Correction: this article was updated at 1:30 p.m. PDT on June 4 with the correction about the upload and download speeds of the module.
Netbooks, such as those AT&T is bundling with its data plans, are about to get a new module that helps connect to the Internet via cellular networks.
The Ericsson F3307 module installed in a Netbook.
(Credit: Ericsson)Ericsson is expected to launch on Thursday its latest mobile broadband module, called Ericsson F3307, specifically designed for mini laptops. The module is pre-certified with major cellular networks in 75 countries.
This means Netbook manufacturers can quickly equip their Netbooks with this new integrated wireless connectivity.
The Ericsson F3307 enables users to directly access the Internet through the HSPA standard, similar to that used by AT&T's 3G network. The HSPA standard is the most popular mobile broadband technology in the world with more than a billion subscribers in more than 100 countries.
Optimized for Netbooks, the new module combines performance and low power consumption. It offers download speeds up to 7.2Mbps and upload up to 2Mbps. It's about the same size as a Wi-Fi module currently used in many laptops.
In addition to the existing Netbook platforms, Ericsson is working closely with Intel to validate the F3307 module with Intel's next-generation netbook platform, the Pine Trail-M.
Ericsson estimates that more than 300 million Netbooks will be sold between 2009 and 2014, with a majority having mobile broadband capabilities.
LG Versa with a game pad controller
(Credit: Verizon Wireless)LG has finally released a second module for the LG Versa, in the form of a game pad module made for, well, playing games.
As you might recall, the Versa is a unique touch-screen phone with the option of attaching external modules. Previously, the Versa only came with a QWERTY keyboard module, which is handy for messaging and surfing the Web. Now it has this game pad controller, which you can slide on the back of the phone's body for storage when not in use.
Like you would expect, the game pad controller has an eight-way directional pad and four gaming buttons. We wonder if there will be enough games in Verizon's library to support the controller, but we do think it's a handy option for Versa owners who like to game on-the-go. The module will cost you though; they are $29.99 each.
(Via Engadget Mobile)
Sony's Wireless Link Module (DMX-WL1)
(Credit: Sony)The Bravia Internet Link is getting some siblings. Sony is adding three new accessories to its product line: the Wireless Link Module (DMX-WL1), the DVD Link Module (DMX-DVD), and the Input Link Module (DMX-SW1). Like the Internet Link, the new "Link" accessories are also designed as modular add-ons to specific current and recent Sony Bravia flat-panel LCD TVs. By snapping onto the TVs backside, they should still allow for a reasonably thin profile.
The $150 Input Link Module adds four HDMI inputs to compatible Bravias, while the $200 DVD Link Module adds a "built-in" upconverting DVD player to the mix. But it's the $800 Wireless Link Module that's the highlight of the new line. The two-part system includes a wireless video transmitter and a receiver (the latter of which snaps onto the back of the TV). Put the transmitter near your equipment rack, plug in up to five HD sources (four HDMI inputs, one component), and they're wirelessly transmitted to the TV for distances up to 65 feet (according to Sony). Video sources are limited to 1080i resolution, however, and it's unclear if there's any compression or lag (the latter is a big frustration for gamers). The Wireless Link Module is scheduled to hit in October, while the other two are already available.
Are any of these worth buying? ... Read More
There are plenty of options for connecting an iPod to a car stereo--increasingly, car makers themselves are offering full iPod control as an aftermarket add-on. But if you're like me and own multiple MP3 players, most of which won't work with the specialized iPod connectors, the solution's different: get an aftermarket stereo with a built-in auxiliary input or (better yet) a USB connection.
(Credit:
Apple)
Subaru must have thought its customers didn't care about audio. The 2005 and 2006 Outbacks and Forresters came with decent-sounding stock stereo systems, complete with 6 CD changer. But for some unfathomable reason (probably cost-cutting and lock-in, as this poster suggests), the company connected these factory systems to the climate control panel, meaning it's insanely difficult to swap them out for a new stereo. So difficult that your typical McStereo installation place probably won't do it for you.
After making this unwelcome discovery, I've spent the last year or so messing around with various FM transmitters. You connect these devices to your MP3 player, and they broadcast the signal over an "unused" FM wavelength so you can pick it up on your radio. Only one problem: I've never seen one work very well. If you live in an urban area with lots of radio stations and telephone lines, you'll get interference, fade-outs, and random bursts of static. Unless you're willing and able to hack your transmitter, you're pretty much stuck with a frustrating listening experience.
This weekend, I'm going back to the drawing board and trying what this blogger suggested: an FM modulator. Similar to an FM transmitter, these devices let you connect an auxiliary output from an MP3 player (or any other device) directly to the stereo's internal FM receiver. Because there's no over-the-air transmission, you can apparently avoid the interference problems. It's only FM-quality--but most my digital files are compressed anyway. It'll probably run me around $200 installed, which is a fine price to avoid terrestrial radio and the frustration of an FM transmitter.
UPDATE: Apparently, the 2007 Outbacks do have an aux-in option, not just an iPod connector option. Apologies for my prior error, but that still doesn't fix the problem for us '05 and '06 owners.
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