Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Gaming

Joining the nearly endless amount of Nintendo DS hacks already in the wild is TobW‘s DS Sampling Keyboard, which “uses the DS’s microphone and touchscreen” to interface with a software-based sampling keyboard. A close contender to join our Music Thing series, this wonderous hack takes advantage of the wee machine’s excellent X / Y-axis controls as well as its built-in WiFi to beam the MIDI commands wirelessly. The program has been tested with Wifi, GBAMP, and M3, so “it should work on pretty much anything,” and provides a much less expensive alternative to those dedicated offerings. While musical gizmos are always more effective when seen heard rather than just heard about, be sure to click on for a front row seat to the YouTube demonstration.

[Via MusicThing]

Continue reading Nintendo DS doubles as wireless MIDI keyboard / controller

 

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Networking

Back in February, we told you about how Lakehead University in Canada was restricting WiFi usage for health concerns. Well, not to be outdone by a former colony, similar issues have cropped up in the UK at a handful of schools in Chichester, Carmarthenshire, and Buckinghamshire, which have turned off their WiFi citing parental lobbying. One parent, Judith Davies, whose daughter attends a school in Carmarthenshire, told The Times: “Many people campaign against mobile phone masts near schools, but there is a great deal of ignorance about wireless computer networks. Yet they are like having a phone mast in the classroom and the transmitters are placed very close to the children.” Ms. Davies, we don’t mean to be rude, but have you ever seen a WiFi router? They’re really small, use much less power, have a much shorter range, and give off way less radio frequency radiation than your average cell phone tower. Put into technical terms, most WiFi routers have a peak power output of 100 mW (compared to most cellphones, which output at around 2 W). So, assuming that your child isn’t sitting right on top of said router, she’ll most likely be perfectly fine. And even if she is sitting on top of a router, aside from being somewhat uncomfortable she’ll still probably be perfectly fine.

[Via TechDirt]

Read – The Times

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Gaming, Portable Video, Wireless

Apparently dishing out surveys to garner potential interest in (hopefully) forthcoming products and services is the fad of the month, as Microsoft barely received back all the results in its latest Xbox 360 questionnaire before Sony threw down a few of its own. Most recently, however, a question was posed to PSP owners that piqued our interest, and it involved the possibility of receiving TV streams on that oh-so-sexy widescreen LCD. The higher-ups at Sony HQ seemingly have streaming video on the brain, as users were asked to choose which scenario they’d prefer when kicking back and catching a show on their handheld. The choices involved a “Sony LocationFree TV box” that would stream content directly to the PSP using a local WiFi connection, or a subscription-based service that would broadcast TV shows using “always on cellular technology” for $9.99 per month. Considering Sony can hardly pay folks to take those dust-gathering UMD flicks, we don’t think that making a move in the television realm would be such a bad idea — so, what’s up Sony? Inquisitive minds (and PSP / DS Lite fence-sitters) are yearning for an answer.

[Thanks, Simon V.]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Wireless, Networking

The same folks who brought us fire-proof plastic, air guitar clothing, and wireless air hockey apparently delivered a lot more of the WiFi technology we all utilize daily than was previously recognized. Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization has won a landmark case against Buffalo Technology, “under which it could receive royalties from every producer of WLAN products worldwide.” US patent 5487069 — which “encompasses elements of the 802.11a/g wireless technology that is now an industry standard” — was granted to the body back in 1996, and has subsequently been utilized in seemingly every piece of wireless kit ever since. Considering their recent victory, CSIRO’s pending cases against Intel, Dell, Microsoft, HP, and Netgear definitely have roots now, and if judges continue to rule in the Aussies’ favor, the big boys could be shelling out “hundreds of millions of dollars” in back pay to cover their wrongs. Ruh roh.

