Nortel quits the mobile WiMAX game

Sure, Clearwire is still busily rolling out its mobile WiMAX network across the US, but the fledgling wireless standard isn't having the best time of it lately -- Nokia just discontinued the N810 WiMAX Edition, which was easily the highest-profile WiMAX product on the market, and now Nortel is closing down its entire mobile WiMAX division. Considering Nortel's struggle to stay afloat in our super-awesome economy, the move isn't too shocking -- but at least Nortel partner Alvarion is working to pick up the pieces, so hopefully the impact on the broader WiMAX market won't be too huge.


[ Source: Engadget ]

[ Tag: alvarion, mobile wimax, MobileWimax, nortel, wimax ]

Leyio personal sharing device provides some UWB on the go

Ultra-wide band hasn't exactly taken off as quickly as some may have liked, but it looks like upstart Leyio is doing its best to push the technology into new, somewhat interesting directions, with its new device promising to let you easily share data wirelessly with others. The device itself, also dubbed Leyio, includes 16GB of memory, and can be paired with a regular USB stick to store some additional data, which can be shared with others at the "flick of a wrist" -- assuming they also have a Leyio, that is. You can apparently also get a little wireless action in at home with the included "Shuttle" dongle for your computer, and it boasts a built-in fingerprint scanner to make all that data flying around a tad more secure. No word on a price just yet, but Leyio says the official launch is on track for April of this year.


[ Source: Pocket-lint ]

[ Tag: leyio, ultra wide band, UltraWideBand, uwb ]

Leyio personal sharing device provides some UWB on the go

Ultra-wide band hasn't exactly taken off as quickly as some may have liked, but it looks like upstart Leyio is doing its best to push the technology into new, somewhat interesting directions, with its new device promising to let you easily share data wirelessly with others. The device itself, also dubbed Leyio, includes 16GB of memory, and can be paired with a regular USB stick to store some additional data, which can be shared with others at the "flick of a wrist" -- assuming they also have a Leyio, that is. You can apparently also get a little wireless action in at home with the included "Shuttle" dongle for your computer, and it boasts a built-in fingerprint scanner to make all that data flying around a tad more secure. No word on a price just yet, but Leyio says the official launch is on track for April of this year.


[ Source: Pocket-lint ]

[ Tag: leyio, ultra wide band, UltraWideBand, uwb ]

Leyio personal sharing device provides some UWB on the go

Ultra-wide band hasn't exactly taken off as quickly as some may have liked, but it looks like upstart Leyio is doing its best to push the technology into new, somewhat interesting directions, with its new device promising to let you easily share data wirelessly with others. The device itself, also dubbed Leyio, includes 16GB of memory, and can be paired with a regular USB stick to store some additional data, which can be shared with others at the "flick of a wrist" -- assuming they also have a Leyio, that is. You can apparently also get a little wireless action in at home with the included "Shuttle" dongle for your computer, and it boasts a built-in fingerprint scanner to make all that data flying around a tad more secure. No word on a price just yet, but Leyio says the official launch is on track for April of this year.


[ Source: Pocket-lint ]

[ Tag: leyio, ultra wide band, UltraWideBand, uwb ]

Sierra Wireless intros 'ruggedified' AirCard 501 and 502 modems

Sierra Wireless has just announced two new ExpressCard modems for HSUPA wireless users. Sporting download speeds up tp 7.2Mbps and upload speeds up to 5.76Mbps, the AirCard 501 supports 850 / 1900 / 2100 MHz bands, while the AirCard 502 covers 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz. Both are backward compatible with UMTS, EDGE and GSM networks world 'round, and they're being touted as "durable," meaning there are no little antennas or plastic pieces to break on you. That last part should be good news to all of you post-apocalyptic Road Warriors out there (or not -- they're still just regular ExpressCards, as far as we can tell). The AirCard 501 is slated for release later this month, while those of you interested in the AirCard 502 will have to wait until the first part of 2009.

