Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

For those of you that need to find a tech stocking stuffer this year, there is the newly released Netgear SPH101 Wifi Skype 802.11g phone.

Nearly a year after the handset was announced, Netgear has released the SPH101 this week that would allow free calls to be made anywhere with wireless services using the Skype service. Measuring a slim and trendy 4.33x1.81x0.83 inches, the SPH101 can be charged through your USB connection, with the capability to store up to 200 contacts and to forward Skype calls to any landline or cell phone. Prices are starting at a little more than $200 from major retailers.

Read [Netgear] Via [TheTechPlanet]

Linksys has announced that their WUSB300N USB wireless adapter based on the 802.11n draft specification is now available. USB is one of the easiest ways to add wireless connectivity to a standalone desktop, or to upgrade your speeds.

The WUSB300N 802.11n USB wireless adapter sits on your desk, catching the super fast “n” rays with its a giant blue paddle. The 802.11n standard draft delivers about eight times the throughput of current consumer-standard 802.11g networks and quadruple the range. Thankfully, the sub-$100 device is backwards-compatible with the older standards.

Of course, one thing to bear in mind is that this specification isn’t yet fully agreed, so you take a small risk that it could change sometime next year and any future 802.11n gear you buy could be incompatible, but by now I expect things won’t change too much or firmware upgrades will get the hardware up to speed.

Read [Linksys] Via [Tech Digest]

The AS-8800 Router with Power-G wireless technology provides up to 20 times greater power, allowing increased Wi-Fi signal penetration—even through concrete walls. The Power-G also gives users near cable-like throughput (108Mbps) for dead-zone-free wireless internet access up to 1200 feet indoors or up to 3900 feet outdoors!

At the heart of the router is a high speed 32 bit wireless networking processor for handling large data bursts and sustaining high throughput and real-time applications such as gaming, VoIP and video streaming.  For added flexibility, users can take advantage of the AS-8800’s extreme Gigabit wired speeds via 5 auto sensing Gigabit Ethernet ports.  A Virtual Server option on the router LAN gives Internet users access to online hosting services such as FTP, Web, and game servers, while the bundled Internet Firewall Security protects from hackers, viruses and worms. The AS-8800 also supports VPN, making each connection secure and indecipherable between the two end points of the network. A default one-click configuration setup wizard ensures ease of installation for non-technical users, while still providing network professionals the flexibility to configure the AS-8800 to their unique environment requirements.

The bottem line/why should you care? Secure high-speed Wi-Fi Internet access within a 1.2 million square foot coverage area with no dead spots, secure hardware firewall and Gigabit wired access—for under $250 --sign me up.

Read [AlphaShield]

Back in September, Apple’s iMac line saw an upgrade from 802.11g to 802.11n Draft 1.0.  Now it looks like Apple’s getting ready to make the 802.11n upgrade for their MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops.  According to ThinkSecret, the upgraded computers will include the Atheros AR5008E wireless chipset.  With the much anticipated iTV due out in the near future, Apple will likely use the faster wireless technology to stream better quality (possibly high-def) content straight to your TV.

Read [ThinkSecret] Via [MacRumors]

Dell is trying to lead the innovation curve and get consumers to upgrade to the new 802.11n wireless standard sooner. When connected to a wireless Draft 802.11n network router featuring Intensi-fi technology, the Dell Wireless 1500 Draft 802.11n wireless card supports data rates up to 270 megabits per second, versus the maximum 54 Mbps with 802.11g wireless technology. The Dell card is Wi-Fi certified to ensure backward compatibility with 802.11g, 802.11b and 802.11a wireless standards. The computers also will ship with a new software utility, Dell Network Assistant, to help simplify the setup and management of wireless networks limit the tech support phone calls for issues with this ‘draft’ technology.

The Dell Wireless 1500 Draft 802.11n wireless card, priced at $59, features a next-generation wireless technology based on the 1.0 draft of the IEEE 802.11n specification. The Dell Wireless 1500 Draft 802.11n dual-band wireless card is available now for all Dell XPS mobile systems and select Inspiron notebooks.

Read [Notebook Review]

The wireless Belkin 802.11g USB network adapter easily connects your desktop or notebook computer to your wireless network. Desktop users can now join the network with the ease of a USB plug-in, without opening their PC cases; laptop users can enjoy the benefits of staying mobile-while connected to the Internet. The dongle supports USB 1.1 and 2.0, is backwards compatible with 802.11b, supports 64 and 128 WEP encryption, has a low-power chipset, and comes with Belkin Lifetime Warranty and free 24-hour technical support.

It is available now for $35.99 at Buy.com.

Read [Aving]

Linksys has released their first product that adhere to the soon to be finalized 802.11n wireless standard. The Wireless-N Broadband Router (WRT300N) and Wireless-N Notebook Adapter (WPC300N) are available immediately through Best Buyat estimated street prices of $149.99 and $119.99 respectively. The units have up to four times the range and up to 12 times the throughput of Wireless-G. Expected to become the next standard for wireless networks, the 802.11n draft specification includes a number of mandatory features that help improve the overall user experience.

Significant speed and range improvements compared to 802.11g are realized primarily through the use of MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) technology. The Linksys Wireless-N products utilize multiple radios to simultaneously transmit two streams of data over multiple channels, effectively creating a 40MHz channel that doubles the capacity for applications such as high definition video, audio streaming, online gaming and Voice over IP. 802.11n networks must also maintain optimum speeds when operating with legacy products (802.11b,802.11g).

Read [Linksys]