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October 17, 2007
USB Retractable Cables That Work
MagicCables from Data Drive Thru™
My time spent with The Tornado from Data Drive Thru™ leads me to believe they  are tops when it comes to USB data transfer. The flat cable design really worked and the retractable part did not turn into the mass of tangled wires after testing a set of retractable ear buds recently.
So when I read that Data Drive Thru was ready to release some retractable USB cables for use with some manufacturers I jumped on it. These are able to connect many cameras, camcorders, cell phones, MP3 players, PDA’s, printers, and scanners. They are compatible with Windows 98 and up as well as Mac OS 8.6 or greater. Their extended length of 29.5 inches will work for most needs. I was able to use one version as an extension (may not work in some combinations) so as to give a total length of just around 60 inches I cannot see many limitations even if your desktop is on the floor and the product you are connecting is on the desk.
The five USB MagicCable™ I received are:
- USB 2.0 to USB Mini 5 Pin B Male Connection (Camera, MP3, PDA or Camcorder)
- USB 2.0 to USB Mini 4 Pin Male Connection (Camera, MP3, PDA, Phone, or Camcorder)
- USB 2.0 to USB B Male Connection (printer or Scanner with USB A Female)
- USB 2.0 to USB Mini 4 Pin B Male Connection
- USB 2.0 Extension Cable USB Female connection (Laptop, Desktop, Mouse, or other extension needs)
 The cable that mentions Sony and Olympics products, USB mini 5 pin B male Magic Cable, did fit my 4 year old Sony Cybershot camera and my Olympics Mini Voice recorder. The voice recorder connected without problem to my PC using the MagicCable™. I transferred 3 music files and 19 old files recorded at CES 2007 press conferences. I also transferred some photos from the CyberShot to the PC. No problem with either operation when using the MagicCable™.
The extension intrigued me so I connected it to a PC USB port and then connected the MagicCable™ USB mini 5 pin B male to the Mini voice recorder and later to the Cybershot Digital camera. Both worked as they did without the extension cable. The extension gave me a total 59 inches of cable if needed.
I also tested the Printer/scanner USB B Male Connection Cable. The scanner and separate printer both worked fine when using the MagicCable™. I did use the extension USB MagicCable™ for the printer as it is on a desk next to the computer desk and it needed the extra length provided.
 My loaner Lenovo ThinkPad has two USB ports that are very close together. I sometimes use a 4 port USB hub to give me more USB options. Unfortunately that means I am unable to use the second built-in USB port. Using the MagicCable™ extension connected to the hub makes for easy access to the second port in the Lenovo. A big plus!
I was unable to test the other cable sent as I did not have products available that required them at this time. Note: Be sure you have the correct cable before you connect it to any product as you do not want to damage your equipment
Since my camcorder connects to my desktop and my notebook using Firewire, as do my external drives, I have high hopes that Data Drive Thru™ will come up with a retractable Firewire cable at some point.
As with The Tornado from Data Drive Thru these cables seem like a simple thing to make. You think “Why hasn’t someone done this before.” I love the idea of a company that takes our simple wishes and makes them possible for all of us. Thank you Data Drive Thru.
Click Here for More Data Drive Thru products including The Tornado
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