[Thanks, Phil]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Portable Video, Wearables

Apparently snapping shots on a whim to tell your life story just isn’t good enough these days, as folks are writing scripts to take unplanned photos of their groggy faces and strapping head-mountable cameras to their skulls in hopes of producing the next worldwide YouTube hit. Jumping on the “record everything, everywhere” bandwagon is PMP-producer Archos, and its aptly-named Helmet Camcorder gives you on-the-go recording ability that reportedly plays nice with the company’s 404, 504, 604 and 604 WiFi units. The “plug-in mini-cam” records directly to MPEG4 and sports a built-in microphone / remote to somewhat control the insanity, and can presumably be channeled instantly to your Archos PMP or transferred to your PC via USB 2.0 for future editing. The company claims “DVD quality” (640 x 480 resolution) results from the 0.25-inch Sony Super HAD CCD, and the entire webcam gets its juice from the mighty Archos device that it’s plugged into. So if you still haven’t gotten around to using your PMP for television recording, you can make a few comedies of your own this winter for just $149.99.

[Via Tech Digest]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Networking

In what appears to be a potentially disruptive move, French ISP Free has just opened up its network of 300,000 subscribers’ WiFi networks across France to its subscribers. What does that mean? If you’re a Free subscriber living in Paris, and you and you come across a Free WiFi network while in Lyon for the day on business, you can log in and use up to 64kbps of bandwidth no problem. All new Freebox HD subscribers will have this feature turned on by default, so we assume that also means you can turn it off if you’re concerned about privacy. Now for those of you who might not be familiar with Free, it isn’t just your garden-variety ISP, no sir. For €30 per month ($38), Free will give you a pair of boxes (known collectively as the Freebox) that comes with a DSL modem at 24Mbps, includes a digital TV receiver, 4-port switch / WiFi router with MIMO, built-in VoIP with free calls to 28 countries, and can stream TV to your computer and DVDs from your computer to your TV. Also, Free recently introduced two new handsets (pictured): its white model (WiFi-only) goes for €60 ($75), while the black model is WiFi and GSM and goes for €200 ($250). So to recap, let’s say you want to roam around l’Hexagone with your laptop or your WiFi handset, and you’re a Free subscriber, then you’ve now got one of (potentially) 300,000 locations around the country to choose from. Some industry watchers like Yannick Laclau are convinced that if companies like France Telecom or Telefonica (Spain’s incumbent telco) or Verizon were to make a move à la Free, it would mean better and less expensive service for everyone, and also might wipe out FON in the process.

Read – GigaOm
Read – Yannick Laclau
Read – Net Economie

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: Wearables, Wireless

Think wearing RFID-embedded clothing is pushing the limits of intrusion? If Hitachi has its way, your employer will soon be swapping out that company badge for a significantly more tricked-out version, complete with WiFi and RFID modules. Moving forward from the not-so-harmless RFID mirror, Hitachi is unveiling its AirLocation Tag-w at this week’s CEATEC expo, which boasts a frightening ability to track and locate employees anywhere within the workplace. Aiming for “thorough and precise management of people,” the device can pinpoint one’s exact location, and also monitors any attempts to “enter and leave buildings.” In an apparent attempt to color this voyeuristic tag in a positive hue, it also features an “emergency message function” which will broadcast a distress signal from the employee to a central help desk in case an uncontrollable robot army decides to invade your mundane corporate office. Although your manager may be salivating over the sudden ability to know the whereabouts of every mischievous subordinate on site, he / she may think twice once that ¥21,000 ($178) per unit expense hits the cost sheets.

[Via MobileMag]

 

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Announcements, Digital Cameras

Aight photophiles, we’ve got a winner for last week’s S7c! BooLeiU, come on down! Thanks to everyone for entering — you still have chances to win a ton of gadgets, including another Nikon Coolpix S7c WiFi-enabled digital camera. We saw this 0.75-inch thick shooter announced at Photokina as one of their new flagship feature-point and shoots. What you might win today features:

• 3x optical zoom
• 7.1 megapixel sensor
• 3-inch LCD
• 802.11b/g WiFi with T-Mobile Hotspot support
• 1600 ISO and image stabilization
• 30fps VGA movie mode
• 14MB internal memory

To win this fine piece of photographic equipment, leave a comment below with your favorite subject or location to shoot. Entries must be made by this Sunday the 7th to be eligible for our random selection. As always, please mind the rules!

