If you're looking to throw some digital content around the house sans ugly wiring, then take a look at the Sitecom WL-355. A wireless media streaming hub, it's the latest addition to the company's Smart Living line and will set you back around £149.99.

A wireless dual-band USB adapter is plugged in to stream content from your home network straight to the device, while another USB port is available to plug a drive straight in and play your content if your internet speed isn't up to scratch. Using a 5GHz band should help to stream even 1080p video smoothly.

Sitecom are also introducing the WL-329 SL Wireless Media Adapter 300N. It adds wireless capabilities to the MD-270 TV Media Player, with a maximum streaming speed of 300Mbps.

Both items are available now. For more info, visit www.sitecom.com .

The trend with notebooks and laptops right now is to make them smaller and smaller, so much so that they're nearly in danger of being dwarfed by DVD cases these days. But what if you need both the benefits of a portable machine and a larger screen? Intel may well have the solution.

Intel's Wireless HD Display technology (or WiDi) is one of the simplest wireless laptop streaming devices we've ever seen. It's virtually plug and play; after plugging the HD receiver into your TV via HDMI and performing a simple set-up wizard on your PC, a single button press can have up- or downscaled 720p video streamed straight to your flatscreen TV.

All compression is done on your PC, while the box does the decoding. Remarkably, the whole process rarely eats more than 5Mbps of your network speed when in use.

Artefacts once the video has hit your screen are kept to a minimum, and system resources only take about a 15% hit when on an average Core i5 set up.

Sony, Dell and Lenovo are already said to be looking into integrating the new technology into their machines. If you can't wait for that, you'll be able to pick the kit up yourself from the 17th of January from Best Buy if you're a US reader. No word on a UK launch date yet, but we'd expect to see this hit UK shores not long afterwards.

Thanks to all the new wireless charging systems on their way to market, the shock-horror moment of being out and about and then having your mobile's battery die mid-way through a call may be a thing of the past. Of this new wave of chargers, the Airnergy from RCA looks to be the pick of the litter.

Airnergy works by harvesting wi-fi signals around you and converting them into electricity. Sure, we've seen this done before, but it's the efficiency that is the key here; the Airnergy can convert and store enough power within 90 minutes to charge a smartphone.

The magic here is the Airnergy's built in battery. It doesn't need to be connected to your phone to be charged immediately. Just keeping it in range of a decent wi-fi source means power can be held onto for when you need it most.

A small and simple device, it could really challenge the Power Mat, with all its frustrating accessories, for dominance in the charger market. And at a suggested retail price of $40 (around £30) its way cheaper too.

We'll be keeping our eye on this one to say the least.

Via: Oh Gizmo

Another day, another Tech Digest CES 2010 round-up. Fancy Tweeting hands-free in your car or controlling your PC by breathing? Check today's top stories below and find out how.

Twitter coming to Ford cars
The digital equivalent of drink-driving?

Motorola announce Backflip Android Phone
Hinged smartphone is Motorola's big CES 2010 offering

Ion launch the iType full QWERTY keyboard add-on for the iPhone
Making the portable unwieldy

Vuzix demo Wrap 920AR Augmented Reality visor
Turning your trip to the shops into a scene out of Robocop

Zyxio's new breathing-based PC controller, the Sensawaft
Affordable accessibility gadget, perfect for disabled PC users

3D gaming headed to the Palm family
Apple isn't the only mobile now capable of some hardcore gaming action

Is the Viliv P3 the underdog tablet to look out?
Dual-booting tablet is looking very tasty indeed

Razer and Sixense bring motion gaming to the PC
But will it catch on within the incredibly competitive PC gaming peripheral market?

