Hasta La Gadget!

D-Link still sees there being a place for powerline networking, such as a basement home theater, but knows that many of us don’t want an overly clunky set of adapters or to effectively buy a second network. Its new (if slightly awkwardly named) PowerLine AV+ Mini Adapter Starter Kit caters just to that desire for a no-hassle network in places WiFi won’t reach. The bundle carries a pair of small, 200Mbps adapters that won’t monopolize the wall outlets, a pair of Ethernet cables to link up… and that’s it. Apart from the optional 128-bit AES encryption, there’s nothing else needed to either make a direct connection or graft powerline technology into an existing network. At $60, the already shipping kit is also just low enough in price that there’s very little standing between us and a reliable connection for a console or placeshifter.

Continue reading D-Link PowerLine AV+ Mini Adapter kit keeps wired networks as subtle (and cheap) as possible

Filed under: Networking

D-Link PowerLine AV+ Mini Adapter kit keeps wired networks as subtle (and cheap) as possible originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Oct 2012 19:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIM’s attention around its QNX-based platforms might revolve around BlackBerry 10 as of late, but don’t think that it’s leaving BlackBerry PlayBook users behind. A PlayBook 2.1 update is rolling out today that fills in some of the gaps left by 2.0 earlier this year. Habitual messagers can now start SMS text messages directly from the tablet when tethered through BlackBerry Bridge; they also get overdue support for a portrait view in email, calendars and contacts. If communication isn’t the cornerstone of your life, you’ll still find a few niceties such as Android App Player support for the camera and in-app purchases, device encryption that extends to personal data and wireless printing beyond the local network. For now, you’ll have to be an owner of the original, WiFi-only PlayBook to leap on the 2.1 train today — those who sprang for the usually carrier-bound PlayBook 4G LTE should get their upgrade within a month.

Filed under: Tablets, RIM

BlackBerry PlayBook 2.1 update goes live with SMS, portrait email originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Oct 2012 10:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Victorinox may have offered a hefty bounty to crack its secure USB drives’ encryption, but the storage sticks seem to have met their match another way: the end of software support. In an email sent to customers and a pair of Facebook posts, the firm announced that it will halt updates as of next month and that its security program’s VeriSign certificate is only valid until September 15th. As a result, customers are urged to backup their data lickity split. According to the outfit, the economics of continuing application development just weren’t reasonable and it’ll now refer to a third party for all software. However, the Swiss Army Knife maker isn’t out of the flash drive business — it’s committed to putting more of the devices on the market. We’ve reached out to the company for more details on how the thumb drives will be affected and we’ll update when we get word. In the meantime, hit the source links for the notice or check out the e-mail below.

[Thanks, Scott]

Continue reading Victorinox nixes software updates for USB drives, security certificate to expire in September

Filed under: Storage

Victorinox nixes software updates for USB drives, security certificate to expire in September originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 03:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re used to seeing a device like this on a daily basis, you probably assume that it’s a vital security measure to keep your employer’s networks and data secure. A team of computer scientists beg to differ, however— because they’ve cracked the encryption it uses wide open. More »