remotes

Owners of the WD My Book Live NAS server can now do a lot more with the storage device via a mobile gadget.

Western Digital announced today the availability of the WD 2go mobile app for the iOS and Android platforms. It turns the NAS server into a personal storage cloud solution.

The app enables users to connect to the NAS server via the Internet using a Wi-Fi network or over a cellular connection. The remote user then can stream to the mobile device digital content, such as music, video, and photos, as well as documents and presentations that are stored on the NAS server.

Multiple users can be granted access to a single WD My Book Live at a time, via different accounts. To do this, the owner of the NAS just needs to create a new user account, using the NAS' Web interface, and enabled remote access on that account. This generates a 12-digit access code, which is entered into the WD 2go app. And that's all it takes for the setup process.

In order to support this new feature and mobile app, the WD My Book Live needs to run the latest firmware, which is a free update.

Other than the mobile platforms, remote users can also access the NAS via any full-featured Internet browser by pointing it to www.WD2go.com. … Read more

We covered the launch news of the iZON Remote Room Monitor from Stem Innovation on Monday. Now, I have my hands on an actual unit. We'll see if it's as easy to use as promised.

Here's a quick refresher. The iZON combines a camera with an iOS app to keep video and audio tabs on a room.

I set the iZON up in my living room where an unidentified feline suspect has been clawing the couch. Dealing with the hardware is simple and the power cord was long enough to reach to the top of the bookcase where I placed the camera.

The next step involved downloading the free Stem:Connect app to my iPad and following the setup instructions to hook the iZON up with my home wireless network. Easy-peasy.

From there, I was up and running. My DSL connection in this old neighborhood is extremely pokey, so there was a slight delay in the video showing up on my iPad. Users with faster Internet connections shouldn't have this problem.

Stem Innovation recommends at least a 2Mbps upload speed. I wish mine was that fast.… Read more

Maybe you have a new puppy. You wonder if sweet, innocent Spike is destroying your leather couch and everything else you hold dear while you're at work. Maybe you want to know which roommate is stealing your leftovers from the fridge.

Pair the iZON Remote Room Monitor from Stem Innovation with your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad, and wonder no more. Remote cameras aren't a new concept, but the iZON comes in at $129.95 and has some enticing bells and whistles that should appeal to Apple fans.

Set up the compact camera somewhere convenient, point it at the object of your interest, and hook it up to your Wi-Fi network. It works with the free Stem:Connect iOS app to give you a real-time audio and video peek into the room. … Read more

As of November 2011, the Nintendo Wii will be 5 years old. That's a long time in game years; in fact, it's nearly a console generation. To no great surprise, then, Nintendo has already announced the Wii's successor, the Wii U, with a likely release date of 2012. Until then, the Wii still survives, but as a lame duck console. That doesn't mean it should be overlooked. Nintendo's latest Wii console bundle--the fourth since the Wii's debut--is the lowest price ever, at $150, although the components in the bundle since last year's $200 have changed.

Gone is Wii Sports, the perennial Wii console pack-in. Gone, too, is Wii Sports Resort. Instead, the new Mario Kart bundle includes a Wii Remote Plus, nunchuck, a copy of Mario Kart Wii, and a Wii Steering Wheel plastic accessory. Mario Kart's a fun casual racer, but Nintendo has taken its most popular motion-control game, Wii Sports, out of the equation, forcing people to buy it separately. It doesn't make much sense, especially considering the game's 5 years old. Those interested in multiplayer games will also have to buy an extra Wii Remote Plus and nunchuck, $40 and $20, respectively.

Europe has announced an even less expensive redesigned Wii bundle, but the $150 Mario Kart version remains the least expensive Wii console in the U.S. We'd love to see this system drop down to $99, but that's just wishful thinking for now. That said, it can be found for under $135 at such major retailers as Wal-Mart and Amazon.

So the question remains: at those prices--about half that of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360--is the Wii worth the investment for first-time buyers?… Read more

The typical $40 remote-control helicopter comes with a tiny, imprecise controller. Griffin's just-announced Helo TC turns your iPhone into the flight stick , with your choice of onscreen or accelerometer controls. Price: $49.99.

The kit consists of a dual-rotor 'copter and the Flight Deck, a case/sled that cradles your iPhone and controls the flyer via line-of-sight infrared. It also plugs into your iPhone's headphone jack, thus allowing the Helo TC app to communicate with the helicopter.

Want to see it in action? Check out Griffin's promo vid, which is not only surprisingly polished, but also pretty … Read more

There are a number of remote access apps that let you gain control of a PC or a Mac using your iPad. (Many of these apps also work with the iPhone, but I have found that accessing a computer on such a small device is best used only in the case of emergency. Navigating a high-resolution system from the iPad can still feel a bit cramped, but not so much that that you can't use it comfortably.) Remote access apps for the iPad range from the enterprise to the free, and I recently tried out three: LogMeIn Ignition, Splashtop Remote Desktop, … Read more

Shark Week is over, but the Discovery Channel seems to have forgotten about a new species at the top of the underwater food chain: Air Swimmers. Unlike RC blimps and other flying mechanical toys, these Mylar balloons add realism and movement with moving fins that swish back and forth to propel the fish through the air.

How does it work? It's simple, kind-of: a 1.5-volt AAA-powered motor attaches to a small plastic pod on the bottom of the balloon, and the accompanying controller uses infrared reception to control the tail rudder's speed and navigation.

The set-up requires … Read more

If you thought $30 was too much to spend for a universal remote control, I've got good news: Logitech just released one that's 33 percent cheaper.

The new Logitech Harmony 200 looks to be a slightly downsized version of the Harmony 300, which first debuted in the spring of 2010. The new model controls three devices instead of four, and it loses a handful of buttons (the five channel favorites, track up/down, and "live" keys found on the 300 have been ditched). Otherwise, the 200 is programmed with the same Web-based software wizard found on … Read more

At its current discounted price of $4.99 (down from its standard $19.99 price), Splashtop Remote Desktop might be the least expensive way to gain remote access to a PC or Mac from an iPad. It installs quickly and is dead simple to use. In this brief tutorial, I'll show you how it works.

… Read more