network

To date, the SlingPlayer viewing software has let owners of the Slingbox watch their home TV on a Windows PC, a Mac, or a Windows Mobile device anywhere in the world they have a broadband connection available. Symbian smartphone software is already available in Europe, and Palm software has just been announced. Those software players will soon be joined by a hardware option in the form of the recently announced SlingCatcher, due to hit stores in mid-2007 for under $200.

We knew the general details of the SlingCatcher based on Sling Media's announcements earlier this week, but this morning … Read more

At CES 2007, Buffalo Technology announced a Draft N dual-band wireless router, the AirStation Wireless-N Nfiniti Dual Band Router & AP (WZR-AG300NH), which supports all current Wi-Fi standards (802.11a/b/g) as well as the Draft N spec. Buffalo deviated from its vertical design with a flat-sitting base unit and a separate (cable-attached) three-antenna unit. The three antennae are arranged in a circle, and the unit resembles a small toy helicopter.

The benefit of including 802.11a support is stability when streaming voice packets or high-def video, because 802.11a operates in the 5GHz band. Common household devices such … Read more

You know, it's about time. It's been a while since one of Silicon Valley's big guys snapped up one of the Web's start-ups du jour--so long, in fact, that all sorts of wild and speculative rumors had started to swirl about which companies would inevitably be buying Digg and Facebook before 2006's end. Neither deal happened. But yesterday's uber-late-night reports from Forbes' Quentin Hardy and GigaOM's Om Malik have revealed that, as speculated, it looks likeYahoo has purchased the pseudo-social-networking service MyBlogLog for an undisclosed price, though it's rumored to be … Read more

Many companies at CES are working on products that combine TV programming with related content from the Internet and distribute it throughout the home (Microsoft demonstrated some of these capabilities with Vista and Media Center Extenders during its keynote on Sunday). But Sharp is the first company to demonstrate a prototype product that can stream two simultaneous HD feeds and Internet content over the existing power lines in your home.

The technology, called Network AQUOS, uses PowerLine Communication modems to connect the TV and PC, and transmit high-quality audio, video and online content over Homeplug AV, a high-speed networking standard. … Read more

It's a little ironic, don't you think, that with all the push for wireless this and wireless that, we're suddenly awash in PowerLine Ethernet adapters? One of Linksys' announcements at CES yesterday was for the HomePlug AV-compliant PowerLine AV Ethernet Kit (PLK200), which includes two Linksys PowerLine AV Ethernet Adapters (PLE200).

Setting up a PowerLine Ethernet network is one of the simplest ways to create a network capable of throughput fast enough to transfer high-definition data--such as video--smoothly. Simply plug in your first adapter to your router via an Ethernet cable and then plug it into an … Read more

At the CES 2007 Pepcom event tonight, Linksys unveiled the first Draft N router that we've seen optimized for gamers. The WRT330N combines Linksys' Draft N technology with four Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports and one Gigabeat Ethernet WAN port. In addition, its Quality of Service implementation prioritizes gaming packets for smoother play. It supports PC and game consoles, online gaming, online multiplayer role-playing games and online head-to-head gaming. The QoS implementation can also improve VoIP and Web cam performance. Even the exterior, with its sleek black design, should appeal to gamers.

Security features include WPA2, WPA, and WEP; an … Read more

At the CES 2007 Pepcom event tonight, Linksys announced its entry-level NAS (network-attached storage) unit, the descriptively yet boringly named Network Storage System with 2 Bays (NAS200). The SOHO-oriented device offers up two empty drive bays in which you can install one or two 3.5-inch SATA drives of your choice. You can treat the two drives as one large drive, as two individual drives, or set them up for mirroring or striping. Additionally, it sports two USB ports to connect additional drives for increased capacity or for backup. Once you've installed the drive(s), you can connect the … Read more

Sony today unveiled the Bravia Internet Video Link, a small accessory designed to deliver online video to compatible Bravia flat-screen HDTVs. The device is scheduled to be released in mid-2007; pricing has not yet been set. It will only work with compatible Bravia LCD TVs that are scheduled to be released later in 2007.

The Bravia Internet Video Link is a small device about the size of a VHS tape that's designed to snap onto the back of the TV. In addition to the Ethernet port (which interfaces to your home network), the Video Link box includes USB and … Read more

At a CES 2007 press conference this morning, Netgear announced the second iteration of its Storage Central device, the Storage Central Turbo (SC101T). As its name implies, it's faster than its predecessor, because of a Gigabit Ethernet connection. It still comes with two empty drive bays, into which you can install Serial ATA hard drives from any vendor and of any capacity. Conceivably, with Seagate's expected 1TB, 3.5-inch drives, you could easily have a 2TB SAN box on your network at a fraction of what you'd pay for a 2TB external drive. The two-drive setup allows … Read more