March 12th, 2009 by
The broadband stimulus project is moving forwards in the manner most familiar to our federal bureaucracy: meetings. Lots and lots of meetings. The inaugural soiree was recently held at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s swank Washington, D.C. headquarters, and included bon mots such as this one by acting FCC Chairman Michael Copps: “Where’s the policy for broadband? Where’s the action? Where’s the beef?” Ouch. Among the first items of business, the group must figure out exactly which connectivity solution to back, with several companies weighing in — most of ‘em (including Spaceway and Wild Blue) going the pure broadband route, while an outfit called AlphaStar has a hybrid satellite / terrestrial service (where the satellite backbone connects to homes over terrestrial wireless systems). Also to be debated is the wisdom of privately owned vs. municipally owned wireless broadband. Either way, we sure hope that our nation’s unwired get some help soon — why should Boxxy have all the fun?
Filed under: Networking
Broadband stimulus plan comes to life, rural teens ‘psyched’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted in Satellite, fcc, wifi, broadband, internet, expansion, economy, rural, obama, AlphaStar, Boxxy, Spaceway, Stimulus, Wild Blue, WildBlue | No Comments »
March 6th, 2009 by
Clearly, the big news from Endless Ideas today at CeBIT was its next-generation BeBook 2. But what about all those existing / to-be BeBook 1 owners? We’ve got a bit of excitement to share with you folks as well. While prying for information today in Hannover, we were informed that one of the biggest issues with the BeBook is being resolved very soon. Yes, friends, WiFi is coming. In just a few months, BeBook users will be able to buy a WiFi-enabling SD card (and download a new firmware update) which will provide wireless access to eBook stores, RSS feeds and lots of other goodies that can only be touched with a live internet connection. We’re told that the WiFi SD card will be sold directly on the BeBook website for around $40, and it should be listed for sale within the next few months. We took the chance to grab some hands-on footage of the original BeBook in video form for you Yanks who’ve yet to see one, and if you hang in there ’til the end, you’ll hear us get tipped off on the forthcoming card.
Continue reading BeBook e-reader getting WiFi, new firmware update: eyes-on
Filed under: Displays, Handhelds
BeBook e-reader getting WiFi, new firmware update: eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted in wifi, firmware, e-reader, e-ink, eink, e ink, e reader, EReader, e-book, cebit, features, bebook, rss, cebit 2009, Cebit2009, Endless Ideas, EndlessIdeas | No Comments »
March 2nd, 2009 by
Hope you didn’t just pull the trigger on a BDP-S350, ’cause we get the feeling Sony’s two newest standalone BD decks are going to make you yearn for the next best thing. Here in Las Vegas, the company has just come clean with the Profile 2.0 BDP-S360 and BDP-S560, the latter of which includes integrated WiFi for tapping into BD-Live content and downloading future firmware updates sans an Ethernet cable. Also, the unit is fully DLNA-ready, handles DVD upscaling, bit-streams audio via HDMI, decodes Dolby TrueHD / DTS-HD Master Audio and plays nice with external media loaded up on a USB drive. As predicted, the lower-end BDP-S360 is essentially the same player sans WiFi.
Moving on, we’ve got a new pair of 5.1-channel Blu-ray HTIB systems: the BDV-E300 and BDV-E500W. Both bundles include a BD-Live-capable (Profile 2.0) Blu-ray player, while the BDV-E500W sports integrated S-AIR wireless audio capabilities. In other words, your rear speakers will get their signal sans cabling, and those who opt for the BDV-E300 are getting a kit that’s S-AIR-ready, meaning that you can add modules in the future to get the same wireless support. Both sets also include Sony’s Digital Media Port for controlling peripherals like Apple’s iPod and Sony’s own Walkman line, and the BRAVIA Sync technology ensures that HDMI-CEC lovers are taken care of. The models also bring along the firm’s Xross Media Bar (XMB) interface, a USB port for loading up media and an easy-to-follow setup DVD. As for pricing and availability, we’ve broken all that down below.
- BDP-S360 Blu-ray player: shipping this summer for around $300
- BDP-S560 Blu-ray player: shipping this summer for around $350
- HT-SS360 component home theater system : shipping in May for around $350
- BDV-E300 Blu-ray HTIB: shipping in June for around $600
- BDV-E500W Blu-ray HTIB: shipping in June for around $800
Catch the release in full just after the break.
