Hasta La Gadget!

Last year, we expressed a yearning for something we called the Continuous Client that would allow us to pick up on one device where we left off on another, and in less than a year we saw the advent of HP’s “Touch-to-share” technology, but our dreams weren’t fully fulfilled — we longed for a platform that would offer seamless sharing across all of our devices. Well, it’s like we rubbed a bottle and KonnectUs popped out. The cloud-based software is a collaborative effort between Sensus and Open Exhibits that enables you to transfer files and information across platforms — including Windows, iOS, and Android — with a simple swipe of your finger. As it turns out, KonnectUs was built with museums in mind, but the company is offering APIs for integration into third party applications — so maybe the perfect world isn’t that far off after all. Oh, that’s right — we still don’t have a robot to shake our martinis after a hard day at the office. Video after the break.

Continue reading KonnectUs cloud-based software makes easy cross-platform sharing a reality, we swoon (video)

KonnectUs cloud-based software makes easy cross-platform sharing a reality, we swoon (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So what’s this Thunderbolt stuff, and why is it in your new MacBook Pro? Intel just broke it down for us, and now we’ll do the same for you. Simply put, Thunderbolt’s a familiar-looking port, a brand-new chip, and a cord, which allows devices to pipe two data streams simultaneously — in both directions — over a single cable at up to 10 gigabits per second to start, primarily using PCI Express x4 for data and DisplayPort for video. The Thunderbolt controller chip — required for the system, but Intel says it’s hardware-agnostic and doesn’t require an Intel processor or chipset to use — acts as a miniature router of sorts that rapidly switches between the two bidirectional channels of data.

Sounds great, but why would you want to buy into yet another copper cord? Intel defends that Thunderbolt will be backwards and forwards-compatible depending on the cable used. Representatives explained that the basic system can work with any other PCI Express 2.0-compatible I/O system with, say, a FireWire or eSATA adapter doing the dirty work –Intel wouldn’t specifically comment on USB 3.0 — and that the port you’ll find in new MacBook Pros and storage devices can actually take an optical cable when those are cost-effective enough to roll out, because Intel will eventually bake the optical transceivers into the cables themselves. In the meanwhile, you can get up to three meters of range out of a basic cable, plus a fairly generous 10 watts of power over the bus, and since Thunderbolt devices are designed to be daisy-chained, you may be able to get another three meters for each device you add on that sports a pair of the ports.

Though Intel wasn’t talking about likely prices for the chips or cables in even the most general terms, Promise and LaCie had prototype devices on hand headed to the market soon — get a peek at them and a closer look at the cable in our gallery below, and we’ll have video up in a little while too.

Update: Looks like LaCie’s product now has a name and vague release date: it’s the LaCie Little Big Disk, coming this summer, with a pair of solid state drives inside.

Update 2: Video after the break — get a load of Thunderbolt streaming four 1080p clips from a MacBook Pro and attached Promise NAS simultaneously!

Continue reading Intel Thunderbolt: a closer look (updated with video)

Intel Thunderbolt: a closer look (updated with video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 16:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

The Nintendo 3DS stands to democratize stereoscopy in a way society hasn’t experienced since the View-Master craze, by offering 3D hardware more affordable than the current crop of televisions and PCs, and without requiring special glasses to see images pop out of the handheld’s screen. But when it comes to innovation, the 3DS could represent a two-way street, for even as its 3D screen is focused on enhancing the handheld gaming experience, its “Pass” network technologies — SpotPass and particularly StreetPass — could have broader implications for the way we discover the world around us.

Continue reading Switched On: When Gadgets Talk in Their Sleep

Switched On: When Gadgets Talk in Their Sleep originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Jan 2011 20:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hey, don’t knock the naming engineers — “Clear Modem with WiFi” just works. Indeed, that’s the official title of Clear’s new at-home WiMAX modem (the same one that flew through the FCC back in September), designed to bring the 4G superhighway into one’s home for as little as $35 per month. According to the operator, it’s an all-in-one solution that’s “around the size of a book,” offering 4G reception as well as an internal 802.11b/g/n router to distribute those waves across your home without the need for a separate WLAN router. It’s available today from your local Clear store, with a $120 outright price or a $7 per month lease rate. Furthermore, Clear home service customers can add home voice service, with unlimited local and long distance calling in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico, for an extra 15 clams per month. Oh, and if your math skills are a tad fuzzy, we’d recommend buying it if you’re planning to keep the service for greater than 17 months. You’re welcome.

Continue reading Clear launches new at-home WiMAX router with integrated WiFi

Clear launches new at-home WiMAX router with integrated WiFi originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Dec 2010 11:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here we go: Verizon’s LTE network is launching on Dec. 5 in 38 markets and 60 airports—going nationwide by 2013—with two USB sticks from LG and Pantech supplying the superfast goodness. But just how fast is it? More »