The ColorTouch from Venstar looks like the ultimate gadgeteer’s thermostat. First of all, it is compatible with Apple iPhone, iTouch, iPad, Blackberry, Android, Mac and PC devices, which allows you to easily change settings remotely. Who knew that the ability to customize your home thermostat was important to people. It must be because the ColorTouch has interchangeable faceplates and the ability to change the color background wallpaper with both AM and PM images. It also has screensavers that turn it into a clock or a digital photo frame. Of course it also has a touch screen that you can use to easily schedule up to 4 temp changes per day. It even offers a wireless outdoor sensor so you can see the temp outdoors with a weather display and an energy usage information report that lets you see how much energy has been used to heat and cool for the past seven days. The ColorTouch residential thermostat with Skyport Wi-Fi Key is priced under $300 but the main gotcha is that you can’t just walk into Loews or Home Depot and buy one. It looks like you have to have a Heating and Air Conditioning company buy and install it for you. I still want one. I hate my programmable thermostat. I installed one myself to replace an old mercury switch style unit. It’s a real pain to program and change settings. I’d love one of these. Anyone out there have a ColorTouch?

Filed in categories: Home Tech, News, Wireless

Tagged: WiFi

Forget About the Nest Thermostat, Check out the ColorTouch from Venstar originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 18, 2012 at 2:14 pm.

From Koss, the Striva offers an ultra compact WiFi earpiece solution. Using WiFi (not Bluetooth), the earpieces can be used to stream internet radio stations directly to the headphones, using the Content Access Point (CAP) stream from you smartphone, tablet or MP3 player.  Or you can use them as standard headphones by plugging them into any stereo device using the included audio cable.

The earpieces last for 2 hours in wiFi mode or 1.2 hours in CAP mode and can be used within 300 feet (in optimal conditions) from your WiFi access point.

Available for $500 from the Koss Store

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, News

Tagged: Headphones, WiFi

Koss Striva Wireless Earphones originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 2, 2012 at 12:00 pm.

Every day we use WiFi on our notebooks, phones, tablets, routers, TVs – in fact it’s estimated that there’s around 3 billion WiFi-enabled devices worldwide. Who out there knew though that WiFi is actually an Australian invention?  Developed by Australia’s national science agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) , it was patented in Australia in 1992 and the US in 1996. More information after the break:

The invention came out of CSIRO’s pioneering work in radioastronomy. That work involved complex mathematics known as ‘fast Fourier transforms’ as well as detailed knowledge about radio waves and their behaviour in different environments.

Indoor environments are particularly difficult for the rapid exchange of large amounts of data using radio waves. The CSIRO team solved the main problem of wireless networking, called reverberation, where the radio waves from the outgoing signal bounce around the surrounding environment causing an echo that distorts the signal.

CSIRO solved these problems in a unique way at a time when many of the major communications companies around the world were trying, but with less success, to solve the same problem.

A decade after the patent, many manufacturers launched wireless devices using CSIRO’s technology and fought to have the patent invalidated.  After a long legal battle, in April 2009, the CSIRO settled with a number of companies including 3Com,  Apple, Asus, Belkin, D-Link, Dell, Intel, Microsoft, Netgear, Nintendo, SMC and Toshiba ending in a result of a $200m settlement.

Just last week the CSIRO received another $220m windfall from AT&T, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA. These companies join a group of 23 companies — or more than 90 per cent of the industry — who currently pay patent fees to the CSIRO.

It’s worth noting that this crucial patent expires at the end of next year, at which time it’s estimated there will be around 5 billion WiFi enabled devices.

Aussie…..Aussie…..Aussie……

Filed in categories: News, Wireless

Tagged: WiFi

Aussie CSIRO WiFi Windfall of $220 million originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 10, 2012 at 9:00 am.

You’ve got a ton of mobile gear – tablet, smartphone, laptop – that’s supposed to unchain you from your desk.  You should be able to do business anywhere you find yourself with all this mobile equipment, but there’s one small problem.  You can’t do anything without an internet connection.  Buying service plans for each and every mobile device gets very expensive, so you may decide to just make use of Starbuck‘s free WiFi.  Public hotspots present their own set of problems – slow connections, time limits, and difficulties getting connected.  Plus, it’s not secure – do you really want to conduct business over a public hotspot like that?

What you need is a fast, secure, personal hotspot.  Clear Internet, the leader in wireless internet connectivity, has the best service and the strongest signals of any MiFi network.  Clear Internet is the best solution in the 4G MiFi field.  With a mobile plan from Clear Internet, you’ll have unlimited data on their 4G network. With your own personal MiFi hotspot, you’ll be able to conduct business anywhere, on a fast, secure, and reliable connection – and no sharing with a roomful of coffee shop customers!

Go to the Clear Internet site to learn more about their plans and learn how they can help keep you connected with your customers no matter where your day takes you.

Filed in categories: News, Wireless

Tagged: WiFi

Tired of Hunting for WiFi Hotspots? Clear Internet Has What You’ve Been Looking For. originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 12, 2011 at 12:00 pm.

The new IOGEAR 4-Port USB Sharing Station looks like an easy way for multiple users to share USB devices (printers, external hard drives, MP3 Players, flash drives, USB speakers, cameras, scanners and more) wirelessly with both Windows and Mac OS X computers in your home or office. One idea for using the Share Station would be to create a low-cost security system by connecting a webcam to the share station in an area where monitoring is needed. The only down side to this product is that it doesn’t support USB 3.0 devices yet. However, it does support High-Speed USB 2.0 and is backward compatible with USB 1.1 devices if you’re still in the dark age. The Sharing Station is available now for $99.95

Filed in categories: Desktop Computer Gear, News

Tagged: USB, WiFi

IOGEAR 4-Port USB Sharing Station Allows Wi-Fi Access to USB Devices originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 6, 2011 at 12:14 pm.

All too rarely we get to see a product that does exactly what it promises for a fair price, with good support and a solid design. The BearExtender N3 is that kind of product but only for folks running Mac OS X. They’ve now released the PC version, called the BearExtender PC, and we’re going to see how this wireless USB 802.11n adapter performs. Read on to see more…

The BearExtender PC is a Windows version of BearExtender’s successful Macintosh product called the BearExtender N3. It’s a 802.11n external USB 2.0 wireless adapter with the same design as the Macintosh version; a solid plastic body with an antenna connector on one end and the USB connector on the other, and it has a clip on the back that easily hooks onto laptop screens. The antenna ports lets you connect even more capable antennas for even better range and allowing even more flexability for antenna placement. BearExtender has an optional 5dBi omnidirectional antenna for an extra $5.99, a very reasonable price. The standard 2dBi omnidirectional antenna seems to be relatively good, however. And if you have an older laptop with 802.11G, and want to upgrade to N, the laptop screen clip on the back is a nice alternative to a dongle sticking out of the side.

Getting the BearExtender PC installed in Windows 7 was easy: Install the included driver and plug it in. If you have built in wireless, you’ll also want to disable it before using the BearExtenderPC. The standard Windows7 WiFi management tools were used, so once it’s plugged in the behavior isn’t any different for selecting Access Points – The only indication in Windows that the BearExtender PC is connected was the number of additional wireless access points it picked up! On the BearExtender PC itself, there’s a small blue LED that blinks as data flows through so you can clearly see it working once connected via USB.

