Apr 30

T-Mobile’s connected Cameo digiframe plummets in price, gets reviewed

Posted in: review, reviewed, t-mobile, Today's Chili, wifi

Man, that was fast. Really fast. Not like we’re shocked at all to hear that T-Mobile customers weren’t really digging the idea of paying ten bones per month to keep a digital photo frame alive, but hey — it was worth a shot, right? As of today, T-Mobile’s quickly forgotten Cameo connected digiframe has dropped from $99.99 to $39.99 up front, while the recurring charge to keep the media flowin’ has nearly vanished by going from $9.99 per month to just $1.99 per month. Reviewers over at ZDNet seemed to be quite pleased with the value proposition at the new price point, noting that it was perfect for technologically illiterate family members who yearned to see digital images of you and yours. Sadly, you still have to walk into a T-Mobile retail store to actually buy one, but at least it’s finally worth your while to do so.

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T-Mobile’s connected Cameo digiframe plummets in price, gets reviewed originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Apr 2009 14:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 27

KT’s Egg gives your WiFi device access to the wonderful world of WiBro

Posted in: ipod touch, IpodTouch, South Korea, SouthKorea, Today's Chili, wifi, WiMAX

Korea Telecom really wants to get you on the WiBro tip. The aptly-named (if a wee bit uninspired) Egg is essentially a router for connecting WiFi devices (such as the Nintendo DS or iPod Touch) to the company’s wireless broadband network. According to the Korea Times, both KT and SK Telecom (the country’s two main WiBro operators) have mere 170,000 WiBro customers total, “making a mockery” of its “most wired nation” aspirations — so they can certainly stand to expand their customer base a little bit. Subscribers to the company’s flat-rate data plan will get the device for free (trust us, they’ve paid enough). Or you can pick one up for yourself at the Apple store in Samseong-dong or Myeong-dong, the next time you’re in Seoul. This guy should be hitting the shelves sometime in May for ₩220,000 (that’s about $163).

[Thanks, Stafford]

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KT’s Egg gives your WiFi device access to the wonderful world of WiBro originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Apr 2009 10:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 23

Broadcom’s first Bluetooth 3.0 chip gets certified

Posted in: bluetooth, Today's Chili, wifi

Well, that fast — just a day after the Bluetooth SIG officially announced the new Bluetooth 3.0 specification, Broadcom’s announced that its BCM4325 chip has been certified and is ready to go. As you’d expect from a chip that uses the new high-speed multi-protocol standard, the 4325 does WiFi as well as Bluetooth, with a dash of FM thrown in for good measure. Handshakes all around — now let’s get this thing in some devices, shall we?

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Broadcom’s first Bluetooth 3.0 chip gets certified originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 06:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 21

CSIRO’s patent lawsuits conclude with the final 13 companies settling

Posted in: HP, intel, lawsuit, Microsoft, nintendo, patent, Today's Chili, Toshiba, wi-fi, wifi

Looks like CSIRO‘s legal days are over — for the moment, at least. Having already reached an agreement with HP, the Australian government-funded research firm announced this week that it’s settled with the remaining 13 companies it sued for patent infringement, claiming it owned the rights to 802.11a/g. For those who haven’t been keeping track at home, that includes Dell, Intel, Microsoft, Nintendo, Fujitsu, Toshiba, Netgear, Buffalo, D-Link, Belkin, SMC, Accton, and 3Com. The details of any of the settlements are undisclosed, but as iTnews reports, it’s expected CSIRO ended up with some substantial monies now that the dust has settled. Chief Executive Dr. Megan Clark noted that it’ll continue to “defend its intellectual property,” so if you’re a high profile tech company who creates WiFi-equipped gadgets and hasn’t been served a lawsuit yet, we don’t blame you for being a little nervous right now.

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CSIRO’s patent lawsuits conclude with the final 13 companies settling originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 21

Bluetooth 3.0 + HS gets official, adds speed with 802.11

Posted in: bluetooth, Today's Chili, wifi, Wireless

The rumors were true, and today’s the day that the Bluetooth SIG gets official with the latest, greatest version of Bluetooth. Bluetooth 3.0 + HS, as it’ll be called, promises to be markedly faster than prior iterations thanks to the reliance on 802.11, which is the same protocol used by WiFi modules, routers, etc. The new standard obviously catapults Bluetooth into a new dimension; rather than being good for nothing more than sending images from one phone to another or syncing a fitness module to a DAP, v3.0 is nimble enough to handle camcorder-to-HDTV, PC-to-PMP and UMPC-to-printer transfers. In fact, the inclusion of the 802.11 Protocol Adaptation Layer (PAL) provides increased throughput of data transfers “at the approximate rate of 24Mbps.” We had sit-downs with Mike Foley (executive director of the Bluetooth SIG) and Atheros CTO Bill McFarland in order to find out a few more details about plans for the protocol — if you’re eager to hear what they had to say, not to mention see a demonstration of BT 3.0 at work, follow us past the break.

