If you've wished you could connect your external hard drive to your computer without having to use the USB cable, now you can.
Imation announced Thursday the availability of the first wireless USB external hard drive, the Pro WX. The hard drive works just like any other USB hard drive, with one exception: it doesn't require a USB cable.
The Pro WX wireless USB external hard drive.
(Credit: Imation)Wireless USB has been under development for about five years, and some of the first products were demoed at CES 2009. This technology allows you to connect USB 2.0 devices to a computer wirelessly from up to 30 feet away with a throughput speed of up to 480Mbps.
According to Imation, the Pro WX wireless USB external hard drive offers less than that, with speeds of up to only 120Mbps or 15MBps; this is about three times slower than regular USB 2.0 hard drives. At this speed it can finish copying the entire content of a CD-ROM (roughly 800MB) in about 50 seconds. Other than that, this drive is based on the 3.5-inch desktop hard drive and offers 1.5TB of storage.
The Imation Pro WX features a sleep-mode feature to conserve energy and a one-touch, backup sync button for you to manually start a backup when needed. The device is compatible with both PC and Mac operating systems
In order to take advantage of the wireless USB, your computer needs to support this. As most computers don't have built-in wireless USB, there are adapters that you can add to the machine. It's unclear if an adapter is included with the Pro WX.
What's clear, however, is the fact that this is going to be one of the most expensive external hard drives you can find. At the estimated price of $500, about three times the price of regular external USB hard drives of the same storage capacity, I am not sure if it's worth it when the only benefit is losing the USB cable.
Jeff,
I've read your reviews of headphones that use a USB dongle to stream any and all audio to it wirelessly. Do you know an affordable (less than $60) way to do this and send audio to a receiver? I have a line in port that I'd love to connect to some sort of device that could receive an audio stream from my laptop.
--Russell, New Jersey
Hey Russell,
I've actually been on the hunt for a cheap way to do the same exact thing in my apartment. Unfortunately, there's probably nothing that can do it for under $60. Back at my parent's house, I set them up with an Apple Airport Express (around $100) that allows you to wirelessly stream music from any network-connected computer running iTunes via the Airport's line-out jack.
If that's not something you'd be into, you may want to look at something like the Creative Labs Xmod Wireless Music System (which goes for around $100). It's not as easy as a USB dongle, but it should stream any and all sound coming from your computer.
Our editors really liked the Logitech Wireless Music System for PC but it looks like that device isn't manufactured anymore. However, I'm sure you can still find it on Amazon or eBay.
We also came across an Onkyo solution that looks like it'll do what you want, but it retails for $150.
Lastly, we don't usually point our readers into these murky waters, but we stumbled across a very suspect product that somehow completely satisfies every requirement you stipulated, including the price. If all else fails and you simply cannot spend the extra cash on what we recommend, head over to a1components.com. They've got a no-name USB transmitter/receiver that says it'll do exactly what you want. But please keep in mind, we've never tested it, we're not sure it works, and judging by the photo, they might just be sending you all the components in a plastic bag. If I haven't been clear, this is a total "try this at your own risk" lecture.
Good luck Russell!
-Jeff
Anyone have any additional advice for our friend from Jersey?
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.
A MacBook Air can connect with a television and mouse via wireless USB. It's also connected to a hub and a keyboard.
(Credit: Holly Jackson/CNET News)SAN FRANCISCO--Working on a Fujitsu Siemens laptop to cordlessly watch a film trailer on an Asus monitor across the room while listening to speakers controlled by a Realtek wireless USB dock, Jeff Ravencraft touted how USB lets many peripherals work wirelessly at once.
A year after the first wireless universal serial bus products started appearing on the market, more products with the cordless capability are coming to fruition. Juggling several gadgets at a downtown hotel here Thursday, Ravencraft, president of the USB Implementers Forum, wanted to demonstrate how the new technology can impact consumers.