[Via: Slash Phone ] [Tag: AirCard, AirCard 501, AirCard 502, Aircard501, Aircard502, broadband, edge, GSM, HSUPA, sierra, sierra wireless, SierraWireless, UMTS, wireless ]

Gogo in-flight WiFi taking off in six Delta flights tomorrow

We already knew that Delta was pushing its in-flight WiFi plans ahead, and starting tomorrow, a half dozen MD-88 shuttle flights will be live with internet from 35,000 feet. As with Virgin America, Delta Air Lines will be relying on Aircell's Gogo technology, though it will go down as the first US carrier to initiate a "fleet-wide rollout." Eventually, over 300 domestic mainline aircraft will enable guests to surf the intarwebz from way up high, and you'll know if the one you're boarding is lit if you see one of the above pictured "Wi-Fi Onboard" logos on the boarding door. The launch flights -- which will run from December 16th through the 31st -- will provide gratis access to the web, while standard pricing of $9.95 on flights of three hours or less and $12.95 on flights of more than three hours will presumably kick in on January 1, 2009. Happy trails, and don't forget to give us a visit while you're up there.
[Via: Switched ] [Tag: aircell, aircraft, airplane, Delta, flight, flights, gogo, in-flight, in-flight internet, in-flight WiFi, In-flightInternet, official ]

Ratoc introduces Wireless USB kit for your PCMCIA-equipped laptop

Still getting by with PCMCIA, are you? Looking to get into the potentially crumbling world of Wireless USB? Well then, step right up! Ratoc is pumping out its very first WUSB kit with the REX-WUSB1, which includes a rather bulky PC Card (with ultra-wideband antenna) and a four-port WUSB hub. Users with Windows XP / Vista-based machines simply plug in the card, load up the drivers and link their favorite USB peripherals to the hub; from there, you can kick back and enjoy the spoils of wireless printing, wireless cooling and wireless warming -- two of which really aren't all they're cracked up to be. Anywho, the bundle is expected to go on sale in the Land of the Rising Sun later this month for ?31,500 ($340).
[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: cardbus, pc card, PcCard, PCMCIA, RATOC, REX-WUSB1, ultra wideband, ultra-wideband, UltraWideband, UWB, WD-HUB01, WH-CBA01, WiMedia, Wireless USB, WirelessUsb, WUSB ]

Intel talks up self-powered sensors that do just about everything

If you're gonna dream, you might as well dream big huge, right? Intel's not only looking to blanket vast rural areas with WiFi, it's also looking to spread self-powered sensors, um, everywhere. Dubbed the wireless identification and sensing platform (WISP), the initiative could eventually place remarkably efficient microchips in human bodies, on mobile phones, public infrastructures, at airports and practically anywhere else where information needs to be gathered. The highly flexible solution is currently being perfected in the Intel labs and isn't apt to hit the commercial realm for at least three to five years; which is great, since we're still learning to deal with the world's obsession with CCTV.

[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: intel, sensor, sensors, wireless ]

Sprint 4G dual-mode CDMA / WiMAX modems and handsets on tap

Hang tight to that Samsung SWC-E100 ExpressCard you snatched up as one of the few early adopters in Baltimore -- that thing could one day be a serious relic (or rare eBay find). Just over a year since launching the perplexedly named XOHM WiMAX service, Sprint has decided to rechristen the whole thing Sprint 4G after its workings with Clearwire. Reportedly, the carrier will be offering up dual-mode CDMA / WiMAX modems as early as the end of this year (at least in the Charm City), while similarly equipped handsets won't be too many months behind (just like we'd heard). Kinda hurts to know you can't add a CDMA radio into that WiMAX-only card you already purchased, huh?

[Via: phonescoop ] [Tag: 4g, cdma, clear, Clearwire, dual mode, dual-mode, DualMode, modem, sprint, sprint 4g, sprint nextel, Sprint4g, SprintNextel, SWC-E100, wimax, wwan, Xohm ]

Atheros lets open source devs in on the WiFi party

In a move that will undoubtedly increase its street cred among technophiles and tinkerers alike, Atheros announced that it's releasing the specs to allow open source drivers for its ATH5K and ATH9K chip families. The move comes after Atheros first released some open source drivers for newer 802.11n chipsets and now the company is finally opening up its HAL (hardware abstraction layer) to developers, even using Linux as the reference public code base. No word on when any of this stuff will be released, but rest assured, we'll be on the lookout for more info -- we're sure the hackers out there are champing at the bit.
[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: atheros, drivers, opensource, opensourcehardware, wifi ]

FON CEO teases ruggedized outdoor Foneras

While this isn't the first device we've seen of its kind, new images of a wireless-capable, ruggedized la Fonera router have surfaced on the FON head honcho's personal blog. CEO Martin Varsavsky clearly states that "this is not a product announcement," and that the pictured devices are part of an R&D project, so pricing and availability info are certainly out of the question. Still, it's promising to see FON working to extend the reach of its network beyond the current Fonera / Fontenna combos.
[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: fon, fonera, fontenna, Martin Varsavsky, MartinVarsavsky, outdoor, outdoors, router, ruggedized, wifi ]