And that brings up a question I’ve heard from a few people: “How useful could an external wireless adapter be if my laptop already has wireless?”. Well, after supplementing my laptop’s built in wireless adapter ( an Atheros chipset ) with the BearExtender PC, I can answer “Very!”. Most of the wireless products we’re using are limited in signal strength and have compromising antenna design, usually transmitting way under 100mw with an antenna housed inside the laptop body or right alongside the LCD. Then there’s the BearExtender, pumping out 700mW (!) of power and with a better positioned detachable swivel antenna on a small USB box that can be clipped onto a laptop screen. The difference in transmission and reception is startling: I see 12 wifi access points with the built in wireless after placing the laptop near a window. Same rough placement in the window with the BearExtender PC and I see 18 wireless access points. When I connected a Hawking HiGain 6dBi antenna & turned my router off, I saw 82 access points; Brooklyn is saturated with wireless! ( See the picture at the bottom of the review )

More impressive is the signal strength of those wireless access points: You can see increased signal on all access points compared to the built in wireless, and that means more stable connections. Looking at the screenshots below, and using the wireless AP “Jacklu” as an example, under the standard wireless card it shows −47 RSSI ( Received Signal Strength Indication ). With the BearExtender PC, it’s showing up with −29 RSSI; the ‘lower’ the RSSI number, the better the signal strength, and you can see a clear increase in RSSI level on all APs found when using the BearExtender PC. Then I took the laptop to the other side of my apartment to get as far away from my router as possible without going outside: I was between 3 solid walls in my living room. I started copying a test folder from my server, and using built in wireless the copy took 5 minutes and 29 seconds. Copying the same folder after hooking up the BearExtender, and disabling the built in wireless, took 3 minutes and 45 seconds. So it’s not only a question of better range, the higher quality antenna and higher output of the BearExtender PC means stronger and cleaner connections less influenced by ‘noise’. I have to note this test was done under 802.11G since the laptop I’m using for testing only has a G capable wireless card. I turned off N on my router ( The FON 2.0N router I reviewed earlier this year ), so both the BearExtender PC and the built in wireless card were connected via 802.11G. Overall, the increase in range is impressive but the increase in speed is more useful to me during daily operations.

And something else came up during the testing, plug & play support under the latest 10.10 version of Ubuntu. I can’t confirm it’ll work under earlier version of Ubuntu, or for anyone else for that matter since it’s completely unsupported, but it just started working after plugging it in without any configuration. I see the same increase in signal strength I saw in Windows, and it works with the built in wireless utilities, just remember BearExtender can’t provide technical support for linux. The same is true for Mac OS X; Although I was able to get it working in Snow Leopard on a MacBook, if you purchase BearExtender PC you only receive technical support for Windows. Running the BearExtender PC on other platforms is technically possible, but remember that it’s completely and utterly unsupported on anything except Windows. Get the BearExtender N3 if you have a Mac! But regardless of support, in a pinch it’s nice to know that it is possible to get the PC version functioning in Mac OS X & Ubuntu.

At the end of the testing, I came away impressed with the BearExtender PC as you can tell by my review. The wireless capabilities of my laptop were significantly increased, which is exactly what it was developed to do. If you’re looking to increase the speed and range of your wireless, this is the product to buy. The extra output power combined with the decent 2dBi omnidirectional antenna means you’ll get better all-around connections, especially in a wireless-saturated area like Brooklyn NY. The BearExtender PC is available for $44.97 with the clip and 2dBi omnidirectional antenna, with the 5dBi omnidirectional antenna available for an extra $5.99. The price is right, the quality is there, and the BearExtender PC works as advertised. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a USB Wireless adapter.

The software used for some testing and the screenshots below is InSSIDer by MetaGeek.

Built In Wireless

BearExtender PC with standard 2dBi antenna

BearExtender PC with a Hawking Technologies HiGain 6dBi antenna & the local router powered off

Filed in categories: Desktop Computer Gear, Laptops and Gear, Reviews, Wireless

Tagged: 802.11, BearExtender, WiFi, Wireless

BearExtender PC USB Wireless Adapter Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 27, 2010 at 8:00 am.

If you think you need to run ethernet cables from your router upstairs to a device downstairs, you might be in the market for the ConneXt 200W-A1 from innoband.  You can save yourself some grief and money using this wireless ethernet bridge.  It really doesn’t get any easier than this.

Features:

• Ready to go right out of the box.
• Auto pairing.
• High security and encryption pre-configured.
• No new wiring.
• Dedicated WiFi bandwidth not shared

The package contains a complete solution for connecting your ethernet device to your router or switch.  The CD contains the instruction manual which is totally redundant and in my opinion unnecessary.  All you’ll need to know is printed on the box.  Here’s the verbatim text from the manual for installation:

1. Connect one end of the Ethernet cable to ConneXt 200W-A1, another end to your PC /notebook or Ethernet device.
2. Connect ConneXt 200W-A1’s power adapter to an outlet.
3. Connect your second device following step 1 and 2.

There’s not much to the device.  Aside from the jacks there is a switch on the units that selects the mode of operation.  The default is set to relay mode, which enables  the units to connect a device via a router/switch to the internet.   When switched to direct mode, it allows connection of two devices directly.  For example, you can hook 2 Xbox 360s together.  In both cases,  wireless WPA2 encryption is always on.  There are also 3 indicating LEDs on the front showing status.

Here’s how I hooked up the ConneXt 200W-A1.  On the second floor of my house I plugged one unit into an ethernet port on my router.

Downstairs and about 40 ft. distance, I connected the other unit to the ethernet port on my DMA2100 Media Center extender.

I wanted to see how the units were recognized on the network, so I ran WiFi stumbler, with the above results.  Access points 3 and 4 are the ConneXt units.  You’ll notice that they are WPA2 encrypted and apparently use channel 11.   I really didn’t do any scientific speed testing, however, using the media center extender, I was able to watch standard def video and stream music with no problem.  Be aware, this device uses 802.11G technology, so streaming HD is not going to work.  Also, you’ll want to use it as a single access point.  Putting a switch on the box could be done, but there isn’t enough bandwidth to support traffic on your LAN.  I like to think of the device as wired WiFi.  I also connected my Laptop via the ConneXt to the router.  Again, I had no problems and throughput appeared the same as when using the Laptop’s WiFi.

The obvious question is “why would I need this if my devices are already WiFi enabled?”  In my setup, the media center extender already has 802.11N built-in, so the ConneXt unit provides no advantage.  However, if you have a network enabled device that doesn’t come with WiFi  (TV, DVD player, game console) , using the connect saves the expense of the normally optional WiFi adapter or having to run ethernet cable from the router.  It also  simplifies setup because there are no settings and passwords required.

Filed in categories: Home Tech, Reviews, Wireless

Tagged: Ethernet, WiFi

innoband ConneXt 200W-A1 Wireless Bridge Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 6, 2010 at 3:00 pm.

PURE announced today that three of its highly anticipated internet-connected radios will be available for purchase in North America on July 1, 2010. Pictured is the Oasis Flow. You can read about the other two products in the press release.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, News, Wireless

Tagged: Radio, Spotlight Gadgets, WiFi

PURE Brings Their WiFi Radios to the US originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 3, 2010 at 1:00 pm.

The gateway between your home/office network and the rest of the internet is your router, and in most cases it’s  a very ‘dumb’ device. That’s started to change, with routers becoming more useful, and I started thinking about getting an upgrade. I’ve been using a Linksys WRT-54GL with DD-WRT firmware for the last couple months after my Airport Extreme got hit by lighting ( in Brooklyn! ). So I started thinking about what I’d upgrade to, and I heard about the Fonera router; It’s a community, everyone who’s part of the community gets free wifi from everyone else. Supposedly you can also make money off of people buying connection time through your Fonera, but I’ll have to wait and see what happens. But about a month ago, FON released their latest router and firmware, La Fonera 2.0N, and I decided to purchase one. Read on for my review of this very capable internet device.

This router is more than just a hardware device; It’s a global community of routers linked into one shared ‘cloud’ of Free WiFi. Wherever you find another Fonero ( The name for the people in the community ), you can connect to their router’s pubic signal for free and surf away. Your Fonero at home has a public and private wifi signal; The private signal is protected with up to WPA2 encryption, but you share the public signal and anyone connecting can use it for 10 minutes for free or they have to buy time. Doing this means you can possibly earn some bucks when people buy wireless time on your access point. Although I have doubts anyone is going to buy WiFi time on my router here in Brooklyn, I set it up to see what happens. However, I’m not in this for either the community sharing or the promise of dollars – I was primarily looking for a new wireless router with some cool features.

