Wireless

Talking convergence: Nokia 6301 UMA phone

By Darren Quick

21:15 September 23, 2007 PDT

September 24, 2007 Nokia are looking to a not too distant future where home and office landline based phones are obsolete with the release of the 6301 UMA phone. The stainless steel 6301 enables voice and data mobility across GSM cellular and Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN) networks via Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) technology. This allows the phone to integrate the benefits of landline and a mobile phone by providing seamless indoor coverage, sound quality and affordability. Read More

AKG wireless headphones unveiled at IFA

By Shaun McKeegan

01:05 September 4, 2007 PDT

September 4, 2007 AKG's K930 wireless stereo headphones are among the plethora of noteworthy new products Gizmag has encountered at the IFA show in Berlin this week. With a range of approximately 100 meters, the K930 headphones do not require a line of sight from the transmitter enabling the signal to penetrate through walls and ceilings and greatly expanding the user’s mobility. Read More

World Record 304km Wi-Fi connection

By Shaun McKeegan

23:43 August 26, 2007 PDT

August 27, 2007 A new world record distance for a 5 GHz Wi-Fi link has been achieved by the Italian Center for Radio Activities (C.I.S.A.R), and Ubiquiti Networks, a leading innovator in outdoor wireless broadband solutions. The distance of 304km (188.89 miles) was established from Sardinia Island to Central Italy achieving data-rates of about 5Mbps, using Ubiquiti’s XtremeRange5 (XR5) High-Power Carrier Class mini-PCI radio module and 35dBi 5 GHz parabolic dish antennas. Read More

Charmr design concept for diabetics

By Emily Clark

18:56 August 23, 2007 PDT

August 24, 2007 Many diabetics have lamented for years that devices related to their disease (although life saving) are bulky, uncomfortable and altogether “uncool”. The Charmr is a new concept device that would combine an insulin pump and monitor into one in an effort to give those with diabetes with a much more modern look an added functionality in of delivery treatment. Read More

Ultra-fast wireless data transfer – download a whole DVD in 3 seconds

By Loz Blain

July 26, 2007 Just how fast does wireless data transfer have to get before it ceases to be a limiting factor in application design? Researchers in Georgia are working on new ultra-high-frequency radio technology that has already achieved a phenomenal 15 gigabits per second (Gbps) over short distances. For reference, that’s a whole DVD worth of data transferred in a little over 3 seconds – and they’re hoping to double that speed within 12 months. With such transfer rates available, high-definition media streaming and file sharing becomes a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it affair. Backups and full hard drive synchronization between different machines will be quick and painless, and distributed application and file sharing around networks will become, for the most part, something the user will simply not have to think about. It’s estimated at about three years from hitting the market, but this amazing technology is set to make big waves. Read More

Wireless fleet monitoring: spot the company car leadfoot

By Loz Blain

June 17, 2007 Got a sneaking suspicion your employees might be driving your company's fleet cars like they stole them? Fleet cars are a significant expense for a company, and ensuring they're treated well, both by drivers and mechanics, can reap rewards in maintenance costs, insurance and resale value. That's why many companies are starting to use automated, wireless fleet diagnostics systems. These clever devices plug into the CPUs of fleet vehicles and silently relay information back to the fleet manager on a range of maintenance, running information and fault issues. They can also tell you who's been a leadfoot in the company car - including how much time they've spent over the speed limit, how much fuel they're using, and a range of other information that can help instil a sense of accountability in fleet car users. Read More

Sony's wireless streaming boombox: the wi-fi hi-fi

By Loz Blain

June 28, 2007 If your PC holds your master music collection, you've either got to listen directly to the speakers it's connected to, or transfer tunes onto a portable device. But what if you just want to head out to the front porch, or spend some time working in the garage? Sony's got an answer: the VAIO WA1 is a wireless boombox that streams music from your PC to anywhere around the house. The WA1 is compatible with SonicStage, iTunes, Windows Media Player and suitable for Internet radio... and it looks pretty sexy, too. Read More

