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adapters

Trendnet Wireless-N USB adapters go Mac-friendly

If your Mac laptop doesn't come with a built-in airport card, or if you want to add Wireless-N to your desktop, you now have more options.

Trendnet, maker of the cheap yet reliable Wireless-N access point, announced Thursday that it will implement Mac support for two of its Wireless-N USB adapters--the Trendnet TEW-624UB (version B1.1R) and the Trendnet TEW-644UB.

Mac support for these adapters comes in the form of a software utility and a driver that allow the devices to work with Mac OS X v10.4 (Tiger) and 10.5 (Leopard). Though the retail packages of these … Read more

Hawking makes Hi-Gain Wireless-N adapter

Most new laptops have built-in wireless, but if you still have an old laptop or desktop that you want to connect wirelessly, Hawking Tech has something for you.

On Thursday, the company introduced its first Hi-Gain compact Wireless-N USB adapter, the HWUN3. This little device comes with a removable antenna that can be replaced with one of Hawking's Hi-Gain Wi-Fi Range Extending antenna.

The HWUN3 supports 802.11n and connects to a computer via a USB 2.0 connection. According to Hawking Tech, when coupled with one of its Hi-Gain antenna, the HWUN3 can boost the range of a … Read more

Honey, I shrunk the Wireless-N USB adapter

UPDATED: Corrected the spelling of "GW-USMicroN".

Most laptops these days come with built-in Wi-Fi or even Wireless-N capability. However, if you have an old laptop or a game console that you want to hook to the Internet wirelessly, I've got some good news...and it's tiny.

I just got my hands on the GW-USMicroN, Planex's latest USB Wireless-N adapter that the company announced at the end of last month. I've seen a lot of USB wireless adapters and I am generally not impressed with them.

The GW-USMicroN, however, is very different: it's tiny--just … Read more

Ecotones turns your noise into soothing sounds

Updated at noon PST Tuesday with more detailed information on how Ecotones works.

You know those blaring horns and screeching tires outside your office window? Listen again; you're actually hearing the soothing sounds of a babbling brook.

Silicon Valley start-up Adaptive Sound Technologies is out with its first product, Ecotones. It's an adaptive noise-masking machine that blends with the audio in your specific environment to create a relaxing individually crafted soundscape called a "SoundStory."

In the event a loud truck suddenly came by, for example, Ecotones would instantly and automatically raise the volume level and insert … Read more

Glue binds the social and Semantic Web

For the last few years AdaptiveBlue has offered a semantically rich Web application that understands things such as books, movies, and music. Clicking on text, such as a company or movie name, brings up a context-sensitive menu of related links. The company is taking its technology a step further, adding a social dimension and renaming the product, "Glue." Along with Radar Networks' Twine and Powerset's Wikipedia search engine (acquired by Microsoft), Glue offers a compelling glimpse into how the Semantic Web will add a new, powerful level of intelligence to the Internet.

Rather than just connect things … Read more