Sony's glass tube speaker projects a 360 degree soundfield!
(Credit: Sony)Sony's making high-end speakers?
It's kind of like hearing master chef Mario Batali is concocting a $25 Quarter Pounder for McDonalds. It's just that I associate Sony speakers with the sort I hear in home-theater-in-a-box systems. You know, little plastic boxes with low-tech drivers. Those speakers can be decent enough, but they're light years away from bona-fide high-end audio devices.
Well, the Sountina NSA-PF1 doesn't look like anything I've seen from Sony, or any other speaker manufacturer. Exact design details are sketchy, other than to claim the speaker uses "Four columns linking these parts contain oscillators to vibrate the organic glass tube." OK, sure.
It's a stereo speaker; one Sountina NSA-PF1 can produce stereo sound. Cool. Thing is, while the Sountina NSA-PF1 is available in Japan, Europe, Russia, Taiwan, Brazil, Panama, and Chile, it's not for sale here in the U.S.A. I can only wonder why.
President Obama's BlackBerry 8830 is getting the super-secure treatment.
(Credit: Research In Motion)After months of waiting, President Obama will soon get his super-secure BlackBerry.
The Washington Times newspaper reported Thursday that the presidential BlackBerry 8830 is "in the final stages of development by the National Security Agency." The agency is still testing the encryption software to ensure it's up to snuff. And the president could have his new device in a matter of months.
A Washington, D.C.-based company, Genesis Key, developed the software called SecureVoice that will be used to secure the high-security BlackBerry. Research In Motion, the maker of the BlackBerry, has also been involved in development, the Washington Times said.
Since the inauguration in January, President Obama, who vowed security officials would have to pry his BlackBerry out of his hands, has been using a cumbersome work-around to communicate with key members of his staff and close aides.
... Read more
Zyxel's NSA-220 NAS server.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET Networks)If I had to describe Zyxel's NSA-220 NAS server in a few words, I'd say it's like Synology's DS107+--minus the intimidating amount of features and plus RAID functionality.
The Sinology DS107+, at the time of reviewing, had by far the most features and the most robust, easy-to-use Web-based management. The NSA-220, on the other hand, offers fewer features, while it does come with a similarly impressive and intuitive Web interface. I tried it out briefly and was very happy with it. From creating RAID configurations and user accounts to setting up shared folders, I didn't have any problems and was able to figure things out the first time around.
The NSA-220 is a two-bay NAS server that supports RAID 0, RAID 1, and JBOD. The NAS doesn't have high-end features such as support for IP cameras or built-in Web photo management, but it does offer FTP Server, Media Server, print-serving capability, and a download service. It supports external USB storage and can quickly copy an entire USB external hard drive's contents onto its internal storage. It also comes with an interesting feature called "Broadcatching" that keeps tracks of RSS feeds.
Design-wise, the NSA-220's hard drive bays are easily accessible, and you can intall/replace the hard drives without any tools. You do, however, need to unplug the NAS server from the power and the network to reach the hard drives, so it seems the device doesn't offer hot-swapping capability.
Check back at CNET.com soon for the full review of the product. If you can't wait, the Zyxel is available now for around $220 without hard drives, which is a reasonable price.
Finally, here's a phone plan that allows you to switch from the U.S. government's Secret Internet Protocol Router Network to the Unclassified but Sensitive Internet Protocol Router Network with a single keystroke.
(Credit:
General Dynamics)
The National Security Agency has authorized military and government personnel to order up a bunch of General Dynamics' Sectera Edge secure, wireless smartphones, which will not only allow them to make secure calls but also to e-mail and Web-browse in either classified or unclassified mode.
The phones will still operate right along with everyone else on the existing high-speed Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), code division multiple access (CMDA) and Wi-Fi commercial cellular networks.
Although it looks like a regular phone, the company says the Sectera Edge is designed to rugged military specs, allowing for the wear and tear of both the office and "war fighters completing a tactical mission." And it comes with a personal organizer that includes contacts, calendar, tasks, alarms and notes so you won't forget your loved ones' birthdays in the midst of a covert operation.
Deliveries are scheduled for later this year, with sales estimated as high as $300 million over the next 5 years, according to the company. The Sectera Edge is part of the NSA's Secure Mobile Environment Portable Electronic Device program, but there are civilian models available. Did we mention the secret handshake?
(Credit:
Michael Kanellos/CNET Networks)
Pictured here are just some of the many doodads up for grabs at the RSA Security Conference, taking place in San Francisco this week. Once again, our own National Security Agency remains one of the organizations that showed it knows how to make a splash at the show. This year they gave away these handsome blue-and-white tote bags that look like they came straight from a department store.
(Credit:
Michael Kanellos/CNET Networks)
And, if you waited patiently in line, you could get this commemorative Department of Homeland Security medal. It's actually quite heavy. You can also slip it into your wallet and pretend it's a badge.
Like in past years, the NSA also exhibited one of the best things on the show floor: one of the surviving Enigma machines the Germans used to encode documents during World War II. The captured Enigma machines gave British crackers the toehold they needed to break the codes and determine upcoming raids.
(Credit:
Michael Kanellos/CNET Networks)
The T-shirt doesn't come from the NSA. Instead, it comes from eEye Security. But we liked it anyway.
It's remarkable. RSA used to be a somewhat small conference held in the Masonic Auditorium. Now it takes up two huge halls. You hackers really have made a security boom!
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