Recently Filed in Networking and Communication

Amimon, Hitachi, Motorola, Samsung, Sharp and Sony are announcing the formation of a special interest group to promote and develop the WHDI (Wireless High Definition Interface) Protocol as a comprehensive new industry standard for multi-room audio, video and control connectivity that allows the streaming of secure, encrypted HD video. Other smaller companies like Belkin may join later. The group’s objective is to enhance the current WHDI technology. The consortium’s primary focus right now is to complete the new worldwide standard this year, and launch WHDI-enabled… View this story
Networking and Communication • Manufacturers • Networking • Info and Answers

In case you were thinking about preserving this year’s MLB All-Star festivities, taking place at Yankee Stadium in its last year, don’t fret over it being without the expressed written consent of Major League Baseball. MLB is whole-heartedly giving you the 2008 All-Star Game, plus the Home Run Derby, with its blessing this year. Of course, that means you have to pay for it, but MLB is offering them on a cozy USB wristband from SportsLive, available in white or blue. The flash-drive jewelry holds… View this story
Miscellaneous • Gadgets • Web Services • Networking and Communication • Enhancements • Product News

How will you enjoy your viewing experience of gymnastics, the decathlon, basketball, swimming and myriad other sports that comprise the impending Beijing Summer Olympics? NBC really wants to know. So much so they aren’t shying away from calling the 2008 Games, which being on August 8, a “billion-dollar research lab” to see if viewers will tune into online, on-demand and mobile-phone video along with the traditional TV viewing. There’s plenty of options and opportunities to tune in, too, and we mean plenty—3,600 hours of TV… View this story
Displays • HDTV • Networking and Communication • Internet • Enhancements • Product News

HP’s been telling us how we can set our digital media free and bring it straight to our TV with no hassles since CES in January. Now, its wireless-capable MediaSmart Connect receiver is finally available for pre-order, with the MSRP of $349. The MediaSmart Connect uses the technology acting as an extender device for Windows Media Center, so you can pull up all of the info for your digital music, movies and photos on your TV screen. You can also tap into movie rentals from… View this story
AV Components • Digital Media Servers • Miscellaneous • Movies and Music • Networking and Communication • Multiroom AV • Product News

The Vudu set-top box doesn’t need to go on top of the set anymore (and really, with flat-panel TVs now, isn’t it time we ditch the term set-top?), it can be pretty much anywhere in your house. The company has introduced the Vudu Wireless Kit, so you don’t have to have it tied to an ethernet connection to get all of your downloadable movies. Vudu’s Wireless Kit is a plug-and-play solution for ease of creating a wireless network dedicated to the Vudu box, as it… View this story
AV Components • Digital Media Servers • Digital Media Stores • Set Top Boxes • Networking and Communication • WiFi • Home Theater • Product News

The World Wide Web is the place to be, and the options for getting there have never been greater. We’ve investigated the deals, the speeds, and the availability to help consumers choose a high-speed bandwagon to jump on. Comparison Points When placing an internet service provider under the microscope, we’re looking for a few things, including price, speed, and availability. Today’s ISPs are giving consumers a wide range of choices regarding the first two categories. It is not uncommon to see two or three “packages”… View this story
Networking and Communication • Cable • Satellite • Fiber/FiOS • Internet • Networking • Info and Answers

It’s no secret that more people are ditching their landlines in favor of cell phones. According to Mediamark Research, the percentage of adults living in cell-only households has risen from 1.2% to the current 14.0% in the past seven years. In this article, we’ll look at the pros and cons of ditching your landline; whether cell boosters, which claim to boost cell phone signals, are worth the investment; and the validity of VoIP becoming the new landline. Ditching the Landline: The Good and The Bad… View this story
Networking and Communication • Telephones • VoIP • Info and Answers

Tired of attaching photos and sending massive-size emails to your friends and family? Maybe you don’t want everyone searching on your Flickr page or having to go through slideshow after slideshow online? Maybe you don’t want to upload to YouTube anytime you want to share a video? Memeo wants some beta testers for its photo file-sharing service, which lets you do desktop-to-desktop media sharing. Memeo Share gives users the ability to automatically send pics, videos and other documents straight to PC desktops. You don’t have… View this story
Computer Systems • Computer Accessories • Software • Networking and Communication • Networking • Enhancements • Product News

One of the biggest ways we can be energy efficient in the future? Mesh networks using radio frequency technologies like ZigBee and Z-Wave to move information around the house wirelessly. If some electronics manufacturers have their way, these wireless networking technologies will help us better monitor our home’s energy use—and possibly the energy savings from alternative systems such as solar or wind power.  A hot topic at the recent European Home Control Summit in Frankfort, Germany was energy efficiency and how wireless networks can facilitate… View this story
Networking and Communication • Green Technology • Networking • Info and Answers

I hate the phone. At work or at play, most will know that I am not the type that springs for the ring. Also, you’d better leave a message and let me know what my callback will entail; your name and number on Caller ID are not the same as a message. Email and instant message, on the other hand, are my friends. We’re close. In fact, we’re so close, it’s the first “face” that I see in the morning and the last I see… View this story
Networking and Communication • Telephones • Product News

I saw the new Verizon FiOS commercial last night, and man is it awesome! A new campaign by Verizon kicked off with blockbuster movie director/producer Michael Bay repeatedly telling us how awesome FiOS is and how it blows away cable—and yes, things are being blown up in the background (awesome!) in what’s actually a pretty funny self-parody of Bay. I don’t know if Bay is becoming the next Mark Cuban when it comes to preaching technology, but he’s well on his way. Bay’s movies may… View this story
AV Components • Blu-ray • HD DVD • Networking and Communication • Cable • Fiber/FiOS • Home Theater • Enhancements • Product News

You might not see this on one of those hip Apple commercials for the iPhone: using that nifty little device to check in on how much electricity your home is using and how much it is costing. Current State software, a concept developed as part of The Greener Grass, taps into your home as a real-time energy use monitoring system and timer for powered devices. Basically all you have to do is attach “Plug-Ends” to the power devices (after ordering them online), install the Current… View this story
AV Components • Portables • Miscellaneous • Gadgets • Green Technology • Web Services • Networking and Communication • Cell Phones • Home Control • Enhancements • Product News