His organization--founded by the group of companies that developed the Universal Serial Bus specification--works to certify wireless USB devices, and so far, 45 products--ranging from computers to hubs to monitors--have received the nonprofit's stamp of approval.
Ravencraft, who also works as a technology strategist at Intel, met with CNET News in advance of next week's Intel Developers Forum, where many wireless USB products will be demoed.
... Read more
Obviously, it's been convenient to operate plug and play bus-powered peripheral devices that use USB and FireWire connections, since all you need is the device itself and one data cable that, once plugged in, also draws juice from the computer to feed the device. However, admittedly, that definitely is less convenient than no cable or plugging at all.
A consortium was established on July 17 in Tokyo to promote a radically new and exciting close-proximity wireless technology, called "TransferJet." This new technology enables a high speed data transmission rate of 560Mbps (by comparison, USB 2.0 has the rate of 480Mbps), while eliminating the need for complex setup and operation. The idea is that just by holding two TransferJet-compliant products closely together (approximately an inch apart) you can transfer data automatically from one device to the other. For example, touching a TV with a digital camera enables photos to be instantaneously displayed on the TV screen.
Alternatively, multimedia content can be easily shared and enjoyed by touching a mobile phone to a portable player. TransferJet can be used as a universal interface across all consumer electronics devices.
TransferJet doesn't create interference by using a separate frequency, keeping the signal within a very short radius and implementing access point-free operation.
(Credit: TransferJet Consortium)TransferJet uses the 4.48GHz frequency and works in a very close proximity, so it therefore won't interfere with other wireless devices. Using low-transmission power (averaging at about 70dBm/MHz), the technology is also slated to have very high effective (real) throughput of 375Mbps. To put this in context, at that rate, one hour of high-resolution MPEG4 video can be transmitted in a few seconds.
The TransferJet Consortium consists of Sony, Canon, Eastman Kodak, Hitachi, Victor Company of Japan, KDDI, Kenwood, Matsushita Electric Industrial (Panasonic), Nikon, Olympus, Pioneer, Samsung, Seiko Epson, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, and Toshiba.
The group will develop specifications and guidelines to ensure interoperability between products that incorporate the technology. The consortium will also promote the advantages of this new technology across industries and directly to consumers, hoping, ultimately, to create and expand the market for TransferJet products.
The travel-friendly Targus operates cord-free (except when recharging)
(Credit: Targus)If you're still using a corded mouse, it's time to get with the 21st century. One-deal-a-day site Yugster has a Targus wireless rodent for just $6.95, plus five bucks for shipping. It's a refurb with a 90-day warranty.
This three-button optical scroll mouse relies on RF technology (meaning no line of sight required) to communicate with its USB dongle. When the rechargeable battery gets low, you simply connect the mouse to the dongle using the included cable. You can, of course, continue using it while it's charging. There's also a USB extension cable so desktop users don't have to reach behind their PCs every time they want to plug and unplug the dongle.
Of course, this is really more of a travel mouse, one for notebook users whose machines lack built-in Bluetooth. (If yours has built-in Bluetooth, look for a Bluetooth mouse instead, one that doesn't require a full-time dongle.) At $11.95 shipped, it's a hard bargain to beat (it sells new for $29.95). Act fast: The offer expires at midnight today.
Rounding out this week's wireless USB news is Toshiba and its Wireless UWB Port Replicator.
The Portege R400 series is one of Toshiba's high-end laptops (with a twisty screen!), which can now be paired with a wireless port replicator docking station that needs no cables to connect with peripherals like a printer, monitor, projector, mouse or external hard drive.
(Credit:
Toshiba)
The dock uses an ultrawideband technology that will stream uncompressed video wirelessly to a monitor at 1280X1024 resolution. It's available now for $499 and can be purchased separately.
It's been a big week for Wireless USB. Earlier both Dell and Lenovo announced laptops that can make USB connections sans cables. D-Link and Iogear announced Wireless USB hubs and adapter kits shortly thereafter.
