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WD joins networking with My Net router family

Once in a while there's a big change, and Western Digital is having one of its own.

The major storage vendor today unveiled not a new hard drive or NAS server, but its very first networking devices in the My Net family. There are five routers and one Gigabit Ethernet switch, enough to challenge other major home-networking vendors, such as Cisco, D-Link, Trendnet, and Netgear.

Unlike other networking vendors whose lineups tend to start with a budget single-band router, WD starts with the My Net N600, a true dual-band router that offers 300Mbps on both the 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands. The next step is the My Net N750, which also offers the 450Mbps speed on the 5GHz band, and finally there's the top-tier My Net N900, which offers the 450Mbps data rate on both bands. The My Net N900 also notably comes with seven Gigabit LAN ports (as opposed to the four ports found in most wireless routers). All of these routers work with any existing Wi-Fi clients.… Read more

Small screens have a big future in the home

As consumers move to the Web for convenient anytime/anywhere access to the content they want, connectivity will play a larger role in TV viewing. The marriage of the Internet to the TV screen seems perfectly timed in this respect, with services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Pandora almost standard on most connected sets.

With nearly two in three displays 50 inches and larger being Internet-connectable, according to The NPD Group's Retail Tracking Service, the feature is approaching ubiquity on large screens.

As a way to easily deliver more content, the Web seems like a natural fit for primary displays in the home that tend to have larger screens. But as the installed base of streaming video and other apps continues to grow and become a larger part of the everyday user's consumption routine, demand for access to them across the household is also likely to increase, giving rise to a new market for smaller connected-TV screens suited for secondary rooms in the home.

… Read more

Bosch robot lawn mower gives you more hammock time

Why waste your summer cutting grass yourself? Get a machine to do it. Robot lawn mowers are nothing new, but Bosch is introducing one that's apparently more automated than competitors.

The Bosch Indego is an electric, autonomous mower that can cut up to 10,700 square feet of grass with little supervision, according to IEEE Spectrum.

All you need to do is install a guide wire on the edge of your lawn to keep the Indego in. It will automatically skirt all obstacles on your lawn including your pink flamingos, croquet mallets, and flower beds. … Read more

Safe House: Zombie-proof and stylish to boot

It was just over a year ago that the CDC told the public how to prepare for a zombie apocalypse, tongue firmly in cheek.

Today, it ain't so funny. Following the stunning case in Miami, Fla., of a drug-addled man eating another man's face, there have been reports of horrifying cannibalistic crimes in Texas and Maryland.

Naturally, there's a Google map of these and other incidents foretelling zombie doomsday.

Ridiculous? Yes. But even the CDC weighed in on it, with spokesman David Daigle reassuring everyone that there's really no such thing as zombies.

Oh but there are more things in heaven and earth, CDC, than are dreamt of in your philosophy. … Read more

Kids' playhouse made from recycled potato peels, veggie oil

More and more these days, we're picking up drink bottles and plastic utensils crafted from corn rather than regular plastic. So, how about products made from agricultural waste and food scraps? Glad you asked. The Biobased Kidshouse from Dutch consortium BE-Basic is made entirely from natural materials such as agri-waste, tree bark, and potato peels.

The panels are made from compressed straw. The roof is waterproofed with vegetable oils. The electric sockets are where the potato peel bioplastic comes in. … Read more

AT-AT bed the stuff 'Star Wars' dreams are made of

With Father's Day fast approaching, the kids in the Dutilly family have an extra big reason to show dad some love. Derek Dutilly built his young son an AT-AT bed.

The massive plywood and Masonite bed is decked out with PVC head cannons and entry/exit stairs with secret compartments for storing lightsabers, Jedi robes, and "Star Wars" Legos.

The bed is sized to allow the lucky kid to disappear to sleep inside the AT-AT body, but a window near the front lets the parents check in on their snoozing little Jedi. … Read more

Top 5 IPv6-ready wireless routers

Today is the day when IPv6 is permanently enabled by home-networking equipment manufacturers and Web companies around the world. So what do you do to get ready?

First of all, there's really nothing you have to do right away. The transition to IPv6 will be a slow process, and in the meantime IPv4 devices will still work. In fact, there are IPv4-to-IPv6 transition protocols, known as "dual-stack" protocols, that make it possible to wrap IPv6 addresses within IPv4 packets to help legacy devices work during the transition. In the long term, it's better to make sure your network devices support IPv6 natively. Some of them can be upgraded to support IPv6 via firmware, but others you might have to replace with new devices.

Speaking of new devices, the most important networking device for your home or small office network is the router. The broadband modem is important, too, but most likely it's the responsibility of the service provider to upgrade that.

Following is the list of top 5 wireless routers that are IPv6-ready.… Read more

Man creates mobile home -- in a plane

Most people want to get out of planes as fast as they can.

Bruce Campbell, however, thought it might be fun to live in one.

So he bought himself a Boeing 727-200, for a mere $100,000, and set to work on turning it into a gorgeous pied-a-terre.

You might be wondering where Campbell put his rather large mobile home. Well, he lives in the Oregon woods, so he just parked it in what might be termed his garden.… Read more

Zombie Gnomes: Apocalypse in your garden

If you're anything like me, you've thought about the zombie apocalypse. You've wondered how long your canned goods will hold out and if you'll be able to fortify the windows against the onslaught of zombified neighbors.

What you might not have considered is that the zombie apocalypse could start right in your own patch of rosemary. You won't know the true meaning of terror until you feel that nip at your ankle and see your once-quaint garden gnome now thirsting for your blood.… Read more