Oklahoma town provides real-time streaming from cop cars, free WiFi to residents

Traffic wardens over in the UK have been wielding handheld camcorders for well over a year now, but Ponca City, Oklahoma is making waves here in America with a slightly more sophisticated alternative. In conjunction with Honeywell, the town is implementing a broadband mesh network comprised of over 490 wireless nodes and gateways from Tropos Networks, and aside from providing free WiFi to some 30 square miles of residents, it's also hoping to use the abundant connectivity to help public safety. For instance, the city has installed wireless video cameras in police vehicles so "dispatchers and supervisors can monitor activities during traffic stops, and quickly deploy additional officers and resources if necessary." 'Course, that's just the official word -- everyone and their mother knows this is just the beginning of "C.O.P.S.: Live in Oklahoma."
[Via: Slashdot ] [Tag: citywide wifi, CitywideWifi, cops, honeywell, mesh, mesh networking, MeshNetworking, muni-fi, oklahoma, police, ponca city, PoncaCity, safety, wifi ]

Walt Mossberg reviews Autonet: spotty, but still distracting enough to be dangerous

Chrysler's in-car WiFi, Autonet Mobile, has been around for a little while now, and Walt Mossberg has helpfully reviewed it for us. He found the service (which is basically an in-car 3G WiFi router) to be great for email and basic web surfing, but it was too slow to handle anything much more demanding, like streaming videos. Speed test results ranged from 100 kbps to 500 kbps, with an average of 400-450 kbps... pretty average for 3G speeds, and Walt says the connection never dropped. On the plus side, it appears that Chrysler is willing to mount the ruggedized router in the trunk of any car -- not just their models -- which is great news if, like most people, you have no intention of driving a Chrysler around. The Autonet box runs $499 ($399 for the holidays) with a one-year contract and monthly fees of about $29. That may seem expensive, but can you put a price on your kids checking Facebook rather than asking "Are we there yet" every twelve seconds? Hit the read link for the full review.
[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: autonet, autonet mobile, AutonetMobile, car, car wifi, CarWifi, chrysler, mobile internet, MobileInternet, mossberg, mvno, walt mossberg, WaltMossberg, wifi, wireless ]

Eye-Fi celebrates a year with 4GB Anniversary Edition SD card

Eye-Fi has been adding in some pretty swank extras of late for its current stable of wireless SD cards, but we're pretty sure you'll agree that we're due for some new hardware. Today, the outfit is taking the wraps off of a limited edition 4GB Anniversary Edition, which boasts double the capacity of its other cards and "improved memory speeds." Outside of that, there's really nothing too special about it, but those who've already been convinced can procure one right now for $129 at the firm's website or for $99 if you're a Costco member. Full release is after the break.

