The world is quickly moving to a wireless environment. Earlier in the year I talked about how to boost your Wifi signal, and today we talk about making your own, portable, personal Wifi for wherever you go. Granted this isn’t a hack or tutorial, but with the use of the PHS300 Personal Hotspot, creating an island of connectivity has never been easier.
CradlePoint manufactures the PHS300 and with their technology and any broadband-enabled mobile phone or modem, simply plug in the phone or USB modem to the CradlePoint router then connect your computer, get access and share. I guess you could add in a few extra steps if WEP/WPA security options are required.
“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.”
The United States is no longer the nation with the largest number of internet users. China overtook the US last month in users for the first time, according to the state-run China Internet Network Information Center.
Researcher BDA China Ltd. estimates there are now over 220 million internet users in China, compared with 217.1 million in the U.S. Online ad revenue continues to lag in China, however, totaling $1.3 billion in 2007 compared to e-Marketer estimates of $21.4 billion in America.
Maybe it’s time for me to start promoting the Chinesse translation of my blog.
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It’s a well known fact if you belly-up to a Starbucks or any other major coffee chain you’ll have wi-fi access. However, many other hot spots are available which you just don’t know about. This is where a wi-fi detector comes in handy.
I know a wi-fi detector would have been handy during the hField wi-fi extender review. As I was driving through my business complex looking for signal, I found it oddly ridiculous to have my laptop booted up on the front seat of my car.
The USB Fever wi-fi detector is a simple, cheep gadget where a click of a button can detect wireless hot spots. With 4 LED lights to communicate signal strength, you can spot the best signal
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Silex Technology rolled out their isochronous data transfer support for the SX-2000WG+ product today, making it possible to steam any type of data (or video and audio) from a USB device over a wireless network. Here is a nice diagram to help get the point across.
This might be the perfect tool for any parent to monitor their kids webcam activity as the SX-2000WG+ can stream audio and video from any USB webcam over a standard 802.11b/g network.
What Silex has been able to do with the wireless USB server is breakdown the barrier of accessing USB devices from remote computers.
“With the addition of isochronous support, users can now share virtually any kind of USB device over a wireless or wired network. No other company can match our capabilities and compatibility in this market.” says Keith Sugarwara, GM.
CES 2008 is a couple weeks old and after poring over the gadget blogs, press releases and manufacturer websites it’s clear Wireless USB or WUSB will be hot in 2008. For that reason, I thought it would be the right time to revisit: What is Wireless USB?
WUSB is a high-bandwidth wireless extension for short range communication between computers, devices and gadgets. The WUSB specification claims a transfer speed equal to USB 2.0 of 480Mbit per second. Although that has yet to be seen (even with USB 2.0 wired products).
The USB Implementors Forum based this wireless technology off the WiMedia Alliance’s Ultra-Wideband or UWB platform. WUSB will work up to 9 feet away and then slow down to 110Mbit/s with a max range of 30 feet. WUSB works on the 3.1 to 10.6 GHz frequency range and spreads communication over an ultra-wideband of frequencies. For this reason you will not see wireless interference between WUSB and Wi-Fi or Bluetooth wireless networks.
If I have peaked your interest for Wireless USB, check out some other WUSB articles.
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ATP is a northern California memory manufacturer who’s just launched the most “green” USB drive you’ve ever seen. The EarthDrive is designed and built using the maximum amount of bio-recycled materials resulting in a fully recyclable product.
I’ve been meaning to do something about recycling USB drives as I purchased recycleusb.com domain a while back and intended to do something about recycling. I still plan on doing it, but ATP has sure come up with a great environmental plan for USB memory recycling.
ATP doesn’t stop with just a bio-recycled drive either, part of the purchase price of the EarthDrive includes a contribution to American Forests, a world leader in planting trees for environment restoration. ATP doesn’t disclose
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How good are bus powered USB devices? That’s a good question and the answer depends upon the device and the application. To start, let me summarize situations / products you could find problematic. From here we can determine what & when “bus power” is best.
