Connect external displays without cables

If you've always wanted to connect an external display to your laptop without having to physically hook a cable between the two, I have good news for you.

Iogear introduced on Tuesday its Wireless USB to VGA Kit for streaming PC content to an alternate display. This is going to be one of the first implementations of Wireless USB.

WUSB technology has been under development since 2004, and the first time I saw its demo was during Winhec 2006. As the name suggests, it's essentially the current USB 2.0 technology without USB cables. WUSB can operate at full USB 2.0 speed (480Mbps) within a 10-foot range--longer than the length of most standard USB cables--and up to 110Mbps within a 30-feet range.

The WUSB to VGA kit from Iogear includes two compact components.

(Credit: Iogear)

For now, most computers and legacy peripherals have to be upgraded to WUSB with add-in cards and hubs. Going forward, most computers and devices will hopefully have this technology built in, just like USB 2.0.

The WUSB VGA kit from Iogear will allow for quickly displaying your laptop's visual content to an external display such as an LCD, a HDTV, or a projector, just like you would currently do by hooking the two with a VGA cable.

The kit allows for displaying anything you see on the laptop's screen, including 720p HD video content on the alternate display up to 30 feet away. For non HD content, the kit supports resolutions up to UXGA (1600x1200) or WSXGA+ (1680x1050), which are higher than the native resolutions of most laptops. It can also take advantage of a television's picture-in-picture function so that you can view the laptop's content and watch TV at the same time.

The WUSB to VGA kit consists of a Wireless USB adapter that connects to a Windows PC and a wireless VGA adapter to plug in to a VGA display. You'll still need a VGA cable (not included) to connect the wireless VGA adapter to the display, however. Aside from the VGA cable, the setup is compact enough for you to easily carry on the go.

The kit is compatible with both Windows XP and Windows Vista operating systems and will be available for the general market sometime in October for about $230.

[mattumanu]

"You will still need a VGA cable (not included) to connect the wireless VGA adapter to the display, however. "

Am I the only one who thinks this is stupid? Why didn't they make the thing with a male end VGA connector?

[checodaman]

It's probably too heavy and would strain the connection if plugged in directly.

[favollo]

test

[xbrando7]

I cant see why this sort of thing would be convenient for anyone, most especially for people with desktop machines. Maybe if you wanted and external monitor for a laptop,but other than that, I expect some pairing and interference problems.

[ice82]

Yep, I'll stick with my existing wired connection, especially if the current USB ports have to be upgraded to accept WUSB devices.
Nice try, though.

[cancerman1013]

I think the way it's designed, it won't fit some monitors that might be wall-mounted, so using a cable, that can just be wound up, you can keep everything neatly together and still hide the mess. Anyway, I think it's a neat idea, though still pricey. Folks can quickly hook up Blu-ray equipped laptops to watch movies, or do presentations without fumbling over wires and such...!

[trnddwn33]

Buying this for a blue ray equipped laptop is a horrible idea, as vga doesn't transmit digital signals, let alone HD. Buy a long dvi cable for a fraction of the price and profit

[tdisalva]

I do see one usefull application for this. Anyone with a Netflix account you can now hookup thier laptop comfortablly on the table in front of you and be able to choose, start and pause movies within reach. Of course the next piece needed for this would be to have the audio connection wusb as well. Why not and an HDMI connector

[renGek]

Its probably useful if you want to connect your laptop to your hdtv and stream content from the laptop. Granted its probably cheaper and easier to do what I currently do, use an old desktop and connect its dvi to hdmi on the tv.