SourceCrowd.com

Even if you never used a vinyl album, barely remember VHS cassette or never troubled with audio compact cassettes, you may fall in love with these (now ancient media) and want to convert them to MP3 or whatever.

Or you may have tons of valuable albums and want to preserve that sound for eternity (or something like that).

Let’s look at three different solutions to the problem:

Ion Tape2PC USB Cassette Deck

ION has created a revolutionary USB dual cassette deck allowing you to convert your cassette collection to CD or MP3 with included recording software. (no special drivers needed).

Ion Tape2PC comes bundled with EZ Tape Converter by MixMeister, which converts your audio cassette recordings directly into iTunes.
In just a few mouse clicks, you’ll be up and running with digital versions of your tapes.
Upgrading your favorite recordings has never been easier.

Audio Technica AT-LP2DUSB LP-to-Digital Recording System with USB

Audio-Technica makes it easier than ever to transfer your albums to the digital realm with this new Audio Technica AT-LP2DUSB LP-to-Digital Recording System with USB.

The AT-LP2D-USB stereo turntable comes equipped with a USB output that allows direct connection to your computer.

The system also offers: state-of-the-art recording software¿Cakewalk PYRO (for PC use) and Audacity (for MAC or PC); an integral dual-magnet Audio-Technica phono cartridge; and a USB cable and adapter cables.
The turntable also features a built-in switchable phono/line preamp that allows connection to a stereo system equipped with either a phono or line-level input.

ION Audio VCR 2 PC USB VHS Video to Computer Converter

VCR 2 PC’s transfer technology saves home movies, family videos, and personal tapes directly to a PC. Imagine never having to dig for tapes again or worry if they will work.

Once you save your precious memories to your computer, they will be saved forever in pristine digital format. Included EZ VHS Converter software can even export your video in MPEG4 format for compatibility with select mobile phones and portable multimedia devices!

Connect a VHS, VHS-C, or 8MM camcorder to the front panel jacks to backup your camcorder videos. When you’re finished archiving your videos to your computer, ION Audio VCR 2 PC
is the perfect VHS player for any room in the house.

Included software lets you burn your home movies to DVD, watch on your PSP, iPod or laptop computer. Player Features RCA audio/video inputs to archive from external sources like video cameras Composite video output and audio line output Auto tracking, variable speed slow-motion, playback, and rewind Soft-touch backlit buttons PAL version features SCART output Software.

The Creative Zen X-Fi has all the basic digital media player features you would expect to find in a non-iPod unit.
This includes being able to play MP3, WMA (including subscription and protected), WAV, Audible and AAC audio files, displaying pictures and videos, a voice recorder and FM radio.
It also includes WiFi capability and upgraded earbud headphones on the 16gb and 32gb models. There is also a stripped down 8gb that kind of seems like an after-thought.
The included upgraded headphones are a nice touch. Most players come with very cheap, crappy, earbuds but headphones like these would probably set you back $50 if you purchased the separately.

Kingston introduce a new gadget aimed at computer and camera users on the move, offering a diminutive all-in-one device that will allow you to store, transfer and read files between your PC and memory cards. The Kingston, DTCR/2GB, Flash Reader, USB Flash Drive looks just like a standard USB Flash drive, but flip the cover and you will disclose a cleverly hidden expansion slot that doubles as a card reader, compatible with the SD, SDHC, MMC, MMCplus formats (miniSD, microSD, RS-MMC, MMCmobile and MMCmicro cards can also be read when using an optional adapter).

The DataTraveler comes in two sizes, 1GB and 2GB, weighs only 0.528 oz (15g) and is ideal if you wish to minimize the amount of devices to carry when on the move, ensuring compatibility with all PCs and Mac and all cameras using compatible memory cards.

Not everyone will use this Wi-Fi USB adapter, but everybody will burn with desire for it!

It looks like a ‘normal’ USB drive but don’t be fooled by its looks.

The Linksys WUSBF54G Wireless-G USB Network Adapter with Wi-Fi Finder is much more!

A handy, pocket-sized device that combines an easy-to-use wireless network scanner, that works even without turning on your computer, and a USB-connected Wireless-G network adapter.

Now you can scan for available wireless connectivity before turning on your computer.
If the scanner does find a network, just plug it into your PC and get connected: detected hotspots will be shown on a signal-power basis, from the most powerful to the least.
The intelligent scanning system is even able to filter other 2.4 GHz sources such as microwaves, bluetooth devices and cordless phones.