UK getting the Dell Mini 3i
Android phone hitting UK shores in the not-so-distant-future

Video- Armour Home Q2 Tilt Internet radio
Innovative and simple radio from Brit-based Armour

Video - "World's smallest Windows PC" the UMID M Book 1
It makes a gnat's bum look big. Well...not quite. But you get the idea

Video- Casio's Digital Art Frame
Making all those dodgy Facebook snaps look good

Video - The coolest retro iPhone hi-fi ever, Lasonic's i931
Bring 80's boom box street-chic bang up to date

Video - Toshiba's Cell TV that is controlled by hand gestures
Innovative tech, but it makes you look a bit of an idiot; not sure I want a work out in front of the telly

Video - Sony's BRAVIA XBR-52HX900 3D TV
Their flagship 3D set is a stunner

Video - Panasonic's 3D camera
Bet the adult-entertainment industry cant wait to get its mitts on this one

Click here for more CES 2010 coverage from Tech Digest

Tech Digest at CES is sponsored by Best Buy. For more CES stories and videos go here

With CES 2010 now well under way, it can be pretty tough keeping track of all the latest announcements. Here's Tech Digest's round-up of the of best Day 1 at CES 2010 so far, including all the news from the LG and Toshiba press conferences.

Toshiba Press Conference
Amazing new Cell Tvs promise to deliver real-time 2D to 3D conversion

Samsung ready N-range netbooks
Massive battery life makes this Samsung range stand out from the pack

LG Press Conference
3D tech is as big on LG's agenda as expected

Immerz KOR-FX acousto-haptic gear lets you "feel" your gaming experience
Slightly creepy, sort of cool new tech promises to fully immerse you in games and movies

Sony NW-A845 Walkman finally gets European release
Super-slim MP3 player hitting stores in February

Microsoft to unveil new HP built tablet?
Rumour has it Microsoft may be preparing to square up against the Apple iSlate

Brits get the Amazon Kindle DX from January 19th
Too little too late from Amazon?

PassivSystems heating control
Economise with this hot Brit-built energy management system

ZOMM Bluetooth leash for your mobile
Never lose your mobile again thanks to this Bluetooth alert system

Saygus VPHONE
New Android handset enters the smartphone fray

Parrot's AR Drone Quadricpoter
Augmented reality app controls this fun gadget copter

Iriver Story e-reader goes wireless and gets a proper launch
A long time coming, but finally the Story gets a happy ending

Six of this year's hottest products
Featuring such gadgetry delights as the Skiff e-reader

Why Apple is the real star of the show
Have Apple stolen the lime-light yet again, without even appearing in Vegas?

Will it be any good this year?
In a recessionary year, Ashley Norris gives his views on what to expect from this year's show.

Click here for more CES 2010 coverage from Tech Digest

Tech Digest at CES is sponsored by Best Buy. For more CES stories and
videos go here

The FCC have picked up on a brand new "multimedia router" from Qisda, which looks to have some rather unique features for this sort of device.

Rather than just sorting out your broadband connection, the as-yet-unnamed router also has a touchscreen and built in speaker, allowing users to access widgets like YouTube and to tune into internet radio stations. If you happen to have your router in your bedroom, the Qisda box will also double up as a clock radio.

Users can store files on the router's built in memory, although there is no access to your local network, which seems a bit of an oversight for a device like this.

While it's good to see its regular router functions will handle 802.11n just fine, it's more than a little stingy on Ethernet connections, with just one spare port on the back.

It's certainly an intriguing proposition, though it's difficult to ascertain yet how well equipped the router is to deliver on its promised content. More news on this one when we have it.

Via: Engadget / FCC

If you don't want to splash out on a netbook, or perhaps just want a simple introduction to the wonders of the web for a loved one, take a quick look at the Chumby widget box.

Connect it up to your Wi-Fi internet connection, and the Chumby will let you browse as many as 1500 internet widgets. It's a simple, intuitive device that makes use of a 3.2 inch touchscreen to let you browse content from Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and a whole host of other sites.

The Chumby also comes with built in 2W speakers, an accelerometer for gaming and two USB ports for accessing a limited range of media files.

You can pickup a Chumby from Firebox priced £139.99, or for more information on the widget box, click here.

Are you sick of having a different remote for every bit of kit in your house? Thanks to ThinkFlood's new RedEye device, you now only need your iPhone or iPod Touch to control nigh on every remote-controlled gadget in your house.

Using an app, your iPhone sends a Wi-Fi signal to the RedEye dock which then in turn turns your commands into an IR signal that your AV gear can understand.

