Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts with the label wireless

Microsoft Wireless Desktop 2000 protects that sensitive area between your peripherals

Microsoft's new wireless keyboard-and-mouse duo aims to thwart keystroke spies with full AES 128-bit encryption on over-the-air data -- an improvement on older wireless models that have proven to be easy pickings for hacker-types. You can pick up the Wireless Desktop 2000 now for $40, but that won't buy you protection from more common threats like Shandong phishmongers, nor will it make up for security loopholes in your other peripherals. Speaking of which, are you still using that seemingly innocent USB coffee-cup warmer? Microsoft

Batarang controllers to be thrown at E3, come back in October

If multiple batmobiles, a bat-usb stick, and a bat-puter aren't enough to convince you Bruce Wayne is a vain egomaniac, maybe these  Batman: Arkham City  batarang controllers will give you pause. In traditional bat-gadget fashion, these Xbox 360 and Ps3 controllers boast a cheesy bat-aesthetic (such as bat-start and select / back buttons), dual rumble motors, comfort-soft grips, and seven switchable splashes of LED color. Although physically the two controllers are pretty similar, Ol' Bats seems to favor the PlayStation 3, giving its controller not only the popular Xbox 360 button / analog layout, but an internal battery, detachable charging cable, and batman-themed USB RF receiver, to boot. The Xbox variant? A dated, wired affair -- but hey, at least it's got that Xbox guide button, right? The controllers will be on display next week at E3, courtesy of Power-A, and will hit store shelves when  Batman: Arkham City  ships in October, leaving ...

Mad Catz' exclusive Xbox 360 wireless headphones revealed: integrated voice chat, 5.8GHz base station

Remember how Mad Catz scored the exclusive rights to produce Xbox 360 wireless headphones? Here's the deal: these cans don't need to be tethered to your controller for voice chat or plugged into a wall to charge. According to  IGN , the new Mad Catz Warhead 7.1 will get everything it needs from a base station connected to your console. String USB and optical cables directly from the Xbox 360 to that tiny tower above, and you'll reportedly get enough 5.8GHz bandwidth to deliver virtual Dolby surround sound to four pairs of headphones at once -- plus wireless Xbox LIVE audio chat thanks to some native support from Microsoft. What's more, the USB base station will also give you an on-screen battery readout, and if the Warhead runs out of juice, you'll find a second swappable battery pack sitting in the base station's charger. If that sounds too rich for your blood, the Devastator will ditch the surround sound and rechargeable batteries while retaining the same con...

Qualcomm takes sci-fi one step closer to reality at Computex 2011 (video)

While flying cars are still a pipe dream, other technologies are quickly transitioning from the stuff of sci-fi movies into the very tangible realm of  reality . This was definitely the case at the Qualcomm booth here at Computex where we got to experience two interesting new technologies -- zero shutter lag and the ultrasonic pen. What if when you pressed the shutter button on your phone the camera captured 2 frames before, one frame during, and 2 frames after that instant? That's the idea behind Scalado's zero shutter lag, which speeds up the process of taking pictures on a phone by letting the camera continuously sample images and allowing the user to create a composite shot from the content available in up to 5 frames. Also on display was Qualcomm's ultrasonic pen that  we already played with  at MWC. By using an ultrasonic transducer attached to a pen and a phone with 3 microphones (like the  MSM8660  Mobile Development Platform), the ultra...

Panasonic shrinks WiGig for cellphones, sets our hearts a flutter

Tri-band WiGig in a laptop? Yawnsville. Now, put that 60GHz connection in a high-end smartphone and we're all ears (and sweaty palms). Panasonic is the first out the gate with a 802.11ad compatible chip for mobile devices and, despite its head-spinning multi-gigabit speeds, the company's creation draws less that 1W of power. It'll be sometime before WiGig makes its way into your Droid or iPhone, but when it does you can look forward to wirelessly syncing entire seasons of  Good Eats  (in 1080p, of course) to your phone in mere minutes.

FaceNiff makes Facebook hacking a portable, one-tap affair (video)

Remember Firesheep? Well, the cookie snatching Firefox extension now has a more portable cousin called FaceNiff. This Android app listens in on WiFi networks (even ones encrypted with WEP, WPA, or WPA2) and lets you hop on to the accounts of anyone sharing the wireless connection with you. Right now it works with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Nasza-Klasa (a Polish Facebook clone), but developer Bartosz Ponurkiewicz promises more are coming. You'll need to be rooted to run FaceNiff -- luckily, we had such a device laying around and gave the tap-to-hack app a try. Within 30 seconds it identified the Facebook account we had open on our laptop and had us posting updates from the phone. At least with Firesheep you had to sit down and open up a laptop, now you can hijack Twitter profiles as you stroll by Starbucks and it'll just look like you're sending a text message (but you wouldn't do that... would you?). One more image and a video are after the break. FaceNiff

LightSquared and Sprint reportedly close to $20 billion LTE agreement, John Deere watching closely

Well, we already know that a certain tractor manufacturer isn't particularly fond of LightSquared and its GPS-bustin' LTE technology, but  other  companies with yellow logos apparently harbor a much different sentiment. Really, though, who wouldn't be smiling when there's a supposed $20 billion in it for you? According to the ever-familiar "people familiar" with the story, as quoted by  Businessweek , LightSquared is getting closer to a long-rumored 15-year deal that would pay Sprint $20 billion in exchange for piggy-backing on its aggressive network expansion. This would help LightSquared get up to speed much more quickly, get Sprint access to some lovely LTE, and together completely revitalize the paper maps industry. Businessweek

uBeam wireless power startup shows prototype at D9 (video hands-on)

As seems to be the case each year, one or two stars show up to demonstrate new technology here at the All Things D  'Science Fair,' and it just so happens that a pair from the University of Pennsylvania are soaking up the limelight this go 'round. uBeam's the company, and based on what we saw at D9, we're guessing that you'll be hearing an awful lot more from the duo in the coming months. The company's mission is to provide wireless power -- hardly a new concept, but it's all sorts of refreshing to see what's often thought of as a pipe dream get an injection of reality. The outfit is literally comprised of two people for the moment, with the prototype shown here concocted just a few weeks ago. The goal? To get uBeam transmitters installed in as many locales as possible, and then to hit critical mass from a device standpoint. Imagine walking into a restaurant with uBeam transmitters in the ceiling, and watching your handset magically recharge as yo...

