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Apple's newest AirPort Extreme base station gets dissected
The skyscraper? The hauteur router? The dapper WAP? All reasonable nicknames were considered, but in the end, Apple's sticking with "AirPort Extreme." The newest base station -- the one introduced alongside the company's Haswell-infused MacBook Air at WWDC -- takes on a new look and gains 802.11ac support, but that's not what you're here for. You're here for two reasons: first, you want to see this thing reverse engineered, and second, you want to get an idea of just how repairable it is. The gurus over at iFixit have done their usual teardown, offering up a plethora of lovely JPGs and settling on a respectable 8 out of 10 on the Repairability Index. Eager to learn more? Give that source link below a soft tap... with the key word being soft.
NTT showcases next-gen 802.11ac wireless LAN solution, hopes for near-term commercialization
NTT DoCoMo's never been one to back down from the future, and some might say this carrier is actually already living in 2012. You know -- Land of the Rising Sun and all. At any rate, its latest foray into what's next came at the Wireless Technology Park in Yokohama, where it demonstrated a fully-functional 802.11ac prototype wireless system. For those unaware, that's what is scheduled to make 802.11n look like the 101 at lunchtime, with an effective throughput of 1Gbps per system. If all goes well, NTT will be commercializing the system "within a few years," and based on a demonstrated throughout of 120Mbps (as in, real-world results), we're hoping "few" becomes "one."
Alcatel-Lucent's FP3 network processor routes at 400Gbps, handles 70,000 simultaneous HD streams
Looks like the world wide web is seeing a few upgrades this week. Shortly after NC State announced a new methodology for routing fiber optic connections more quickly, in flies Alcatel-Lucent with a shiny new network processor to make things even faster. The FP3 that was announced this week promises a "fourfold increase in performance over the fastest IP network available," supporting 400Gbps transmission speeds while cutting power consumption by up to 50 percent. The chip's been demonstrated to the powers that be this week, and it's reportedly designed to "address tomorrow's demand for ultra-high performance public and private IP networks." How so, you ask? A sole FP3 could handle 70,000 simultaneous HD video streams or 8.4 million simultaneous retail cloud sessions, and quite frankly, could make the 100 Gigabit Ethernet standards that were used to look like old hat. But hey -- who's kvetching about that?
Super Bowl XLV Media Day: Packers split on iOS / Android, Cowboys CIO talks mobility
We woke up this morning in Dallas to 20 degree temperatures and a parking lot covered in ice. Not exactly the kind of weather the NFL was hoping for when it selected the new Cowboys Stadium to host Super Bowl XLV, but it didn't stop both teams and media from making their way -- however slowly -- to Arlington for Super Bowl Media Day. Naturally, the likes of ESPN were there in full force, but rather than picking apart defensive schemes and seeing who could outgun Troy Polamalu for the longest mane in North Texas, we spent our time asking about mobile OS preferences and soaking up knowledge from Cowboys CIO Pete Walsh. With a price tag well north of $1 billion on the new Cowboys Stadium, the home to the world's largest HD display is certainly one of the most technologically advanced in the world. It's packing 884 wireless access points throughout (not to mention an internal network operations center that constantly monitors activity on each one), 260 miles of fiber optic cabling, capacity to handle over 100,000 simultaneous wireless connections, over 3,100 IPTVs and micro cell towers for each major carrier within -- you know, so that kickoff video that just can't wait actually sees its way onto YouTube prior to the start of the second half. Head on past the break to catch of a video of us talking smartphone platforms with Green Bay Packers center Scott Wells, as well as a lengthy (and insightful) interview with the Chief Information Officer of the Dallas Cowboys. Everything from the Cowboys' rejection of FanVision to their hopes to blanket the stadium with gratis WiFi is covered, and we're even given a hint that contactless payments and mobile food ordering systems could be just a season or so away. %Gallery-115523%
Samsung's dual-band CY-SWR1100 wireless router prioritizes for media streaming
Worried about your son's World of Warcraft habit? More worried about your son's World of Warcraft habit interfering with your ability to stream last week's episode of Glee? We feel you, and so does Samsung. Amidst loads of new televisions and sound systems announced here at CES, the aforementioned company has just let loose a rather novel new wireless router. The currently unpriced CY-SWR1100 is a dual-N band device, supporting 802.11a/b/g/n and doing one thing in particular that your current router probably doesn't: it prioritizes data flow and sends the strongest signal to the television when streaming is ongoing. There's even an on-screen router configuration panel that does away with the need for a PC to initially configure it, but it's only compatible (for now) with the LED D5000 series and up, LED D550 series and up, and Plasma D550 series and up. Now, if only you could convince Comcast to do away with that pesky bandwidth cap...