The GlobeSurfer ICON – plug and play wireless broadband

By Mike Hanlon

June 26, 2007 Dutch wireless technology company Option N.V. has one of the simplest internet connectivity solutions on the planet, and one which has become the focal point of a new Scandinavian campaign by Telenor Norway. Weighing just 40 grams, the GlobeSurfer ICON is a self-contained wireless access device which attaches to and draws its power from a PC USB port and provides instant internet access at 3.6 Mbps download (upgradeable to 7.2 Mbps) using HSDPA, 364 kbps upload using UMTS and in areas beyond 3G, it enables reliable 247 kbps data connections over EDGE. Drivers are auto install, there’s a built-in control applet, and one-button connect which all contribute to extraordinary user-friendliness. Read More

Hand-held wireless merchant system a boost for mobile businesses

By Loz Blain

June 22, 2007 "Sorry, I've got no cash on me" is possibly one of the biggest barriers to sales for mobile businesses and charity groups. But that won't be an excuse for long - Hypercom has announced the immediate global release of a hand-held wireless card payment system that's very quick, extremely secure and much, much smaller and lighter than previous attempts. Tricked-out with extremely quick processing, a color screen and support for credit, debit, gift, loyalty and check transactions - including non-contact PayWave-style transactions - this unit will make business much smoother for mobile and delivery businesses across the world. Read More

Belkin Network USB Hub makes your USB devices wireless

By Tim Hanlon

May 18, 2007 Belkin have announced their Network USB Hub, which works in conjunction with an existing wireless router to provide wireless connectivity to five USB devices. While certain high-bandwidth devices like HD webcams are out of the question, the more common applications like printers, scanners and external hard drives are all compatible. Read More

Sony debuts its first wireless Digital Camera

By Mike Hanlon

March 9, 2007 Sony today introduced a 6-megapixel Cyber-shot DSC-G1 digital camera with the ability to send photos wirelessly to other Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA)-enabled devices, such as another camera or a PC. Sony’s director of marketing for digital cameras Phil Lubell called the announcement "a step towards realizing a platform for networked photo communication. We will continue to explore the possibilities for networked digital imaging as broadband Internet becomes more pervasive in American homes." The new model’s camera-to-camera wireless capability makes it possible to send your friends a photo at the push of a button. It's also possible for up to four camera users to send each other photos in real time. With a DLNA-compatible PC, storing and sharing photos becomes simplified through wireless image transfer from the camera to the PC. Read More

New security alert tracking system monitors the vital signs of all employees and reports wirelessly

By Mike Hanlon

March 9, 2007 A new and unique employee security and safety tracking system will be shown for the first time at the ISC West EXPO, in Las Vegas, March 28-30, 2007. The system revolves around a bio-sensor chip with proprietary algorithms that collects information from the reflectance of light on the human body, in a non-invasive manner, to monitor key vital signs, including heart rate and oxygen saturation levels. The Third Eye SATS unit is a wrist-mounted device for employees, which collects and sends information wirelessly to the employer’s central monitoring system. If the heart rate exhibits unnatural fluctuations, the information is captured on the wrist unit and transmitted to the central monitoring system. The receiving system can be configured with a video surveillance system to trigger cameras to zoom in on the employee. Read More

Wisair to demonstrate wireless USB camera phone at 3GSM

By Mike Hanlon

February 9, 2007 Ultra Wideband (UWB) and Wireless USB chipset solutions provider, Wisair, has announced it will be demonstrating the use of Wireless USB in camera phones at the 3GSM World Congress next week. The demo, based on Certified Wireless USB, will use the Wisair 542 chip embedded into a Nokia Nseries camera phone to wirelessly send images and video to a laptop computer. Read More

Wii Wireless Controlled Robot Concept

By Mike Hanlon

January 30, 2007 Robotics in general and consumer robotics in particular seem to be making massive headway, and a development certain to draw a lot of attention in the next month is a wireless concept robot created by industrial robotics manufacturer KUKA Robotics Corporation. The new robot will be shown for the first time at ATX West Expo in Anaheim, February 13-15, 2007. The company will be showcasing an application using a KR16 robot and KRC 2 Controller being controlled by individuals utilizing a Wii controller & Bluetooth technology (video here). This concept cell was designed to show the next step in the trickle down of robotic technology to consumers from the industrial robot market. Read More

