I just don't know what to think about this router. I've been staring at it for minutes now, wondering how in 802.11n's name it was created in ASUS' laboratory.
ASUS hasn't been too forthcoming with details on the RT-N56U, which was announced at CeBIT this week, and until we hear back from them we'll just have to entertain you with these small slivers of detail: it has dual band support with the 5GHz band being used, is compatible with both printers and scanners, and is very fast apparently—with 300,000 concurrent sessions available.
Time to go back to boggling over that inconceivably thin frame. [ASUS]
AT&T and Dell are now working together to offer the Dell Mini 9 for $99 with the purchase of a two-year service agreement that'll cost you $60 a month.
The offer is valid until January 31, and in order to receive the $99 pricing, you have to mail in a $350 Dell rebate. The two-year contract must be a qualifying AT&T LaptopConnect agreement. The subscription is pretty pricey, but its cheaper than the $120 Dell Mini price is still lower than it was a few months ago. [Dell]
If you want to use a dedicated 3G dongle for your laptop, hardware choices are always limited. Here are AT&Ts two new offerings, the LG Turbo and Option Velocity. And no, you're not the only one who thought "American Gladiators."
LG Turbo Free with a two-year contract, the Velocity is a no-frills card, with HSPA 7.2 support, MicroSD slot for thumb drive capability and a swiveling head that should allow you to—well, if you've actually used one of these 3G sticks, you know that they can be unwieldy. So it helps.
Option Velocity Despite its plastic design, the Turbo is AT&T's new premium 3G stick. It, too, supports MicroSD, but it also adds aGPS and will set you back $30 with two-year contract.
Both new dongles will be available starting March 7th.
DALLAS, March 1, 2010 – AT&T* today announced two new 3G LaptopConnect devices: the AT&T USBConnect Turbo from LG and AT&T USBConnect Velocity from Option. Both will be available in AT&T retail stores, business channels and online beginning March 7. The Turbo and Velocity enable customers to stay connected on their laptop while on the go with the nation's fastest 3G network.
The Velocity, is the first GPS-enabled LaptopConnect device from AT&T. The built-in aGPS functionality opens the door to location-based applications making it easier than ever for customers to get to their desired destination. Option offers a free software application, the Option GPS Control Panel, that leverages location-enabled sites like Yahoo! Maps and Bing for directions and local points of interest. Option GPS Control Panel will be available for download on the Option support web page beginning March 7. Additionally, through TeleNav Track LITE™ and Xora GPS Locator from AT&T, enterprise customers can add tracking and location awareness thus improving response time by easily locating the closest worker to a service call.
The Turbo is AT&T's first LaptopConnect device from LG and features a compact, lightweight design. Turbo's HSPA 7.2 capability offers a high speed Internet connection that allows users to meet their professional and personal computing needs away from their office or home computer. The ergonomic design and unique USB connector makes Turbo compatible with a wide variety of laptop configurations.
Both devices feature an integrated microSD card slot making them portable storage devices that allow users to carry the data and files they need at their fingertips. LaptopConnect devices allow customers to get more done on-the-go as well as keep up to date with their professional network from anywhere AT&T provides data coverage.
"Velocity and Turbo both offer a first for AT&T: our first GPS enabled LaptopConnect device and our first LaptopConnect device from LG," said Michael Woodward, vice president, Mobile Phone Portfolio, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. "In addition to being compatible with our latest HSPA technology, the two devices let AT&T customers get more done while on the go. From traveling professionals to students, AT&T offers a LaptopConnect solution for everyone."
Pricing and Availability Beginning March 7, both the Turbo and Velocity will be available online and in AT&T stores nationwide. AT&T USBConnect Turbo will be available for free after mail-in rebate and a new two-year DataConnect contract of at least $35 a month (pay $99.99 and after mail-in rebate receive $100 AT&T Promotion Card. Two-year agreement and DataConnect plan required).
AT&T USBConnect Velocity will be available for $29.99 after mail-in rebate and a new two-year DataConnect contract of at least $35 a month (pay $129.99 and after mail-in rebate receive $100 AT&T Promotion Card. Two-year agreement and DataConnect plan required).
Members of MIT's Bits and Atoms lab visited Afghanistan some time ago. While there, they showed locals how to turn pieces of board, wire, a plastic tub and some cans into reflectors for a wireless network. The result? Fab Fi.
The project resulted in 25 simultaneous live nodes being up in the city of Jalalabad and residents being able to enjoy a stable connection all over the place. Locals are even expanding the network by adding more reflectors and routers. There are some difficulties in actually obtaining the routers though, but the MIT crew—now dubbed the Jalalabad Fab Lab—are helping resolve those by shipping routers over.
