Ratoc introduces Wireless USB kit for your PCMCIA-equipped laptop

Still getting by with PCMCIA, are you? Looking to get into the potentially crumbling world of Wireless USB? Well then, step right up! Ratoc is pumping out its very first WUSB kit with the REX-WUSB1, which includes a rather bulky PC Card (with ultra-wideband antenna) and a four-port WUSB hub. Users with Windows XP / Vista-based machines simply plug in the card, load up the drivers and link their favorite USB peripherals to the hub; from there, you can kick back and enjoy the spoils of wireless printing, wireless cooling and wireless warming -- two of which really aren't all they're cracked up to be. Anywho, the bundle is expected to go on sale in the Land of the Rising Sun later this month for ¥31,500 ($340).

[Cash @ Dec 11th 2008 6:18AM]

And this mess is better then cables.... how?

[zomg0t @ Dec 11th 2008 6:28AM]

sans fil, man.

[RoboDan @ Dec 11th 2008 7:55AM]

Agreed.

WTF do I want an antenna sticking out of my laptop for? I'd rather have a cheap $5 USB hub with the free cable that came attached to it.

Actually I'd rather have my mouse, printer, keyboard, etc. connected through bluetooth but I'm too cheap (read: frugal) to buy new peripherals when the ones I have still work fine. When they break, though, oh you better believe my bluetooth card in my laptop will be getting a workout.

[Mile @ Dec 11th 2008 9:18AM]

Because it is sans wires! Wireless, baby! It's the future!

[Mile @ Dec 11th 2008 9:09AM]

It's "anyhoo". And no matter how you spell it, it's stoopid so stop using it in every other article/post, big E.

[kal326 @ Dec 11th 2008 9:15AM]

This seems like a bit of a botched product launch, the only laptops that I can think of that still come with PCMCIA cards are Lenovo's. Everybody else has been shipping express card only for well over a year. Add in the fact that is almost have the price of a entry level laptop and the situation only gets worse. Good idea, horrible execution.

[Erik Tomlinson @ Dec 11th 2008 10:24AM]

Well, my 3-month-old Dell D830 has a PCMCIA slot, and the brand new Dell E6400/E6500 replacing it has the option to order with PCMCIA or ExpressCard.

...But I think the launch of a PCMCIA card is strange too.

[Chung Dha @ Dec 11th 2008 9:40AM]

Isn't it better make use of the Wifi we all got on our laptops right now?

[Erik Tomlinson @ Dec 11th 2008 10:20AM]

I know it's a joke, but I think it's hilarious that two of the three devices listed only use the +5V connection and do not use the data at all, wireless or otherwise. You'd get the same effect with a wall-wart with a USB outlet on it, and that'd only cost $10, not "way too bloody much".

In all honesty though I really can't see much of a market for this thing. 99% of the time I don't have anything plugged in to my laptop except stuff that can be already done wirelessly (hard drives - network file sharing. Printers - network printer sharing. Mouse and keyboard - bluetooth.)

I guess if you had a laptop without a card reader and wanted to transfer pictures off a camera? Maybe? I dunno. I'm grasping at straws here.

[EITB @ Dec 11th 2008 4:12PM]

MORE ELECTRICTY TO BURN IN YOUR HOUSE