LaCie Wireless Space takes on Time Capsule, doubles as NAS and WLAN router
And here you were thinking the upcoming Photokina trade show was all about cameras. Not so, vaquero. Granted, LaCie's probably taking advantage of this here event to reveal its latest and greatest media storage device, but we digress. The newly announced Wireless Space is perhaps the most interested and multifaceted device to emerge from the company in quite some time, and to say it's taking on Apple's Time Capsule would be understating things tremendously. In essence, what we have here is a NAS backup drive and an 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi access point / router, all bundled into one delicious black box. Available in 1TB and 2TB flavors, the Space enables both Mac and PC users both to backup their files wirelessly (or via cabling, should you so choose), and it also acts as a network hard drive for accessing files remotely, a UPnP / DLNA media streamer and a full-on router should you need one. It's fully compatible with Time Machine, and you'll also find a trio of Ethernet sockets and a pair of USB jacks on the rear. It's shipping today for $229.99 and $349.99, respectively, leaving Apple the loser once again in the price department. Is that a war we smell brewin'? %Gallery-102434%
Netgear's HBR1210 HSPA+ / 802.11n mobile router pings the FCC
What's this? The best of both worlds, wrapped neatly into one elegant mobile router? Sure looks that way, as Netgear's HBR1210 looks to have support for HSPA+ mobile networks as well as traditional 802.11n WiFi for the home. Based on the FCC filing (which seems down at the moment), there's a foursome of gigabit Ethernet jacks, a SIM card slot, an external antenna port and a chassis that looks to be around 9.8- x 7.9-inches. In other words, we wouldn't expect a Rover here, but we suppose "mobile" can mean lots of things to lots of people. We'll keep you posted once an official release date and price falls into our lap.
TiVo's $90 Wireless N Network Adapter now available
Took you long enough, eh TiVo? Just under five months after the AN0100 802.11n WiFi adapter splashed down in the FCC's database, the company responsible for the Premiere has finally decided to ship this here dongle. The newly christened TiVo Wireless N Network Adapter is designed to function with all dual-tuner TiVo boxes (though it won't play nice with the DirecTV DVR with TiVo), enabling those who'd rather not run a 50 foot Ethernet drop to still access web features. Fortunately, it's available now for those who've waited; unfortunately, it'll cost you a staggering $89.99. Check it out now from TiVo's website or pick it up later this week at your local Best Buy.
TiVo's AN0100 802.11n WiFi adapter hits the FCC, stirs up imaginations
TiVo's Wireless G USB network adapter has been out and about since late 2005, so to say an 802.11n version is past due would be understating things dramatically. At long last, it seems as if high-speed network access is coming to the heralded DVR, with an AN0100 802.11n AP recently splashing down at the FCC. There's no instruction manual or indication of whether this is the device we've been waiting for in order to stream networked media to the TV through one's TiVo, but why else would the outfit bother with tossing out a new dongle with support for higher throughput? We know, we're letting ourselves get a bit too optimistic here -- but c'mon, can you really blame us?