EYE-FI UNVEILS THE 4GB EYE-FI ANNIVERSARY EDITION
Eye-Fi Celebrates First Anniversary with 4GB Limited Edition Anniversary
Card and the Win of Popular Science's Best of What's New Award
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Nov. 12, 2008 - Today Eye-Fi Inc. (www.eye.fi)
announced a new, limited edition card - the Eye-Fi Anniversary
Edition - to celebrate the one-year anniversary of its first wireless SD
memory card for digital cameras. Eye-Fi also announced it has been
chosen as one of Popular Science's 2008 "Best of What's New" award
recipients.
"For the past year, we've been reinventing the way people save and
share their digital memories," said Jef Holove, CEO of Eye-Fi. "From
automatic uploading to geotagging to sharing on the go, we've aimed to
help everyday photographers save their memories more often, share them
more quickly, and add more context to their collections."
Available immediately, the new Eye-Fi Share Anniversary Edition doubles
storage capacity to 4GB and features improved memory speeds. Coupled
with the recently announced wireless performance upgrade, the
Anniversary Edition offers a no-compromises Eye-Fi experience. Like the
original Eye-Fi Share, the Anniversary Edition wirelessly sends photos
from a digital camera to a computer and to one of more than 25 online
photo sharing sites.
The card comes in Eye-Fi's celebrated, original slide-out package and is
available only at Costco.com for $99 to club members, or on www.eye.fi
for $129, while supplies last. The Eye-Fi Share card can be upgraded
post purchase to include additional features, such as automatic
geotagging and hotspot access.
Since the Eye-Fi Card launched one year ago, millions of photos
have been uploaded to the Web, and users report that they upload and
share photos with family and friends more frequently.
"With the introduction of the digital camera, the photography
industry faced a real challenge - photos trapped on cameras that were
never shared or printed because of the work involved," said Alan
Bullock, associate director of InfoTrends. "The industry needs pioneers
like Eye-Fi who recognize the bottlenecks, and build innovative
solutions that move the market forward."
Over the past year, Eye-Fi has given more and more people the ability to
effortlessly share their digital memories and offered a rich, meaningful
experience for users. Eye-Fi has:
* Helped Take Geotagging Mainstream: Geotagging is a fast growing
trend, and through a partnership with Skyhook Wireless, Eye-Fi has
automated the process to make it easier and more compelling for all
consumers. Using the Wi-Fi embedded in its cards, Eye-Fi uses Wi-Fi
positioning to determine where an image was captured and adds a
geographic tag to each photo.
* Pioneered Uploads-on-the-Go to the Top Photo Sharing
Destinations: Now users can upload photos away from home at more than
10,000 Wayport hotspots with their Eye-Fi cards - even without a
computer.
* Introduced the "Eye-Fi Connected" Program: Eye-Fi has launched
the "Eye-Fi Connected" program to help other manufacturers tap into the
benefits of Eye-Fi's wireless photo sharing ecosystem. Nikon has
released two Eye-Fi connected cameras, the Nikon D60 and D90, both
optimized for Eye-Fi cards. Lexar introduced the co-branded Shoot-n-Sync
Wi-Fi(r) Memory Card that uses Eye-Fi's patent-pending technology and
online service.
* Integrated Social Networking: Eye-Fi announced integration with
Twitter and the availability of RSS feeds so users can notify their
networks in real time about recent photo uploads, and photos can be
viewed instantly.
* International Expansion: Due to high demand, Eye-Fi plans to
expand into Japan and Canada by the end of the year. Now more people
worldwide will have the ability to enjoy the benefits of Eye-Fi's
products and services.
Also announced today, the Eye-Fi Explore card was chosen as one of
Popular Science's "Best of What's New Award" recipients in the gadgets
category. Each year since 1987, the editors of Popular Science review
thousands of products in search of the top 100 tech innovations of the
year. To win, a product or technology must represent a significant step
forward in its category.
Eye-Fi's family of products include the Eye-Fi Home, Share, Share
Anniversary Edition and Explore cards with MSRPs ranging from $79-$129
USD. Eye-Fi cards can be purchased at Apple Retail Stores, Best Buy,
Circuit City and Ritz Camera Center locations nationwide, and at major
online retailers such as Amazon.com, Walmart.com and Costco.com. Eye-Fi
has garnered numerous awards, including PC World's "The 100 Best
Products of 2008" and Yahoo! Tech's "Last Gadget Standing 2008." For
more information, please visit www.eye.fi.
[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: Anniversary Edition, AnniversaryEdition, Costco, Eye-Fi, Eye-Fi Anniversary Edition, Eye-fiAnniversaryEdition, limited edition, LimitedEdition, SD ]

Samsung's SWC-E100 XOHM WiMAX ExpressCard gets reviewed

Now that Sprint's XOHM service is officially live in downtown Baltimore (and working in cars, phew!), how's about taking a look at the card that's handling the magic? Samsung's SWC-E100 ExpressCard, which was conveniently leaked by Sprint early last month, is a "simple, inexpensive" card that does a more-than-adequate job at placing you on the mobile broadband superhighway. Reviewers at PC Mag dubbed it a "solid first effort from Samsung for getting laptops onto Sprint's fast XOHM WiMAX network," and while the card "worked as advertised," the inability to work with EV-DO or any non-WiMAX protocol was sort of a downer. Furthermore, the card won't play nice with OS X and there's no external antenna port, but they do bundle a potentially important extra: a PC Card slot adapter for users with aging laptops. Bottom line? Not too shabby for $59.99 sans contract.
[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: 4g, ExpressCard, review, reviewed, samsung, sprint, SWC-E100, wimax, wwan, XOHM ]

D-Link debuts SharePort-packing DIR-825 dual-band router

It's pretty tough for a wireless router to stand out from the pack these days, but D-Link's new DIR-825 models looks to at least make an admirable stab at it, with it not only boasting dual-band capabilities to pump out 2.4GHz and 5Ghz signals simultaneously, but some fancy USB sharing as well. That latter bit comes in the form of D-Link's trademark SharePort technology, which will let you plug in any USB printer or storage device and access 'em from any computer on the network. The router is also supposedly "optimized for HD video streaming" and, according to D-Link, it'll also out-perform most other Draft N routers in general and save the planet in the process. Sold? You can snag one now for $200 even. Those that already have an 802.11n D-Link router (namely, the DIR-628, DIR-655, DIR-855, or DGL-4500) may want to think twice, however, as they can now add SharePort support to their existing router with nothing more than a firmware update, which is already available on D-Link's website.