You can customise the app to tailor controls to each room, or control multiple devices at once with the help of macro functions. There is even basic multi-touch functionality, like two-finger volume sliding.

A drop in price could make this a very popular add-on indeed.

If you're interested in getting a RedEye dock, visit https://thinkflood.com/buy/products/redeye/. The unit costs US$188 (circa £112) and ThinkFlood will happily ship the RedEye to UK homes.

UPDATE - I checked with the company about Sky+ boxes - they said

Yes, RedEye can control Sky+ boxes. However, we do not yet have the infrared codes for Sky in our database, so you would need to "learn" the commands from your existing remote.

West End theatres could soon be getting wireless translation devices for tourists and those hard of hearing. Testing at the Shaftesbury Theatre has proved a great success during the latest run of the hit musical Hairspray.

The device in question is called Airscript, a wireless handheld screen that delivers translations in multiple languages to the theatre goer. So far Airscript supports translations in Italian, Russian, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, French, German and English.

The device is also being touted as an aid to deaf viewers, allowing them to read along with the action onstage.

Via: TechRadar UK

Any PC running Windows 7 can now be turned into a Wi-Fi hotspot thanks to a new application called Connectify.

Created by Nomadio (best known for their consultancy work with military networks), developers exploited software hidden within Microsoft's new OS, left over by a Microsoft research group.

Such "Virtual Wi-Fi" functionality had been planned as a big feature in Windows 7, but was apparently cut short in 2006, according to TechWorld.

You can pick up a free beta version of Connectify here.

Hey, I know it's not the most monumental news story ever but for anyone who uses Windows Mobile any news regarding improvements will surely be welcomed with open arms.

Skype 3.0 for Windows Mobile allows users to send files such as spreadsheets, photos, MP3s and so on to other Skype users. It also has SMS functionality so users can avoid expensive roaming text charges, or even-more expensive charges to send texts to foreign numbers.

Download it here.

That's it. Nothing else to see here. Move along people.

(via JKonTheRun)

A report in the Wall Street Journal suggests that Dell plans to release a mobile internet device as well as the much touted Dell smartphone.

The mobile internet device will, like the supposed smartphone, be based on Android and will run via an ARM-based chip. Two Dell insiders have claimed that the MID is slightly larger than the iPod Touch. It won't have any phone capabilities.

The mobile internet device may even be released sometime in 2009 according to one of the insiders. There's nothing official from Dell as of yet so we'll just have to wait and see.

(via Register Hardware)

Femtocells. Get used to that word because you'll be hearing it a lot more in the future. Vodafone's release of their signal boosting hub this week is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what femtocells is capable of.

US company Airvana and Sanjeev Verma, vice president of femtocell business, have just given me a demo of their HubBub femtocells and its 'party alert' application.

Basically, the HubBub sits in the house and, as well as solving any coverage issues by providing a stronger network using an existing broadband connection, it can monitor activity in the house.

Cash machine company Cashbox, the company behind many of the fee-charging ATMs found in pubs and shops, has signed a deal with BT to turn some of their cash-points into Wi-Fi hotspots on the Openzone network.

The deal is good news for BT Broadband customers as well as iPhone users on O2 who receive free connection to the Openzone network. For other customers who want to connect to Openzone, the cost is a wallet-worrying £5.88 for 90 minutes or £9.79 for a full day.

Cashbox has 2,500 cash-points in the UK. The plan is to introduce the Wi-Fi capabilities amongst them gradually, starting with just 10. Ciaran Morton, CEO of Cashbox says: "It's really just the start of our rollout. We will look at extending coverage over the coming months."

(via PC Pro)

If you've sat frustrated with your laptop in a public place unable to get online without signing up for yet another Wi-Fi service, then today is the today that the worm turns - large wedge of cynicism aside.