I was surprised when I received the package from UPS because of the ‘Tamper Evident Tape’ wrapping it tightly and the big warnings about Lithium batteries – I don’t know whats inside this Fonera, but I can safely say my La Fonera 2.0N was not tampered with before arriving. Once opened, the device is about the same size as most other routers; about the size of a paperback book, with 5 ports on the back, 2 antennas on the back, and a bunch of blinkin’ lights. It doesn’t look like anything special, except for the USB port in the front. The placement is a bit odd, the side would have been better, but it works. I plugged in my cable modem after leaving it powered off for 30 seconds ( Tip to anyone having cable modem problems; Unplug the power for a 2 minutes, then plug it back in ) & popped in a 2GB FAT32 formatted Flashcard. Connected a USB hub and a Brother HL2040 laser printer, and then started my browser on my Mac to configure the Fonera.

To log into the router, you just type ‘fonera’ into your browser window, and a registration process begins. One note here is that you should set the router up as soon as you power it on and get a network connection. Otherwise, if your location is hopping with other fonero’s, the first one on could sign up the router and have it added to their list of routers instead of yours. After the Fonera setup  you fill in your Flickr, YouTube, Picasa, FaceBook, Twitter, Torrents, and RapidShare downloader accounts, you get to the dashboard – and see all the neat things this router can do.

The services the router supports are: YouTube, Picasa, Flickr, and FaceBook automatic uploads; Torrent downloads; MegaUpload and RapidShare downloads, and the router even uses Twitter to ‘tweet’ its status. Beside all that, you get two SSID’s – This is the two seperate wireless networks mentioned above; One for your private use protected with whatever security method you choose and the other is open for public use. Like I mentioned, every Fonero who’s sharing WiFi can connect to any other Fonero’s wireless router. There are about a half dozen in my area of Brooklyn ( Dyker Heights ), and supposedly hundreds of thousands world-wide. The two networks are on different IP ranges, completely isolated from each other, and you can even limit the amount of bandwidth the public network is allowed to share to make sure your private network never gets bogged down.

So how does this work? Well, the Flickr, Youtube, Picasa, FaceBook, and Youtube services allow you to upload files just by dropping them in the appropriately named folder on the shared drive. The shared drive can be a USB Flash disk or a USB hard drive – I plugged one into the hub with a flash drive and both drives are accesdable via SMB & FTP, although the first one interact with the router software which means you’ll want you largest disk setup first.

Some examples of what you can do: drop a whole new gallery of images for Picasa, and even a couple videos for YouTube, both at the same time and the Fonera will upload the files on it’s own without any other computers on. Transmission lets you to use BitTorrent; Drop the torrent file into a folder called ‘Torrents’, and the Fonera starts downloading on it’s own. You can customize Transmission’s options too, via a separate Transmission webpage, as well as monitor the downloads. The MegaUpload and RapidShare accounts let you download files unattended too, and it links right into those services’ accounts. And when the Fonera is done performing an operation, it will use a Twitter account you setup for it to let you know what it’s doing.

Other neat features include Printer Sharing; Pretty basic, but it works – Although the setup instructions for adding an OS X printer uses the CUPS WebAdmin and might scare a newbie a little. Although its a bit strange, it does work brilliantly when you follow the step-by-step guide on the Wiki. Fonera also includes OpenVPN, which isn’t compatible with OS X’s built in VPN Client, but it worked with an Ubuntu client. You also have the option of using a UMTS/3G USB Internet device on the La Fonera 2.0N, enabling you to share your 3G internet connection with your network. Since I do not have a 3G USB internet device, so I couldn’t test this, but I can see how useful this would be in a hotel or on a worksite. There’s even a webcam interface for up to four USB webcams viewed in a 4 panel screen. Finally, and I find this really interesting, you can plug in a USB Audio Card and play back music with the Fonera by plugging a set of speakers into the USB Audio Card. A Fonera-Jukebox!  I haven’t tested this yet, I’m waiting for my USB Audio device I picked up for $10 at NewEgg, but I’m looking forward to playing around with this.

Some of the items above are added using the Application screen, like the printer sharing, the webcam, and the music ability. There is a group of about a dozen other applications, but from what I understand you need the developer version of the firmware that enabled SSH access. I initially used my Fonera with the latest final developer version, 2.3.0.0, but since have upgraded to a newer 2.3.5.0 release candidate. Either way, the shell access works great via SSH & with the developer version I add applications from the terminal which opens a much wider range of software additions for the router. From what I understand, software built for the earlier versions of the Fonera is slowly being ported to the newer 2.0n hardware.

The hardware of the 2.0N is impressive, especially coming from the Linksys WRT-54GL. The Ralink CPU runs at 300MHz, and the device has 64MB Ram / 8MB Flash. WiFi to WiFi is rated at 4MB/s, WiFi to internet is rated at 8MB/s, and WiFi to USB HardDrive is also rated at 8MB/s. I saw similar speeds, but closer to 6MB/s copying data to and from the hard drive. Torrent downloads are rated at a maximum of 800KB/s, and I definitely saw a slowdown when I had torrents downloading & uploads to YouTube, and sending a print job. All the operations would get slower, but otherwise everything kept processing. Torrent activity seems to be the biggest hit on the router’s performance, but even with the router bogged down with torrents and uploads the internet connection wasn’t badly affected.

A big note here is that I installed a newer release candidate firmware that included a universal media server and fixed some bugs. But unfortunately it also introduced a bug in the public wireless that caused me to turn it off for now. Since the original firmware had problems with my iPhone 3GS connecting over Wifi, I didn’t downgrade and kept using the newer firmware. Since it’s not a final update, bugs are to be expected, and otherwise I’ve been pleased with the router but please note the major issues with this router. Because of bugs in the 2.3.0.0 firmware and the issues in the current release candidate, do not buy this if you are expecting a trouble-free experience.

However, I want to say many of the primary features have worked well with either firmware with the exception of wireless. The developers are aware of the issues and working on a fix. So although it’s a great router with amazing promise, I think this router is more for the tinker until they sort out the firmware issues. Basically the Fonera 2.0N has some really nice features that expand the role a router can play on your network, but be ready to muck around with it.

UPDATE: One of the commenters reminded me of the problems with the original firmware and WiFi- The Fonera did NOT work well with my iPhone when I first installed it. I flashed the router with the RC candidate when it came out, and it’s been working great *with the public wireless disabled* so I had forgotten the troubles I had initially with wireless. I edited the review to include that information.

The bottom line is ONLY buy this router knowing there are serious bugs that need to fixed before it works as well as a Linksys or Netgear router.

Filed in categories: Home Tech, Reviews, Wireless

Tagged: Device, Network, WiFi

La Fonera 2.0N Wireless Router Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 9, 2010 at 8:58 pm.

I remember in grade-school staying up late with the lights off in my room listening to Toledo Goaldiggers hockey games on my portable black RCA transistor radio.  I remember picking up a St. Louis station from my then home in Toledo and thinking how cool that was.

Enter the Wi-Fi radio, in this case the FullJoin Wi-Fi Radio. Now I can hide in my room at night and listen to stations from almost anywhere in the world! (… if I can just get my kids to stop finding me when I’m hiding…)

The unit charges by plugging it into a computer USB port; no other charging method is available, but this way there is one fewer cord to lug, and you will likely use your computer to “program” stations into the radio. The radio takes 5 or 6 hours to charge fully, but claims to run 15 hours on a charge.  I haven’t come close to running down the first charge yet.

As you would guess, the radio works  by picking up a Wi-Fi signal, either from your own router or any other available network.  The first thing you need to do to use the Internet Radio function is connect to a network.  The radio will scan for available networks when turned on.  (There is also a Scan for Networks function under settings for any time you wish to scan for networks again;  for instance if you take the radio to another location or if the network you are using weakens).  If an unsecured network is not available you will need to connect to a secure network.  The radio will remember up to three networks and appropriate setting in its memory,  so if you use the radio in the same place each time you do not need to continue to connect to your network again and again.