Continue reading Sony outs BDP-S360 and BDP-S560 Blu-ray players, new BD HTIBs
Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Wireless
Sony outs BDP-S360 and BDP-S560 Blu-ray players, new BD HTIBs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted in sony, Blu-ray, wifi, wireless, htib, blu-ray player, Blu-rayPlayer, BD-Live, bd live, BdLive, s-air, Profile 2.0, Profile2.0, S560, BDP-S360, BDP-S560, BDV-E300, BDV-E500W, blu-ray htib, Blu-rayHtib, HT-SS360, s360, wifi blu-ray player, WifiBlu-rayPlayer | No Comments »
February 27th, 2009 by
It’s a sad, sad state of affairs. After nearly four years worth of announcements you’re still more likely to get a good night’s rest on a flight than find wireless internet, leaving us to wonder whether any airline will survive long enough to roll-out the system-wide access they’ve almost all pledged. Another player is now crawling tardily into the ring, Alaska Airlines fulfilling its promise and partnering with Row 44 to offer satellite-based internets on a very limited basis. You should know the drill by now: access is only offered on very select routes, or route in this case, debuting on 737-300 flights running between Seattle (SEA) and San Jose (SJC). At least the service will be free for the first 90 60 days, but the airline isn’t saying how much it will cost after that. We’d guess somewhere between not free and way too much, leaning toward the latter.
Update: Correction, it’s only 60 days not 90, and we’re told by Glenn over at High-Fi News that it’s not just a single route it’s actually a single plane, and while it will be starting out on the SEA/SJC route, it will be making appearances elsewhere — maybe even in the land of the midnight sun!
[Via Electronista]
Filed under: Transportation, Wireless
Alaska Airlines offering in-flight WiFi — but not in Alaska originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted in wifi, broadband, internet, wireless, alaska airlines, AlaskaAirlines, in-flight internet, In-flightInternet, alaska, alaska air, AlaskaAir, inflight wifi, InflightWifi | No Comments »
February 23rd, 2009 by
We’ve already heard a few of you clamoring for internet radio support on Verizon’s Hub, and if a mall unit is indicative of shipping units, your prayers have been answered. Mr. Dave Zatz happened upon a Hub while checking out the good word at a Verizon mall kiosk, and sure enough, WiFi radio functionality was in tact and working smoothly. We’re told that the company’s initial music partner is Clear Channel’s iheartradio.com, though details beyond that are nonexistent. In all honestly, the Hub seems like the perfect device to see all sorts of added utility via firmware updates, so we’re crossing our fingers in hopes that Verizon feels the same way.
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Verizon Hub spotted streaming internet radio originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted in voip, wifi, radio, verizon, hub, internet radio, InternetRadio, verizon hub, VerizonHub | No Comments »
February 23rd, 2009 by
OLPC may be facing some tough times as of late, but there’s no denying that the little-laptop-that-could has made an impact where it’s been distributed, as evidenced by this latest indication of the project’s reach in Rwanda. Apparently, in addition to helping students with their schoolwork, the laptop is also teaching them the fine art of finding free WiFi, and this particular group seems to have quickly discovered that the Kigali International Airport is one of the best spots in town. And just what are they using the laptops to look up in their time outside the classroom? Bruce Lee and Jean-Claude Van Damme, who, coincidentally, also brings the world together in his own special way.
[Image courtesy Anna Koblanck / DN.se, thanks Jonas]
Filed under: Laptops
OLPC-toting Rwandan students flock to airport for free WiFi originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted in wifi, olpc, olpc xo, OlpcXo, rwanda | No Comments »
February 20th, 2009 by
This proposed bill has been floating around the ether for a long time — and it’s just made a big time comeback. Essentially, the Republican-backed bill would be a “sweeping” federal measure which would require all ISPs and many WiFi access point providers to keep records of their users for two years, in order to aid police investigations. There are two separate bills — one in the Senate and one in the House — both named the “Internet Stopping Adults Facilitating the Exploitation of Today’s Youth Act,” or Internet Safety Act. Catchy, right? The bill would cover, as already stated, not just the major ISPs, but WiFi providers, including both public and password protected access points. The bill is undoubtedley going to be quite controversial, but is also expected to appeal to legislators across both parties. We’ll see what, if anything, becomes of it, but in the meantime, what are your thoughts on this one?