The Future - how wireless communications will evolve over the next 20 years

By Mike Hanlon

January 18, 2007 Predicting the future is an essential element of most businesses – without a view of what’s likely to happen it’s difficult to make intelligent investment decisions. In Wireless Communicatons: The Future, a personal prediction by William Webb of Ofcom, Webb helps us to envisage what the communications future holds for us. With a track record of successful predictions, Webb provides a solid, clear and well-argued basis on which to make the predictions of how the wireless industry will evolve. Supported by contributions from eminent wireless experts, he discusses how the next 20 years will see a very substantial, but steady change in the way we live. Read More

New Soundolier Duo Wireless Speaker Lamp

By Mike Hanlon

January 9, 2007 Speakers should be heard and not seen according to a growing percentage of home technology buffs. Indeed, this new omnidirectional, wireless speaker hidden within a torchiere floor lamp fits the bill perfectly, and comes ready for duty as a surround speaker with a home theatre or high-quality audio system. The Soundolier Duo solves the two most common surround speaker installation challenges – wiring (as it is wireless) and aesthetics – no longer do speakers need to compete with the decor. Read More

New chipset delivers Wireless Digital Video

By Mike Hanlon

December 15, 2006 Uultrawideband (UWB) solution developer WiQuest has introduced its new WQST100/101 chipset incorporating WiDV (Wireless Digital Video), the company’s innovative new technology that is the first to deliver wireless transmission of high quality digital video for PC and HDTV applications. WiDV Technology was developed specifically to address the unique requirements of efficient video transmission using ultrawideband wireless connections. WiDV coexists in combination with other protocols, such as Certified Wireless USB from the USB Implementers Forum. The technology leverages WiQuest’s breakthrough, 1 Gbps extended data rate to enable a true, high-resolution wireless digital video experience for the consumer. WiDV builds upon the WiMedia Common Radio Platform exactly like other protocols such as Wireless USB. It peacefully co-exists with other protocols that are also based on the WiMedia radio. Read More

Innovative new RF Noise Cancellation Technology for Wireless Handheld Devices

By Mike Hanlon

December 8. 2006 Quellan today announced the extension of its innovative Wideband noise cancellation technology to mobile handsets and consumer devices. Successfully used in data center applications to improve the crosstalk, speed and reach of interconnects, these smaller and lower power consumer devices reduce noise in wireless handsets, laptop computers and game consoles. Unlike filters, these devices cancel wideband noise in the receivers' input spectrum. By dropping the noise floor at the receivers input, a substantial improvement in signal-to-noise ratio is achieved, resulting in fewer dropped calls, continuous video capability and GPS location locks in high density urban areas. Read More

Lexmark X9350 Wireless Office All-in-One (AIO) with Duplex printing

By Mike Hanlon

December 7, 2006 The availability of the new Lexmark X9350 Wireless Office All-in-One (AIO) with Duplex printing seems to have been largely overlooked by the technology news sites, but in our view it’s a significant machine, partly because it’s wireless, and mainly because it offers printing on both sides of the page. Given the amount of office paper used in every organization and considering that duplex printing is indeed a rare thing in SOHO environments, the US$280 Lexmark X9350 makes a lot of sense. Read More

Revolabs Solo Tabletop Wireless Boundary Microphone

By Mike Hanlon

December 5, 2006 The world is changing rapidy with remote workers now the norm in many companies, and the enterprise collaboration industry on the rise thanks to fear of flying and productivity benefits on offer. But while virtual meetings are a great idea, they’re not quite there yet with the audio component of high-end conferencing systems – participants on the far end hear extraneous ambient noises while those on the near end are tethered to a central device, limiting mobility and natural meeting dynamics. Revolabs was founded in 2005 with a mission to develop, produce and market secure wireless microphone systems that seamlessly integrate with professional conferencing solutions. The company’s latest announcement is a wireless boundary microphone. The new Solo Tabletop Wireless Boundary Microphone is designed for conference rooms and collaborative spaces and offers an unprecedented level of freedom to room layout and design. Read More

