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Wi-Fi to cultivate speedy 60GHz band
If you still don't know the difference between the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands of a simultaneous dual-band router like the Cisco Linksys E3000, you'd better hurry and learn. Another Wi-Fi band is on the way.
The Wi-Fi Alliance and Wireless Gigabit Alliance (WiGig Alliance) announced Monday an agreement on a new standard of multigigabit wireless networking.
Under the agreement, the two groups will co-develop new specifications for the next-generation Wi-Fi standard that works the 60GHz frequency (or band).
Currently, Wi-Fi signals work either in the ever-popular 2.4GHz frequency or the newer 5GHz frequency. The 5GHz is considered cleaner as it doesn't share the same frequency with other wireless home devices such as cordless phones or Bluetooth devices. A dual-band router supports both of them at the same time. Both of these bands offer wireless-N speeds up to 300Mbps, with the possibility of higher speeds up to 750Mbps. In reality, however, these two bands' sustained throughput speeds are still much slower than that of a wired gigabit connection. … Read more
The 404 572: Where it's time for a downgrade (podcast)
Jeff Bakalar is out sick today but luckily Natali Del Conte is back from her sojourn to San Francisco and fills in on today's episode of CNET's The 404 Podcast. I hope you had a better weekend than mine; I almost had a sleepover at the Apple Store after my iPhone inexplicably broke...again! The display on my 6-month-old phone stopped working, so I've decided to stick it out with a budget Samsung flip phone until the fourth-generation iPhone comes out.
Downgrading to a single-function handset from an iPhone requires some adjustment, but I'm quickly getting used to (and even enjoying) the simplicity of having separate dedicated devices for music and phone calls.
Boredom arrives much quicker without a smartphone, of course, but who really needs all those silly apps? I'm having a great time rediscovering the simple mundane pleasure of scrolling through "settings and options." What time increment should I set my auto-dimmer to today? The possibilities are endless!
Last night CBS' "60 Minutes" aired an interview with Conan O'Brien to get his personal take on the "Tonight Show" fiasco that left poor CoCo without a network to call a home.
Unfortunately, neither NDC nor I had a chance to check it out, but Wilson gives us the rundown on Conan's amicable responses and explains why Conan starts crying halfway through the segment. Check out CBS News for the full interview.
There are also plenty of hilarious Calls From the Public to play today including one listener who finally debuts an impression of Jeff that you won't want to miss. If you have something to tell us, leave us a message at 1-866-404-CNET or shoot us a line at the404(at)CNET(dot)com!
Episode 572 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS VideoBlackBerry OS 6.0: What we know so far
In light of the fact that BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is itching to drum up excitement about its forthcoming version 6.0 operating system at the Wireless Enterprise Symposium (WES) conference this week in Orlando, Fla., it's too bad the company was customarily tight-lipped last week when we asked if it could confirm leaked photos and details of the very same OS .
As we predicted, RIM will be previewing the next generation of its operating system at the conference beginning on Tuesday. RIM has confirmed very little else about the OS, other than a promised debut in the … Read more
Best Buy has the Sony Bravia KDL-60EX700 60-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV for $2699.99, after $300 savings, plus free shipping.
Leaked: BlackBerry OS 6.0 images, details
It may not be as dramatic a discovery as the likely iPhone 4.0 prototype in the San Francisco Bay Area that inundated tech headlines this week, but RIM is getting a taste of the premature spotlight as details of the latest operating system for BlackBerry smartphones circulate around the blogosphere.
Boy Genius Report said it got its hands on a BlackBerry smartphone running the OS 6.0 from a secret source at AT&T and wasted little time detailing some of the features within. When asked, RIM's representatives declined to comment on the disclosed information.
The OS … Read more
Free photo editor
A good digital photo editor like H&M's Studioline Photo Basic can help digital camera owners manage their ever-growing collections of snapshots. You can use it to import images to your PC from devices like cameras and scanners in all popular file formats. Its central image database makes it easy to manage images and add keywords, descriptions, and EXIF data. It bundles photo editing tools like red-eye and color correction with extras like slideshow and Web gallery features. Best of all, it's free.
We chose the download manager, which didn't install the program's manual until … Read more
Big easy
H&M Systems' StudioLine Web is a full-featured Web site solution that doesn't require knowledge of HTML or a programming background to use. It combines all the tools needed to create, post, and update professional-quality Web sites in one package that also bundles the developer's Photo Classic 3 Plus image editing software.
This large program's download manager offers useful options such as installing minimal features, which you can add to later. We chose to install the recommended templates and samples. A nag screen politely tracks the software's trial period. We started with the program's … Read more
Reminderware
Everyone can use a reminder now and then, and developers have stepped up appointment and scheduling software at all prices. We like "free," as in EfficientSoftware's Efficient Reminder Free. It's a powerful, capable, and businesslike tool that will remind you when it's time for meetings, whether they're every Tuesday or once a year, or give you a timely heads-up for looming events such as birthdays, anniversaries, sporting events, concerts, or anything you might forget or need a nudge to get going on. You can configure various types of reminders, including pop-ups and sounds, and … Read more
Contact sorts
E-mail is the business world's lifeblood. The downside of instantaneous, 24-7 contact is an impersonality and distance that doesn't foster relationships. EfficientSoftware's Address Book Free is a contact and customer information management utility that anyone can use to keep their address books and contact information up to date and in sync, but where it shines is in its business-oriented customer contact features. It will remind you when birthdays, anniversaries, and other important events approach so you're ready with the personal touch that can make all the difference in business and personal relationships. You can also prioritize … Read more
