Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Thursday, March 25th, 2010
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">
Live in New York? Pop over here and register for your free Wi-Fi! If you have a RoadRunner cable account, you can connect to free WiFi in “several” locations around New York including Bryant and Madison Square Parks and some parks in Queens. If you’re thinking to yourself “Hey, a few parks in Manhattan, some DMZ out in the boonies, and some spots in Port Washington (probably where the uncles of Time Warner executives live) do not make overarching WiFi access for the masses,” then you’re probably right. But when’s the last time Time Warner Cable did anything nice for you? Maybe you could be appreciative? Time Warner Cable Wi-Fi Zones Now Available To New York City Area Road Runner High-Speed Online Customers Time Warner Cable and Cablevision’s Optimum WiFi Partner to Provide Free Seamless Wireless Internet Connectivity to High-Speed Internet Customers of Both Companies New York, NY (Vocus/PRWEB ) March 25, 2010 — Time Warner Cable’s NYC Region today introduced Time Warner Cable Wi-Fi service, giving its one million local Road Runner residential customers unlimited access to a fast and free wireless Internet connection at several locations in the NYC area. Through a partnership with Cablevision, Time Warner Cable customers will also have access to thousands of free Optimum WiFi locations throughout Cablevision’s service area. Time Warner Cable Wi-Fi is now available at several Wi-Fi zones in Manhattan and Queens, including several parks and some Long Island Railroad platforms and their respective parking lots in the company’s service area. High-Speed Internet customers of both Time Warner Cable and Cablevision will be able to access free, unlimited Wi-Fi services in each other’s New York City metro service areas, allowing for a fast Internet connection at designated Wi-Fi zones. Time Warner Cable Road Runner customers will have access to Cablevision’s Optimum WiFi network, and Cablevision’s Optimum Online customers will have access to Time Warner Cable Wi-Fi zones when they travel out of their service area. Time Warner Cable’s New York City service area includes Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island, western Brooklyn, Mt. Vernon, parts of the Hudson Valley region, and Bergen and Hudson Counties in New Jersey. Cablevision’s coverage area includes Long Island, parts of New Jersey and Connecticut, Westchester, Rockland, Northern Hudson Valley, the Bronx, and Brooklyn. “Our sophisticated network is a combination of wireless and wireline services, bringing a wide spectrum of products and services to our customers. This free new Wi-Fi option adds another dimension for Road Runner customers, bringing even more convenience,” stated Howard Szarfarc, Executive Vice President of the company’s New York City Region. “Road Runner customers can experience a fast, simple and easy connection from their laptops or portable Wi-Fi-enabled devices in Time Warner Cable Wi-Fi zones, meeting their growing need for mobility.” According to Kevin Curran, Cablevision’s Senior Vice President of Wireless Development, “Optimum WiFi has become a valuable and popular enhancement for our high-speed Internet customers, who appreciate the ability to take their Internet connection ‘to go’ when they are out of the home or office. We are very pleased to help mark the launch of Time Warner Cable Wi-Fi by linking our networks and expanding our customers’ access to fast and free wireless Internet, especially as demand for mobile data continues to increase.” Time Warner Cable Wi-Fi zones include: Eight commuter rail platforms on the Long Island Railroad Port Washington line: Woodside, Flushing Main Street, Murray Hill, Broadway, Auburndale, Bayside, Douglaston, Little Neck; Manhattan: Bryant Park, Madison Square Park and 79th Street Boat Basin; Four parks in Queens: Bowne Park and Kissena Park in Flushing, Baisley Pond Park and Railroad Park in Jamaica. Road Runner customers will also have access to thousands of Cablevision’s Optimum WiFi zones. For a complete listing of Time Warner Cable Wi-Fi zones, visit TimeWarnerCableWiFi.com. A user-friendly Q+A is available on the site too. For a complete listing of Optimum WiFi locations, visit Optimumwifi.com.
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">
Consumers are dumb. Don’t deny it. We are. Belkin apparently relized that and instead of opting for the standard router naming scheme which would be something like 802.11 WiFi MAX with Double Speed Pipe Router, the company took a simpler approach. Its new router’s names are simply their capabilities: Surf, Share, Play, and Play Max. Nice and easy, although my mother-in-law would probably still call me up while she’s standing in front of them to ask which one she should buy even though she doesn’t game nor have another computer to share items. Digressing… The $49 Surf Wireless Router (F7D2301) is just a basic 802.11n 2.4GHz wireless router with 256-bit WPA/WPA2 encryption and MIMO technology. Fair enough. The $79.99 Share Wireless Router (F7D3302) is the same basic setup but adds a USB port for external drive and USB printer sharing. That’s why it’s called the Share Wireless Router. Then we hit the $99 Play Wireless Router (F7D4302). This boy utilize a 5GHz dual-band 802.11n for speeds up to 300Mbps. It still has the same security and USB sharing capabilities as the previous two models, but is just a bit faster for wireless gaming. The $129 Play Max Wireless Router (F7D4301) has all the wireless goods of the Play Wireless Router, but adds Gigabit LAN ports to the mix along with another USB port and UPnP server.