Connecting to secure networks is where I had difficulty.  The radio will ask for a security key based on the setting on the router.  Two of the networks I tried to connect to use WPA, so the radio asked for the WPA passphrase.  I could NOT get the radio to connect using my WPA passphrases (and I know they work as I’ve connected two different laptops  using same passphrases). I could only get the radio to connect if I unlocked the network. The radio can pick up other forms of encryption such as WEP64 and WEP128.  Passwords are entered into the radio using the spin dial on the front of the radio.  You also use this to choose various options, as you would with the wheel on an iPod.

The radio is made by Shenzhen Full-Join Technology Co out of China, which from their website seems to be a relatively new company, especially with regards to consumer products.  Their website seems a bit hastily put together, with a number of incorrect English translations.  I have included the url for a stateside and Canadian supplier though. The radio station selection portal and its technology are handled by a British company called CSR.

The most fun is choosing the radio stations you want to listen to and perhaps store as favorites.  To do so you log on to what is called CSR’s vTuner on your computer (csr.vtuner.com).  There is an easy to find number called a MAC address stored on the radio, which identifies your unique radio.  Once this is entered and accepted you are able to set up a login email/password combination of your choosing to use for further logins to browse, add or change stations on your radio. The selection is truly overwhelming (as anybody who spends any time browsing radio on their computer already knows).  At my last login there were over 13,000 radio stations and almost 7500 podcasts available through this portal.  There are likely podcasts you will look for that won’t be available on vTuner;  most of the other podcast aggregators I have used have more podcasts available, but with 7500 you should be able to find something that interests you!

The sound from the radio is ok, but I preferred to use my own headphones as the radio has a 3.5mm jack. The radio isn’t cheap at $160.  With the price on netbooks so low I imagine many would just opt for one of these to get your internet radio fix; but,  if you want something you can fit in your hand  or pocket easily then this would certainly qualify.

Oh, did I mention the unit also has an FM radio feature as well?  When I can listen to music from South Africa or Mali or a talk show from the Middle East it hardly seems fair to make the poor radio play a tune off the new Mariah Carey cd on the FM though…

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Reviews, Wireless

Tagged: Internet Radio, WiFi

Full-Join PPS-FM WiFi Pocket Radio Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 6, 2010 at 4:26 pm.

Does your Mac’s WiFi need a little extra power? The BearExtender n3 802.11n WiFi adapter has a maximum output of 700 mW compared to 32 mW output from an Airport Extreme card. Combined with an external 2 dBi gain antenna the BearExtender n3 offers up to 2-4 times the range of your current wireless card (approximately 2X for AirPort Extreme and 4X for the original AirPort 11 mbps card). It looks pretty bulky add-on for your laptop, but the price isn’t bad at $44.97.

Filed in categories: Laptops and Gear, News, Wireless

Tagged: Spotlight Gadgets, WiFi

BearExtender n3 Boosts Your Mac’s WiFi Range By 4x originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 21, 2009 at 12:07 pm.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of EyeFi. All opinions are 100% mine.

This past summer, Shari reviewed the Eye-Fi wireless SD card. After her review, I kept meaning to pick up one for myself so that I could see how well it would work with my new Canon G11 digital camera. As luck would have it, one was recently offered to me and I jumped at the chance to do my own review. Let’s see if I liked it too.

Hardware Specs

4GB SDHC Memory card
Built in 802.11 b/g
Wi-Fi security: Static WEP 64/128, WPA-PSK, WPA2-PSK
Range: 90+ ft outdoors & 45+ ft indoors
Uses host camera’s battery for power

Package Contents

A 4GB SD Eye-Fi Share Video memory card with built-in Wi-Fi
Eye-Fi Manager software (on the SD card)
Free USB card reader for easy setup
Quick Start Guide

I’m always on the lookout for anything that can save me a little time – even if it’s only a few minutes. The Eye-Fi cards do this by wirelessly connecting to your WiFi network and uploading newly snapped photos and videos from your SDHC compatible digital camera to your favorite online photo sharing sites and to a folder on your PC or Mac. The Eye-Fi card actually has a WiFi radio built into it, while still retaining the form factor as a regular SD card.

Setting up the card with your computer is super easy. They even include a USB SD card reader in the package, just in case you don’t have one of your own.

If you use a Windows PC, software on the SD card will automatically launch in your browser to set up the card with your WiFi network. Mac users like myself, have to manually navigate to a folder to launch a, OS X app to start the browser setup tool. There really isn’t much to it. You have to create an Eye-Fi account, point to your WiFi network, choose the local folder that you want to copy the images and videos to and setup any web based photo sharing sites that you want the images / videos to upload to. You can click the images above to see full sized screen shots of the process.

Then all you do is take the card out of the reader, pop it in your camera and start snapping pictures. If you’re in range of your WiFi network, the images will start transferring to the local folders and photo sharing sites immediately.

A small window pops up on your computer showing a thumbnail and status transfer bar for each image as it is being uploaded from the camera to the computer. Of course, you’ll need your computer to be powered on and the camera to be powered on in order for the images to transfer. If you turn off your camera in the middle of a transfer, it will resume where it left off when you turn it back on. I tested this and it worked just fine.

For those of you wondering how long it takes to transfer images, I did a test where I took 10 pictures all set to the highest resolution on my Canon G11, which is 10MP, 3648 x 2736. It took about 40 seconds to transfer those pictures (a total of 23.5mb) to a local folder on my iMac.

You can set up notifications that will email, SMS, Tweet or send a message to Facebook when you transfer images. You can even setup notifications to alert you when an upload failed, resumed and completed.

There are several versions of the Eye-Fi cards, but I was sent the Share card.  The Eye-Fi Explore card has a Geotagging featured built in that uses WiFi networks to add longitude and latitude coordinates to your images so that you will always remember where you were when the image was captured. The Share card doesn’t have this feature, but it can be added if you don’t mind paying $14.99 for a 1yr subscription. Another feature that can be added to this card is hotspot access. Pay another $14.99 for 1yr and you will have the ability to upload your images to more than 10000 Wayport hotspots. With this feature, you won’t need your computer with you to immediately upload your images – as long as you’re near a Wayport hotspot.

The only feature missing for me would be a way to access the card from my computer, so that I could delete the images. I know I can do that through the camera, but I’d still like to do it through my computer too.

I’m loving this card because now when I’m shooting product shots for a review, the images will already be on my computer when I sit down to start working on them in Photoshop. I don’t have to plug in a USB cable or remove the card from the camera and slide it into a card reader or the built-in SD slot on my iMac. I think it will save a little wear and tear on the camera. I also think it will come in really handy for vacations when I get too lazy to upload images to my Facebook or Flickr account. Now I don’t have to do anything, it will just happen automatically. The card is also great for family members who are not very computer savvy. The person I live with like to take pictures, but is skittish when it comes to copying them to her computer. If she has an Eye-Fi card, she won’t have to do anything at all because it can be setup to upload the pictures directly into iPhoto. The Eye-Fi Wireless SD card gets two thumbs up for me.

Watch this short video for a quick overview of the features:

Contest Opportunity! 12 Eye-Fi cards are being given away. You can enter by leaving a comment on this post or Tweeting a message containing the hashtag “#eye-fi” with a link back to this post. Example:

Check out The Gadgeteer’s review of the #eye-fi http://the-gadgeteer.com/2009/11/18/eye-fi-share-video-wireless-sd-card-review/

Complete contest rules are here: http://izea.com/contest-rules-regulations/eyefi-contest-official-rules/

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Photography, WiFi

Eye-Fi Share Video Wireless SD Card Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 18, 2009 at 7:41 am.