• You may enter other Engadget contests, however…
• You may only enter this contest once; if you enter more than once on this particular contest post you’ll be automatically disqualified and barred from all future giveaways. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) You may enter future Engadget relaunch giveaway contests though!
• You can only win once. (If you win and then try to go for a second prize during our relaunch giveaways, you’ll be automatically disqualified, etc.)
• This contest is open to the US only, sorry!
• You will be shipped your S7c in a few weeks when all our contests are over. Thanks for your patience!

Good luck, and be sure you’ve entered our other contests, as well!

• A Philips 42PF9631D 42-inch plasma!
• Hows about an Xbox 360 Premium pack?
• Another shot at a Zune!
• We’ve got the new Slingbox Tuner!

 

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Wireless

Not to keep harping on Fujifilm‘s newly-unveiled, fixed-zoom S9600 camera, but the company has apparently busted out a less-than-glamorous wireless attachment for the highly-touted prosumer model. While we knew the 10.7x zoom, 9 megapixel sensor, and tiltable LCD were on the docket, wireless transfers is definitely a new addition. Spotting WiFi on cameras isn’t too uncommon (heck, we’re even giving one away), but we’ve yet to see a dedicated wireless adapter for a camera of this stature. Reportedly, the demo was set up to photograph onlookers, and then pass the snapshot along (sans wires, of course) to a WiFi-enabled printer sitting nearby. Unfortunately, details concerning model numbers, pricing, or if this add-on will ever surface outside of the Photokina confines remains to be seen — but honestly, we hope the final design (should there be one at all) trims down a bit, as the current build sure looks to add a good deal of heft for just cutting the proverbial cord.

[Via Daily Wireless]

 

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Portable Video

As a natural followup to their Wireless Audio Gateway AD-42W (pictured), it looks like Nokia might be getting into the video streaming game with a new WiFi device for streaming video from your phone. The rumor comes courtesy of T3, and deets are slim, but we’re sure Nokia can figure out some nifty functionality for such a device if it does turn out to be real. We’d love to see such a unit act as a DVR and prep videos for your phone, but blurry and pointless camphone vids streamed from your Nokia onto the big screen will be nice too. We’re not quite sure we’d be naming this thing a direct iTV competitor, but between this, a Slingbox, a Media Extender, an iPod video loader and an iTV, our TV setup is starting to look more device-laden than our desktop, so we’re thinking something’s gotta give.

[Via atmaspheric]

 

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Peripherals, Portable Audio, Portable Video

While Amazon has done a commendable job in (presumably) dispelling the hot air of a Griffin spokesperson, it’s not always, um, entirely reliable. However, we’d bet the gallery of Zune accessories gracing its pages now weren’t uploaded erroneously. Boasting everything from the premium earphones, travel pack, FM transmitter, and dock to the sync cable, wireless remote, A / V cable, and car charger that we’ve known were on the way, we’re just glad we can finally match a face with a name. Although none of the Microsoft-branded accessories are priced or available for pre-order, the Zunes themselves certainly are (in all three colors, no less) for those who aren’t feeling lucky. Say, doesn’t that dock connector look awfully familiar?

[Thanks, Darryl]

 

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Several weeks ago, we regaled you with the tale of how a pair of hackers, David Maynor and Jon “Johnny Cache” Ellch claimed that they could pwn a MacBook in a minute flat. The dynamic duo then showed the exploit to Brian Krebs, a reporter at The Washington Post and a controversy ensued over the next few weeks as to who had shown exactly what to whom when. The most recent episode involved Apple telling Macworld two days ago that SecureWorks, Maynor’s employer, hadn’t showed Apple any specific information — however, on its own, Apple discovered a problem, then released security and wireless patches for PowerPC-based and Intel-based Macs. Meanwhile, SecureWorks has been awfully mum on the issue, refusing to say anything further to Krebs or to the IDG News Service. Glenn Fleishman has a very lengthy blog entry over at Wi-Fi Net News that provides a play-by-play of this whole situation, but points out that Maynor and Ellch are scheduled to speak at Toorcon in San Diego later this month, and concludes by saying that he thinks the pair will show their cards and tell all, which may finally settle this torrid affair.