Posted by 010081
Tech
Monday, March 22nd, 2010
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">
While we reviewed it a few weeks ago, Creative’s World of Warcraft headset hasn’t been available for purchase until today. Time to get your geek on! Creative announced today that you can either order their new World of Warcraft headset from your favorite online retailer , or actually go an pick one up for $159.99. If you don’t want the wireless version, you can pick up the wired version for $119.99. Both include the interchangeable lenses, voice changing presets, and are compatible with both PC and Mac.
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">
This is not my beautiful 3D television: How gaming will change the 3D equation AirStash: Wireless portable storage Rilakkuma: Ultra-mobile, ultra-cute tablet PC Video: Mini fuel cell powering a robot fish First look: InFocus SP8602 home theater projector
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Sunday, March 14th, 2010
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">
Short Version: Fresh from the box, Creative’s World of Warcraft, is here! They were designed for WoW players and their performance definitely reflects that. While a tad bulky, they don’t feel heavy. Pros • Very Comfortable • Hard to hear outside the headphones • Wireless Mic works well. Does not get in the way. • Driver allows deep customization of audio to serve your needs. Cons • No way to determine battery power. • Volume buttons feel a little flimsy. • Microphone can adjust but not very well. • In order to download drivers, you must register the product. • Reasonable but not impressive range. • Not compatible with consoles (at least the PS3) The headset packs a serious punch. Immediately, when you first put them on you’ll notice they muffle out sound very well. Despite the size they feel comfortable and even after prolonged periods of play your ears won’t ache. Windows has no trouble finding the skeleton drivers once I plugged in the USB device. I sought out to download the drivers and was surprised that they required me to register the product in order to install the drivers. Once that way squared away, I played around with the Audio Control Panel. They allow you to customize the Glyph illumination (change color, pulsation, etc). There’s a panel that allows you to customize 5 audio options that massively enhance the audio quality. There are also voice filters that allow you to mask your voice into various characters from WoW including XT-002 Deconstructor. Finally, you can bind your keys to various actions like mute to your keyboard. There’s no way to tell how much battery life you have on the wireless headset. Eventually they will simply go off. They can be charged by a simple mini-usb cable. They also work while plugged in so you can play while charging – granted – this technically defeats the purpose of a wireless headset. All the audio options make a huge improvement to the game. The surround sound works surprisingly well. Better than previous simulated surround sound devices I’ve ever used. Quick note: all sounds are based on the character’s perspective (not camera) so be wary if you’re in a PVP zone and you hear fire off in the distance. I only have 3 significant complaints. They probably placed the microphone far from the mouth to prevent pop but you can only bend it so far. This can also be troublesome if you raid late at night and loved ones are in the room: you can’t mumble effectively. Other than that, the microphone works very well. The volume buttons are flimsy and often don’t feel like they work. They are sensitive but don’t increase the volume more than 2 percent making it quicker to adjust volume via the slider. You may also hit the volume (or even microphone mute) buttons while taking off/putting on the headphones. My last major gripe is the lack of compatibility of with the consoles. The PS3 can recognize some USB headsets and the WoW headphones would have made an excellent headset but alas; the PS3 could not detect the wireless USB key. I haven’t checked for the 360 yet. You can walk around your room with the headphones on, but they won’t last a bathroom trip. This is mildly disappointing but considering you’re not meant to be roaming your household with them on, it can be forgiven. On that note, I discourage roaming around with the glyphs pulsating. Sure they may look cool to you, but to anyone else, you will be confused with a tool. Creative’s World of Warcraft wireless headset sells at $159.99. While not completely necessary, the audio improvements they make are incredible and the headset does serve as a status symbol. There’s nothing quite like going to the kitchen with your headset on listening to music of Dalaran. Gabriel Deleon, Nicholas’ younger brother who has like 10 level 80s, wrote these fine words.