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Proposed bill would force ISP, WiFi logs for security, criminal investigations originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted in wifi, police, privacy, legislation, isp, criminal investigations, CriminalInvestigations, internet privacy, internet safety, internet safety act, internet stopping adults facilitating the exploitation, InternetPrivacy, InternetSafety, InternetSafetyAct, InternetStoppingAdultsFacilitatingTheExploitationOfToda | No Comments »
February 20th, 2009 by
This proposed bill has been floating around the ether for a long time — and it’s just made a big time comeback. Essentially, the Republican-backed bill would be a “sweeping” federal measure which would require all ISPs and many WiFi access point providers to keep records of their users for two years, in order to aid police investigations. There are two separate bills — one in the Senate and one in the House — both named the “Internet Stopping Adults Facilitating the Exploitation of Today’s Youth Act,” or Internet Safety Act. Catchy, right? The bill would cover, as already stated, not just the major ISPs, but WiFi providers, including both public and password protected access points. The bill is undoubtedley going to be quite controversial, but is also expected to appeal to legislators across both parties. We’ll see what, if anything, becomes of it, but in the meantime, what are your thoughts on this one?
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Proposed bill would force ISP, WiFi logs for security, criminal investigations originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted in wifi, police, privacy, legislation, isp, criminal investigations, CriminalInvestigations, internet privacy, internet safety, internet safety act, InternetPrivacy, InternetSafety, InternetSafetyAct, internet stopping adults facilitating the exploitation, InternetStoppingAdultsFacilitatingTheExploitationOfToda | No Comments »
February 18th, 2009 by
Just how the Samsung OmniaHD’s video could reach directly from phone to TV screen was a bit of a mystery until the Engadget Spanish crew spotted the WMG100. Don’t already own one of Samsung’s high end sets with WiFi and DLNA built in? This dongle bridges the gap with all the necessary tech built in, pushing a max 480p (whether HD streaming to other devices from the OmniaHD will work is unknown) from its mini HDMI or component outputs for around €160 ($200), and is already available in Korea with a European debut planned for this spring. The idea that we’d ever get tired of watching that sweet AMOLED display is a bit of a reach, but just in case check out the gallery for some hands on pics.
Filed under: Digital Cameras, HDTV, Home Entertainment
Samsung WMG100 brings OmniaHD video to the television, via WiFi originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted in samsung, wifi, dlna, mwc, dongle, Omnia, mwc 2009, mwc2009, samsung omnia, SamsungOmnia, mwc 09, Mwc09, omnia hd, OmniaHd, samsung omnia hd, SamsungOmniaHd, wmg100 | No Comments »
February 16th, 2009 by
You can definitely feel the oncoming rush or portable WiFi hotspots now that we’ve got products like Novatel’s insanely slick MiFi on the way to market, and now Option’s stepped up with its own flavor. While the end result is the same as Novatel’s offering, to get the GlobeSurfer X·1 surfing any kind of 3G data network, you’ll need to add a USB 3G modem of your own. Designed as a home of office connectivity device to enable printer sharing, local network sharing, and access to back up services that leverage an existing USB 3G card — or at least we assume. We’ll get more on this as soon as we can find one
Filed under: Cellphones, Networking
Option’s GlobeSurfer X·1 turns USB modems into WiFi hotspots originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 03:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted in modem, wifi, option, 3g, globesurfer x1, GlobesurferX1 | No Comments »
February 15th, 2009 by
It’s not that hybrid GPS systems are all that new, it’s just that most are working totally under the radar. Skyhook’s hoping to get its rendition out in the open a tad more via a new partnership with Texas Instruments. The company’s XPS hybrid positioning system is now cleared for integration within TI’s NaviLink and WiLink mobile solutions, though there’s no mention made of who all is drooling to get this into their phones. In short, Skyhook’s XPS works by detecting WiFi hotspots, raw GPS readings and cellular IDs, and then comparing that information against a known database of geo-located points. In theory, this stuff could totally amp up the location abilities of most any handset, but in reality, we wouldn’t be surprised to see it get swept away and forgotten just like the eerily similar announcement between Skyhook and Broadcom. Full release is after the break.
