel Foster
If you’re looking for an ergonomic trackball mouse, the Logitech Trackman [$27.97] is reliable and affordable. Unlike prior models, the Trackman uses an optical sensor instead of mechanical parts to track motion, meaning this mouse won’t wear out after heavy use and eliminating the need to clean it.
The Logitech Trackman is compatible with both PC and Mac and plugs in via your computers’ USB or PS/2 port. This product has been on the market for a long time and is well regarded for its ability to reduce wrist strain.
Buy | Amazon.com [$27.97]
February 13, 10 by Daniel Foster
Not everyone needs studio-quality sound. Available at a price everyone can afford, the Logitech S120 speakers [$11.99] are an excellent budget sound solution.
Thankfully, sacrificing price does not mean sacrificing quality. The Logitech S120 will handle all the sound needs of an average computer user, including music, movies, and games. Out of all the speakers I’ve tried, these offer the best bang for the buck. And they’re small and decent-looking to boot.
Buy | Amazon.com [$11.99]
January 14, 10 by Daniel Foster
Sick of your boring old generic keyboard? The Luxeed LED keyboard will add both functionality and fun to your computer. It has 430 customizable LEDs, each of which can be programmed to display your color of choice. Make the keys a same color, each row a different color, or any number of keys a different color! The choice is up to you.
Buy | ThinkGeek [$139.99]
January 13, 10 by Daniel Foster
Though it looks like someone took a shotgun to it, the D-Link DCM-202 cable modem [$62.59] is actually a favorite here at PC Fastlane. Your provider may have already given you a modem for hooking up to Internet, but chances are good it’s a piece of junk and you are being charging you a monthly fee to use it.
To get the most of out of your connection, you need a good quality modem. The D-Link DCM-202 is a cheap way to get faster download speeds and ease network congestion. Best of all, it will pay for itself and even save you money in lieu of renting a similar device from your cable company!
Buy | Amazon.com [$62.59]
January 13, 10 by Daniel Foster
If you’re in need of an external storage system, the Netgear ReadyNAS Duo [$249.00] is a great buy. This compact network storage solution has two drive bays and also supports RAID for peace of mind. It also works with Windows, Mac, and Linux out of the box.
Because the Netgear ReadyNAS Duo is network-based, it can be used to back up and access files from multiple computers. If you ever need to network other devices, three USB ports can be found on the back. Because drives can be added and removed at will, this thing has virtually unlimited storage. As far as external storage goes, the Ready NAS is one of the best products available.
Buy | Amazon.com [$249.00] | with 500 GB drive [$286.99] | with 1 TB drive [348.59]
January 09, 10 by Daniel Foster
The Western Digital My Book 3.0 1 TB [$149.99] is one of the first external hard drives to support the new USB 3.0 standard. Forget about firewire! The My Book 3.0 transfers data at up to 10x the rate of USB 2.0, so it will copy over movies and other large files in no time.
In case your computer isn’t already equipped for the new standard, this WD 1 TB external hard drive comes with a PCIe USB 3.0 adapter card and is backward compatible with USB 2.0. The drive is NTFS formatted and will play nice with any Windows PC out of the box.
Buy | Amazon.com [$149.99]
January 05, 10 by Daniel Foster
The Acer Aspire Revo AR1600-U910H PC [$199.99] is a nettop designed for less intensive tasks like web browsing and document editing. Inside the machine is a 1.6GHz Intel Atom 230 processor, 1 GB of RAM, a 160 GB hard drive, NVIDIA ION LE graphics, and Windows XP.
Add a monitor and you’ve got a great computer for the kids, kitchen, or even the garage. Many techies also use the AspireRevo as an HTPC or storage server. The computer is about the size of a book and produces very little heat, so it will fit fine in any room.
Buy | Amazon.com [$199.99]
January 02, 10 by Daniel Foster
The Linksys WRT54GL router [$49.99] is the device of choice for home networking. Featuring a Wireless-G access point and built-in switch for Ethernet devices, the WRT54GL is well known for its low price and reliability. Besides allowing you to share an Internet connection between multiple computers, it also has a firewall to boost security.
What really sets this wireless router apart from the crowd is its compatibility with dd-wrt, a custom Linux firmware that adds functionality only found in routers five times the price. Some of the advanced features it makes available include overclocking, IPv6, and a number of administrative services.
Even without the dd-wrt upgrade, the WRT54GL Linksys still blows all other routers in its price range out of the water. It’s a great investment for any home or small business.
Buy | Amazon.com [$49.99]
December 26, 09 by Daniel Foster
What could be better than an Apple iMac? How about an iMac with a coffee maker and sound system built right in? That’s exactly what the iMac CS is.
To build this custom setup, German modder “kiwidee” uses old iMac cases and adds some modern computing by means of an integrated Mac Mini. The front speakers are rigged to a JBL Spot sound system. And not just any coffee maker is inserted, but the hip and trendy WMF1. What else could a geek need?
Buy | Kiwidee [€xxx]
December 21, 09 by Daniel Foster
At PC Fastlane, we love hard disks as much as the next geek, but once a drive becomes obsolete, what do you do with it? Turn it into a clock, duh! A number of Etsy sellers are making hand-made clocks out of abandoned and unloved hard drives.
Most are priced under $40 and are made in the United States. Some of my favorites include this clock, this clock, and this clock. Keep in mind that sizes range based on the type of drive used (laptop or desktop) and some are meant to be wall-mounted or designed to sit on a desk.
Buy | Etsy
Photo | SugarInducedComa