 

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

As you probably already know, we can’t get enough of WiFi — naturally we prefer the free variety, but have been known to fork over a few bucks from time to time to get our fix. So when we found out that Continental Airlines was offering free WiFi service to members of its frequent flier service at Boston-Logan International Airport, needless to say, we were pretty stoked. Now, one might think that transit authorities would be all for keeping customers happy and pacified, but apparently that’s not the case with Massport, the governing body at Logan. According to Reuters, Massport instructed airlines in 2005 to unplug their wireless access points so that travelers could be graced with the new few-based system it was installing airport-wide. Not surprisingly, Continental said “no thanks,” kept its WiFi running, and filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission. This week, the FCC issued a proposed ruling to commissioners, which according to insiders, is likely to end up being in Continental’s favor, given that the Feds are the only ones who can tell you how to use your hard-earned unlicensed spectrum. Apparently that’s something Massport’s going to have to learn the hard way.

 

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Handhelds, Home Entertainment

You know, there are all kinds of people in the military these days. And we just know that the geekiest of our armed forces are going to go gaga over this new UMPC, called the Catcher. This new rugged, superportable computer has 802.11a/b/g support, Bluetooth, dual-mode CDMA / GSM data, fingerprint reader, GPS, iris scan, a pair of VGA cameras (one pointing toward the user, and one away), and an “emergency alert feature” that sends an auto tracking signal back to the server. The Catcher is also designed to support a three foot drop and up to 50 Gs of shock — slightly better than our consumer-grade laptops, hey? We’ve got zero intel on price or availability, but surely Uncle Sam spares no expense for our elite fighting force. And we’re sure that our men and women in uniform running around Saddam’s former palaces are going to want something like the new application Lifeware to control audio and video systems that they surely have spread throughout the house. Lifeware promises to control everything from temperature to audio controls, but no word on if our soldiers will be able to run military applications, control their in-base audio systems, and play solitare all on the same device, which would clearly be the holy grail in convergence.

[Via jkOnTheRun and eHomeUpgrade]

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Filed under: Home Entertainment, Networking

We haven’t heard from Sony‘s LocationFree since 2005, but our best buds over in Japan have been busy on some new models since then — and they look startingly like a shiny acrylic PS2. Today the company is announcing two new base stations, the LF-B10 and the LF-B20 (pictured above) and the LocationFree TV Box. The LF-B20, which goes for $250, also acts as a WiFi access point, whereas its less expensive sibling, the LF-B10, priced at $200, doesn’t. Sony’s LocationFree Box (dubbed the LF-BOX1) is a $230 receiver unit that will let you watch said content on an in-home television — although it may work on your hotel’s television too, should you be so inclined to take it with. That said, it’s well possible that as an alternative, you’ll have your PSP or a laptop with LFTV software on it, just like a Slingbox. The trio of LFTV units will be available next month, and are currently on pre-order from Sony’s site.

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Filed under: Networking

Just in case you didn’t already know how to “secure” (ish) your home WiFi network, the California State Assembly is making sure that you do. Assuming the Governator signs Assembly Bill 2415, starting October 1, 2007, your new neighborhood-friendly WiFi router sold in California will have to come with a security warning, a sticker, or “other protection” to alert consumers to the ultra-scary problem of “piggybacking.” As the bill puts it, piggybacking, is “becoming a serious issue for people who reside in densely populated areas.” Funny, because we always thought that free access was the best part about the democratization of WiFi, and most definitely not a “serious issue” — but leave it to the California State Assembly to spoil our fun.

