Wireless USB
”Kensington's Wireless USB Docking Station Is the World's First, Supports Five Devices and DVI Monitor
Kensington's just released the world's first Wireless USB universal docking station, conveniently named the Wireless USB Docking Station. The thing suppports five USB devices as well as a DVI monitor, which can then be "attached" wirelessly to your notebook whenever it comes into range. Speaker ports round out the solution, and the whole thing is compatible with any Wireless USB notebook brands. You'll be able to pay $230 for one at the end of the month at Dell and Kensington. Is the convenience of not having to plug in five USB devices (or one, if you have a USB hub), a monitor and a speaker every time you sit down worth $230? We say yes. [Kensington]Wireless Internet Cam Concept Would Be Creepy, Crawly Desktop Addition
This wireless concept by Flynn Product Design certainly freshens up the traditionally bulbous webcam design, and it's the first of its kind that I can say genuinely frightens me (just a little). And while those three creepy little legs do make the cam look like a desktop arachnid, they also serve a functional purpose. Thanks to a ball and socket joint connecting the legs and body, this spider-like cam can be positioned into a variety of unconventional positions. [Flynn via GizmoWatch]ASUSTeK and RealTek Collaborate on Wireless USB Monitors
Wireless monitors are in their infancy now, but ASUS and Realtek are teaming up to make a new product series based on Wireless USB. The monitor has an integrated Wireless USB module from Realtek—a technology that's also just barely making it mainstream—and will be able to pair with a Wireless USB Host Wire Adapter or Wireless Host Controller Interface that's plugged into your PC. Unless you really, really need a wireless monitor, hold out until reviews come in to see if it's worth your money. [Yahoo]Brando's Wireless Keyboard has Built-In Touch Pad
So, you're lying about on your sofa, while using your PC to watch a movie; what would be really nice is a wireless keyboard with a built-in touch pad to control playback. Well, thanks to Brando, you can now have it all. The Wireless USB Keyboard with Touch Pad leaves nothing to the imagination, and it comes fully equipped with 11 hot keys, including buttons for quick access to your browser, email, as well as a host of in-built media controls. To save on battery power, you can also set it up to function via USB when your within PC-reaching distance. Brando's wireless input wonder retails at $57 and is compatible with Windows XP, ME, 2000 and Vista. Note: This much convenience may lead to obesity. [Brando via GeekAlerts]
3g
Toshiba G450 USB HSDPA Modem Doubles as Cellphone
Toshiba's new G450 USB HSDPA is designed to primarily function as a USB HSDPA modem for data on-the-go, but in a surprise combo double-attack move it also doubles as a handy cellphone. With its unconventional keypad and 96 x 36 pixel OLED display you're unlikely to want to use it as your main phone, but you never know, it may come in handy. It does give you tri-band EDGE/GSM, 2100 MHz HSDPA and 300 hours standby time, with 3 hours talk time and three colors for around $290 in Europe. [Unwiredview]IOGear Wireless USB Hub Reviewed (Verdict: Pointless Use Of Good Technology)
Unquestionably, Wireless USB is a technology with great potential. With the introduction of IOGear's Wireless USB Hub, they claim it connects to your PC easily, clears up wire clutter and makes speedy file transfers. But after playing with IOGear's Wireless USB Hub, we can't say this device lives up to that potential. Connecting can bothersome, USB 2.0 is substantially faster and the wires are still there.
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wireless
D-Link DUB-9240 Wireless USB Hub and Adapter in the Flesh
Remember that D-Link Wireless USB Hub that can reach a screaming 480Mbps at 10 paces? We caught a glimpse of it at ShowStoppers tonight; nice, sleek and white. (Not that there's much coming out in glossy white these days.) It wasn't yet operational, but once is, sometime towards the end of October, we'll give it a test run, not just using the dongle you see here, but using the built-in wireless USB found in the Lenovo T61 and Dell Inspiron 1720.Wireless USB 1.1 Already in the Works
Despite wireless USB just getting off the ground, Intel is supposedly working on a wireless USB 1.1 standard that will increase data transfer rates to 1Gbps. The standard would move Wireless USB's operating frequency to the 6GHz range, up from the 3-4GHz current wireless USB is operating in. There are detractors, such as NEC's Masami Katagiri, who claim wireless USB is only transferring at 40Mbps right now and would have to hit at least 500Mbps to gain 1.1 approval. Realistic or not, we like the ambition. [EETimes]
DLink's DUB-9240 Wireless USB Hub and Adapter
D-Link's DUB-9240 Wireless USB hub was announced today. For non-wireless USB equipped PCs (everything but the Lenovo T61 and Dell Inspiron 1720), the kit includes an adapter, called the DUB-1210. It operates with the four port hub (DUB-2240), which your devices connect to by cable, at the 3.4GHz to 4.5GHz range to reduce interference.