Wow, time flies! I reviewed the original Chumby almost two years ago and coming in early November we’ll get a chance to check out a brand new version: the chumby one clock radio. It looks like this new model is focusing more radio features as it has Pandora (and can access other internet radio stations) as well as a built in FM radio. Like the original version, you can install widgets (there are currently around 1500 of them) to do all sorts of things like show your Google calendar, check the weather, show your friends Facebook status, etc. The display is the same size and resolution 320×240, but the processor has been bumped up from 350mhz to 454mhz. The chumby one will retail for approximately $100. I can’t wait to check it out.

Filed in categories: Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Clock, Radio, Spotlight Gadgets, WiFi

New chumby one – More clock radio, less squishy clock thingy originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 29, 2009 at 9:19 pm.

For part of the year I live in an area where the local telecom company advertises dial-up as high speed Internet access.  To keep my sanity and actually get something done, I spend a lot of time at the library using their broadband connection or war-driving looking for open hot spots.  With the Wi-Fire WiFi adapter, I’ve found many more places where I can get online access.

Specifications:

• IEE 802.11b/g
• 2.4Ghz
• Channels 1-11 N.A.
• Channels 1-13 rest of the world
• Max Pwr +27dBm
• Security WEP,WPA WPA2
• USB 2.0
• Windows, Mac and Linux compatible

Everything you need is in the box; the adapter, extension USB cable, Quick setup guide and the software on a CD.

Installation was a piece of cake.  I didn’t use the enclosed disk, but downloaded the latest version from their website.  Make sure  not to plug in the device until advised to to so during the software installation.

The device plugs into an available USB slot.  It is rather unique looking and I did get comments from people around me when I was in a public library.

The device can be set on a table or  mounted on a laptop screen.    

Now it was time to check this thing out.  I enlisted my wife to be the driver while I searched for open hot spots.  I was amazed at the number of hot spots I could now see and especially the number of them that were open.  It’s amazing how many people don’t encrypt their signal.  We followed a path that I had recently trolled using a Buffalo Technologies WiFi PCMCIA card and would say conservatively that using the Wi-Fire device, we could  see  twice as many.

Not wanting to break any laws about stealing WiFi signals I conducted some of the testing at the local library where I’m a member.  Also, it was more comfortable.

The Wi-Fire application is probably the easiest connection manager I’ve used.  An icon resides in the task bar and with a double click a window similar to the above will come up.  You can then select the best open access point.  If auto refresh is selected, the list of access points and the relative strength get updated automatically.

To increase the signal strength you grab the back of the Wi-Fire unit and rotate it for the best signal as shown on the signal quality bar.  The unit head can be rotated around 2 axis and allows a large range of motion.  It is however, VERY directional and small increments of movement can result in  large increases/decreases of the signal.

Another feature of the application monitors the signal quality over time.  The above graph was done while I was sitting outside the library and illustrates a shortcoming of this device.  There is very little difference in signal strength using the Wi-Fire as opposed to using my PCMCIA card when accessing the hot spot through  obstructions.  In this case it was a brick wall between me and the Linksys router.

While writing this review in the library, every now and then I would lose the Internet connection.  At first I attributed it to something with the library’s broadband.  Unfortunately I didn’t have the quality graph running during these failures because if I did, I would have found the problem sooner.

Turns out that the Wi-Fire is not only directional, but has a narrow “field of view”.  The Wi-Fire was pointed at the Linksys router with a clear view across the book check out desk.  Every time someone stood between me and the router, I would loose the Internet.  This would last as long as the view was obstructed and was somewhat dependent upon the size of the person.  I switched back to my PCMCIA card to check and didn’t have the same problem.

I wasn’t able to verify whether the Wi-Fire would work at the stated 1,000 foot range.  I suppose if you had line of site to the WiFi access point it might, but I wasn’t able to duplicate the conditions.  It did pull in more hot spots, but it was rather touchy in that the aiming had to be very precise for a strong enough signal.

If used in a stationary location with a clear line of site to the WiFi access point, the Wi-Fire adapter works very well.  It’s a little on the expensive side when compared to USB “N” adapter.

Filed in categories: Laptops and Gear, Wireless

Tagged: Antenna, WiFi

Wi-Fire Long-range WiFi Adapter Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 21, 2009 at 7:40 am.

I’m a big fan of the Logitech Squeezebox devices. Earlier this the year, we reviewed the Squeezebox Boom, which I really enjoyed. Now there’s even more to like with two new devices: the Logitech Squeezebox Touch (pictured on the Left) and the Logitech Squeezebox Radio (on the Right). The Touch features a 4.3-inch color touch screen that lets you select and play music from touch menus, and view album art or photos. The Radio features a color screen that displays album art, track and station information and photo screen savers. It also has an auto-dimming display that adjusts brightness based on room lighting. Six preset buttons allow one touch access to favorite radio stations and playlists. Both devices allow you to play internet radio, DRM-free iTunes Plus downloads, and subscription music services like Rhapsody, Napster, Pandora, Slacker, Sirius, and more. The Touch will be available in December for $299.99 and the Squeezebox Radio will be available in late September for $199.99.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear

Tagged: Spotlight Gadgets, Streaming, WiFi

Logitech unveils two new Squeezebox Wi-Fi music players originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 3, 2009 at 3:43 pm.

Never find yourself in need of a WiFi hotspot again-it will be in your pocket.   The Verizon MiFi 2200 is an uber-portable (roughly the size of a credit card, about as thick as an iPod) hotspot, connecting up to 5 WiFi-enabled devices simultaneously to Verizon’s 3G network.  Added bonus–when attached to a laptop through USB it switches to the world’s sexiest broadband modem and also charges itself.  I spent a little bit of time trying out my company’s MiFi and instantly fell in love–then again anything that eases my daily three+ hours of commute by train will win my affection

The MiFi sports a 4-hour charge while in WiFi use, 40 on standby.   You still have Verizon’s data plans to contend with.  The MiFi itself is $99.99 (after rebate)-$150 (full price) with a two-year data plan at either  $40 (256MB data usage) or $60 ( 5GB data usage).  Not a Verizon customer?  Sprint has their own MiFi 2200 (both are  manufactured by Novatel Wireless) with identical features and price points.

Filed in categories: Travel Gear, Wireless

Tagged: Mobile gear, WiFi

Rise of the MiFi originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 18, 2009 at 5:42 pm.

When I bought my first wireless router, I was a pioneer in a the vast and largely-empty 2.4GHz radio band.  Times have changed though, and my neighborhood is now a war zone of wireless access points battling for control of their chosen channel.  It’s become so crowded that I occasionally have to revisit and tweak my wireless setup to make sure that I’m getting the best bandwidth I can.  The WiSpy 2.4i Spectrum Analyzer looks like it would be a fine tool for making this process that much easier.

This little device plugs into the USB port on your Windows XP (or greater)  PC or Mac running OS X 10.5, and does all the work of analyzing all 2.4GHz traffic and noise (including microwave ovens, cordless phones, bluetooth, etc.), providing you with a chart of which channels to use and which to avoid.

The WiSpy 2.4i Spectrum Analyzer is available now at both ThinkGeek and MetaGeek for $99.

Filed in categories: Wireless

Tagged: Spotlight Gadgets, WiFi

WiSpy 2.4i Spectrum Analyzer analyzes your spectrums originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 14, 2009 at 11:45 am.

The Archos 704 wifi Mobile DVR is packed with features that are sure to appeal to many different types of consumers.  And although it carries a premium price, Archos is hoping that you’ll see the value in the plethora of features and options that the 704 wifi offers.

If you want a device to carry all your audio, video, and image files, you have lots of choices.  You could buy something like an iPod Touch or a Zune, which are small enough to carry in your pocket.  Or you could buy a laptop or netbook to do the same thing, but lose the small form factor.  In the middle of those 2 types of devices are products such as the Archos 704 wifi, which is not small enough to fit in your pocket, but not so big that you can’t carry it in your hand.