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Saturday, March 13th, 2010
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">
Short Version: We now have so much storage in our homes that we could probably, each of us, start our own Rapidshare service. But how do we get all that data to the other machines on our network or, better yet, out onto the Internet? Devices like the Iomega iConnect allow us to place storage space on our internal networks and expose that data to the world, as needed. However, the iConnect also creates a local iTunes share, adds a Time Machine back-up location, and performs a few other tricks all for $99. While it’s not perfect, it’s pretty cool. Features: Four USB ports iTunes/Time Machine support Printer support Wireless Pros: Shares data locally and with the world Compact Built-in Ethernet port Cons: iTunes sharing not selective Set-up a bit wonky Doesn’t work with Drobo The Iomega iConnect Wireless is, in short, a NAS without drives. You can stuck up to four devices onto this thing and even print wireless over your network. When you need to grab a file from one of your drives – and if you’re like me, you have plenty – you just connect to that drive. When you take the drive out of the network it disappears. Add it again and it reappears. The system also offers a remote access service with your own private URL mapped to the iConnect. The device is fairly easy to set up. You connect to a network, run the enclosed software, and add a disk. As soon as a disk is plugged in it appears as a share on your network. A click and you’re in. Setup is very straightforward. The desktop UI is barebones and the web UI isn’t much more complex. It isn’t for the average user but you could set it up for Grandma and tell her how to watch her soaps. Besides, it has a Torrent client built right in so she can DL her things on the DL. For $99 you get a lot of features. Is it better than something like the Netgear Stora ? That depends on how many loose drives you have in your collection. If you need to get your data online in a hurry, however, this is a good solution. In the comments for our quick look one reader, Bryan, found that the device doesn’t support the Drobo, which is a problem. It also seems to only support FAT, FAT32, and NTFS, which could be a problem for larger files. However – and I haven’t tested this – most devices like this will handle large files thanks to the sharing properties and protocols used. The disk format seems to be invisible to OS X. Product Page: Iomega iConnect
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Monday, March 8th, 2010
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">
Wirefly.com is selling its entire stock of AT&T handsets for free after instant discount with a new two-year contract. Note that the store doesn’t sell iPhones, though. You’ll have to go to Best Buy or directly to AT&T for those. The deal is good until midnight tonight and it’s for new AT&T customers. If you’re an existing AT&T customer due for an upgrade, most of the phones can still be had for free with a few exceptions—BlackBerry Bold 9700 is $50, BlackBerry 8820 is $60, HP iPAQ Glisten is $70—along with a few others. There are still some good freebies, though: BlackBerry Bold, BlackBerry Curve, HTC Pure, Nokia E71x, and plenty more. AT&T Cell Phones [Wirefly via PhoneNews ]
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Friday, March 5th, 2010
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">
The promises Brando makes about the “Rii Mini Wireless Keyboard” make it sound like a hug wrapped in hot chocolate wrapped in a puppy. There’s the “dazzling bright LED” backlighting, the world’s first touchpad that can be used in both the horizontal and vertical positions complete with advanced “capacitive sensing technology, comparable to a real notebook touchpad,” and the “innovative design of the navigation keys” that’ll make you “feel the thrill” of being able to play games wirelessly. And if you’re sitting here thinking that the combination of a keyboard, mouse, and laser pointer would make for the perfect presentational tool, Brando’s got you covered: “Keyboard, mouse, presenter trinity, three-dimensional presentation, more vivid!” There’s a lithium ion battery good for an entire “mouth” (yes, mouth) of use, the USB receiver stows into the backside of the remote, and the wireless range apparently reaches up to about 100 feet. It’ll cost you $92 for “iPhone style craft, classic style.” Rii Mini Wireless Keyboard [Brando]
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">
Just 3.2 pounds, folks. That’s all. Jetsetting, globetrotting, running after trains and then jumping into that one open car with all the hay in it. That could be you. Except once you’re in the hay car you could get on Twitter and be like, “Just ran alongside train and jumped in open car filled with hay. Need a Claritin! Blah! ROTFLOL!” The features, please: Intel Core i5 CPU at 2.4GHz (with “Turbo Boost” up to 2.93GHz) 12.1-inch LED-backlit multi-touch screen at 1280
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Monday, March 1st, 2010
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">
According to a series of tips I just received from multiple trusted sources, Virgin Mobile USA is planning to shut down the post-paid chunk of their wireless services on May 25th, 2010. You see, there once was a little wireless carrier called Helio. Bringing over all kinds of crazy sliding what-nots from South Korea, they tried their damnedest to offer the coolest cell phones on the block. They also bled money like a busted spigot, burning $710 million before they were ready to call it quits. In June of 2008, Virgin Mobile (who then offered solely pre-paid wireless) came along and snatched up Helio for $39 million in stock, primarily to serve as a foundation for their then non-existent postpaid service. A great plan, until Sprint acquired Virgin Mobile just a year later, primarily for their pre -paid service. Read the rest at MobileCrunch > >