[Via: Crave ] [Tag: d-link, dir-825, draft n, DraftN, dual-band router, Dual-bandRouter, router, shareport, wireless router, WirelessRouter ]

T-Mobile launches Mobile Broadband Share Dock 3G WiFi router

3G WiFi routers aren't anything new at this point, but T-Mobile's new Mobile Broadband Share Dock is one of the slicker implementations we've seen from a carrier -- the unit consists of a USB HSDPA modem and a base which shares the connection over WiFi, which means you can unplug the modem and take your access on the road. As long as you don't need a persistent connection at home and can live with the bandwidth, that makes the ?20 / month dock sound like a pretty good deal for someone who lives by themselves, since you'd avoid paying both mobile and fixed data fees -- too bad it's UK only for now. Should be out in the next couple of days, we're hearing.
[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: 3g router, 3gRouter, broadband share dock, BroadbandShareDock, hsdpa, hsdpa router, HsdpaRouter, router, t mobile, t-mobile, TMobile, wifi, wifi router, WifiRouter ]

Iomega ships Bluetooth-equipped 1TB / 2TB StorCenter ix2 NAS

If you've been passing off NAS devices for years due to the typically prohibitive price tags, you might want to have a gander at Iomega's latest. The StorCenter ix2 brings 1TB (500GB x 2) of network storage for just $299.99, and the 2TB edition is also available for around $170 more. In short, the box -- which isn't much to look at, admittedly -- promises to provide backup for all of your critical files regardless of which networked computer they're on. Additionally, users with top secret snaps on their Bluetooth-enabled cellphone will appreciate the optional BT compatibility, not to mention the gigabit Ethernet jack and twin USB sockets. Oh, and it also doubles as an iTunes server and supports both UPnP and DLNA protocols, meaning that this fellow should do a decent job of serving up media on the side.
[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: bluetooth, EMC, Iomega, ix2, NAS, StorCenter, StorCenter ix2, StorcenterIx2 ]

ZTE's TU25 becomes first USB modem for Sprint's XOHM WiMAX network

Not too keen on snatching your WiMAX via ExpressCard? Fret not, as ZTE's TU25 (which was leaked early last month) is fast approaching. Hailed as the only USB modem available (and certified, no less) for the launch of the XOHM network, the TU25 presumably allows users to plug it into a spare USB port, wave a magic wand and begin surfing the mobile broadband superhighway in Baltimore (and a few other places, we hear). There's a frighteningly small amount of details on this thing right now, but hopefully we'll have some of the more crucial aspects (price, release date, etc.) sooner rather than later.
[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: broadband, internet, mobile broadband, mobile internet, MobileBroadband, MobileInternet, Sprint, TU25, USB modem, UsbModem, WiMAX, WiMAX modem, WimaxModem, WWAN, XOHM, ZTE ]

Keepin' it real fake, part CLXIII: AirPort Express gets expressly aped

Listen up, KIRF fans. We've got a real unique one on our hands today, as this critter copies not one, but two entities in a single fell swoop. For starters, the company is named CNet Technology -- we'll let you do the math there -- and secondly, this thing looks just about exactly like Apple's own AirPort Express. Sure, there are a few extra LEDs on there to really ugly it up, but only someone in serious denial would ever say this thing didn't get its inspiration from Cupertino. Officially dubbed the CWR-635M, this portable router / WAP simply plugs into one's wall socket and provides a pair of Ethernet jacks and two USB ports locally for even more networking fun. There's no telling if this copycat will ever be released on US soil, but given that made it into the FCC's database, we reckon anything is possible.
[Via: Engadget ] [Tag: airport express, AirportExpress, apple, broadband, cnet, CWR-635M, internet, KIRF, wifi, wifi card, WifiCard, wireless, wireless card, WirelessCard, wlan ]