Apple Launches New Product: Magic Trackpad
With the new iMac, Apple also throws in a new companion product that replaces a mouse, the Magic Trackpad.
From Apple: The new Magic Trackpad is the first Multi-Touch trackpad designed to work with your Mac desktop computer. It uses the same Multi-Touch technology you love on the MacBook Pro. And it supports a full set of gestures, giving you a whole new way to control and interact with what’s on your screen.
The trackpad is made from aluminum and glass and sells for $69.
US Starbucks Giving Out Free WiFi
Starting on July 14, Starbucks in the US will be offering free Wifi to customers having their coffee at the store. You will have to sign in to the Starbucks Digital Network to gain access. The company is trying to increase market share by enhancing the experience and creating content so compelling that it drives incremental traffic.
UK Will Ban Public WiFi Hotspots
The UK government will outlaw open Wi-Fi hotspots using its Digital Economy Bill copyright crackdown. The affected areas are Universities, MacDonalds, small businesses and even libraries.
Lilian Edwards, professor of internet law at Sheffield University said, This is going to be a very unfortunate measure for small businesses, particularly in a recession, many of whom are using open free Wi-Fi very effectively as a way to get the punters in. Even if they password protect, they then have two options — to pay someone like The Cloud to manage it for them, or take responsibility themselves for becoming an ISP effectively, and keep records for everyone they assign connections to, which is an impossible burden for a small café.
Source: Open Wi-Fi ‘outlawed’ in Digital Economy Bill
Google Free Wi-Fi At Airports
Google is temporarily offering free Wi-Fi in airports across US. This is the company’s marketing strategy for the holiday season. Microsoft, eBay and Yahoo are doing the same too.
Google is also providing free Wi-Fi on Virgin America flights for the same period.
Google Adds Free WiFi To Virgin America
Google will provide free in-flight Wi-Fi on Virgin America from Nov. 10, 2009 to Jan. 15, 2010.
Google says, Bring a WiFi-enabled laptop or mobile device and stay connected for free during your flight. The service is available on Virgin America serving the cities listed below. We hope the service makes your holiday travel a little easier.
The included destinations include:
San Francisco, CA (SFO)
Boston, MA (BOS)
Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL)
Las Vegas, NV (LAS)
Los Angeles, CA (LAX)
New York, NY (JFK)
Orange County, CA (SNA)
San Diego, CA (SAN)
Seattle, WA (SEA)
Washington Dulles (IAD)
New Peer To Peer Wi-Fi Direct Technology
The new Wi-Fi Direct specification will allow peer to peer connections between Wi-Fi devices, no hotspot required and this would certainly rival Bluetooth. Wi-Fi Direct will allow all your Wi-Fi enabled devices such as phones, cameras, printers, computers, keyboards, and headphones talk to each other.
With this new technology each device acts like an access point and there is no need of a wireless router. Imagine using this technology to get internet access to your iPhone using your laptop.
Mingle360 Social Networking On A Stick
Mingle360 is a company that came up with the MingleStick and online software for centralizing your address book and enabling you to manage your social and professional network. Basically the USB device will allow two users to exchange contact details wirelessly. The collected information on the stick can be uploaded to an online application website on Mingle360.
This is going to be a handy device, but with all the iPhones out there, isn’t there an app that can do the same?
Source: Mingle360 Press Release
Bluetooth 3.0 Launched
Bluetooth 3.0 the new version of one of the world’s most popular short-range wireless technology is now official.
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group said Bluetooth 3.0 is much faster and has more reliable data transfers. It will speed up transfers at a rate of 24 Mbps by utilizing Wi-Fi via an 802.11 Protocol Adaption Layer. Bluetooth 3.0 will also feature Enhanced Power Control (EPC), which will help prevent accidental device disconnections. Consumer products with Bluetooth 3.0 are expected to come out in around 9 to 12 months.
Bluetooth 3.0 Launch On April 21
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group said it would unveil the full details of a faster and more reliable data transfers Bluetooth 3.0 on April 21. It will speed up transfers is by utilizing Wi-Fi via an 802.11 Protocol Adaption Layer. Bluetooth 3.0 will also feature Enhanced Power Control (EPC), which will help prevent accidental device disconnections.
TV Tuner For Japanese iPhone
Softbank’s 1-Seg digital created an 80-gram (50 × 85 × 16mm) TV tuner which transmits TV signals through Wi-fi to the iPhone. The add in doubles as a battery extender when plugged into the iPhone 3G’s dock connector giving you three hours of TV time. Available mid December in Japan for around $100.
Source: 1-Seg digital tv tuner for iPhone 3G
