Because IOGEAR products often work behind the scenes, they don’t always get the wow factor attention like a huge flatscreen TV or audiophile grade speakers. In fact, many of our KVM products and convergence accessories are stashed out of sight, happily performing their duties with no fanfare. Occasionally, we catch wind of an application in a specific industry that warrants mentioning.


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Continuing our blog series on education technology, we found an interesting article highlighting some innovative concepts suggested by the president of a company that installs AV solutions for schools and classrooms.


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Technology has the power to change the way we teach and learn, but only when students and teachers are given access. We’ve talked previously about iPads in Elementary schools and Chromebooks challenging tablets for a slice of the education technology pie, but the challenge of funding new technology products and services for both schools and individual students remains a significant roadblock.

Fortunately, one California University has created a program that gives students and professors the option of renting the latest educational tech gadgets and gear to coincide with specific course work. Students who may need an expensive HD camera, software or some other device for a class are no longer forced to shell out full price for educational technology items they may only use temporarily. With astronomical tuition prices, the “TechRent” program is being welcomed for the financial reprieve it provides.

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In our previous post, we left off with a KVM switch conundrum with no shortage of acronyms. EDID (Extended Display Identification Data) is a super-useful data structure that helps video monitors achieve their ideal screen resolution after being “read” by a computer’s graphics card. Acting as a handicap however, is HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection), which can impede a monitor’s ability to display its ideal resolution, unless it’s re-booted.

Some KVM switches offer a default EDID to the computers, but this default is just an arbitrary monitor resolution. While an arbitrary EDID may allow switched computers to boot up as though they had read the actual monitor EDID, the chances are that they’ll boot with a less-than-optimum resolution.

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KVM technology advancements don’t exactly get consumers excited like an Apple product launch. In fact, the acronym K-V-M probably doesn’t even register in most people’s lexicon, even though they may be benefitting from the technology on a daily basis. But, while a KVM switch doesn’t have the same cachè as a new tablet, our IOGEAR convergence geeks actually DO get excited when a new KVM product or development helps our customers.

To remove the suspense for those wondering, KVM stands for Keyboard-Video monitor-Mouse . The products basically create a scenario where instead of needing one monitor, one keyboard and one mouse for every computer, a single set of these peripherals can be shared with a few or even thousands of computers in offices, businesses that use digital displays, data centers or even in the home on a smaller scale.

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AV products follow a hierarchy of coolness. You could argue a Kaleidescape or Sooloos server are at the cool end of the spectrum while products like HDMI cables, adapters and interconnects skew towards the necessary, but not worth talking about to your friends end of the spectrum. In between are all the myriad of output devices like projectors, HD TVs, speakers, Blu-ray players and more.

The funny thing about defining a AV coolness factor is that sometimes the most mundane sounding products actually allow other AV devices to improve their coolness factor, even adding new functionality that wasn’t there before. Case in point: IOGEAR’s new 2-Port Dual View Dual-Link DVI KVMP Switch may just look like a small black box with a variety of inputs and outputs, but take a closer look, and one can envision dozens of practical applications for this KVM product, both at home and in commercial settings.

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This week, starting on February 21, 2011 and until February 27, 2011 we will launch a new Twitter Contest! For this contest, we will give away a MiniView™ Micro USB PLUS KVM Switch with audio and cables!

To qualify, first be sure to check out the official contest rules first and then perform the following tasks:

1. Follow us on Twitter
2. Answer the question we post on Twitter (How would you use a KVM to make your life easier?) using the following format:
RT @IOGEAR (Your short answer) #contest

At start of the following week we will randomly choose a winner.

UPDATE: There have been a change in the rules (please read the blog post below for details), starting at Saturday December 18, 10am PST. In summary, entries will be made here on the blog rather than at Delicious in light of the news that Delicious is being shut down by Yahoo.

The holiday spirit is in the air and IOGEAR is in a giving mood! We are giving away a total of three prizes to three lucky winners:

1 Grand Prize*: iPad 16GB with Wi-Fi + IOGEAR Composite AV Cable with Charge and Sync
1 First Prize*: Wireless Audio / Video Kit
2 Second Prizes*: USB Laptop KVM Switch with File Transfer
*Odds of winning depend on the number of entries received.

This is a raffle style contest where you get one point for each successful entry. To enter you will need a Delicious account.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PURCHASE WILL NOT IMPROVE CHANCES OF WINNING.

In the comments section below, provide links to your favorite legal streaming media resources.

For each non-duplicate link, you will gain one entry point for the contest. When the contest is over (on December 31, 2010 at midnight) we will tally up all the points and randomly choose the winners.

Before you get started, please take a look at the official contest rules.

Good luck!

Here at IOGEAR, we keep a keen eye on our changing workstation. From multiple screens to paper-thin displays, this isn’t your father’s office any more – and here’s the latest news to emerge from the tech grapevine.

Infrared developments have been heating up in our technological world recently, most notably in Microsoft’s upcoming Kinect for the Xbox360. The motion sensor in this newest gaming console gauges a player’s movement with a variety of tools, including an infrared sensor.

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Green technology is all the rage in the tech space, and here at IOGEAR we love nothing more than to keep our finger on the green pulse. From Apple’s work-in-progress solar powered iPad and iPhone, to the grass-trimming goats Google has put to work, earth conscious companies are developing new ways to help our waning Mother Earth.

This week Cisco Systems announced the testing phase of their home energy management system, temporarily named the home energy controller. Despite the unsexy name, this is a pretty slick device which helps keep an eye on mounting energy costs. The controller’s digital readout helps people keep track of energy consumption throughout their home and do away with energy waste. Wasting energy is so passé, people.

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