Continue reading Skyhook XPS integrates with TI’s NaviLink and WiLink mobile solutions
Filed under: GPS, Wireless
Skyhook XPS integrates with TI’s NaviLink and WiLink mobile solutions originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted in xps, wifi, gps, Texas Instruments, TexasInstruments, skyhook, positioning, ti, hybrid gps, HybridGps, navilink, wifi positioning, WifiPositioning, wilink | No Comments »
February 13th, 2009 by
Here’s a peek at a tiny modem making its debut at MWC next week. The Huawei i-Mo HSPA modem is, indeed very small — the company says about the size of a key chain — and it boasts both an HSDPA / HSUPA USB modem as well as WiFi, plus it’s got a MicroSD slot for storage. We don’t know about pricing or availability for this little guy yet, but it will probably be offered through carriers, and should show up sometime in the fourth quarter of 2009. Hooray!
Filed under: Peripherals
Huawei announces i-Mo 3G modem with WiFi originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Feb 2009 11:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted in modem, wifi, hsdpa, hsupa, mwc, Huawei, huawei imo hspa modem, HuaweiImoHspaModem, i-mo, imo | No Comments »
February 11th, 2009 by
Southwest got official with its WiFi plans late last month, but avid travelers who favor the only airline worth flying anymore (okay, Virgin America and JetBlue aren’t bad either) were left wondering about most of the details. Today, the company has fired up a single Row 44-equipped flight, and it has announced plans to equip three more airplanes with in-flight WiFi by early next month. Furthermore, it has nailed down a partnership with Yahoo! in order to offer an in-flight homepage with “destination-relevant content.” The service, which has yet to receive final FCC approval, will be tested over the next few months, and if all goes well, we’re left to hope, pray and beg that the airline rolls it out fleet-wide. There’s no mention of an actual price here, but it would totally rule if it bucked the trend and provided it to everyone for free. Right, everyone?
[Via Gadling]
Filed under: Transportation, Wireless
Southwest details in-flight WiFi plans, announces partnership with Yahoo! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Feb 2009 07:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted in test, wifi, internet, in-flight, testing, yahoo, trial, in-flight wifi, In-flightWifi, row 44, Row44, Southwest, Southwest airlines, SouthwestAirlines | No Comments »
February 11th, 2009 by
While Verizon gets its Hub, lucky KT Telecom subscribers in Korea now have access to iriver’s Wave-Home. The kits sells for 297,000 Korean Won or about $210 and features a WiFi VoIP handset in addition to that larger 7-inch display with 1.3 megapixel camera for video conferencing, surfing the web, checking your calendar and so on. You’ve gotta hand it to iriver, they reveal the initial UNIT2-S concept at a European trade show in August, refine it in Las Vegas for CES in January, and then launch it back home a month later. Now that’s style.
[Via Akihabara News]
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Portable Audio, Portable Video, Wireless
iriver’s Wave-Home WiFi VoIP appliance launches on KT Telecom originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Feb 2009 04:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted in voip, wifi, iriver, kiosk, unit2-s, information appliance, InformationAppliance, kt telecom, KtTelecom, wave-home | No Comments »
February 5th, 2009 by
We’re in the Q1 2009, folks, and while we’d love to believe that the release of Snow Leopard is imminent, it looks like all we’ll have to be sustained by is rumors and innuendo for the time being. According to “insiders” at, well, Apple Insider, the eagerly awaited operating system will be taking some cues from the iPhone, adding both CoreLocation and opening up the multitouch trackpad to third-party developers. Since MacBooks don’t currently have GPS, we’re guessing CoreLocation will be powered by Skyhook’s WiFi-positioning service, but anything can happen down the line. With all the buzz over Google Latitude making its way onto all manner of devices, including the G1, select Blackberrys, and (someday!) the iPhone and iPod touch. With Mac sales being particularly laptop-heavy lately, it looks like location awareness is shaping up to be the must-have functionality of the coming year. Fabulous, darling. Fabulous.
Filed under: Laptops
Snow Leopard gets hip to CoreLocation and multitouch originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Feb 2009 13:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted in Google, iPhone, ipod, ipod touch, IpodTouch, wifi, os x, OsX, multitouch, latitude, location, snow leopard, SnowLeopard, os x 10.6, OsX10.6, CoreLocation, os x snow leopard, OsXSnowLeopard, google latitude, GoogleLatitude | No Comments »
February 2nd, 2009 by
It’s been a few years since Samsung unleashed its 10 megapixel cameraphone onto the world. Now we’re hearing that Samsung will push the limits of absurdity to a full 12 megapixels “this month,” likely at Mobile World Congress. The phone is expected to hit the production lines in February with a European debut shortly thereafter. No details are provided other than the picture above used (but not attributed) by Unwired View. If this is the unannounced phone then we can obviously expect GPS geotagging, DivX video capture, and WiFi with DLNA support. One thing is clear: Samsung thinks that Europeans are pixel braggarts with little concern for image quality.
