Ooma Telo and Telo Air wireless adapter hands-on

Remember the Ooma Telo? It suffered the same fate as most home VoIP adapters: a lifetime chained to the home or office router, bound forever by a freedom-crushing Ethernet cable. But no. No more. The benevolent engineers at Ooma have decided to set the Telo free. Hello, Ooma Telo Air Wireless Adapter — you’re about to put VoIP in our kitchen.

Ooma’s Voice over IP service and the Telo adapter itself are hardly new, but we couldn’t resist giving the outfit’s new VOIP liberating dongle a try. Read on for more.

Continue reading Ooma Telo and Telo Air wireless adapter hands-on

Ooma Telo and Telo Air wireless adapter hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Ooma intros Telo Air wireless adapter, liberates Bluetooth solution to the masses

Heads up, Ooma fans: the equipment that you know and love for free local and long distance calls is now more flexible than ever, thanks to the Telo Air wireless adapter, which adds WiFi capabilities to the Ooma Telo. While the system previously relied on an Ethernet connection for quality calls, the adaptive redundancy of this $50 add-on is said to overcome any performance degradation that you might otherwise experience. Additionally, the Bluetooth adapter — once available only to Premiere subscribers — is now available for $30 to anyone who wishes to integrate their mobile phone or wireless headset with Ooma. Of course, you’ll need to remain within 30 feet of the Telo (due to Bluetooth’s technical limitation), but if you’re undeterred by the short leash, it could be a fine alternative to the company’s handset. The Bluetooth adapter is available today, and the Telo Air is expected to ship on October 1st. If you’re looking to ditch the local telco and save some coin, you’ll find the full PR after the break.

Continue reading Ooma intros Telo Air wireless adapter, liberates Bluetooth solution to the masses

Ooma intros Telo Air wireless adapter, liberates Bluetooth solution to the masses originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Netgear’s N900 dual-band router hits 900Mbps top speed, pats itself on the back

Stopping just short of bundling its announcement with an “Eye of the Tiger” MP3, Netgear’s rolling out the hyperbole carpet for its now available N900. Heralding it as “the most advanced wireless home router,” the sleekly-designed $180 box packs six antennas for an extended WiFi range, and is capable of speeds up to 900Mbps — that’s with both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands delivering data at a full 450Mbps. Sure, TRENDnet’s already called First! with its own 450Mbps concurrent dual-band device, but the real focus here is on the added extras. In addition to the two USB ports — capable of 30% faster transfer rates — Netgear’s thrown in a suite of goodies, like its Genie network monitoring application, Live Parental Controls, printer sharing, video stream optimization, DLNA, gigabit wired ethernet, guest access, WPA and WPA2 security protocols, usage meter and, lastly, a shutoff timer. Clearly, this isn’t your ordinary wireless router, and that’s exactly the company’s point. Click on past the break for the official presser.

Continue reading Netgear’s N900 dual-band router hits 900Mbps top speed, pats itself on the back

Netgear’s N900 dual-band router hits 900Mbps top speed, pats itself on the back originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Google planning opt-out option for WiFi data gathering

Privacy concerns have caused Google to back down a bit on its information collection amongst residential wireless networks. Beginning in the fall, the company will allow owners of the WiFi networks to opt-out of the data gathering. Google has assured concerned parties that it doesn’t collect personal details when nabbing the information for its databases, but such comments haven’t done much to calm the nerves of privacy advocates.

Google planning opt-out option for WiFi data gathering originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 21:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceYahoo  | Email this | Comments

Sony announces Walkman Z PMP: 4.3 inches, Tegra 2, Gingerbread and ‘Throw’

We already got some brief hands-on time with this Gingerbread-sporting PMP at IFA, where it went by the name of “Walkman Mobile Entertainment Player.” Now it’s just been announced as the Sony Walkman Z, which rolls off the tongue a whole lot easier. Beneath that 4.3-inch WVGA display lurks a 1GHz Tegra 2, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and a battery rated for 20 hours of music and 5 hours of video. There’s HDMI out as well as Sony’s Throw feature for pushing media wirelessly to a Bravia TV. Pricing remains “open” apparently, but Sony does commit to availability in Japan from December 10th. You’ll get a choice of 16, 32 or 64GB models in either red/black or black/blue, or you can wait for a limited edition white version in early 2012. If you’re planning on sending it our way, Sony, then you should know we’ll be utterly broke by then.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Sony announces Walkman Z PMP: 4.3 inches, Tegra 2, Gingerbread and ‘Throw’ originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 10:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceSony Product Page (Translated), Sony PR (Translated)  | Email this | Comments

Researchers develop method to measure effects of WiFi attacks

America is built on the principles of life, liberty and WiFi, the latter of which has increasingly become a target for hackers hoping to mess up our chi. To predict what would happen as result of an assault, researchers at North Carolina State University created two models — one based on a continuous jam of service, and one on an intermittent disruption that would cut off service during specific times. They then measured “order gain,” which compares the probability of an attacker having network access to the probability of a legitimate user having access. Basically, the more control a hacker has, the more regular users that will lose service and be shut out — making it harder to regain control. Researchers hope the new method will help identify the most vulnerable networks, opening the doors to create effective countermeasures to keep our WiFi safe — something that Starbucks customers will surely be thankful for.