Turtle Beach announces PX3 and Z6A gaming headsets, set to debut at E3

Turtle Beach impressed the pants off of us last month with its Ear Force PX5 headset, which is why our mouths began watering when we found out that the company has two new gaming products on the way -- the Ear Force PX3 and Z6A. Much like the PX5, the wireless PX3 (pictured above) boasts 18 interchangeable audio settings and supports additional presets that users can download directly from Turtle Beach. Though it was designed with PS3 users in mind, the PX3 can also run on an Xbox 360 and is the first Turtle Beach headset to feature a rechargeable, ten-hour battery. The PC and Xbox-friendly, surround sound Z6A, meanwhile, rocks eight amplified speakers (including two subwoofers) and is juiced by a 5.1 channel amp that promises to bathe your head with booming bass. The USB-powered device may leave you tethered to your console, but at least it will house your ears in an oversized mesh cushion, which may make those late-night gaming marathons a little more bearable. The P...

Kingston Wi-Drive wireless storage for iOS preview (video)

Thinking about upgrading your iPad or iPhone just to add more storage for videos, photos and music?Kingston hopes to save the day with its Wi-Drive, a WiFi-enabled battery-powered storage device designed exclusively for use with iOS. Several factors make the pocket-sized device a tough sell, however, including its cost ($130 for 16GB, $175 for 32GB), and the fact that this otherwise clever content sharing contraption adds yet another gadget to your already crowded portable mix. We'd probably save up for a new, higher-capacity device before accessorizing our old gadgets, but a compact media server does seem like the perfect companion for a road trip, serving up HD videos and other content simultaneously to multiple devices using the free iOS app. This is strictly a content server -- while you can move move content off the drive and later transfer it back, there's no backup tool included, and Kingston says we shouldn't expect one in the future, either. Click past the break f...

Intel's convertible Keeley Lake concept laptop shows off Cedar Trail, we go hands-on (update: video)

Just before Intel's keynote at Computex, we decided to stop by at the chip maker's busy booth to see what it has up its sleeves. Luckily, we spotted a couple of Keeley Lake proof-of-concept convertible laptops, which are here to demonstrate what can be achieved using Cedar Trail processors. As you can see, the 12.1-inch screen sits on a swivel hinge, thus allowing users transform this fairly slim laptop into a tablet within seconds. Oh, you can also use the built-in Wireless Display technology to stream some sweet HD action over the air, provided that you have compatible devices. Alas, Intel says there are no commercial plans for this particular device, so hopefully someone will pick up this design. Update:  We now have a quick video of Keeley Lake after the break. Enjoy! Intel's convertible Keeley Lake concept laptop shows off Cedar Trail, we go hands-on

PlayStation announces official wireless cans for PS3, stereo frags coming September

Perhaps Sony deemed the Ultimate Weapon too powerful (or too expensive) for PlayStation 3 owners, but these new wireless cans ought to keep your ears warm, at the very least. The new official PS3 Wireless Stereo Headset features 7.1 virtual surround sound, a retractable, mutable microphone, and standard embedded volume controls. These proprietary sound-muffs connect via USB dongle, and push headset related status updates (that's your battery status) directly to your TV screen; if you're into that sort of thing. Sony-approved hearing will set you back $100 starting this September. Sony

KDDI haptic smartphone prototype promises up to seven layers of touch, only shows off two

Ah, another possibly vaporous, yet intriguing addition to a long line of haptic patents and prototypes. Today's offering: a KDDI smartphone mockup (utilizing Kyocera display technology) promising to render sensation through multiple layers of applied touchscreen pressure. Imagine depressing a camera shutter on a touchscreen, and you've got the idea. KDDI only had a screen sporting two haptic layers on hand when they demoed the prototype at Wireless Japan this week, but Kyocera reportedly told Akihabara News  that the technology is capable of up to seven layers of tantalizing touch. Neat. Maybe we'll get a few authentic haptic touchscreens on the market and do away with all the vibrational fakery we've been seeing. Akihabara News

Gigabyte's ECO600 mouse passes through the FCC, boasts 12-month battery life

Gigabyte's ECO600 wireless laser mouse -- which was introduced last month -- just landed at the FCC, which means it and its tiny 2.4GHz adapter should be in the hands of consumers very soon. As far as mice go, the ECO600 is actually pretty interesting -- two buttons on top allow you to quickly cycle between resolutions of 800, 1200, and 1600 DPI for either more accuracy or better battery life which, the company claims, is up to a year on a single pair of (generously included) AAs. That's not quite as long as Logitech's M515, which requires you swap the cells biennially, but it's still nothing to scoff at. If you're curious about what the guts of this long-lasting pointing device look like, check out the gallery below. Gigabyte ECO600 wireless laser mouse at the FCC FCC