A company called Freerunner is pledging to host 2,500 free public Wi-Fi hotspots by the end of Q2 next year. Yes, free, as in, no need to pay. The company will provide the internet zones at no cost to community areas such as libraries, schools and colleges while charging commercial premises a third of what they already may pay. The idea for the latter group is that all you'll be paying is the price of cup of coffee or whatever it is they sell. CEO of Freerunner, Owen Geddes said:

EDGE, 3G and HSDPA are all very well, but what will the next jump in technology be for wireless internet? There are two competing technologies - WiMax and LTE. Which one is likely to win the race in the UK?

WiMax is based on Wi-Fi, and doesn't require a SIM card for usage. Its benefits are that it's an open standard - anyone can create the gear required to use the technology without paying license fees. That means the tech can be up to half as expensive as the equivalent LTE tech.

LTE, on the other hand, is based on the existing 3G network technology. In fact, LTE stands for "The Long Term Evolution of 3GPP". Its advantages are that it's well-understood by carriers, and when a device is out of range of an LTE signal, it can drop back to a 3G or 2G service. LTE's currently a little faster, too, but that difference should be addressed by the ratification of a new WiMax standard later this year.

D-Link has invented a niche it's calling the "home security market" - and has released a couple of webcams to help you discover who it is that's eating all the biscuits.

The DCS-2121 Megapixel Wireless Network Camera is the hottest of the pair, coming fully loaded up with wi-fi connectivity so there's no tell-tale wiring going from your computer to the cavity you hollowed out behind the mirror.

The DCS-910 is the wired version, coming with an Ethernet socket for easily hooking it into your home network. Both come with D-ViewCam 2.0, D-Link's monitoring software that has the power to let you watch 32 simultaneous video streams from 32 separate cameras at once, should you have a PC powerful enough, a bank balance unrestricted enough, and compound eyes.

They and their little software friend can record video direct to the hard drive as EVIDENCE, plus motion detection sensors let you leave them running - and have them email you when there's something happening in the room. If you're very, very paranoid and controlling, both are out now - at £129.99 for the 910 and £174.99 for the wi-fi 2121.

(Via D-link)

Related posts: D-Link wireless N router | Some sort of media thing

Home decoration and technology doesn't usually sit well together, but here's an idea from boffins at the University of Tokyo who have come up with an aluminium-iron oxide paint that can absorb the electromagnetic waves at frequencies typically used by Wi-Fi.

In other words, painting your walls with this stuff could stop your wireless signal from leaking into neighbouring houses.

Interesting concept, but surely it would be much simpler to install some basic security on the wireless router?

WeFi has announced a couple of new services to help mobile users locate free and pay-for Wi-Fi hotspots worldwide.

First up is the online directory that, given an address, will show where the nearest spots are -- well, it will if you download a piece of software first. A phone or laptop with GPS enabled can also be used to located new hotspots automatically.

The second, currently only available in the US at present, will allow a location to be texted from a mobile phone, with a list of hotspots being sent in return.

I tend not to use many Wi-Fi hotspots when out and about, but for those that want to scoop us as much free connection (legitimate or otherwise) as they can, this could be a decent app to try.

WeFi (via Mashable)

Related posts: GPUs better than CPUs at cracking Wi-Fi passwords | Sony CyberShot G3 Wi-Fi camera

There's a lot of software out there for cracking wireless passwords, and most of it's legal. Why? Because it's sold as a way for network administrators to 'test' their network's security. Of course, there's nothing to stop you 'testing' a network that you don't own, in a coffee shop or airport, for example.

Most cracking programs use your PC's CPU to do the hardcore number-crunching, but it turns out that the graphics card is actually far better at doing the kinds of calculations necessary. How good? Well, an above average quad-core CPU, the Intel Q6600 can only accomplish 1,100 passwords per second, whereas a similarly above-average ATI HD4870 graphics card can smash through 15,750 passwords per second.

Who woulda thunk it? Luckily, we might be seeing some of this power hit regular programs too, with Nvidia's CUDA, ATI's Stream, and Apple's OpenCL frameworks. The graphics card isn't best at every type of calculation, but if a program can intelligently route calculations to their fastest solver, then we could see blazing program speed increases in the near future.

(via HotHardware)

Related posts: Lightbulbs to replace Wi-Fi? | Another wi-fi detecting thing - this time it's a SHOE