Researchers develop method to measure effects of WiFi attacks originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 09:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PhysOrg  |  sourceNorth Carolina State University  | Email this | Comments

Row 44 gets major studio support for in-flight VOD platform, can’t match Gogo’s reach

Southwest Airlines passengers now have something better to do on their cross-country jaunts than grip the armrests and pray that the kid behind ’em stops kicking the seat. Row 44 has partnered with Disney, Warner Brothers, Universal and Fox to create an on-demand streaming service for folks who bring their WiFi-enabled devices onboard. You’ll get a variety of archive content to watch as you cruise the friendly skies, including shows like Friends, Glee and The Office as well as big-ticket movies like Harry Potter, Avatar and Inception. The service also offers streaming IPTV, with CNBC, Fox News and NBC Sports on tap initially. Row 44’s market share is paltry compared to Gogo — which has the business of every WiFi-lovin’ airline in America outside of Southwest — but it’s certainly interesting news in light of the latter’s own video endeavors. Mum’s the word on pricing, but we’re told that the new material can be accessed “later this year.”

Continue reading Row 44 gets major studio support for in-flight VOD platform, can’t match Gogo’s reach

Row 44 gets major studio support for in-flight VOD platform, can’t match Gogo’s reach originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Sep 2011 19:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceRow 44  | Email this | Comments

AirPlay-enabled Music Tap systems touted by Pioneer, free us from living room control

Had your eye on an AirPlay accessory for your iPhone or iPod touch? Well, Pioneer is looking to help you pull the trigger on one. The company has announced a new set of AirPlay Music Tap systems that enable access to your music library without being chained to a peripheral. By connecting one of these bad boys to your home WiFi or ethernet network, you’ll be able to access your entire iTunes library in various locations throughout your home — ‘course, having Apple’s free Remote app will ensure maximum utility. Other features include a 2.5-inch full-color LCD display, Pandora, iHeartRadio, vTuner internet radio and Air Jam, which allows for playlist sharing on your arsenal of the company’s Music Tap systems. When this pair drops in October, you’ll have your choice of the X-SMC-3-S for $400 or the more dapper, bluetooth-enabled X-SMC4-Elite for $480. You can take a peek at the Elite, along with the full PR, after the break.

Continue reading AirPlay-enabled Music Tap systems touted by Pioneer, free us from living room control

AirPlay-enabled Music Tap systems touted by Pioneer, free us from living room control originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Sep 2011 02:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink iPodNN  |  sourcePioneer (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments

Mobile Miscellany: week of September 5, 2011

This week, as always, was packed with news on the mobile front, so it was easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here’s some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of September 5, 2011:

  • It appears that Sprint employees are being informed that vacation requests anytime between September 30th and October 15th won’t be approved, due to “the possibility of a major phone launch in October.” Vacation blackouts are typically used during certain times of the holiday season, so the timing on this particular memo is a bit striking — as usual, we invite you to come to your own conclusions here. [via SprintFeed]
  • Two BlackBerry devices breathed life on T-Mobile this week in the form of leaks. First, the Curve 9360 began showing up on marketing material focusing specifically on its prepaid campaign, which says the device will be offered for $230 without having to sign a new contract. It didn’t mention the on-contract price, but if all goes according to rumors, it’ll likely be out this time next week (September 14th, to be specific). [via TmoNews]
  • Speaking of the Curve 9360, the phone will probably be hopping across the pond to a Carphone Warehouse near you (if you live in the United Kingdom, that is). It’s ready for pre-order now on the retailer’s site with a prepaid option for $200. Not bad for a brand-new BlackBerry at full retail cost. [via TechnoBuffalo]
  • The second BlackBerry we saw leaked for T-Mobile this week was the Torch 9860, which may have been discovered in T-Mo’s inventory system, according to a leaked screenshot. This doesn’t help us know the date or pricing of the new Torch, but it does signify that it’s likely just around the corner. [via TmoNews]
  • It’s possible that the Droid Prime and Nexus Prime have passed through Bluetooth and WiFi certification. Since names were not provided in the documentation, we’re left to speculate using the devices’ model numbers — rumored to be the SCH-I515 and GT-I9250. We’re naturally skeptical, but we’ll keep a close eye on the FCC in hopes that we’ll see these mystery devices pop up soon with at least a few revealing details. [via Droid-Life]
  • We’ve been expecting the recently announced Samsung Galaxy W to arrive this month in the UK, but all of our sights have been set on Three as the only known carrier… until now. O2 placed a teaser page on its website this week, listing the Galaxy W as “coming soon: September.” [via MobileBurn and AndroidCentral]

Mobile Miscellany: week of September 5, 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Sep 2011 11:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Scientists build WiFi hunter-killer drone and call it SkyNET… Viene Tormenta!

You’d think scientists would proscribe certain names for their inventions — you wouldn’t be taken seriously if your supercomputer was called HAL 9000, WOPR or Proteus IV would you? Well, a team from the Stevens Institute of Technology isn’t listening, because it’s developing an aerial drone and calling it SkyNET. A Linux box, strapped to a Parrot A.R. Drone, can fly within range of your home wireless network and electronically attack it from the air. Whilst internet-only attacks are traceable to some extent, drone attacks are difficult to detect until it’s too late — you’d have to catch it in the act and chase it off with a long-handled pitchfork, or something. The team is working on refining the technology to make it cheaper than the $600 it currently costs and advise that people toughen up their domestic wireless security. We advise they stop pushing us ever closer towards the Robopocalypse.

Scientists build WiFi hunter-killer drone and call it SkyNET… Viene Tormenta! originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Sep 2011 05:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Crave  |  sourceSkyNET Paper (PDF)  | Email this | Comments