Most problem situations are with USB devices which require a heavy load of power. Products such as USB disc [hard] drives, external USB CD or DVD burners etc. With these products you need a lot of power, if you don’t get it, you have problems. If the power running through the USB cable (the USB bus) to your device is not enough good chance the product will fail. Problems such as drive failures, burning CD coasters or repetitive USB disconnects during operation.
With the larger USB hard drives coming out this is where you need to pay attention. I would recommend against purchasing a “USB hard drive” where the drive itself runs from USB bus power.
But lets say you’ve covered your bases and purchased a USB hard drive with an external power adapter – now we must consider the connection to your computer? Many times I’ve heard users making the connection via their
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On the heels of USB missile launcher with webcam we have the Wireless USB Missile Launcher from Dream Cheeky.
I’m not sure how much value the wireless missile launcher brings to the table, other than distancing yourself another 15 feet from the firing source, the webcam version with MSN software controls seems a little better.
None-the-less, if your boss doesn’t allow Instant Message software on your PC then roll in the Wireless USB Missile Launcher. At 15 feet distance, it would be easy enough to hide it behind a plant and fire “at will” from an office down the hall.
Albeit a direct hit on the forehead of your boss would be funny enough, I don’t think
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Buy.com is currently running a special on the Belkin wireless 5 port USB hub and I thought to share the tip. Right now you can get the $100 wireless USB hub at just $79. The discounted price requires a MIR for the cash-back $20.
Being able to reduce the amount of clutter in ones office, even by a cable or two, is always a noble cause. The Belkin wireless USB hub allows you to stream line your office and reduce the cable count by 5. Not bad I must say. Plus you get to share the love [wirelessly] with printers, scanners, network connections and digital cameras.
Using the wireless USB hub lets other computers on your network think a printer is directly connected to a PC, so instant and reliable access from any PC to a remote or introvert printer is np.You will need a router to make this bad boy work and transfer speeds will vary by environment and distance. But for $80 it’s worth giving this wireless thing a shot.
Belking Wireless Hub product page.
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It’s called a USB rechargeable clip torch but I’m not sold on the term torch…sound like something needs to go up in flames. Rather, the rechargeable clip light uses a USB port on the back-end for juicing up during down time.
The convenient and portable LED light comes with a couple different clips so attachment can be made virtually anywhere. At just $14 the rechargeable light also affordable for just about anyone. The LED light portion and USB connect portion do rotate a full 180 so it’s fairly easy to get optimal positioning…as with this book clip light illustration.
TV Guide and mobile content provider Helio introduced a new service offering TV show information, program listings, search functions and daily recommendations to Helio users.
Text-based program alerts can be set to remind yourself and friends of what’s coming on the tube. TV Guide Mobile is available to Helio subscribers for $2.99/month, in addition to carrier data charges.
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hField Wi-Fire Review
hField sent GetUSB.info their latest WiFi signal boost device the USB Wi-Fire for product review. Below are the details from our Wi-Fire review.
Wireless Local Area Networks are by far the least expensive and most convenient way to stay connected. However, using WiFi technology means we live with limitations. The biggest limitation, and most obvious from the term “wireless local area network” is the distance between access point and receiver. To that end, hField develops WiFi extenders to boost signal strength, increase connection speed and improve reception.
The hField Wi-Fire is a directional antenna with a highly sensitive receiver designed to increase signal strength and connection speed. hField includes their proprietary software which also aids in the optimization effort. It’s important to understand the Wi-Fire is not a wireless router, but rather an add-on device to boost signal strength on a laptop or workstation which is receiving a wireless router signal.
Researcher BDA China Ltd. estimates there are now over 220 million internet users in China, compared with 217.1 million in the U.S. Online ad revenue continues to lag in China, however, totaling $1.3 billion in 2007 compared to e-Marketer estimates of $21.4 billion in America.
Maybe it’s time for me to start promoting 
