Hasta La Gadget!

Ah, the all too familiar WiFi troubleshooting dance: the network goes down, you dig through the closet for an Ethernet cable, saunter over to the router, jack yourself in, type in the IP address, and start poking around at your settings. Cisco’s REN301 Residential Gateway (a fancy way of saying “router”), which just passed through the FCC, could make things at least a little bit easier thanks to its built-in LCD screen and capacitive touch controls. Wave your hand over the display to bring it to life and you can check the status of your connections, modify some basic settings, and peruse a log of calls that have come in over the SIP VoIP phone jacks. The REN301, which has a single band 802.11b/g/n radio, can also turn USB drives and SD cards into NAS storage — the company even throws in a 32GB card to get you started. We don’t have a price or release date, but since it’s been splayed open for federal regulators we probably won’t have to wait long. There’s a couple of pics of the router’s UI after the break.

Continue reading LCD-equipped Cisco REN301 Residential Gateway stops by FCC, reveals all its dirty secrets

LCD-equipped Cisco REN301 Residential Gateway stops by FCC, reveals all its dirty secrets originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 16:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Believe it or not, blazing-fast WiFi routers don’t have to look like anti-aircraft weapons. The new flagship device from Netgear, the N750, keeps its array of antennae stashed out of sight. Even without a gaudy design, this dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n router can hit speeds of 450Mbps over the 5GHz band and 300Mbps at 2.4Ghz, for an “aggregate combined data rate” of 750Mbps. Don’t get too excited though, all that means is you can connect one device in either band without dragging down the transfer rate of the other — you’re still bound by the 450Mbps speed limit. The N750 also includes a ReadySHARE USB port for network storage, parental controls, and guest access — not bad for $150, eh?

Continue reading Netgear’s N750 wireless router Newspeaks its way to 750Mbps

Netgear’s N750 wireless router Newspeaks its way to 750Mbps originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 12:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve seen some rather homely cans in our time — wireless and otherwise — which is why we were delighted to see that Sony’s latest set of 7.1 channel headphones doesn’t sacrifice form for function — at least not on paper. The MDR-DS6500 setup offers up a slew of surround sound modes, including Dolby Digital, Sony’s Virtualphones Technology, a 100-meter (330-foot) operating range, and automatic tuning. Sony’s also promising 20 hours of listening for every three hours the things spend on their charging dock. We’re not sure how much they’ll set you back, but they are set for release sometime this May. Of course, we’ll hold our judgment until we actually hear how they stack up. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Sony’s MDR-DS6500 wireless headphones serve up surround sound in style

Sony’s MDR-DS6500 wireless headphones serve up surround sound in style originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 09:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re waiting impatiently for the ability hook your laptop in to T-Mobile’s blazingly fast 42Mbps HSPA+ network, you are going to have hold tight just a little bit longer. But here’s some good news to tide you over: the 21Mbps capable Rocket 4G USB stick is here, and available starting April 17th with new prepaid data plans for those who prefer not to chain themselves to a two-year contract. The $30, 30-day plan will jump from 300MB to 1GB, and the $50 plan will be bumped from 1GB to 3GB. It’s not as flashy as the 4G Mobile Hotspot nor as fast as the 42Mbps Rocket 3.0, but it’s priced at a reasonable $59.99 — and controlling the destiny of your mobile broadband soul must be worth something.

T-Mobile blesses contract-averse with Rocket 4G modem and better data plans originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Apr 2011 15:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why can’t our refrigerator fire off an urgent email when the milk has gone lumpy? And the toilet paper dispenser warn us it’s empty – before we sit down? And when will our microwaves run BitTorrent? EUREKA, the European R&D network, knows how badly you crave networked objects, and rather than mock you, it’s moving to help. To that end, it has developed small, inexpensive, battery-powered sensors able to link everything from consumer electronics to environmental monitors to factory robots – creating the much-anticipated “Internet of Things.” But unlike the over-hyped RFID, it’s technology you’d actually use. Instead of knowing whether your keys are indeed on the RFID reader, the network could gently remind you that you left them in your car, which is now 100 miles away with someone else at the wheel, but, luckily for you, low on gas. Gaze into the so-called future of things with EUREKA’s press release, conveniently embedded after the jump.

Continue reading European R&D advances ‘internet of things,’ hastens our Phildickian future

European R&D advances ‘internet of things,’ hastens our Phildickian future originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Apr 2011 00:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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