These kinds of products make me happy because it means a lot less of this kind of situation on or under my desk.
As promised, more gadgets have been approved as official Wireless USB devices. D-Link and IOGEAR both announced Wireless USB hub and adapter kits Monday.
(Credit:
D-Link)
D-Link's Wireless USB Adapter & 4-Port Wireless USB Hub and IOGEAR'S Wireless USB Hub & Adapter Kit are both backward compatible with wired USB and have bandwidth capabilities of up to 480 Mbps at a distance of 10 feet, and 110 Mbps at 30 feet. While Wireless USB does free you from using cables, the signal does not go through walls, so make sure your laptop and the peripherals you want to connect have a line of sight to each other.
The kits bring the list of approved devices to six, joining Dell's Inspiron 1720 notebook and Lenovo's ThinkPad T61 and T61p notebooks, also announced today.
Dell Inspiron 1720
(Credit: Dell)It's taken long enough, but they're here: the first computers that can make USB connections sans cables.
Dell's Inspiron 1720 notebook and Lenovo's ThinkPad T61 and T61p models are the first PCs to receive certification for the standard, the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) is expected to announce Monday. Texas-based WiQuest Communications makes the Wireless USB chipset in both notebooks.
The Thinkpad can be ordered now for $1,814. The Inspiron notebook will not ship until late summer or early fall and pricing is not yet available, according to Dell spokeswoman Anne Camden. She said Dell does expect more of its notebook models to be Wireless USB-capable in the future.
Lenovo ThinkPad T61p
(Credit: Lenovo)Wireless USB will enable peripherals like printers, cameras, mice and hard drives to connect to a PC without a USB cable from distances of up to 16 to 25 feet. As Wireless USB is just beginning to be rolled out for consumers, Wireless USB hubs will be required to connect PCs and peripherals at first. Last week, Belkin announced the first such products. Expect more adapters and hubs to be announced in the coming weeks.
Most desktop and laptop PCs have, at most, four USB ports for peripherals such as cameras, hard drives, and printers, but most of us have more than four peripherals to connect to our PCs. So we're all familiar with the USB hokey-pokey: you put your camera USB in, you take the printer USB out, your put the thumbdrive USB in, and your cords get tangled about. So not fun. Today, Belkin announced four new USB hubs that let you keep all your peripherals connected and that don't block adjacent USB ports.
The Swivel Hub
(Credit: Belkin)The $30 Swivel Hub is a 4-to-1 expander that rotates 180 degrees so you can still use adjacent ports. Additionally, it swivels up and down so you actually see the port you're plugging into, instead of blindly poking your USB connector at the port.
The Clip-On Hub
(Credit: Belkin)The $30 Clip-On Hub is also a 4-to-1 expander but includes a claw that can grab on to the edge of your desk or corral a mess of cables. It has two top-mounted ports for peripherals you plug and unplug frequently (such as an MP3 player or thumbdrive) and two side-mounted ports for items you leave constantly connected (such as printers or hard drives).
The Hub-to-Go
(Credit: Belkin)The $50 Hub-to-Go comprises two sections: a base unit with three ports and a detachable unit with four ports. The detachable section can go with you when you're on the road and it rotates and swivels like the Swivel Hub. The base unit stays put on your desktop (for printers and such) and includes a catch-all tray for the normal desktop junk, like paper clips and sticky notes.
The Wireless USB Hub and Adapter let you roam free while printing.
(Credit: Belkin)Finally, Belkin also announced the $200 Wireless USB Hub, which uses Certified WUSB technology. The base sits on your desk (or wherever you want to keep your printer, scanner, and such) and includes four ports into which you can plug various USB peripherals. The wireless USB adapter plugs into one of the ports on your laptop and lets you use those peripherals while roaming up to 30 feet.
All four products come with a power port and power supply, and all will be available in late August.
