| StarTech.com WiFi Detector with LCD (WIFIDETG)
Wi-Fi finders or detectors are nifty little gadgets to keep in your gear bag for those times when you want to scope out nearby hotspots, without booting up your laptop or traversing menus on your WiFi enabled phone / PDA. These finders are typically small pocket friendly devices, whose sole purpose is to report information regarding detectable hotspots. I have one today from StarTech.com that not only will help you find nearby access points (hotspots), but can turn your computer into one. The WIFIDETG comes packaged in a small cardboard box that unlike some plastic packaging, does not require a blow torch to open. Yay! Hardware Specs Wireless standard: IEEE 802.11g/b
Frequency Band 2.40002.4835GHz
Data Rate 54/48/36/24/18/12/11/9/6/5.5/2/1Mbps auto fallback
Security 64/128/256-bit WEP Data Encryption, WPA (TKIP with IEEE 802.1x) and WPA2 (AES with IEEE 802.1x)
Antenna Internal
Battery 4.2V Rechargeable Li-Polymer
Transmit Power 16dBm (Typical) Dimensions: 3.58 x 1.12 x 0.55 inches (91 x 28.5 x 14 mm)
Weight: 1.06 oz (30 g)
Package Contents WiFi detector
USB extension cable
CD with WLAN software / driver
Instruction manual This WiFi Finder is similar to the ZyXEL AG-225H WiFi Finder that I reviewed last year.
VMware Completes Mac Virtualization Software
VMware on Thursday announced it has completed development of "Fusion," the company's desktop virtualization software for Macs, which enables Apple computers to run Windows or Linux from within Mac OS X. VMware said over 250,000 people had downloaded the Fusion beta release since December. VMware is going head-to-head with Parallels, the current market leader for virtual machine software on Macs, which has become possible with Apple's switch to Intel processors. Both Parallels 3.0 and VMware Fusion cost $79.99 USD and are available to download online. VMware says Fusion supports more operating systems and includes power management safeguards so a virtual machine isn't corrupted if a laptop runs out of battery. More information can be found on VMware's Web site. .
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The experiment is a prelude to mass production of the kid-friendly, lime-green-and-white laptops scheduled to begin in July, when five million will be built. Its technological triumphs include a hand crank to charge its battery, a keyboard that switches between languages, a digital video camera, wireless connectivity and Linux open-source operating software tailored for remote regions. The project’s operators say the price should fall to $100 apiece next year, when they hope to produce 50 million of the so-called "XO" machines, before dipping below $100 by 2010 when they aim to reach 150 million of the world’s poorest children. "We’re pledging to always drive the price down," Walter Bender, the group’s president of software and content, told Reuters.
Intel signs up vendors for Classmate PC in India
Updated: 24 Jul 2007
Intel has tied with three large Indian PC vendors to assemble the Classmate PC, a PC specially designed for schools. The three vendors -- HCL Infosystems, Wipro, and Zenith Computers -- will start shipping the product to Indian schools next month.The Classmate PC will be sold only to schools, and not through retail channels to consumers, John McClure, Intel's director for marketing in South Asia said on Monday. The Classmate PC has been specially designed to work in a networked classroom environment, and comes with software and features that give the teacher in the classroom control over the dissemination of content to students' PCs, he said.The Classmate PC, for example, does not have a hard disk. Instead it contains up to 2GB of NAND flash memory. Most of the content will reside on the teacher's PC, McClure said.Intel's manufacturering partners, such as HCL, Wipro, and Zenith, will team with content providers, education services providers, and system integrators to deploy the Classmate PCs in schools.The PC, which can run both Linux and Windows operating systems, is powered by a 900MHz Intel Celeron mobile processor, and comes with Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity, Intel said.
NVIDIA Announces Another Quadro Plex VCS System
Now with four Quadro FX 5600 GPUs in a 1U configuration NVIDIA this week announced a new addition to its Quadro Plex Visual Computer System, or VCS, lineup – the new Model S4. The new Model S4 is NVIDIA's first rack mount capable Quadro Plex system. The previously released Quadro Plex VCS systems were desk side models. NVIDIA's new Model S4 fits in a standard 1U chassis.The new Model S4 packs four Quadro FX 5600 GPUs inside the slim 1U chassis. Each Quadro FX 5600 GPU has access to an individual 1.5GB frame buffer, forming a grand total of 6GB. The Model S4 sports full compatibility with Shader Model 4.0 and DirectX 10. NVIDIA claims the Model S4 “contains more Quadro graphics processing power in less space than has ever been achieved before." NVIDIA's other Quadro Plex systems include the quad Quadro FX 4500 powered Model II, dual Quadro FX 5500 powered Model III and dual Quadro FX 5600 powered Model IV.Expect the Quadro Plex VCS Model S4 from NVIDIA partners such as PNY Technologies, Leadtek and Elsa.
Non-profit may launch US$350 laptop by Christmas
A non-profit group that designs low-cost computers for poor children hopes to start selling multimedia laptops to consumers by Christmas, a foundation executive said on Monday. The One Laptop Per Child Foundation's rugged XO laptop could initially sell for just US$350, or twice its production cost, although the group is also considering a US$525 price tag, said OLPC chief technology officer Mary Lou Jepsen. If the XO laptop does make its way onto the market this year, it could surprise personal computer makers who have already spent months planning their strategy for the 2007 holiday season.In an interview with Reuters, Jepsen said the foundation -- founded by Massachusetts Institute of Technology researcher Nicholas Negroponte -- is still working out the details of the plan and expects to know within about a month whether it is feasible.The green-and-white, kid-friendly laptops that can be powered with hand cranks were designed for use by poor children in the world's impoverished nations.
OLPC Now Ready for Mass Production
First, the good news. The nonprofit organization One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) announced on Monday that it has authorized the start of mass-production of the XO laptop, a low-cost but powerful device designed to reduce world poverty by extending the reach of the Internet to the planet's most remote regions. .
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