Apple Tablet rumor roundup: NYT speaks of 'impending Apple slate,' new SIM tray leaks (video)
Bear with us as we bring you the latest rumors related to the most important product that never was: the Apple tablet. Today we have a pair of rumors bubbling to the surface of a delicious tattle brew. First, the SIM card tray pictured above said to be procured from Foxconn (the rumored Apple tablet manufacturer) and available for $14.05 starting October 23rd for the 4th generation iPhone / iTablet... whatever the mythical host device might ultimately be named. It's certainly different than the tray found in previous gen iPhones and its chunkier appearance would be suitable for a larger GSM device. Plausible yes, though really, such a SIM tray could be used anywhere. There's also a pretty big fuss being made this morning over remarks made by Bill Keller, executive editor at the New York Times responsible for the NYT's web presence. Speaking at an all-hands meeting with the Times' digital staff, the supposedly off-the-record speech somehow made its way to Vimeo. Here's the quote that has Apple fanatics and old-media revivalists in a tizzy: "I'm hoping we can get the newsroom more actively involved in the challenge of delivering our best journalism in the form of Times Reader, iPhone apps, WAP, or the impending Apple slate, or whatever comes after that." Now, it's hard to tell if Keller is speaking from insider information or if he's just another member of the media convinced that Apple's tablet will be launched in the New Year. Then again, as Keller himself points out, Apple has always had a special relationship with his paper as routinely demonstrated in Apple's ads that use the New York Times landing page as proof of the "real internet" browsing capabilities of the iPod touch and iPhone. And with Apple supposedly in content delivery talks with the nation's newspaper of record, well, the remarks that begin at about 8:15 are certainly suspicious. Listen for yourself after the break. [Via Gawker, thanks Robert S.] Read -- SIM Tray Read -- NYT 'impending Apple slate'
TRENDnet 'world's smallest' Wireless N travel router now on sale
Looking to take 802.11n to places you never thought possible? You know -- like your studio apartment on the Upper East Side? TRENDnet's Wireless N Travel Router (which was announced way back at CES) is tailor made for cramped spaces, fitting within the palm of your hand and offering up a single WAN port, a carrying case and a USB socket. Unfortunately there's no internal battery to keep this puppy alive in the wild, but for $79.99 we can't kvetch too much.
Apple quietly updates AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule, promises improved performance
Just as it did in March, Apple has subtly updated both the AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule, this time improving performance on both. According to new testing between today's model and yesterday's edition, the AE Base Station (which ships within three days for $179) can hum along at up to 25 percent faster thanks to undisclosed tweaks to the antenna design, while the Time Capsule's improved antenna promises the same. Just as before, both of these devices support dual-band 2.4GHz / 5GHz transmissions, though we can't seem to find an "802.11n draft" phrase anywhere on either page. Apple hasn't gone out of its way to say that both of these are certified with the final specification, but it's certainly a possibility. Finally, the new Time Capsule promises Time Machine backups in Snow Leopard that are some 60 percent faster than before; we're not sure whether to celebrate with new buyers or weep with existing ones, but it should ship within three days for $299 (1TB) / $499 (2TB).Read - Updated AirPort ExtremeRead - Updated Time Capsule
D-Link Xtreme N DIR-685 storage router now shipping
Well, what do we have here? D-Link's DIR-685 Xtreme N Storage Router -- you know, the 802.11n packing, WAP having, BitTorrent running beaut with USB storage support and 3.2-inch display we first laid eyes on in January at CES -- has finally hit store shelves. Every bit as lust-worthy as it was when we initially reviewed it, this bad boy retails for $300. Hit the read link to get in on the action.[Via Electronista]
Netgear ships ultra-speedy WNDR3700 dual-band router
If you've grown increasingly incensed by those annoying dropouts caused by your 80s-era wireless router, it looks like Netgear has your cure. Though, we must say, there's at least a decent chance you don't have the coinage to procure said medicine. At $190, the RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N Gigabit Router (WNDR3700) is one of the pricier WLAN routers on the market, though the amenities list is pretty impressive. The ReadyShare feature enables any USB hard drive to be viewed on the network, while the DLNA support and "real-world" throughput of 350Mbps shines up an already glistening device. There's even a broadband usage meter for those unfortunately dealing with Comcast caps, and if you actually use this as a remote media server, you'll definitely want to keep an eye on that.[Via HotHardware]
