Oh! Gizmo

By Evan Ackerman

Now that wireless routers are cheap and ubiquitous, there’s one way that a router can separate itself from the rest of the pack: features. The D-Link DIR-685 Xtreme N Storage Router takes this concept to the Xtreme (okay, sorry, no more of that) by including a 3.2″ LCD, room for a hard drive, and a whole bunch more. We’ve got a full review for you, after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

As we’ve mentioned to you before, the Eye-Fi card is really a pretty brilliant idea. Digital cameras are neat little gadgets, but getting all your awesome pics from your camera to the computer and to the internet is still a stone age process that involves plugging cables into things and taking cards out of things and running software and pushing buttons and waiting around. It’s utterly ridiculous. Eye-Fi has the solution to this, with an SD card that includes a WiFi antenna that automatically sends pictures and video that you take directly to the internet and your computer, no cables necessary.

We’ve got a full review of the Eye-Fi Explore Video for you, right after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

By Andrew Liszewski

It seems the product designers at Parrot, or in this case designer Martin Szekely, haven’t gotten around to reading any of the reviews of the new MacBook or MacBook Pro. If they had, they would have discovered that consumers (or reviewers at least) aren’t that into highly reflective glossy displays that make it easy to see yourself, but not necessarily what’s on the LCD. And claiming that the digital photo frame can also double as a mirror just doesn’t cut it.

It’s too bad though because the SPECCHIO includes wifi (b & g) and bluetooth and can receive photos directly from a cell phone or via email, an RSS feed or your Picasa/Flickr account. There’s no pricing or availability info for the SPECCHIO frame at this point, but a similar ‘designer’ frame in the Parrot online store runs $449.99, and I don’t expect this one will be any cheaper.

[ SPECCHIO - Parrot By Martin Szekely ] VIA [ DVICE ]

By Evan Ackerman

Whether it involves computers or printers or anything else, accessing hardware over a network can be a real headache. D-Link is introducing some new software that should make it a bit easier to attach your computer to a remote USB device. And hey, guess what, it’s free!* Specific details are somewhat sketchy, but according to D-Link, “SharePort turns the local USB port located on the back of the 802.11n family of Wi-Fi routers into a fast and responsive virtual port so users can access a range of USB devices, by utilizing a new technology of USB over TCP/IP.”

An important thing to keep in mind is that this won’t transform your USB devices into network devices. In other words, only one computer on your network can access the USB device attached to the router at a time. Even so, this is an easy way to network a printer or drive without paying the premium for one with networking hardware built in. If you have a D-Link DIR-655, DIR-825, DIR-855, DGL-4500, or DIR-628, you can get the SharePort software (and some other energy management and HD optimization software) for free simply by updating your router’s firmware.

[ D-Link ] VIA [ Crave ]

*As long as you own an expensive D-Link router, that is.

By Jonathan Kimak

I’ve never been a big fan of scooters, I prefer the little extras that a car offers, stereo, power windows and not having to eat flies while driving. This one little scooter has changed my mind on the subject.

You can’t buy this scooter, you’d have to make it yourself and it could cost you some serious money depending on how much spare cash you have lying around.

With a scooter, $1300 for materials and 23 hours of working time a regular scooter was converted into a war machine. The improved scooter was created for a promotional campaign and has features such as: GPS Navigation, Skype calling on the road, low power pirate radio broadcast ability, and its own WiFi hot spot.

It also has an 8 inch LCD touchscreen, a web cam, TV antenna, laser keyboard and bluetooth headset and a small system status updater that monitors the computer(housed under the seat) and can alert you to incoming emails and the local weather.

Truly you would never want to drive anything else after riding this.

[ Inventgeek ] VIA [ DVICE ]

By Andrew Liszewski

A new division of Greyhound Lines Inc. called BoltBus has recently started service between Boston’s South Station and New York’s Penn Station. (As of April 24.) Besides having fares as low as $1 depending on how far you’re going and when you book your trip (at least one seat on every bus will cost $1) the BoltBus fleet also features free wi-fi and 110V sockets on the back of every seat. So those of you who are dependent on your electronics while traveling will be able to keep in touch with the office without worrying about your batteries dying.

BoltBus has also taken a standard coach seating configuration and actually removed seats so that each passenger has an extra three inches of legroom. That might not seem like much, but to those of us over 6 feet tall, every little inch helps. On their website the company admits that the wi-fi technology they are using is relatively new and there are certain spots along their route where it may be unavailable. But even with the occasional dead spot, it’s still far better than the standard Greyhound amenities like soiled seats, sketchy passengers and that smell you just can’t put your finger on.

[ BoltBus ] VIA [ Boing Boing Gadgets ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Now don’t get me wrong, I actually think this wi-fi hotspot solution is a half-decent idea, particularly if you operate a small coffee shop or other venue and can’t afford to give away free wi-fi. But why is it solely reliant on coins? Even payphones these days have a slot for using a debit card or other coin alternative.

That aside, the Handlink Wi-Fi Kiosk just needs an internet connection from a local ISP and after that it seems to be pretty autonomous. Users wishing to purchase a few minutes of wireless internet just need to insert the necessary coinage into the slot and then hit the confirm button. A built-in thermal printer will then provide a ticket that includes the user’s account name and password, the purchase date and time, the expiry date and time, access duration and the wi-fi SSID. Once the time has elapsed the user’s internet access is automatically cutoff and the account is deleted, so there doesn’t seem to be a mechanism for adding just a few more minutes once you’re already online.

[ Handlink KS-800 Series Coined Hotspot Solution ] VIA [ Register Hardware ]

By Andrew Liszewski

The PHS300 Personal Hotspot from CradlePoint Technology allows you to share your broadband-enabled mobile phone or modem with multiple users by turning it into a secure wifi hotspot. The company claims that getting online is as easy as plugging your phone or USB modem into the compact router, and then connecting your PC to the wireless network. Of course since you’ll probably want to use the WEP/WPA security options so that everyone’s not mooching your wifi, the setup process might take a bit longer than they claim.

The personal hotspot includes a built-in lithium-ion battery that will keep it running for several hours and can be recharged via USB when connected to your computer. It can even be used to recharge a phone that’s connected to the USB port, though that will no doubt reduce its own battery life. It’s available from Amazon for $299.99 but you’ll want to make sure your broadband phone or modem are included on the supported hardware list before you pick one up.

[ PHS300 Personal Hotspot ] VIA [ GadgetKing ]

By Luke Anderson

I’m one of about a dozen Americans that almost never goes to Starbucks. There are at least three of them within 5 minutes of my house, so distance isn’t an issue. I just have no desire to drink expensive coffee and pay for WiFi access when I have all of that in the comfort of my own home. If I still had my old AT&T DSL, I wouldn’t have to worry about paying for internet while sitting there at least.

According to an announcement, AT&T will be replacing T-Mobile as the wireless internet provider in all 7,000 Starbucks locations. Of course, AT&T announced not long ago that customers that subscribe to their DSL service will be given free access to all WiFi hotspots, which will include the Starbucks locations.

If you’re not an AT&T customer, you can still purchase two-hour sessions for $3.99 or a monthly membership for $19.99.

[ AT&T ] VIA [ UberGizmo ]