The 4-port HomePlug AV PLS300 adapter.
(Credit: Cisco)It doesn't matter how powerful your home wireless router is, there might still be some corner in the basement the signal can't reach. This is when you need an alternative solution, such as a pair of Powerline adapters. Powerline adapters basically extend the length of the network cable by using the existing electrical wiring--this means you can bring your network port anywhere in the house where there's a power outlet.
The Home AV PLK300 PowerLine adapter kit.
(Credit: Cisco)For that reason, it's pretty exciting that Cisco on Monday will announce its third release of Linksys by Cisco Powerline adapters. The new lineup includes both the HomePlug Turbo and the HomePlug AV specifications. The former caps at 85Mbps and is suitable for regular traffic such as Internet browsing or sending and receiving e-mail. The latter caps at 189Mbps and is optimized for applications that require more bandwidth, such as high-definition video streaming or gaming.
Improvements over the previous generation include a better, more compact design and more ports. They won't obstruct the wall sockets anymore and now you can use them to connect up to four devices right out of the box without buying an additional switch.
The new Powerline products from Cisco are delivered with a preconfigured password that can be changed by running the installation wizard. The products work straight out of the box and are compatible with any other HomePlug-certified Powerline adapters.
Both the new Powerline Turbo and Powerline AV will be available in November, costing $150 and $180 per kit, respectively. A kit includes one Powerline 4-port Ethernet adapter and one 1-port Ethernet adapter. You can also buy a single adapter but you need at least two to cover the two ends of a network connection.
On Sale Now: $119.99 - $179.99
View the latest prices for Linksys PowerLine AV Ethernet Adapter Kit PLK300 - bridge
The MiniStation Shinobi is merely .2 inches thick and weighs only 2 ounces.
With a name that recalls the famed Japanese ninja movie, the MiniStation Shinobi is arguably the thinnest and lightest external hard drive to date--merely .2 inches thick and weighing only 2 ounces.
Buffalo announced the drive on Monday. Unlike other pocket-size external hard drives that use the 2.5-inch drives found in most laptops, this one uses the 1.8-inch laptop hard drive that's more often associated with smaller devices such as portable media players. For this reason, the external hard drive is significantly more compact and lighter, but it also features limited capacity: up to only 60GB. This is because while regular 2.5-inch internal hard drives hit the 500GB mark a long time ago, the 1.8-inch version just very recently reached 240GB.
The USB 2.0-only MiniStation Shinobi comes with Buffalo's SecureLockMobile software that prevents unauthorized access in the event the drive is lost or stolen. Like the DriveStation FlexNet, the Shinobi also comes with Turbo USB technology to boost the throughput performance, plus Memeo's AutoBackup and Auto Sync software.
The MiniStation Shinobi will be available in October in 30GB and 60GB versions for an estimated street price of $120 and $170, respectively.
QGet Ultility's Mac interface.
(Credit: Qnap)QNAP Systems announced on Thursday its QGet Utility application for Mac. The software, which used to be available only to PC users, allows for managing the Download Station features of its Turbo NAS series from a computer.
The Download Station is a function of QNAP's Linux-embedded Turbo NAS which supports BitTorrent, FTP, and HTTP downloads. This lets users download directly onto the NAS drive without having to leave a computer running, thereby saving energy. Generally, you can access a NAS's Web interface to manage the downloads; however, it's more convenient to do this via a desktop application.
While PC-less download feature is also available in other NAS devices, such as the Synology DS-107+, Qnap, so far, is the only vendor that makes the NAS download management utility for both Mac and PC.
The QGet utility can manage multiple download tasks of one or multiple QNAP NAS servers running within your LAN or even over the Internet. You can add, view the download progress, pause, resume, delete the download tasks, set schedule download, or configure others download settings.
The QGet remote download management utility can be downloaded here for both Mac and PC.
SimpleTech's new (Re)Drive is made partially of bamboo and supports only USB 2.0.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET Networks)I've recently seen quite a few devices with an environmentally conscientious design. These devices generally consume less power and are made of recycled, non-toxic materials. Today, though, I got introduced a device that put "green" in a different light.
SimpleTech has gone far and long to make their its new (Re)Drive external hard drive as eco-friendly as possible. The device comes in a package that contains just the essentials: the drive plus its power and USB cables. The cables are are taped to a side of the box. There's no other paper or plastic or any unnecessary packaging materials, as normally found in most other packages. Even the Quick Install Guide is printed on the inside of of the box.
Being environmentally conscientious, SimpleTech has the (Re)Drive's Quick Install Guide printed on the inside of the box.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET Networks)Now comes the drive. It's partially made of...bamboo! It's true--the top and the bottom of the drive are two pieces of unpainted bamboo strips that smell and feel as if they just left the lumber mill. It's interesting that SimpleTech chose bamboo as the materials for the (Re)Drive. I am from Asia and know very well how bamboo is ubiquitous there and is the easiest plant to grow.
The drive, of course, has metal parts. Its sides are made of recycled aluminum that also work as a heat-sink that dissipates heat generated by the internal hard drive. The aluminum casing also helps cool the drive without using fans, which would use more power. The drive doesn't come with a power switch, but it has a mechanism that turns the drive on and off according to the usage. I don't know how this will work out in real life use and testing, but this seems a good solution to save energy. The (Re)Drive's power adapter is also Energy Star certified.
The (Re)Drive comes with TurboHDDUSB software that allows for significantly improving USB 2.0 throughput performance.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET Networks)As an external hard drive, the (Re)Drive offers 500GB of storage and a USB 2.0 connection. There's no FireWire or eSATA support. However, it comes with a software driver that allows the USB 2.0 connection to work in Turbo mode, which promises to increase the throughput speed significantly.
The drive is estimated to cost about $160, which translate into about 30 cents per Gigabite -- a relatively good deal. Other than the Turbo software driver, similar to the Back Cherry, the (Re)Drive ships with Fabrick Local Backup software as a basic back up solution and it includes 2GB of free online backup storage from Fabrik Ultimate. The Backup service costs about $5 per month month for unlimited online storage space.
I will have to see via testing about the drive's performance and features, so check back for our in-depth review at CNET.com. However, just from its looks, I feel quite tempted to use the (Re)Drive as a cheese serving board. It looks like it will go well with a piece of Stilton blue cheese.
Here are the virtual console releases for the week of July 9.
- Yoshi (1992, NES, 500 Wii points) - Yoshi marks the first game solely devoted to Mario's dino friend. It's strictly a puzzle game, where you must match like objects in order to release Yoshi from his egg prison.
- Mach Rider (1985, NES, 500 Wii points) - Come visit the year 2112 as envisioned by a 1980s video game developer! Mach Rider drops you in the middle of an intergalactic battle for Earth and all you've got is your motorcycle.
- Air Zonk (1992, TurboGrafx 16, 600 Wii points) - Air Zonk is a hilarious side-scrolling shooter that is a direct spinoff of the popular Bonk's Adventure series.
Check back next Monday for three more virtual console releases.
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