The Archos 704 wifi ($549.99 street) does many things, some really good, some just ok.  But there is no denying that it is a compelling choice for those who are looking for a multimedia player.  With its brush-aluminum case and ample 7-inch touchscreen, I must admit that it feels impressing holding it in your hand.  This device does not feel cheap.  It has some weight to it, and it does not feel ‘plastic-y’ like other multimedia players that I have seen.  You can’t carry this in your pocket, but with the included padded carrying case it is very comfortable carrying it in your hand, and you can feel secure tossing it into a backpack or purse.

Additional included accessories:  Remote control, power supply, earbuds, 2 styli, 2 USB cables, and a plastic insert to be used with the (optional) DVR Station.

It comes with 80 GB of storage which is not outstanding, but certainly ample enough for many people.  It obviously holds much more content than my 30 GB iPod Classic.  Disappointingly it does not have a card slot for additional storage, but then again neither do most of the other devices that would be competitors to this device, so that is a non-factor in my opinion.  I believe that most manufacturers will start including card slots in their devices in the near future as that trend is picking up steam, and I am sure that Archos will follow in that regard in future iterations of this product line.

The touchscreen is responsive, although not as responsive as an iPod Touch screen.  The interface isn’t breaking any new ground here, but it is organized well and easy to use.  You can also customize the color and background of the main screen, which is a nice touch.  Because the device is a touchscreen, you get a virtual keyboard for entering information when required.  The virtual keyboard is actually big enough to use with any finger and I found myself typing much quicker than other touchscreen devices because the size of the keys is so big.  The package included 2 styli, but I have yet to pull them out to use them because the entire interface is so touch-friendly.

The battery is on the back of the device, and unlike some of the more popular devices like the iPod Touch, it is removable.  I have never understood why Apple, and others, make consumer devices that have non-removable batteries.  That is just dumb to me, and thankfully Archos has made it easy to pop in a replacement battery if you want.  Archos claims 5 hours of juice for video playback, 16 hours of power for music playback, and 5 hours of web surfing time.  My personal experience exceeded all of those times, which is refreshing.  Instead of bosting huge battery claims on the box and then coming up short, why not let the consumer experience longer hours than what is claimed, therefore being pleasantly surprised?  Under-promise, over-deliver.  Seems like a no-brainer to me.

The stereo speakers are on the front of the device, and sound very good for their size.  It has a kickstand on the back of the device so you can stand it up on a surface.  This is excellent because as I stated before, this device has some weight to it.  I would hate having to hold this thing for long periods of time just to watch a video.   It also has an infrared port on the front that enables you to use the included remote to control the device.  This is a great touch because you can set it across the desk or across the room and not have to get up.  I can’t help it… I have a lazy streak!

On the left side of the device you will find the power button, a headphone jack, the power jack, and a button to switch between ‘TV’ and ‘LCD’ (more on that later).  On the right side of the device is the battery release button.  There is nothing on the top except a small bump where the wifi antenna is located.  On the bottom you will find 2 types of USB 2.0 connections, which can be used to attach the 704 to your computer to drag and drop files.  Beside the USB ports are 2 ports that are used with the available DVR docking station (not reviewed here).   Using the USB connections I was able to connect the 704 to both Macs and Windows pcs easily, without having to install anything.  Transfer speeds were very good because it uses USB 2.0.

You can manually drag and drop files onto the 704, and create any type of folder structure that you want.  Or you can let Windows Media Player manage the files for you, creating playlists, etc (more on playlists later).  Included on the main menu is a file manager that lets you navigate around the 80 GB harddrive and even delete files if you want.  The speed of the processor was respectable but not blazing fast.  There were times that I had to wait a couple of seconds for a menu or screen to load while the thumbnails were generated.  But it seemed to move faster after the thumbnails were cached.  But it is important to remember that even though this device looks and feel similar, for example, to a mini tablet pc, it isn’t meant to be that.  So don’t expect this device to be as quick and snappy as a laptop or netbook.

The 704 has 4 main features that I’ll review first, then I’ll list the multitude of ‘extra’ features that come on this handy gadget.

Video

The main thing that people will do with the 704 is watch video, and you won’t be disappointed.  With 80 GB of storage you will be able to watch about a 100 hours of DVD-quality video.  Of course you’ll also load music and pictures on this device, so you won’t use the entire 80 GB for video, but you get the point… it can store dozens of Hollywood blockbuster movies for your trip to the beach.  The supported video formats are AVI (including MPEG-4, DivX, and XviD), ASF, and WMV.  If you want to play MPEG-1, MPEG-2, or H.264 you’ll have to purhase the plugins for Archos for $20 each.  Video playback was very good and the screen is plenty bright and easily viewable from various viewing angles.  The only ding I can give the 704 in this area is the matte finish on the screen.  Matte finishes dull the image slightly in my opinion, but because this is a touch-screen the matte finish was chosen I assume to protect the screen.  So I guess it is a tradeoff.  The video controls allow you to pause, rewind, fastforward, etc, and the controls worked very good for me.

Audio

Audio formats that are supported are MP3, WAV, unprotected WMV, and the PlaysForSure WMV content from online services like Rhapsody.  As mentioned above, you can use Windows Media Player to manage the files on the 704, so you can create playlists on your computer before transferring the files to the 704.  But you can also create playlists directly on the device which is a nice touch.  You also have numerous sound customization features to adjust the sound, such as an equalizer and various presets to quickly adjust the sound.

Pictures

The 704 supports JPG, BMP, and PNG photos.  A nice touch on the main photo screen is the ability to press a picture thumbnail and see a little popup of the picture to see more detail.  When you select a picture to load on the screen, you can then use finger swipes on the screen to go from picture to picture, just like on an iPod Touch or iPhone.  You can also rotate the pictures on the screen if you want.  Other nice features are being able to have a slideshow of your pictures on the 704, complete with various graphical transitions (just like one of those digital picture frames).  You can even play your music while the picture slideshow is going on…. sweet!  Having a party at your house?  Maybe a family get-together for Thanksgiving or Christmas?  Set the 704 on the coffee table, play some music and show a picture slideshow.  Then Aunt Edna can see those funny vacation pictures of your trip to Yosemite!  I did this at a recent family get-together at my own house and the 704 provided endless entertainment as the pictures came across the screen and everyone ridiculed and made fun of each other.  Good wholesome family entertainment!

Web Surfing

The name of the product includes the word ‘wifi’, so obviously that is a pretty important feature.  The 704 has 802.11g built-in, so you can use the included Opera browser to surf the web using any wifi hotspot.  A useful feature of the browsing is one that Opera includes in all their mobile browsers… when you click in an input field on a webpage, the virtual keyboard automatically pops up.  You have tabs to surf multiple websites at the same time, and you save bookmarks just like you would expect from a browser.  Because the 704 has a touchscreen, you can navigate around webpages using finger swipes.  You can zoom in of course if you need a closer look at something, and you can change the render mode from ‘desktop’ (which is like a normal browser) or ‘smart’, which will attempt to adjust the page content to fit in one-column so you don’t have to scroll left and right.  I found that websites using the newer CSS-design structure were mangled badly by the ‘smart’ rendering mode.  So I found myself using the ‘desktop’ mode almost exclusively to avoid the hassle.  It should also be mentioned that just like other mobile browsers, it does not support flash on web pages.  So you won’t be watching YouTube videos on it.  Sorry.  But you can’t do that on any almost every other mobile device either.

The speed of the web surfing wasn’t that great.  If I had to use the 704 as my main device to surfing the web every day, I would be very disappointed.  I get the feeling that Archos added wifi as an extra just to make it more attractive to consumers.  Some of the extra features listed below will detail some additional reasons for adding wifi, but the bottom line on the wifi is that it is nice to have, but you won’t use it as your main browsing device.  I took the 704 on a recent trip and left my laptop at home.  I don’t like using webmail accounts anyway, so using web-based email on it was frustrating to me because I couldn’t type fast enough on the virtual keyboard.  But it was nice knowing that I could hop over to Google to search for something if I needed to.  And it connected to every wifi spot that I needed to.