This handy road warrior accessory retails for around US$ 89.99 (before rebate)

Ok, we all love the image quality offered by DV video cameras (or even the latest model High Definition ones): but what’s better than a pocketful of simplicity? SourceCrowd.com is bringing you a small roundup of higly portable, take-everywhere gadgets that bring the FUN factor back into taking a snapshot or a quick movie and sharing it with friends and family. Forget about having to carry bulky battery packs, winding tapes or anything of the sort: just point, shoot, copy, watch & share!

These tiny videocameras, aptly called Flip Video, allow you to record a maximum of 60 minutes of digital video (on 1GB of storage, 512 MB on the 30 minute version) that can be copied straight into your PC as an AVI file. The camcorder has a 1.4 inch color screen for instant viewing, full 30 fps MPEG-4 video quality at VGA (640×480) resolution, video-out capability for viewing on your TV, built in mic and speakers, and a flip-out USB 2.0 arm for connecting straight into a computer.

Also of note, the RCA EZ105 Small Wonder, a small and sleek minicamcorder capable of recording 60 minutes of standard quality MPEG4 video or 30 minutes of high quality video. At the back of the slim enclosure is a 1.5 inch LCD display to view your footage, and the lens is capable of 2x zoom. It has the same video out capability as the Flip Video, and sports a built in tripod mount. This really is a bring-everywhere piece of kit, running on 2 standard AA batteries.

You can now record your videos anywhere and never worry about dust, sand or even kids crushing a $1000+ videocamera: these solid-state camcorders will get you through the most dangerous missions! All your birthdays, rave parties or whatever you get involved into, can be just a snap away from online viewing & sharing on youtube or e-mailing to your friends.

Square Group Ltd in association with Adobe, Apple and a slew of other partners organized an Adobe Creative Suite CS3 seminar at BFI Southbank in London last Tuesday, May 15, 2007. The seminar featured presentations from both Adobe and Apple about the new features of the many applications that make up Adobe’s new crown jewel, CS3, alongside demonstrations of related products from the likes of Eizo, Wacom, Extensis, HP and G-Tech. SourceCrowd was in attendance and can bring you an exclusive report from the event.
Before the seminar, attendees were able to peruse stands with a few interesting products on show. Eizo wowed the crowd with its stunning professional quality displays like the ColorEdge CE240W sporting hardware colour calibration, 14-bit color processing and easy profiling. Extensis was showcasing two of its software products for asset management: Suitcase Fusion, a font manager to organize, categorize and activate/deactivate fonts on the fly, and Portfolio, a complete multimedia files management tool. HP was showcasing the HP B9180 Photosmart Pro Printer, an eight-tanks pigment ink powerhouse which demonstrated stunning results on some of HP’s custom papers (especially impressive were the results on canvas-textured paper). Wacom had both the A4 Intuos3 graphic tablet and the Cintiq 21UX display available for hands-on demonstrations, making precise editing of pictures a breeze. Last but not least, G-Tech had the whole range of its external high speed hard drives solution on display. The elegant silver enclosures sport the latest in eSata and Firewire connections on the G-Raid2, G-Drive 250GB External FW400/USB2, G-Mini and G-Safe, with high-end fibre-channel RAID solutions also available in the G-Speed models.

Then it was finally time to immerse into the presentation!

The first speaker was Richard West, Apple Business Development Manager for the UK and Ireland. He started by stressing how important it is, in a multimedia communicational landscape, to put to good use the plethora of different ways that businesses have to reach clients, by customizing communications to target and focus on different markets. Adobe Creative Suite CS3, he argued, is the tool of choice to do so, allowing the use of a single creative process for multiple disciplines through its multiplicity of applications. Since output is so important to the designers and developers who use CS3, he then went on to demonstrate how colour calibration devices (in this case, the Pantone Huey Pro MEU113) can work in tandem with OS X ColorSync Utility (found in the Applications>Utilities folder) to prevent disparity between screen output versus print/web output. In particular he showed how it is possible to compare colour spaces graphically, and onscreen proofing of different colour spaces just by dragging and dropping images on the application. Microsoft’s Windows has “borrowed” the same functionality for its latest OS, implemented in Vista under the name Windows Colour System (located in the Control Panel).

Stay tuned for the second part of our report - coming soon!

Who said USB flash storage has to be dull and of strictly practical design? Surely Mimoco would not agree, as they add 4 Star Wars themed dongles to their line of stylish Mimobot USB Art Toy flash drives. These limited edition fashion statements let you store all your important files on a choice of Darth Vader, Chewbacca, Stormtrooper, and R2-D2 shaped devices. They come in 1GB, 2GB and 4GB densities (ranging from $79.95 to $169.95) and are available from Mimoco’s website.