Grace Digital Audio’s Solo WiFi internet radio tuner

Posted in internet radio by Conner Flynn on May 5th, 2010

So you want a WiFi internet radio but you already have a stereo. Then you fit the bill for this device from Grace Digital Audio. The new Solo WiFi internet radio tuner turns your stereo (or just your speakers) into an internet radio. Pretty nifty huh?

The device has support for services like Pandora and Sirius internet radio, a backlit LCD display, and support for Grace’s remote app for the iPhone and iPod touch.

Toshiba UX600 series HDTVs with WiFi, 1080p & LED-backlight

Posted in Toshiba by Conner Flynn on March 22nd, 2010

Toshiba has announced the UX600 series, complete with an included WiFi adapter in the box and they can access YouTube, VUDU, Pandora and other social networking services like Facebook and Twitter. At first, three models in the UX600 range will be available, the 40UX600, 46UX600 and 55UX600, at 40-inches, 46-inches and 55-inches.

The trio all offer a 3,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, Full HD 1080p and Toshiba’s ClearFrame 120Hz technology. They can also act as a digital photo frame, and they have automatic brightness control based on ambient lighting.

Wi-Fi detecting bumper sticker

Posted in Wi-Fi by Conner Flynn on February 1st, 2010

This Wi-Fi detecting bumper sticker will let you and other drivers know instantly when Wi-Fi is available. That way you can quickly set up your laptop on your steering wheel and tell everyone on Twitter about it.

Want to create one yourself and distract drivers behind you? Instructables shows you how. And it’s pretty simple. Basically you will be buying one of those Wi-Fi T-shirts, and then cutting out the electroluminescent panel to stick onto the back of your car. Simple. Pretty nifty.

Nokia X6 16GB gets official

Posted in Nokia by Conner Flynn on January 26th, 2010

Well, that didn’t take long. The Nokia X6 16GB is now official. Yesterday we told you about the pink version. The phone doesn’t have Comes With Music, but here’s some of what it does have:

This one features Symbian S60 5th edition, a 3.2-inch touchscreen display, 360 x 640, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, Ovi Maps, free navigation, TV out and a 5-megapixel camera.

Endless Ideas intros first WiFi-Enabled e-Book Reader

Posted in ebooks by Conner Flynn on January 24th, 2010

Endless Ideas has introduced its first WiFi-enabled e-Book reader called the BeBook Neo. The device is powered by a Freescale processor and offers a 6-inch E-ink display with a Wacom touchscreen. Some other features include 512MB of internal memory, a microSD card slot that will give you up to 16GB, USB port, 3.5mm headset jack and WiFi so you can access Google and Wikipedia.

And also a range of third-party e-Book stores is supported. It plays nice with most popular file formats. The BeBook Neo will cost you £279.99 or roughly $453. It’s available for pre-order now.

McDonald’s expands free Wi-Fi to 11,500 U.S. locations

Posted in Wi-Fi by Conner Flynn on January 21st, 2010

McDonalds isn’t just expanding stomachs across the nation, they have also expanded their free Wi-Fi to 11,500 new locations starting last Friday. So it’s finally here free Wi-Fi fans.

It used to cost $2.95 for two hours. McDonald’s even offers an easy lookup site, letting you know if the wireless connectivity is available in your area. Hey, it’s free, there are fries and burgers and if you’re lucky maybe you run into Grimace or the Hamburglar while you are tweeting away.

The BearExtender n3 gives you more Wi-Fi range

Posted in Wi-Fi by Conner Flynn on January 18th, 2010

The BearExtender n3 has a few advantages over other WiFi extenders. It’s cheap, it works great, and most important of all, it’s legal. This external WiFi adapter for Macs costs just $45 and was developed by Rolan Saekow, a Berkeley grad who wanted access to the campus “Airbears” network from wherever he happened to be.

Looks like it works great too. TUAW’s testing yielded stronger signals and higher throughput when they used the BearExtender over internal WiFi. The downside, if you consider it a downside, is that the BearExtender runs only on the 2.4GHz band. It doesn’t give you the option of a 5Ghz 802.11n network.

Lego router works, delivers Wi-Fi

Posted in lego by Conner Flynn on January 17th, 2010

Lego makes all things possible. So it isn’t surprising that someone named Luke has ripped open the WRT54GL and transplanted it into a Lego case. The best part is that it looks great. I wouldn’t mind this sitting in my living room.