[Via Reuters, thanks, David]

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Filed under: Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video, Wireless

So Archos is getting into the WiFi PMP game. With as much buzz as devices like the Zune and the eternally unconfirmed wireless iPod get, you’d think it’s the absolute holy grail of the PMP. But in truth you need some spankin’ good software to back up the 802.11, or you’re just wasting a chip. From the looks of the documentation of the Archos 604 WiFi, they’ve at least got it half right. The new version, which we spotted last week, includes not only 802.11b/g connectivity, but replaces the 4.3-inch 480 x 272 screen with a touchscreen version. As reported, they’ve packed in an Archos-specific version of the Opera browser, making the device much more akin to Nokia’s 770 tablet than the Zune. Along with tabbed browsing and other touchscreen-based perks, the new 604 has full-fledged Windows file sharing capabilities, and seemingly robust WiFi connection tools. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any snazzy WiFi-based sync, sharing or purchasing capabilities — all main selling points of the Zune — so the verdict is still out on how successful this could actually be. Still, we’re definitely willing to give it a once over, and a harmless little cage-match-to-the-death between it and our 770 shouldn’t go too far amiss. Keep reading for a few pics of the WiFi in action.

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Filed under: Wireless, Networking

A new Pennsylvania-based startup, hField Technologies, has just gotten FCC approval for their new supercharged WiFi antenna, the Wi-Fire. The USB antenna boosts reception of faint WiFi signals, extending the range of existing networks up to 1,000 feet. hField’s founders, recent Lehigh University graduates, had originally built the product for a student entrepeneurial challenge, and won first place, including the prize of $2,500. Earlier this summer, hField also recieved $25,000 of funding from a state-funded development organization, and the rest, as they say, is history (waiting to happen). The Wi-Fire is now on sale through hField directly for $150, though unfortunately without Mac support for now, it seems — although if you have a Windows computer, it’s guaranteed to put as big of a smile on your face as this girl’s, though not nearly as big as these dudes‘.

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Filed under: Wireless, Networking

Those good folks across the pond sometimes amaze us, and other times they just plain confuse us. From what we can gather, this cantenna (made with wasabi cans — nice touch!) scans for WiFi networks in its vicinity and takes “snapshots” of those networks, and then translates that data into a visual representation — a color SSID. Once the data stack is large enough, all those SSIDs get project on the wall, but if each SSID gets its own color, then why do we see repeating colors in this photo? Maybe if you’re in the Riga, Latvia area sometime in the next couple weeks you can fill us in as to how this exactly this sucker works. Anyway, it sure livens up a room, don’t you think?

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Filed under: Transportation, Wireless

Just because Boeing decided to pull the plug on its Connexion service doesn’t mean in-flight broadband has been grounded for good, with a company called ASiQ now promising to step in and fill the wireless void. ASiQ — who recently revealed plans for allowing consumers to use their regular cellphones while flying — has just announced an upcoming package based on an Inmarsat broadband link that will supposedly cost airlines just $5 to $15 to operate per flight (depending on the size of the aircraft) over a five year lease, meaning users should benefit from much lower fees than the typical $27 Boeing was charging for long-haul international trips. ASiQ will initially show off its attractively-priced system at Miami’s World Airlines Entertainment Association conference and exhibition in mid-September, and plans to begin rolling out the commercial service sometime next year. We’ll have to wait and see if the supposedly-lower infrastructure costs actually translate to cheap service for consumers, but if we can get our mid-air WiFi on for like five or ten bucks a flight, well, we can certainly envision this project really, um, “taking off.”

[Via Geekzone]

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Filed under: Peripherals, Wireless

We wouldn’t even think of buying a cellphone that didn’t incorporate both WiFi and Bluetooth, so you better believe we were excited to learn of semiconductor manufacturer Marvell’s new combo 802.11a/b/g – BT chip for portables, which is supposedly the first of its kind. The so-called 88W8688 — which supports Bluetooth 2.0 and hardware acceleration for UMA, IMS, etc. — has a footprint of less than 80-square-millimeters, or about half the size of current two-chip combinations. For consumers, this will mean smaller versions of all the gadgets we love, and most importantly for us, those super-functional-but-chunky smartphones that we feel naked without. Although the chip is currently shipping to select Marvell OEM partners, it has yet to announced which specific device categories will see the first implementations; our plea: get these puppies to HTC as quickly as possible!

