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Avis Aids Travelers
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Accessories, Misc. Tech, Transportation, Wireless / WiFi,
There may be a little less travel rage when stranded in a strange town. Avis has initiated a service that, for a fee of $10.95 a day, will transmit a Wifi signal to your laptop or other mobile device. Developed by Autonet Mobile, it will keep you informed on car rentals, hotels, and hot spots that you might visit during your next business trip or vacation.
Avis Connect is debuting at San Francisco International Airport and will move on to other large city airports by Q3 of this year. For some reason, the company has yet to release online just which network it is working with, but we figure they are waiting until Hertz first creates a service just like it.
Read More 
| Avis Connect
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An Update About One Laptop
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Internet, PC / Laptop, Wireless / WiFi,
In a report last night on 60 Minutes by Lesley Stahl, we saw first hand the reaction that children in Cambodia get when receiving their One Laptop Per Child. MIT Professor Nicholas Negroponte says that the ~$160.00 “school in a box” is water, dirt, and sandproof, and can be viewed outside in bright light. Children can be taught to draw on it, compose music, and research in as little as ten minutes, even by another child. Run by wifi, it comes with a recharging crank when the 10 to 12 hour batteries run down.
Negroponte is hoping that some countries will commit to the OLPC by installing the required satellite dishes, but fears that Intel’s Classmate, among other companies’ products, may be enough competition that he will fall short of his 1 billion distribution goal. He says that in Pakistan and Nigeria alone, about 50% of children are not in school and could benefit most from the program. When asked if kids in the U.S. would have access to the laptops, he replied that they certainly could if the parents purchased one for them and one for a child overseas. We think it’s still a pretty nifty deal.
Read More | CBS
MegaPlug Dispenses with Ethernet Cable
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Accessories, Home Entertainment, Misc. Tech, Wireless / WiFi,
Actiontec Electronics has just released their MegaPlug AV 200 Mbps Ethernet Adapter Kit, based on HomePlug AV technology that dispenses with Ethernet cable. The adapters can connect computers and audio/video devices over existing electrical wiring to create a high-speed transfer of HDTV or standard TV movies, images, or music, or computerized data. Included in the kit are two Ethernet adapters for building or extending an existing network, with one needed for each device. Contact Actiontec for price and availability in your area.
Read More | Actiontec
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BlueQ Bluetooth Wristband Alerts you of Incoming Calls
Posted by Lolita Beckwith Categories: Accessories, Smartphones, Wearables, Wireless / WiFi,
Not everyone wears their cellphone clipped to their jeans. Some of us keep our phone in a tote or handbag, and are thus unable to hear it ring. The folks at BlueQ invented a solution: the Bluetooth Vibrating Wristband, which—you guessed it—vibrates whenever your stowed-away bluetooth-enabled phone receives a call. But wait, there’s more! You can design your own wristband on the company’s website. Just upload the photo of your choice, which will then be printed and applied to your BlueQ. Pricing is not yet available, so stay tuned…
Read More | BlueQ Wireless via Gizmodo
The Bleeding Edge 170: Sandisk Sansa Connect Wifi DAP
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Podcasts, Portable Audio / Video, Videocasts, Videos, Wireless / WiFi,
[Download] - iPod-formatted H.264
[Download] - 720p HD
[Download] - 1080p MP4
Read More | The Bleeding Edge
LawnBott Mows While Saving the Planet
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smart Home, Misc. Tech, Wireless / WiFi,
Spring is upon us and although we like the green stuff coming up, we would rather not have to mow it. Productivity’s LawnBott will do that unpleasant chore for you. It will run up to 4 hours or 33,000 square feet on a charge even during a light rain. The gadget will navigate up to 27º slopes or work by remote if you want to manuever it around that gigantic Elm tree in your back yard. Available in four models, owning the eco-friendly bott does not come cheaply, but for the $1,749.00 to $2,899.00 we figure it is worth the investment.
Read More | Productivity via SciFi
Arab Academy for Science and Tech Assistant Professor Mohamed Abou El Nasr has just won third prize in a Wireless Design Contest in San Jose. He has created a Wifi aquarium that allows you to control lights, temperature, filter, and even feeding of your fish by using a system with a webcam to keep track of the little guys. You will also receive a daily e-mail to let you know that your fish are still afloat.
The Wi-Aquarium seems to us a great concept to adapt for out other pets. Wouldn’t it be wonderful not to have to drag our hamsters, frogs, and pet tarantulas everywhere we go and still know that they will be well cared for during our absences?
Read More | The Raw Feed
U-Consento Remotely Controls from Cell Phones
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smartphones, Home Entertainment, Smart Home, Internet, Misc. Tech, Wireless / WiFi,
NTT-Neomeitt has developed a system to remotely control home devices from cell phones. To utilize the U-Consento, users access a web page on their phone which signals a wireless router in the home or business. The signal then goes to an infrared transmitter, which acts as a universal remote. This carries out operations by an easily installable switch-on power outlets connected to home appliances, lighting, A/C, or A/V equipment not normally equipped with remote.
The U-Consento also gives the status of each device and keeps a record of operation status. Due for pilot testing from May to August, the company hopes to launch in September to NTT subscribers for a monthly fee of 500 Yen (~$4.18.) We are thinking we could hook up with someone there who could turn on our lights, turn up the heat, and make sure our crock pot is still preparing dinner as we battle our long drive home from work.
Read More | Pink Tentacle
AT&T Releases Option 3G HSDPA 3.6 ExpressCard, Gives Details on Sierra Wireless 875U
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Broadband, Peripherals, Wireless / WiFi,
AT&T has just launched their new Option GT Max 3.6 Express mobile broadband HSDPA ExpressCard. We have been waiting for something like this to come down the Cingular/AT&T pike for quite a while now, especially since Verizon has been rocking a 3G card in the V640 ExpressCard since late last year. Still, better late than never, right? The Option GT MAx 3.6 Express is being touted by AT&T as a Windows-only device, despite the fact that Option has released Mac drivers for the card. Details about the Sierra Wireless 875U USB HSDPA modem were also released, and that too is showing as being Windows only, despite Mac drivers being available. Our guess? AT&T just won’t help you troubleshoot issues in OS X, but we think it will work just fine.
You can pick up the GT Max 3.6 Express now for $49.99 with two-year contract after $100 rebate, while the Sierra Wireless 875U price is being left in the dark for now. At least we know what will be available in May.
Read More | AT&T Option GT Max 3.6 Express
Will Apple Introduce a New iPod This Year?
Posted by Lolita Beckwith Categories: Apple, Portable Audio / Video, Rumors, Wireless / WiFi,
Rumors about the iPod are to us what donuts are to Homer Simpson. So we’re fascinated by the latest one, reported by DigiTimes.com. They report that the next-gen iPod will be released in the third quarter of this year, and will incorporate WiFi capability. The wireless connectivity could be in the form of data transfer, particularly that of DRM-free music, as opposed to music sharing. Perhaps Apple has learned lessons from arch-enemy Microsoft, whose Zune wireless MP3 player had problems sharing music between players due to pesky copyright issues. If the rumor is true, Apple will serious competition in the WiFi MP3 player war: besides the Zune, SanDisk, Samsung and Sony are primed to launch wireless-capable players in the near future, if they haven’t done so already.
Read More | TGDaily
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