Wireless USB hub promises new functionality

By Mike Hanlon

December 5, 2006 We suspect this new US$200 goodie from Belkin will rocket straight to the top of a lot of people's holiday wish lists. As the First UWB Product to hit the U.S. Market, the Belkin Cable-Free USB Hub enables instant wireless connectivity of USB devices and will be available for purchase in the U.S. in mid-December with launches in Asia, Europe, and Australia to follow at an indefinite date, pending respective country’s regulatory approvals. The US$200 Belkin Cable-Free USB Hub is the industry's first USB Hub that does not require a cable to connect to the computer. Utilizing Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology with the Wisair chipset, this hub will give desktop-computer users the freedom to place their USB devices anywhere in the room without running long cables and laptop users the ability to roam wirelessly with their laptops around the room while still maintaining access to their stationary USB devices so you can print, play music, scan, download photos, and burn CDs from anywhere in the room. Read More

Turn your Nintendo DS into a wireless MIDI controller

By Tim Hanlon

November 28, 2006 Music on the DS has just taken a giant leap beyond musical games like Electroplankton, thanks to the efforts of German programmer and musician Tob. Previously, using MIDI with the DS required getting geeky with a soldering iron - now the DS's internal WiFi card can be used to wirelessly send/receive MIDI to and from a "server" running on a PC. Read More

Wireless sensors measure 3D force and torque data in human knee replacement

By Mike Hanlon

November 8, 2006 Historically, knee implants have been designed using predictions based on theoretical data. Now, a new smart knee replacement can wirelessly transmit multi-axis torque and force information directly from patients to a computer. These advances greatly enhance the capabilities of the first smart knee implant in 2004 that reported only knee compressive forces. The second generation implant provides a wealth of new information: twisting, bending, compressive, and shearing loads across the human knee - all reported dynamically and wirelessly. The data generated from this device will provide key inputs for new designs, techniques for implantation, and actual use of knee replacements. In-depth analysis can now be undertaken of forces and torques transmitted across the knee joint during normal human activities such as stair climbing, rising from a chair and walking. The results of this analysis can be used to improve design, refine surgical instrumentation, guide post-operative physical therapy and potentially detect the individual activities that would overload the implant. Read More

Transportable HD Radio receiver, Dockable Entertainment featuring Game Boy Advance, and Wireless Charging Concept on show at SEMA

By Mike Hanlon

October 31, 2006 The Specialty Equipment Markets Association (SEMA) Show opens in Las Vegas today and one of the stars of the show will undoubtedly be the extensively modified 2006 Scion xB on the Visteon stand which incorporates several new and pretty important technologies in not just automotive entertainment but mobile entertainment in general. Visteon is using the Scion to showcase the first transportable HD Radio receiver (pictured with docking stations in the car and the home), an in-vehicle portable entertainment system that plays movies, music, Nintendo Game Boy Advance video games and a Wireless Charging Concept (main picture), that allows users to charge handheld devices such as an iPod, cellular phone or PDA and does not interfere with the operation of other electronics. Read More

Microsoft’s new Wireless Notebook Presenter Mouse 8000

By Mike Hanlon

October 28, 2006 Given all the convergence going on, it seems those items which we cannot do without will begin attracting their share of additional powers. Accordingly, Microsoft’s four-in-one Wireless Notebook Presenter Mouse 8000 makes perfect sense. It’s still an ergonomic Bluetooth laser mouse with all the company’s signature comfort and performance features, including tilt wheel and magnifier button but it also functions as a slide presenter, a laser pointer, digital ink device and a media remote control. So you can click through the slides of a presentation, highlight a key message with the laser pointer, draw on the presentation screen or control your Media Centre PC remotely. The bottom of the mouse features all the control buttons needed for presentation navigation or media control; users can play, pause, change tracks and adjust volume, or watch a DVD and it’s compatible with RealPlayer, iTunes and Windows Media Player. All for less than a hundred (US) bucks! Read More