Hasta La Gadget!

Verizon’s FiOS footprint may be on an expansion hiatus, but that’s not to say the company’s abandoning existing users. Nearly 3.5 years after boosting FiOS internet speeds with G-PON, the company is now out testing XG-PON2 — a newfangled iteration that somehow enables 10Gbps upstream and downstream from its existing fiber network. If you’ll recall, we heard just a few weeks back that the outfit was close to being able to serve GigE on its existing platform, and now that this field trial has been successful, we’d say the boundaries are stretched even further. In the test, technicians were able to suck down a 2.3GB movie in four ticks of the second hand, and if you’re hoping to see the nerdiest video of the day, a highlight reel of the trial awaits you just past the break.

[Thanks, David]

Continue reading Verizon FiOS field trial introduces XG-PON2 to the lexicon, shows 10Gbps capabilities

Verizon FiOS field trial introduces XG-PON2 to the lexicon, shows 10Gbps capabilities originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 02:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So, Bluetooth — last fall didn’t end up being as frightful as you had probably imagined, but this fall is bound to be different. Or so the Wi-Fi Alliance says. If you’ll recall, Wi-Fi Direct promised to do what Bluetooth had been doing for years, but with far less fuss and on a protocol that’s much more widespread. A solid year has come and gone, and we’ve heard nary a word from any company who plans on implementing it. Thankfully for us all, that changes today. Starting in mere moments, Wi-Fi Direct devices will begin the certification process, and while we couldn’t extract exact product details or a release time frame for future wares on a media call regarding the announcement, we did get the impression that at least a few partners were trying to get Wi-Fi Direct wares onto shelves before Christmas.

As for functionality, the claims are fairly impressive. In order to make a direct device-to-device connection over WiFi, just one of the two need to be Wi-Fi Direct certified. In other words, a Wi-Fi Direct printer can recognize and interface with your Latitude D410 laptop from 1999, as all Wi-Fi Direct certified devices have to be able to control the one-to-one relationship. The goal here is pretty simple — it’s to create a protected connection between two devices over WiFi with as little hassle as possible. Think Bluetooth, but using WiFi. We also learned that “most” products certified will also support “one-to-many” connections, enabling a Wi-Fi Direct laptop to be in contact with a printer, connected HDTV and a tablet simultaneously, with no router in-between at any point. We should also point out that while 802.11a/g/n is supported over 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, there’s no requirement for Wi-Fi Direct products to support 802.11b, so legacy users may want to pay attention to that quirk.

There’s also no new hardware requirements here, so in theory, any existing WiFi chipset could be upgraded via firmware to handle Wi-Fi Direct — whether or not that’ll happen on a large scale was a question the Wi-Fi Alliance couldn’t answer for us. Finally, they noted that the app ecosystem is likely to make this whole rollout a lot more interesting, particularly considering that Direct is simply a pipe that software can dictate as it sees fit. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the developments here; we’ve waited way too long for this to blossom, but we’re pretty jazzed about the possibilities. Head on past the break for a video overview of how Wi-Fi Direct works.

Continue reading Wi-Fi Direct certification begins today, device-to-device transmission starting soon

Wi-Fi Direct certification begins today, device-to-device transmission starting soon originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re anything like us, you’re both smart and incredibly good looking. Also, you’re sarcastic. And in addition to all that, you spend much of your downtime enjoying streaming media on your computer, or your Internet-enabled TV, or perhaps even your fancy-pants cellphone. And it looks like, indeed, much of the country is “anything like us” — at least according to Sandvine, Inc., of Waterloo, Ontario. The network hardware manufacturer has released a report that concludes that over twenty percent of stateside peak time downstream Internet traffic is gobbled up by Netflix streams, with the heaviest use going down in the primetime hours between 8 to 10 pm. We’re sure that this is no surprise to Netflix itself, whose CEO recently stated that the company is primarily a streaming company that just happens to mail out DVDs to some customers; but still, the figure is pretty staggering. You can draw your own conclusions, but we’re just happy to no longer live in a place where the only thing to watch on a Thursday night is The World According To Jim.

Report: Twenty percent of peak downstream Internet used for Netflix? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 13:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s a resource we’ve all needed for years — ever since Gogo began its quest to infiltrate each and every airline cabin in America in hopes of installing a router or two. HasWiFi is a simplistic (read: won’t kill your mobile browser) site that serves one primary purpose: to tell you whether or not your upcoming flight will have sweet, succulent in-flight WiFi available. Better still, users can even vote Yes or No to whether their flight actually does have in-flight WiFi… you know, in case a carrier yanks it from one plane or installs it in another that’s not listed. And if you’re already down with TripIt, well, searching gets even easier. Head on over and punch in your next flight — crossed fingers are highly recommended.

HasWiFi answers a vital question: does my flight have WiFi? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Oct 2010 09:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A few months earlier in the year, we covered the arduous process of staying connected while traveling abroad. One of the ways we mentioned for jetsetters, backpackers and common tourists to stay jacked in while situated far from their homeland was a MiFi rental service from Xcom Global. The company has only been operating for a matter of months, but we recently took their services for a spin in order to give you a more detailed look at what to expect. The long and short of it? These guys are the guys to contact when you’re about to grab your next passport stamp. Read on to find out why.

Continue reading Xcom Global international MiFi / data rental service review

Xcom Global international MiFi / data rental service review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 11:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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