Extra features

If those 4 features were the only features on the device, I am not sure I could recommend it highly enough over other devices.  But it is precisely these ‘extra’ features list below that cause me to be excited about the 704 wifi.  Here is a summary:

- If you pause a video you can shutdown the device and it will remember where you are, so when you turn the device back on you can ‘resume’ where you left off.
- Because it has built-in wifi, the 704 can be used a file server on your wifi network.  So you can not only transfer files over wifi from your pc to the 704 for extra storage, you can stream music and video from the 704 to your pc.  I connected it to my home network and within 3 or 4 minutes I was seeing it from all the computers on my network.
- You can purchase an adapter cable that connects to the bottom of the 704 that has a webcam attached to it which you can strap around your head.  So you could record video directly to the harddrive using the camera, which also has a built-in microphone.  Mountain biking anyone?
- You can use the USB ports on the bottom to attach other devices, like digital cameras and USB jumpdrives, so you can transfer files from those devices onto your 704.  Nice touch.
- If you purchase the optional DVR Station, your 704 can be hooked to your TV setup in your house and can record shows like a true DVR.  This is an amazing feature because not many other devices out there can do this.  Simply set it up next to your TV setup in your house, schedule your shows to record, and you’re done.  Then just life it out of the cradle and away you go.  You even have the ability to trim off the ends of your recordings to get rid of parts you don’t want, therefore saving harddrive space.  (NOTE: videos recorded directly on the 704 can only be viewed on the 704.  Sorry, you can’t share with others.)
- The optional DVR Station can also be used to allow the movies on your 704 to be played on a TV, by pressing the TV/LCD button on the left side of the device.
- The optional DVR Station can also be used to connect to your stereo system, record player, microphone, etc, and record audio using the AudioCorder program on the 704.
- Archos has a free program available on their website called ArchosLink, which can be used to download RSS feeds, podcasts, etc, and transferred to the 704.
- You can use the 704 remote control to control your TV by setting up the “TV Remote” settings inside the 704 settings to match your TV.
- You can load and/or download and read PDF documents from the web.  The PDF reader isn’t as user-friendly to navigate as say Adobe Acrobat Reader, but it works.  I loaded a PDF of the Archos 704 user manual on the device so I can always have it with me.

Bottom line

I guess the best thing that I can say about the Archos 704 wifi is that I ended up buying one for myself.  It is pricey, no doubt.  But considering all that it does, I think the cost is justified.  I had been in the market for a device like this for some time, so I evaluated many types of devices which included everything from the iPod Touch to various netbooks.  When I added up all the features of this device, nothing came close.

On my recent trip that I mentioned before, I loaded all my pictures, all my mp3 files, a dozen movies, 4 or 5 podcasts that I regularly subscribe to, and several TV shows that I recorded off cable.  After my trip I was convinced that this gadget is one that I can’t live without.  And the fact that it has wifi was simply icing on the cake for me.  And when you consider the numerous times on my trip that I heard someone say “that’s pretty neat, what is that thing?”, my inner-geek can’t help but smile!

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Handheld PCs / Ultra Portables, Travel Gear

Tagged: DVR, Video, WiFi

Archos 704 WiFi Mobile DVR Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 8, 2009 at 9:42 am.

The Wi-Fire from hField Technologies, Inc. is a compact, range-extending USB device that claims to enable you to access a wireless Internet connection from up to 1,000 feet away–three times the range of your internal wireless adapter. It’s priced at $59.00.

Filed in categories: Wireless

Tagged: Spotlight Gadgets, WiFi

Come on baby light my Wi-Fire originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 28, 2009 at 4:07 pm.

The new X-series Sony Walkman personal audio and video device has a 3 inch OLED touchscreen and a Slacker Radio application built in to it. The player comes with special noise canceling earbuds and is Sony’s first Walkman product with Wi-Fi integration. The device looks really sexy, but the $399 price for only 32GB is a bit too spicy for my blood.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear

Tagged: Slacker Radio, Sony, Spotlight Gadgets, WiFi

New Sony X-series Walkman has a built in Slacker Radio app originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 13, 2009 at 1:03 pm.

The Mvix claims that their new Nubbin USB Wireless-N adapter is the world’s smallest. The price is pretty small too. It’s only $39.

Filed in categories: Wireless

Tagged: Adapter, WiFi

Don’t swallow the Mvix Nubbin WiFi adapter originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 4, 2009 at 7:18 am.

The Ira from Myine brings wireless internet radio to your home entertainment system by way of a 2 x 6 x 3 inch module. They claim that it takes only 3 minutes to set it up. Anyone else out there in gadget land enjoy listening to streaming radio? Would you buy the Ira for $149.99?

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear

Tagged: Internet Radio, Spotlight Gadgets, Streaming, WiFi

Myine Ira Wireless Internet Radio originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 24, 2009 at 7:06 pm.

I’m not quite sure who came up with the name of this device but ummm… yay them! The Beetle BANG is a handheld WiFi Optimizer that verifies, sweeps, measures and optimizes all popular 802.11 Wi-Fi network standards including 802.11b/g (2.4 GHz), 802.11a (5 GHz) and even 802.11n. It can be yours for the low low price of $3500. I’ll take two please…

Filed in categories: Uncategorized

Tagged: Spotlight Gadgets, WiFi

Spotlight Gadget – Beetle BANG Wi-Fi Optimizer originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 27, 2009 at 8:23 am.

It’s only been four months since I reviewed Slacker’s first generation Slacker Personal Radio Player, and now they have a new model available called the G2. I’ve loved using their first player, so I was super excited to be able to get my hands on a second generation unit. Second generation units are always better than their predecessors right? Let’s find out…

Hardware Specifications

Display: 2.4″ diagonal 320 x 240 TFT-LCD
Capacity: 4GB or 8GB
Audio Formats: MP3, WMA & AAC
WiFi: 802.11b/g
Battery type: Li-Polymer, up to 15hrs play time
Dimensions: 3.42 x 0.53 x 2.10 in (87 x 13.5 x 53mm)
Weight: 2.6 oz (74g)

Package Contents

Portable player
Plastic belt carrier
USB cable
AC Adapter
Earbuds with 3 sizes of ear tips
Slacker sticker
Quick Start Guide

If you’re not familiar with the Slacker Personal Radio, it’s a WiFi enabled radio that is used in conjunction with the free web radio service at http://slacker.com. Think of it as web radio on the go.
It doesn’t stream music like web radio clients on your desktop computer, it
refreshes station content (music) via WiFi.

The G2 is available in two capacities: 4GB and 8GB. You can choose up to 25 different stations for the 4GB device and up 40 stations for the 8GB device. There are currently 110 stations (and growing) available to choose from. There’s Rock, Classical, Country, Blues, Comedy, Seasonal music, etc. If you don’t see a station that you like, you can even create your own by building a list of your favorite artists. Mix country with classical and throw in a pinch of Spanish pop. It’s entirely up to you.

The G2 player is a complete redesign from the original player. As you can see, it’s significantly smaller. Smaller is typically better in the gadget world, but I have to say that I do kind of miss the larger display of the original player. The G2′s display is no slouch though. It’s bright, vivid and easy to read.

The device is about the size of an old school pager, with a Black plastic shell. The face of the G2 is slick and glossy. Yay, fingerprints and smudges… The sides and part of back have a thin rubber coating. The back of the device has a brushed aluminum covering, with the Slacker emblem.

The face of the G2 has five buttons. Along the the top are the favorite and ban buttons. If you use Slacker’s free service, pressing the heart button will cause the currently playing song to play more often. If you have the premium service, pressing the heart button will copy that track into your library (if the song has been licensed to allow that… some aren’t) so that you can play it whenever you like. Pressing the ban button will cause the currently playing song to not play again
on that station. Yay, no more Jonas Brothers ever again! My life is instantly
better )

Along the bottom are normal music playback buttons for Prev, Next, Play and Pause.
The Play/Pause button doubles as a wake up and shutdown button when you hold it
down for several seconds.

