The reasons I decided to build this wallet are because of my new credit card, an AMEX Clear (amazing), which has an RFID tag, my school ID, and some research I did on how easily these really can be hacked. It is nearly as simple as buying a credit card reader on eBay, increasing up the power, and plugging it into your computer, then collecting all the credit card RFID information that goes by. An absolutely ridiculous lack of security and disclosure is what today’s consumers get to look forward to.

Continue Reading

As some of you may have already noticed, Maximum CPU has a new site design.  We are still in the process of working out some of the kinks so please bare with us.  In the mean time, feel free to send any feedback you have to webmaster@maximumcpu.net… Continue reading

USB flash drives have become amazingly cheap these days – much like the floppy disk of old (anyone remember those?), it’s become the default method for transferring data between computers. However, because of their small size and their prevalence, they are very often lost, stolen, or broken. Despite this, most people don’t give any thought to securing the data they store on them – we either assume we’ll always have them on our person or in our control. Even if we use disk encryption (such as PGP or TrueCrypt), that is much better suited for use on a single dedicated system as opposed to something you can use easily on multiple machines.

Enter the IronKey. While most USB drives do allow for, and work well with disk encryption, the IronKey is intended to be an answer to many portable security issues users might have. The IronKey protects against hostile networks, and includes utilities for storing passwords, and clean browsing software. In effect, the IronKey is your very own bastion of portable security, meant to survive whatever you throw at it and keep your data out of prying hands without too much interference.

Continue Reading

When asked what first comes to mind when one hears the name “Microsoft,” one’s first thought is often of their operating system or software, and rarely “an excellent piece of hardware”. However, Microsoft does still have some often overlooked areas of expertise. Today we will be taking a look at Microsoft’s newest keyboard and mouse combo, the Wireless Laser Desktop 6000.

Continue Reading

I have had mixed results with Bluetooth headsets. My biggest complaint has always been that the microphones picked up all but the quietest of background noises. The z9i from BlueAnt claims to reduce the amount of background noise that is transmitted. To complete this task, the z9i uses a combination of two microphones and BlueAnt’s Voice Isolation Technology. Sounds good in theory but does the z9i live up to BlueAnt’s claims?

Continue Reading

The computer mouse has evolved greatly over the years. First there was the mechanical mouse, then the optical mouse, followed by the laser mouse. Well the mouse has once again evolved with the introduction of Microsoft’s Explorer Mouse with BlueTrack technology. BlueTrack is billed as the ultimate mouse tracking technology because it can be used on surfaces that optical and laser mice could not handle. Is this in fact the case or is it all a bunch of hot air?

Continue Reading

Laws requiring cell phones to be used in conjunction with a hands free device while driving are becoming increasingly popular, so many people are forced to use a Bluetooth device or similar. However, Bluetooth headsets are not for everyone. The BlueAnt Supertooth 3 fits into this niche perfectly. This Bluetooth car kit can be clipped to the visor or mounted any number of other places, so those who prefer not to have a headset on their ear can still enjoy it.

Continue Reading