Logitec makes routers fashionable again with ultraslim LAN-W300N/R
It's part PS2 Slim, part AspireRevo. And according to Logitec, the LAN-W300N/R is the company's thinnest 802.11n router ever. Measuring just 7 millimeters thick at its thinnest and 24 millimeters thin at its thickest, this ultra-glossy wireless router packs a pair of inbuilt antennas, four LAN ports, a WAN socket and an AC input. Beyond that, the device seems relatively unmoving, with a ¥9,100 ($95) price tag and a late August release over in Japan.[Via Akihabara News]
Ricoh announces new GPS unit, new firmware for 500SE camera
It's been a while since we've seen any major updates for Ricoh's 500SE camera, but if you're in the mood, here's a heads up: the company has just announced its new SE-2 GPS module. Designed by EKA Technologies, Inc., this bad boy sports a new helix antenna, which should provide better reception and accuracy, and smaller fix times. Available in two flavors, the SE-2g (GPS only) has an MSRP of $169, while the SE-2c offers GPS and a 3-axis compass for direction information for an MSRP of $399. And if that weren't enough, the company has just announced new firmware for the camera that enhances its ability to store field data and embed it into images for GIS mapping applications. The new firmware also allows up to three attributes as well as GPS position, azimuth, and UTC (satellite time) to be imprinted directly onto images as they are captured. Pretty awesome, right? Full PR available after the break.
D-Link's Xtreme N DIR-685 storage router hands-on and impressions
Somehow or another, D-Link managed to combine a NAS, digital photo frame, secondary display and 802.11n router into a single device, and when the Xtreme N DIR-685 Storage Router was announced way back at CES this year, we were certainly interested to see how such a conglomerate would go over. At long last, the do-it-all wireless router is finally making its way out to the public at large, and with an MSRP of $299.99 (sans any internal HDD space), it's definitely one of the pricier routers out there. We've taken this strikingly unique device into our lairs for a few days of testing, and if you're interested in seeing if this bad boy is worth the price of admission, you'll need to follow us past the break.
Ask Engadget: What's the best dual-band router?
C'mon, admit it. Seeing Ask Engadget is your favorite thing of the week, as it definitely marks the unofficial start of the weekend. Before you break out the Dos Equis and engage in copious amounts of "chilaxing," why not give this question a serious look (and an even more serious answer)? "I recently came across the article of "How-to: set up dual-band WiFi." I have been thinking about upgrading my wireless network in order to wirelessly stream video and data from my desktop to my media extenders around the home. What would be a good simultaneous dual-band router? I have Windows Vista on a Dell Inspiron 530 and other laptops running Windows XP, Vista, etc. I also have media extenders like the Linksys DMA 2200 and PS3. If possible, I would like to stay under $150." We're certain Pradeep's not the only one looking to do the dual-band thing, and we know quite a few of your are already rocking such a setup. If so, what kind of kit are you using to make it all happen? Don't stay quiet, ya heard?
Verizon FiOS HD DVR owners all granted Remote DVR access, cellphone scheduling costs extra
It isn't an iPhone app, but we're sure plenty of people can appreciate Verizon's new, more widely available Remote DVR Management program. Previously limited to FiOS TV Media Manager subscribers only, accessed by the website or select VZW phones, now any FiOS DVR subscriber can queue up recordings via the website, while Media Manager subs can use http://m.verizon.com/tv from any cellphone, on any carrier for remote DVR programming. [Thanks, Scott! Via Phone Scoop]
Verizon welcomes HD DVR owners, all cellphones to the Remote DVR party
It isn't an iPhone app, but we're sure plenty of people can appreciate Verizon's new, more widely available Remote DVR Management program. Previously limited to FiOS TV Media Manager subscribers only, accessed by the website or select VZW phones, now any FiOS DVR subscriber can queue up recordings via the website, while Media Manager subs can use http://m.verizon.com/tv from any cellphone, on any carrier for remote DVR programming. [Thanks, Scott! Via Phone Scoop]