On the surface this is a tale of some clever University MacGyvers, a small place in Afghanistan, and a makeshift Wi-Fi network, but the greater idea is that people came together to provide a new method of communication to an area where Skype calls and quick Google searches weren't a common luxury. Sure, now the area is exposed to time wasters and Internet porn, but it's also been provided some new opportunities to learn and explore. [Free Range International via Futurismic via Boing Boing]
When we were told market research pointed to WiMAX and LTE standards for 4G connectivity coexisting, we didn't expect they'd do it quite so closely. Beceem, the maker of the WiMAX chips inside "every device in Clearwire's network," is working on a 4G modem that can handle both WiMAX and LTE, with the added extra of being able to move seamlessly between the two networks in order to find the best signal possible. The mashup of the two standards makes sense in light of all the equivocation from Clearwire and Sprint on the subject of which one they'd prefer, and would be a more than welcome simplification of our collective 4G future. Anyhow, the latest development is that Beceem and Motorola are working to pair the BCS500 to the latter's WiMAX 4G infrastructure, with the first dual-mode chips set to start sampling "later this year" and hit mass production in early 2011.
Mention Netgear and chances are pretty good that networking devices come into your mind, be they routers to switches and hubs. Well, the company just announced two more next-generation HomePlug AV-certified powerline kits in the form of the compact Powerline AV 500 Adapter Kit (XAVB5001) and the Powerline AV+ 500 Adapter Kit (XAVB5501) with a filtered “pass-through” power socket. Theoretically, both of these devices are speed demons, capable of hitting speeds of up to 500Mbps, but we know that in real life things are a whole lot more different, what with interference and other niggling problems that bring the figure down to a more realistic level. Apart from that, both Powerline kits are able to offer whole-home coverage and groundbreaking throughput that have no rival to this day.
Expect to find the latest in technological innovations within both devices, where they were specially designed to play nice with the draft international IEEE P1901 Powerline standard. Apart from that, they are able to offer greater speeds for bandwidth-hungry applications including lag-free Internet gaming, Voice over IP (VoIP), large file transfers to networked devices, and for home theater enthusiasts, even simultaneous 1080p HD video streaming to multiple TVs throughout the entire home.
You will be able to spot the Netgear Powerline AV 500 Adapter Kit (XAVB5001) easily thanks to its relatively compact form factor which is smaller than your regular deck of cards, and up to 50% more compact compared to its market rivals. Perfect for those who are looking for a Powerline device that won’t block an open power outlet when plugged in. As for the HomePlug-certified Powerline AV+ 500 Adapter Kit (XAVB5501), it has the similar performance and design benefits as the Powerline 500 AV Adapter Kit, but you get a cutting-edge integrated filtered power socket for “pass-through” capability as well to ensure an existing wall power socket with the adapter is not cannibalized. No idea on pricing, but they will be out later this Q3, so stay tuned!
The Netgear Universal Wi-Fi Internet Adapter can connect anything with an ethernet port to your 802.11n network, be it an Xbox 360 or a TV. But so can many other devices on the market. What's better about this one?
Much like the Xbox 360 Wireless N adapter, Netgear's latest wireless N adapter is tiny, easily squeezing behind components in your home theater. Plus, it runs off USB power, meaning you don't need to ferret around to plug it in to a powerstrip.
Really, taking into account the convenience, the Universal Wi-Fi Internet Adapter might be the most cleverly designed Wi-Fi adapter since Microsoft's high-priced 360 dongle. And it works on anything with a USB and ethernet port, from your TV to your Blu-ray player, without special drivers.
Unfortunately, it's similar to Microsoft's dongle in more ways than one. This puppy will run $80 when it's around this May.
By the way, if you're just looking for a cheap way to connect the 360 to a Wi-Fi network, check out our feature on the matter here.
The Universal WiFi Internet Adapter (WNCE2001) for Home Theater Devices and Gaming Consoles NETGEAR is also introducing the industry's first compact USB-powered Universal WiFi Internet Adapter (WNCE2001) that works with Internet TVs, game consoles and Blu-ray players. The first of its kind, the adapter is the only affordable solution in a small form factor that delivers optimal Wireless-N performance and works universally with any Ethernet-enabled CE device. This saves consumers from the confusion and expense of purchasing separate WiFi USB adapters for each CE device in their home theater.
The Universal WiFi Internet Adapter is powered by the USB port, avoiding the need for a long wire to the power outlet and making it more visually pleasing in the already congested home theater environment. With NETGEAR Push Connect technology and CD-less set-up, it is truly a plug and play experience.