Update: Nope, that image is just a Photoshop of an 8 megapixel Innov8 — still, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the same feature set and industrial design in a 12 megapixel handset.
[Thanks, Robin of Loxley]
Filed under: Cellphones, Digital Cameras
Samsung to release 12 megapixels of cameraphone foolishness this month? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Feb 2009 05:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted in samsung, wifi, rumor, divx, geotagging, CameraPhone, 12 megapixel, 12Megapixel, mwc, mwc 2009, mwc2009 | No Comments »
January 31st, 2009 by
Nearly a year to the day after we heard that WiFi trials were beginning on some of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit trains, WiFi Rail has announced a deal that’ll last a score and provide high-speed WiFi “throughout the BART transit system and on all BART commuter trains.” Reportedly, the network has successfully been tested to handle loads and provide speeds in excess of 15Mbps on trains moving 81 miles-per-hour. As it stands, four downtown San Francisco stations and some segments of the tunnels are already fully functional, but it’ll take until the end of 2010 before the entire network is complete. There’s no mention of what the price table will end up looking like, though we are told that subscriptions will be available by day, month or year. Now, if only this would filter out to every other mass transit entity in America, we’d be just jolly.
Filed under: Transportation, Wireless
WiFi Rail finalizes 20 year deal to bring internet to BART trains originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 31 Jan 2009 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted in wifi, public transportation, PublicTransportation, train, internet, san francisco, SanFrancisco, subway, bart, Wi-Fi Rail, Wi-fiRail, wifi train, WifiTrain | No Comments »
January 24th, 2009 by
Check it, Pacific Northwest — Seattle, Washington was just named Forbes‘ most wired city for 2009, followed closely by Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Orlando and Boston. Of course, having Amazon and Microsoft within spitting distance probably didn’t hurt matters, and the eleventy billion Starbucks WiFi hotspots likely pushed it over the edge. There are 25 other locales in the top 30 that we’ve yet to mention here, so head on down to the read link to see if your hometown made the cut. Oh, and way to represent, Raleigh — numero fifteen ain’t too shabby.
[Via cnmoody]
Filed under: Networking
Seattle crowned most wired city in America: where’s your town? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 24 Jan 2009 21:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted in survey, wifi, broadband, internet, us, muni-fi, usa, washington, connected, seattle | No Comments »
January 15th, 2009 by
Small, fast, and cheap… what could be better? Buffalo’s WLI-UC-GN 802.11b/g/n dongle measures just 16 × 33 × 8-mm and costs a mere ¥2,100 (about $24). It supports both Buffalo’s proprietary AOSS and the Wi-Fi Alliance’s WPS to simplify the process of connecting to secure WiFi networks. Look for the USB 2.0 adapter to ship in Japan and beyond starting next month. Check the hot male-to-female USB bunging after the break.
[Via Akihabara News]
Continue reading Buffalo’s 802.11n WiFi dongle: small in size, tiny in price
Filed under: Wireless
Buffalo’s 802.11n WiFi dongle: small in size, tiny in price originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 03:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted in wifi, 802.11n, usb, small, dongle, wps, aoss | No Comments »
January 14th, 2009 by
Aircell already managed to coerce American, Delta, Virgin America and Air Canada into installing its Gogo in-flight internet equipment into at least a few of their airplanes, and now United Airlines can proudly say that it’s no longer looking in from the outside. Starting this year, a baker’s dozen of the company’s Boeing 757s — which will fly between John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and California’s Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco International Airport — will be armed and ready with WiFi for the people. Pricing will remain set at $12.95 for the entire flight, and service is expected to roll out during the second half of this year.
Filed under: Transportation, Wireless
Aircell’s Gogo in-flight internet coming to United Airlines originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 11:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted in wifi, internet, in-flight, united, United Airlines, UnitedAirlines, gogo, aircell, in-flight wifi, In-flightWifi | No Comments »
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