Continue reading Bluetooth 3.0 + HS gets official, adds speed with 802.11

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Bluetooth 3.0 + HS gets official, adds speed with 802.11 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 20

Netgear Digital Entertainer Elite available worldwide for $399

Posted in: media streamer, MediaStreamer, now available, now shipping, NowAvailable, NowShipping, ship, shipping, ships, stream, streaming, Today's Chili, wifi

The verdict is already out on Netgear’s EVA 9150 Digital Entertainer Elite, and now the ball’s squarely in your court. The self-proclaimed “flexible digital media player” — complete with its dual-band 802.11n WiFi, integrated 500GB hard drive and broad video codec support — is now shipping worldwide. In case you’ve forgotten, this unit plays nice with Windows, Mac and Linux platforms and boasts a pair of USB ports for adding flash drives and additional storage. Worth $399? Answer with your wallet, bub.

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Netgear Digital Entertainer Elite available worldwide for $399 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 14

Pandora-lovin’ Livio Radio sports ‘thumbs up / down’ controls

Posted in: radio, Today's Chili, wifi

Much like digital photo frames, the whole internet radio sector is getting really, really tired. Thankfully, a little known company by the name of Livio is breaking in to spice things up. The simply titled (and classically styled) Livio Radio is the first and only dedicated device to offer Pandora’s signature “thumbs up, thumbs down” controls on both the front panel and a remote, and while we suppose Pandora will be plenty for most of the targeted customers, it can also tune into a comprehensive list of other validated internet radio stations from around the world through Reciva. Outside of that, functionality is indeed limited, but Livio designed this thing to be a simple WiFi mix tape of sorts, not a bona fide home audio player. Naturally, all that’s required to get tunes streaming is an AC outlet and an internet connection, so you can feel free to leave your PC / laptop at home. It’s shipping now directly from Livio for $150, and the full release is after the break.

Gallery: Pandora-lovin’ Livio Radio sports ‘thumbs up / down’ controls

Continue reading Pandora-lovin’ Livio Radio sports ‘thumbs up / down’ controls

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Pandora-lovin’ Livio Radio sports ‘thumbs up / down’ controls originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 13

Bluetooth 3.0 to use WiFi for high-speed file transfers

Posted in: bluetooth, Today's Chili, wifi

Sounds like the Bluetooth 3.0 announcement on April 21 is going to finally usher in the era of high-speed short-range data transfers — as previously hinted, the new spec will actually negotiate a quick’n’dirty ad-hoc WiFi connection between devices if it needs to move bits in a hurry, and then turn off the spigot to save power when it’s done. The idea is to leverage the speed of WiFi while keeping power usage low, and we’d say it’s a pretty trick solution, since most Bluetooth-capable devices also have WiFi radios (cough, Storm). Since the ad-hoc WiFi connection is managed over Bluetooth, no actual wireless network is necessary, and the switch will appear seamless to the user — except for the sudden increase in data transfer speeds. Yeah, it’s definitely slick stuff — we’re looking forward to seeing the first devices in action next Tuesday.

[Via MocoNews]

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Bluetooth 3.0 to use WiFi for high-speed file transfers originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 21:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 07

Tropos rolls out new line of 802.11n outdoor mesh routers

Posted in: Today's Chili, wifi

Looking to give your massive outdoor wireless network a bit of boost? Then you might want to consider one of Tropos’ new 802.11n mesh routers, which offer a little something for anyone with upwards of $3,000 to spend. At the top of the heap is the dual-band Tropos 7320 (pictured above), which boasts a modular design that can accommodate a whole range of antennas to suit your needs, and the ability to be powered by either a regular power adapter, Power over Ethernet, or an optional built-in battery backup module. The mid-range Tropos 6320 hangs onto most of those features but drops the modular antennas, while the basic Tropos 6310 goes one step further by ditching the dual-band capabilities in favor of plain old 2.4GHz. If that’s all a bit too much for your needs, however, you may just want to snag one of Tropos’ previous 802.11a/b/g routers, which have all been given a 29% price cut to make way for the new models.

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Tropos rolls out new line of 802.11n outdoor mesh routers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 07

Pure Digital founder talks of Flip Video’s future

Posted in: camcorder, cisco, social networking, SocialNetworking, streaming, Today's Chili, twitter, wifi

When we got wind of Cisco’s $590 million acquisition of Flip Video-maker Pure Digital, we immediately came to grips with the fit. After all, Cisco’s been dying to pull another Linksys for some time now, and what better to expand its consumer electronics presence than with a cheap-o camcorder that’s ripe for the addition of WiFi. Bigwig (and Pure Digital founder) Jonathan Kaplan recently sat down to talk about the product’s future, and unsurprisingly, he definitely mentions the integration of Cisco’s “strengths” into the handheld camcorder. Furthermore, he’s hoping that an entity as large as Cisco can get the Flip Video line overseas, and he’s also quite big on “building the brand.” The takeaway? Don’t be alarmed when a WiFi-equipped, streaming-capable successor hits the scene at CES 2010, complete with automatic upload-to-YouTube functionality.

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Pure Digital founder talks of Flip Video’s future originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 05:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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