Buffalo USB 2 Portable Laptop Speakers
Most small portable laptop speakers like the ones from Creative require a stack of AA batteries. Rarely is the portable speaker set made for travelling that does not require an internal power source.
Buffalo has introduced a slim pair of speakers that are powered by the USB ports on your laptop. The sound specs seem rather dubious but if your laptop speakers are truly atrocious this may be a step up without taking too much bulk in the carry on.
If you are staying in a vacation spot for a long time without a stereo this may be your only option.
Portable USB 2 Flash Drives for Travellers from OCZ
OCZ is a memory manufacturer best know for their high end computers memory products for workstations, servers and laptops. OCZ also makes a couple of USB 2 flash drives perfectly suited for travel.
The OCZ Ultra Slim Mini Kart USB 2 flash drive is a marvelously thin 0.11 inch (2.8mm) that can fit in your wallet like a credit card. Available in 512mb, 1gb and 2gb capacities.
“The Mini-Kart housing is 2.8mm thick, making this compact unit small enough to store in your wallet, ensuring that it is always handy to access or transfer documents, music, pictures and videos from your home or work computer. As a result of the incredibly thin Mini-Kart usb flash drive profile you’ll never have to unplug surrounding USB ports to make room, a common problem with many oversized competitor drives. The Mini-Kart has a highly durable USB connector that is designed to be exposed without any issues. “
The just introduced Roadster USB 2 flash drive is a flip top design with a full size USB flash connector and appears more rugged than the open design of the Mini Kart. The OCZ Roadster is only available in a 1gb size for the moment.
Both come with a 3 year warranty.
Targus Mini Travel USB 2 Hub-Small Travel USB Hub
I’m a big fan of the other Targus Travel USB hub even though this little number is even smaller.
The Ultra Mini USB hub certainly fills all the criteria for a travel hub, small (natch), 4 ports, no AC power adapter, built in cable.
The only problem I have with it is the dangling cord. It is a personal preference but I like gear that are enclosed without any dangling bits, external cables tend to catch on luggage, zippers or other gear. Perhaps I am just clumsy or a bad packer.
Someone who is careful or wraps the cord around the unit with a rubber band may find this unit an excellent solution. It’s tiny!
The price is $19.99 US