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Certified Wireless USB Takes Flight In Inspiron, ThinkPad Laptops
Kiss your favorite cords goodbye, because Certified Wireless USB is throwing them out with the trash. Industry giants including Dell and IBM have come on board as early adopters of the new USB standard, which combines the data transfer rates of USB with the ease-of-use and cable-free nature of Bluetooth and WiFi. Dell is rolling out its new Inspiron 1720 next month, a mobile media notebook that includes a built-in Certified Wireless USB chip. In conjunction with new lines of CWUSB routers launched by D-Link and IOGear, the 1720 can connect with 127 other devices and swap data at a blistering 480Mb/s (at 3 meters; speeds fall to a respectable 110Mb/s at 10 meters).
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cut the cord
Belkin Wireless USB Adapters Forthcoming, Wireless Future Ahead
Here's the world's first pair of wireless USB adapters, the model F5U035 from Belkin that can either communicate with each other for PC-to-PC transfers, or each can act as a link to a wireless USB hub. Or, anywhere you might have a USB cable, these two devices could communicate with each other and eliminate all that wiring. More »Belkin Wireless USB Hub Is All Dressed Up, No Place to Go
Belkin's bringing some seriously pretty design to its game, and here's another example: a four-port wireless USB hub that lets you roam freely with your USB devices. Belkin says this model F5U302 lets you transfer data at the full USB 2.0 speed of 480Mbps over a 30-foot range. This might come in handy for a printer that you'd like to locate off in a closet somewhere, but besides that, it seems like it has limited usefulness.
gadgets
What Do You Guys (and Gals) Want to Read About?
NOTICE: By not reading this article, your sexual organs will fall to the floor—where they will get that nasty layer of dirt that something can only get by falling to the floor. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. More »
artimi
Wireless USB For Cameras Will Transfer 1GB in 30 Seconds
No one ever did master the art of sending photos from your camera to your PC wirelessly, but now a semiconductor company by the name of Artimi is hoping to give the concept another shot. They're working on a wireless USB technology that, with the aid of a USB dongle, would let you transfer up to 1GB of photos from your camera to your computer in about 30 seconds sans cables. Artimi is hoping to get some WUSB cams out the door by end of this year, with bigger names jumping on the bandwagon by 2008. We just hope it works, since last time someone tried this the process were slow and kinda clunky. More »
peripherals
Seagate Rolls Out Wireless USB Drive
Seagate will launch a wireless USB portable hard drive at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco this week. The company revealed a prototype of a 1.8-inch wireless USB drive at CES in January, and surprises us with this 2.5-inch portable wireless USB hard drive that it will be showing in the next day or two. No word on transfer speed or availability, but it looks a lot like the Seagate wireless USB drive we saw at CES which was capable of a 480Mbps link. At the time, the company said it would be a year before it would ship. Looks like things could be moving along more quickly than expected. More »
peripherals
Belkin CableFree USB Hub Delayed Until July
A standout at CES was Belkin s CableFree USB Hub, which the company said would be available in April, but now says that release has been pushed back to early July. Belkin attributes the late release to general manufacturing delays. Enabled by Freescale s ultra wideband (UWB) technology, it was to be the first shipping product using that fast wireless protocol. We're still looking forward to roaming free with USB, and are thinking maybe it's better to have a working product in July than a dud in April. More »
peripherals
Cut the Cord: USB Runs Free with Freescale
Belkin is jumping on the wireless USB bandwagon with this four-port hub. That's right, it's packing wireless USB, letting you roam free with any USB device. Using Motorola spinoff Freescale s Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology, this hot connection gives you data rates that are a hundred times faster than Bluetooth. So imagine, you walk into a room with your notebook, plug in the wireless USB dongle and you're instantly connected to that USB hard drive you have stashed under the desk. No wires, no muss, no fuss. We saw this device in a demo at CES (it's similar to the one from Ripcord that I told you about earlier), and besides that, it actually works and has an attractively-designed form factor, too. You'll have to wait until early spring of this year to give it a try, and when it ships Belkin says it will cost $129.99. More »


