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Filed under: Wireless

After a beta period chock-full of Skype use among the nerd-elite, Google has finally opened up their free WiFi network to the 72,000 residents of Mountain View, CA. Speculation still abounds in regards to Google’s eventual plans for world domination via municipal WiFi, but for now they claim their main reasons are to inspire other network providers, and so they can work on interoperability with WiFi devices. Google is a bit ahead of schedule with the network, which cost them $1 million to build, and covers 12 square miles with 380 light pole-mounted transceivers. Bandwidth tops out at 1 megabit per second, and Google is prepped to add more capacity if Mountain View types end up being heavy YouTube Google Video users. Google says their early launch was spurred by the positive feedback they received during the beta, and that they’ve been inundated with requests to join. There’s no telling yet how Google’s Mountain View network will compare to the relatively massive Google/Earthlink plans in San Francisco, especially since they’re probably hoping making a bit of cash back on the latter, but for now Google is at least requiring a Google ID to join the party in their hometown of Mountain View.

[Via GigaOM]

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Filed under: Displays, Wireless

We all know that Sony’s been doing their LocationFree wireless TV gig for years, right? Still, that little fact won’t stop Samsung from stretching for yet another world’s first by introducing the SPD-50P7HDT which they call the “world’s first large-size HD-compatible wireless PDP TV.” Yeah, whutevs Sammy, if it makes you feel better then go ahead, call it. The new 50-inch Plasma Display Panel supports an unspecified high-def resolution and touts the inclusion of a wireless AV center to float the TV upon your wall (nearly) cable-free. Apparently, the AV center is the mystery box on the shelf below the PDP in the picture above which will magically bundle the various signals from your tethered devices such as DVD, set-top box, etc. and then feed ‘em up to the TV over 802.11a WiFi. Yeah, 802.11a — at least that’s what’s being reported in the digital rags. However, we’d love to see Samsung slip in a little UWB which we’ve already seen them playing around with as a more appropriate short-haul cable replacement. Maybe the official specs will hold a surprise once released… hey, we can dream can’t we? Suggested retail is about 4,800,000 South Korean Wan or about $5,000 of the green stuff if it this kit ever ships Stateside.

[Via Akihabara News]

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Filed under: Wireless

We hope your 802.11a/b/g setup is doing alright, because it looks like the finalized specifications for the next leap forward in WiFi has taken yet another step back. While we’ve all been waiting (and waiting) for some good news to surface about the progression of 802.11n, it appears that bad news just follows the next-generation WiFi standard around like a shadow. Despite the fact that Draft 1.0 has already been implemented in a plethora of products, including Dell’s own 802.11n card for notebooks, reports are pointing to January 2007 before we even see a vote on the second draft of the specification. This issue is getting critical as vendors have jumped all over preliminary specs in order to grab sales by touting “802.11n compliancy,” but a mishmash of implementations that don’t always play nice together, as well as the questionable ability of Draft 1.0 products to be upgraded to Draft 2.0 (not to mention the final 802.11n draft) with a simple firmware update, is paving a trail of incompatibility and confusion. Ideally, the IEEE captains who are steering this ship can get things on track for an early ’07 approval, but even if this does go down, we supposedly won’t see final (as in, the really-real-final) specifications until sometime in 2008. While achieving speeds of near 600Mbps sounds mighty tempting, you’d probably be better off avoiding any device that promises to deliver such performance until this decision-making bottleneck clears up — unless, of course, you just like playing the odds.

[Via Ars Technica]

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Filed under: Digital Cameras, Wireless

Looks like Nikon is intent on rocking the WiFi on its digital cameras, despite some pesky security concerns with the implementation on its Coolpix P1 and P2 digicams. This new WT-3 Wireless Transmitter that’s just gotten FCC approval, however, looks to be fairly substantial, so maybe it won’t be so easily susceptible to the same problems. It’s also quite a bit more capable, not only wirelessly transmitting photos to your PC, but directly to an FTP server or printer as well. The transmitter will also apparently let you control your camera from your computer, and works with 100BaseTx/10BaseT wired networks if WiFi’s not your thing. According to the FCC filings, the transmitter’s designed to work exclusively with Nikon’s D200 digital SLR, but it seems fairly likely that the same technology could be put to use with other cameras sooner or later.

[Via MobileMag]

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