Want to try your hand at this Lego creation? Go for it. Full instructions are available. You can likely get it done during a quiet weekend.

Airnergy charger: Electricity from WiFi

Posted in Wi-Fi by Conner Flynn on January 11th, 2010

The Airnergy Charger wants to fulfill your wildest gadget charging dreams, by harvesting electricity from Wi-Fi networks, and converting it into electricity with a high enough efficiency to actually make it practical. It was being demoed at CES, where it charged a BlackBerry from a 30% charge to full in roughly 90 minutes, using Wi-Fi as the power source.

All you need is a Wi-Fi network and you are good to go. RCA expects the USB charger to be available this summer for only $40. We can’t complain about that price. And who doesn’t want to get electricity from Wi-Fi?

CES 2010: Marvell Plug Computer 3.0 with WiFi, Bluetooth and Linux

Posted in News by Conner Flynn on January 5th, 2010

The new Marvell Plug Computer is packing a 2GHz Armada 300 processor, WiFi, Bluetooth and a hard drive. But alas, it isn’t for all of you consumers. So you and your smudgie fingered hands can’t have one.

The unit is marketed as a development platform for building embedded devices. Nothing on price yet, but remember this isn’t for you. It’s for developers. You are just browsing. That’s it. Nothing else to see here. Move along.

Ford Sync turns your car into a WiFi hotspot

Posted in Automotive by Conner Flynn on December 21st, 2009

Ford’s next generation of Sync systems will have yet another useful feature. This time around it’s built-in Wi-Fi, turning your car into a rolling hotspot. You’ll be able to share a 3G connection with a driver-defined list of devices.

Of course you’ll need to use your own 3G card, which will plug into the Sync’s USB port. I’m sure other auto makers will offer Wi-Fi soon as well. Then we really will always be connected.

McDonald’s Wi-Fi to be free

Posted in Wi-Fi by Conner Flynn on December 16th, 2009

mcdonalds_logo.jpgMcDonald’s will be offering free Wi-Fi hotspots soon, as well as the usual obesity and diabetes. So you won’t have to pay $3 for every two hours starting in January. They are hoping that McDonalds becomes your new favorite hangout and that you will buy something.

Aside from that, McDonalds has also restructured their menu, adding more coffee and desserts so you can hang around and surf online.

Flip video cameras to get Wi-Fi?

Posted in Camcorders by Conner Flynn on November 19th, 2009

Flip video cameras to get Wi-Fi?Flip cameras are all the rage and have been for the last year or two. And rumor has it that they have a new feature in the works. Your old buddy Wi-Fi.

It’s just a rumor, but it makes sense to have Wi-Fi on a convenient camera like the Flip so you can upload videos to YouTube or elsewhere. Plus you would probably be able to watch other videos on it as well. At any rate, they had better add new features if they want to compete. So we think this one is very likely to be true.

Free public Wi-Fi for one UK town

Posted in News by Conner Flynn on November 17th, 2009

Free public Wi-Fi for one UK townLooks like a major Wiltshire town is buzzing with excitement as they are about to become the first in the UK to be able to enjoy free public wireless internet access. Swindon Borough Council plans for all 186,000 citizens to soon be swaddled under a blanket “Wi-Fi mesh” by April 2010.

With no connection charge while line rentals are free. The service will be called Signal, but here’s the catch. You will have limited access unless you pay for 20Mb upgrades. The fee is said to be “significantly less” than current broadband suppliers.

Motorola launches digi-frames with dual displays, Wi-Fi

Posted in Digital Photo Frames by Conner Flynn on October 28th, 2009

Motorola launches digi-frames with dual displays, Wi-FiMotorola is offering up some new digital photo frames, including dual display frames and a Wi-Fi model that lets you send images directly to the frame by email. The LS1000W has a 10.4-inch display, with 512 MB of built-in memory, an MP3 player and speakers, an alarm clock and calendar function. The £200 frame has Wi-Fi connectivity and content from the thousand FrameChannel online channels that can be viewed on the device including internet radio.

The £80 LS420 Duo on the other hand offers two 4.2-inch displays, one of which can be used to view calendar and clock info. The LS720D offers the same, but with larger 7-inch displays and MP3 playback, speakers and a remote control for £130.