Gizmodo: lightsnake

Schwag Competition: Wednesday's Best

kthompson — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 22:14:56 EST

My multiple bags were already overflowing after Monday and Tuesday's treasure hunts, but I pressed on. See my handfuls of schwag from today, including gems from Alienware and Samsung, after the jump.

Total Crap: Plush cuteness aside, I can't fathom why anyone would ever use this creation. Then again, I watched a fellow blogger insert his Treo, clip it on his belt loop and wear it all afternoon before asking me if he could keep it...

The QuikPod is every MySpacers dream come true: a telescoping monopod with a swiveling joint on the top. Perfect for obese child molesters who need to find their "photogenic" angle, not so useful for those of us not obsessed with self-portraits.

Woah! Are those replacement Wiimote straps? Hell no, but we thought they were when we grabbed a handful from the Opera booth. Turns out they're just Nintendo DS straps. Crap.

Honorable Mentions: Wrapped and boxed like a valuable oriental treasure, this 1GB thumb drive comes courtesy of Samsung. The drive itself would have been nice, but this box is a welcomed addition.

Alienware knows their consumers are serious about their computer hardware, so they were dishing out these handy multi-tools. The LED is a great touch, this thing is bound to be useful the next time I crack open my case.

Acquired by random chance, the Aviator laptop stand found a home underneath my machine today. The slant eliminates the "hunch" stance so commonly seen in the press room, and any relief from pain is welcome after a grueling week in Vegas. Many thanks to the nice gentleman who dropped it off at our table.

Today's Winner: From some genuinely excited boothsters, this Lightsnake podcasting kit provides the necessary tools for you to get your podcast on. The mic seems decent and they even include tutorials on where and how to make your voice heard. – Karson Thompson

Lightsnake XLR to USB Cable

Mark Wilson — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 23:44:53 EST

The Lightsnake XLR Intelligent Microphone Cable can take any XLR device, from mics to keyboards, and connect them to your PC or Mac through USB. It requires no drivers, and is Garageband compatible out of the box.

The cable comes packaged with a mic and vocal training software. Think of it as a Karaoke Revolution for the sober nongamer. I tried matching a C, and succeeded marvelously as an (obviously) highly accurate line graph charted my performance.

For any home composer or podcaster, this is a must buy at $89.99.

By the way, there is a podcast version for $149.99...but it includes this whole year subscription thing...

– Mark Wilson

LightSnake USB Intelligent Microphone Cable Performs XLR Alchemy

Charlie White — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 07:44:16 EST

Look at those pretty lights inside the connectors on either end of this 10-foot LightSnake USB intelligent microphone cable. They light up when it's performing its alchemy, using an embedded analog-to-digital converter to change those analog signals emitted from high quality microphones with XLR connectors into the digital data that only a Mac or PC could love. No drivers are necessary on Mac OS X or Windows XP, and come to think of it, neither is a sound card.

This is a $70 cable, but it could save you from having to get yourself the pre-amp normally required to cross that analog-to-digital divide. It's from SoundTech Professional Audio, a whose LightSnake Smart Audio Cable for guitars impressed us a while back. Podcasters and musicians will love this. – Charlie White

Dealer Directory [SoundTech]

LightSnake Smart Audio Cable

johnb — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 05:55:51 EDT

What at first appeared to be a normal, yet well-lit, USB cable turns out to be a "smart" USB cable that transmits audio via USB without a sound card. "What?" you say. "That's impossible! Even WITH a flux capacitor!" Created by SoundTech, the lightsnake is compatible with all Windows versions as well as OS X and runs at USB 2.0 speeds. You simply plug in your git-fiddle and hook the other end up to a USB port and the cable lights up. Then you play until your fingers bleed and the built-in audio booster and 48 KHz sampling will amp up your audio. Coolness.

Product Page [SoundTech]