Cell Bytes

The upcoming MSI Air Keyboard is an HTPC keyboard/mouse combo that fits right in your hands much like a game controller.

Because aside from the typical QWERTY layout, the back is ergonomic for dual-handed use, and it even includes LB and RB shoulder triggers. And much like the Wiimote, the Air doubles as a mouse through the use of an internal accelerometer, allowing you to aim the device to control an onscreen cursor—effectively eliminating that whole where does the mouse go on the couch problem.

Through a USB dongle, the MSI Air (which is technically a rebranding of an existing product by Cideko), can connect to PCs and Macs up to an impressive 160 feet away. It’s available overseas now for the equivalent of $110 bucks. [ElectricPig via EverythingUSB]

The entrants to this week’s Shooting Challenge: Blow Out are now available in wallpaper form. They’re spectacular, but you might want to set your icon text to black before proceeding. [Giz Flickr]

Hey, you know about USB 3.0 by now, right? It’s here! It’s fast! And while Belkin’s SuperSpeed USB 3.0 PCIe Card and ExpressCard may not be superspeedier than any other USB 3.0 product, they are early to the market.

Belkin’s SuperSpeed USB 3.0 PCIe add-in card gives your computer two USB 3.0 ports, which means you’ll be able to transfer files up to five times faster than your namby pamby USB 2.0 link-up. The SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ExpressCard does the same, and supports plug and play and hot-swap functionality. Both are available now for $80. Both will be available in the US in April, while you Canucks will have to wait until May.

Belkin’s also introducing SuperSpeed USB 3.0 cable, but at $40 for four feet, it’s SuperExpensive compared to what’s already out there.

Belkin Introduces SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Products

* SuperSpeed USB 3.0 products deliver transfer speeds of up to three times faster than USB 2.0
* Download HD movies, charge mobile devices, and transfer videos and photos from your camera to your computer more quickly with SuperSpeed USB 3.0

(Playa Vista, CA) – February 23, 2010 – Belkin announces a new line of SuperSpeed USB 3.0 products, including a PCIe Add-In Card, ExpressCard, and Premium A-B and Micro-B Cables. SuperSpeed USB 3.0 products provide a high rate of transfer speed that allows you to move content-rich media back and forth between different devices.

USB 3.0 is specified to transfer at five gigabits per second, or 10 times faster than USB 2.0*. In our tests we observed speeds of up to 180 megabits per second, or three times faster than USB 2.0, which is a great improvement for activities such as large file transfers. USB 3.0 products are backward-compatible with USB 2.0 devices and will interoperate with them as well.

With SuperSpeed USB 3.0 products, you can do the following faster than before:
# Download HD movies and other multimedia
# Transfer high-bandwidth media and files back and forth
# Charge and sync devices, like a digital camera or smartphone

SuperSpeed USB 3.0 PCIe Add-In Card

SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ExpressCard™

SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Premium A-B Cable, 4 ft.
STATISTIC

# An In-Stat 2008 report shows more than 3 billion USB-enabled devices currently being shipped.
# According to The NPD Group data from February 2010, Belkin is the current market leader in USB connectivity**.

AVAILABILITY

# April 2010 in the US
# May 2010 in Canada.

SuperSpeed USB 3.0 PCIe Add-In Card (F4U023) – $79.99

* Connects up to 127 USB devices (through cascading additional hubs)
* Supports plug and play and hot-swap functionality

SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ExpressCard™ (F4U024) – $79.99

* Fully compliant with ExpressCard specification 1.0 and Universal Serial Bus 3.0 specification Revision 1.0
* Supports plug and play and hot-swap functionality
* Connects up to 127 USB devices (through cascading additional hubs)

SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Premium A-B Cable, 4 ft.(F3U158-04) – $39.99 ; 8 ft. (F3U158-08) – $49.99

SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Premium Micro-B Cable, 4 ft. (F3U165-04) – $39.99; 8 ft. (F3U165-08) – $49.99