Hasta La Gadget!

Everything can be hacked — that’s an important detail to keep in mind as we start cramming wireless radios into our bodies attached to medical implants. Researchers have been working on ways to protect devices like pacemakers from ne’er-do-wells looking to cause, not just e-harm, but physical injury or even death. A new system developed jointly by MIT and UMass is much more sophisticated that earlier solutions, can be used with existing implants, and is worn outside the body allowing it to be removed in the event of an emergency. The shield, as it’s called, acts as a sort of medical firewall, protecting implants from unauthorized access — doctors send encrypted instructions to it which are decoded and relayed to device, while it blocks any signals not using the secret key. All that’s left to do is figure out what sort of person would mess with someone’s defibrillator.

Researchers shield implants from hackers with wireless charm of protection originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Jun 2011 16:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple threw quite the wireless party by introducing PC Free and iCloud at yesterday’s WWDC keynote, but it seems that the engineers in Cupertino may have even more tricks up their sleeve. Judging by a recently filed patent application, the company’s hoping to add charging to its list of cord-cutting services. Specifically, the patent describes building a NFMR (near-field magnetic resolution) power supply directly into your iMac so it can charge your iPhone, iPad, or even peripherals — such as a keyboard or mouse, when equipped with a special antenna — without the assistance of your ol’ trusty charging cords or batteries. Sporting a somewhat mature iMac that’s operating sans NFMR? Pop a special USB dongle in that bad boy and presto, you’re good to go. The patent points out that the range is limited to one meter, though there may be ways to install repeaters in peripherals to extend that distance further. Of course, patents won’t guarantee we’ll be grabbing the scissors to cut our cords anytime soon, but at least we won’t have to rely on these things for the rest of eternity.

Filed under: Wireless

Apple patent app sheds light on wireless charging dreams, NFMR love affair originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 09:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft’s Kinect motion controls may be infiltrating all sorts of games at this year’s E3, but the Xbox maker isn’t neglecting those in need of a more tangible control scheme. A new Wireless Speed Wheel has just been revealed, with a reasonable $60 price tag and an early October launch date. As you see above, it’s technically three-fourths of a wheel, but that does allow for extra green bands of lights to be applied and, slightly more importantly, a set of directional and action buttons to be added to the handles of this steering implement. There’s a rumble pack inside for force feedback and a pair of trigger buttons on the underside for smashing the gas or dabbing the brakes. Another image after the break.

Continue reading Xbox 360 Wireless Speed Wheel will arrive in early October for $60, give you something to hold on to

Xbox 360 Wireless Speed Wheel will arrive in early October for $60, give you something to hold on to originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 03:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember how Mad Catz scored the exclusive rights to produce Xbox 360 wireless headphones? Here’s the deal: these cans don’t need to be tethered to your controller for voice chat or plugged into a wall to charge. According to IGN, the new Mad Catz Warhead 7.1 will get everything it needs from a base station connected to your console. String USB and optical cables directly from the Xbox 360 to that tiny tower above, and you’ll reportedly get enough 5.8GHz bandwidth to deliver virtual Dolby surround sound to four pairs of headphones at once — plus wireless Xbox LIVE audio chat thanks to some native support from Microsoft. What’s more, the USB base station will also give you an on-screen battery readout, and if the Warhead runs out of juice, you’ll find a second swappable battery pack sitting in the base station’s charger. If that sounds too rich for your blood, the Devastator will ditch the surround sound and rechargeable batteries while retaining the same connectivity and 50mm drivers of its premium brother. How much that’ll cost you is still to be determined, though Mad Catz told IGN they’ll all ring up under $300 this holiday.

Mad Catz’ exclusive Xbox 360 wireless headphones revealed: integrated voice chat, 5.8GHz base station originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Jun 2011 22:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tri-band WiGig in a laptop? Yawnsville. Now, put that 60GHz connection in a high-end smartphone and we’re all ears (and sweaty palms). Panasonic is the first out the gate with a 802.11ad compatible chip for mobile devices and, despite its head-spinning multi-gigabit speeds, the company’s creation draws less that 1W of power. It’ll be sometime before WiGig makes its way into your Droid or iPhone, but when it does you can look forward to wirelessly syncing entire seasons of Good Eats (in 1080p, of course) to your phone in mere minutes. Until then, you’ll just have to make do with the tantalizing PR after the break.

Continue reading Panasonic shrinks WiGig for cellphones, sets our hearts a flutter

Panasonic shrinks WiGig for cellphones, sets our hearts a flutter originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Jun 2011 15:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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