The top edge of the player has a volume rocker button and a stereo headphone jack.

On the Right side, you’ll find a jog dial that you can use to scroll through stations and menu items. Pressing the
dial in will select items. Below the jog dial is the menu button. Press it to go to the home menu. At the bottom a hold switch.

The bottom edge has a dock connector that isn’t currently used for anything. Maybe we’ll see a car dock at some point though…

The user interface

The user interface on the G2 isn’t that much different than the previous version. While a song is playing, the station’s name is listed at the top, with the album art occupying most of the screen. The current song’s title and artist name are beneath it. There’s also a song progress bar with a time counter and the name of the next song’s artist.
You can skip to the next track by using the next button. If you’re a premium
subscriber, you can skip as many times as you like. If you have the free
service, you can only skip 6 times per station, per hour.

You might wonder if you can press the Prev track button to replay a song. You
can’t do this in the station mode. You can play previous tracks from your
library or playlists though.

One of the features that I love about the Slacker Personal Radio is the artist and album info. Using the jog dial, you can select the album and click on it, to read a review of that album. Clicking on the artist’s name will show you a picture of the artist and display their bio.

Pressing the menu button will scroll up the main menu, which includes picks for stations, library, playlists, settings and connect.

Stations displays a list of all the stations on your player so that you can easily switch between them.

Library displays the songs that you’ve marked as favorites if you have a premium
subscription, or songs that you’ve copied to the player using the desktop
client.

Playlists are created from the music in your library.

Connect will initiate a refresh of the stations via WiFi. This is also initiated
automatically when you use the USB power adapter to charge the G2. You can continue to use your player to listen to music while it’s refreshing content.

Audio quality, battery life and performance

I’ve noticed that the G2 does have slightly better audio quality over the original device. There’s even a new equalizer feature that you can use to customize the audio, as well
as volume normalization options. I keep the EQ set to off and still think the audio quality of the G2 is better than the G1.

Battery life has been improved too. The original unit could play for around 10hrs per charge and this new model can go for an additional 5hrs.

As far as performance goes, I found navigating menus and lists to feel snappy. The only speed issue that I can complain about is that it takes too long for the G2 to boot up
after being powered off for a period of time.

Do you need a computer to use the Slacker G2 player?

You really only need a computer for two things. You need access to a web browser in order to select your stations, change your stations or create stations.
If you want to copy your own music to the player, you have to download a client application which is currently
only available for Windows computers. If you’re a Mac person like I am, you can just use the Slacker website to manage your stations.
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to copy your own music to your player though…

Should you spring for the premium service?

The premium service gives you unlimited skips, no ads or DJ commentary and the ability to have favorite songs saved to your device for anytime listening. With the free service,
you do get the skip feature, but you can only skip 6 times per station, per hour. I went ahead and paid for the premium service when I purchased the original Slacker radio.

Is the Slacker G2 Personal Radio a worthy successor to the original?

If you already have the first gen unit and don’t mind the size or 10hr battery life, I would say that an upgrade to the G2 is not really necessary. The main differences between
the G1 and G2 are:

Over 40% smaller in size
Improved audio quality
Custom EQ and Volume Normalization options
Improved Wi-Fi connectivity and transfer speeds
25% longer battery life

The Slacker G2 Personal Radio is a great little device for people that like to discover new music. I love mine and hope Slacker continues to improve upon thier product. I can’t wait
to see what the G3 will bring us.

$199.99 4GB
$249.99 8GB
Premium service: $9.99 3/mo. (billed as $29.99), $8.88 6/mo. (billed as $49.99), 12 month $7.50/mo. (billed as $89.99)

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear

Tagged: A/V, Audio, Device, Video, WiFi

Slacker G2 Personal Radio Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 13, 2008 at 10:15 am.

It’s been three years since I reviewed my favorite WiFi scanner / finder, Canary Wireless’s Digital Hotspotter. I’ve reviewed other scanners, but always liked the Hotspotter best due to its one button super fast scanning ability. That’s why I was very happy when the folks at Canary Wireless sent me their 2nd generation Digital Hotspotter HS-20 to review.

Packaged in an easy to open container, the HS-20 comes with everything you need to find wireless hotspots (access points) in your general vicinity. That includes 2 AAA batteries and a one page (on the back of the package) set of instructions.

About the size of a deck of cards and with a footprint of 3.19 x 2.13 x 0.65 inches, this new unit looks quite different than the first generation hotspotter. Now it has a three line backlit LCD instead of narrow one line display.

The front surface of this finder is made of Black shiny (yes, it’s a smudge and fingerprint magnet) plastic, while the back has a nice texture that resists smudges and fingerprints. Too bad the front isn’t made the same as the back.

The only buttons on the HS-20 are located on the Right side. There are three rubber covered buttons that have good tactile feedback. The top button is the power button. Pressing this button will power the scanner on and automatically start the wifi scanning process. Below the power button are the up and down buttons. When there are multiple wifi hotspots (the Hotspotter can detect up to 20 access points at one time), these buttons will allow you to page through them.

If no buttons are pressed within 30 seconds, the device will automatically power off. That’s all there is to using the HS-20. Simple right? Just press the power button, wait approximately 7 seconds for scanning to complete and view the details. Easy. Now, this new model is slower than the original hotspotter, which would only take about 3 seconds to complete a scan. Still, 7 seconds isn’t bad.

This scanner uses true a 802.11 engine, to provide no false triggers from Bluetooth, cordless phones, or other devices.

The three line LCD displays various information about the found hotspot. In the upper Left corner, there is a five bar signal strength meter. Directly across from the meter is a counter for the number of hotspots found and the currently viewed hotspot. Line two shows the SSID. SSID stands for service set identifier. That just means it is the name given to the wifi hotspot. The SSID in the example above is the name I’ve given to my home network. If the SSID has been set to not broadcast, you’ll see something like the image below: SSID Unknown. When you see this, you know it’s a private hotspot and one that you’ll probably not be able to connect to.

The last line of the display gives you more info about the hotspot. It will list if it is secure or open, the encryption type (none, WEP, WPA, WPA2), Access Point type (b/g/n), Speed and channel number. The Hotspotter scans 14 channels. While only 11 channels are used here in the US, 13 channels are used for wifi in Europe and 14 in Japan. You can use the Hotspotter to help you troubleshoot a flaky wireless setup as most access points are set to channel 1, 6 or 11 by default. If you see more than one network on the same channel, it is likely that you may experience problems with interference.

While testing this scanner, I noticed that it was able to find access points / hotspots that the previous model was not. I brought them both to my day job and the older digital hotspotter found nothing, while the HS-20 found 4 hotspots. All 4 were SSID: Unknown though…

While writing this review, I started wondering if people even use wifi scanners these days? I’ll admit that my original Canary Wireless Digital Hotspotter has been occupying space in my gadget drawer for a long time now. Typically, if I’m looking to find a hotspot, I just use my Macbook Pro to see if anything is available. For me, the only time I ever look for a hotspot is in an airport anyway.

But then I recalled a time not too long ago when the IT guys at my day job were trying to find a rogue hotspot in our office. They walked around with a wifi finder for the task. So maybe the average Joe might not have a daily use for this product, but there are people that do.

Canary Wireless has made worthy update to their original Digital Hotspotter. It now has a larger backlit display and a nicer form factor. The price remains the same as the original, but on par or lower than other wifi finders with LCD displays. I think I’ve found my new favorite scanner…

Filed in categories: Gear, Wireless

Tagged: WiFi, WiFi Scanner

Canary Wireless Digital Hotspotter WiFi Finder HS-20 originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 5, 2008 at 11:08 pm.