Here’s something that’s definitely different: a Wi-fi router that looks like it’s as slim as, well, a glass panel–or at least it looks like it from this angle (most of the important bits are found on the other side). Named the RT-N56U, it features a design that should appeals to… well, people who need (or want) routers that look pretty. As far as the spec goes, nothing much has been revealed, except that it’ll feature dual band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) support and will feature Asus’ own EZ UI interface for easy setups. No word on price and availability yet (which is typical of Asus), but this is definitely something that won’t go unnoticed when it starts shipping.
Netgear’s new wireless kit is designed for multimedia streaming, or more specifically, Blu-ray-quality HD streams. The Wireless -N HD Home Theater Kit comes with a pair of wireless streamers that’ll basically let you shoot your Blu-ray videos from your home entertainment system in the living room to the home network so you can get your HD content served in any other room in the house without the cable clutter, but with the bandwidth and speed that’s comparable (at least according to Netgear) to a wired connection.
Have you ever been in a situation where you and maybe four other guys need to go online, a Wi-fi hotspot isn’t available, and only one of you has a 3G modem? That might sound farfetched, but it could happen, right? Especially since everyone (or at least almost everyone) brings a laptop or Wi-fi mobile device, everyone needs to go online at some point in time for any reason, and not everyone signs up for a 3G USB modem. Connect One’s Wi-REACH personal Wi-fi hotspot aims to help (almost) everyone out, allowing that one guy who had the foresight to pick up a 3G modem to plug in and share his connection.
If you’re one of those people who relies heavily on networked equipment at home (desktops, laptops, consoles, net-connected appliances such as set-top boxes and HDTVs), Asus was thinking of you when they introduced this kit, a consumer-level server called the Home Server TS mini, to give you a centralized place to dump and retrieve the data across different devices.
Gefen has released a new kit called the Wireless for HDMI 60GHz, an extender that’s able to stream uncompressed HDMI 1.3 audio and video to any remote display wirelessly. In other words, it’s a kit that’ll let you place your Blu-ray player up to 30 feet away from your HDTV and connect them without having to string out 30 feet of cables.
As promised last month, McDonald’s restaurants have begun dropping their $2.95 Wi-fi charge (yes!), offering the free service to a significant number of their US-based locations. According to the report, 11,500 out of McDonald’s 14,000 locations in the US now offer free Wifi. If you need a quick meal and free internet access, just look for signs of overweight geeks then follow the trail of greasy laptop keyboards and iPhone screens. That means you’re pretty close to one.
Netgear’s CES lineup involves the usual network devices–media servers, 3G routers, and Powerline AV plugs–sprinkled with interesting features. Really, you never thought you needed so much networking equipment, but these things do make living in a digital world easier (but that’s just us. We’re a bunch of nerds). The lineup is headlined by the Digital Entertainer Express EVA9100, a media receiver that streams content from multiple sources (including the internet) to an HDTV. Seen as a stripped-down version of the company’s existing streamer (the Digital Entertainer Elite EVA9150), but without an internal hard drive and Wi-fi connection to keep the price down to $230.
Sprint has come out with an update to their U300 USB 3G/4G modem that’s decked out in a more compact black shell. Tagged as the U301, the new wireless modem now adds Mac OS X support that gives Mac users running either Leopard or Snow Leopard operating systems the ability to connect to the network’s mobile broadband service. Other than the new look and the added support for Apple’s operating systems, the U301 is pretty much identical to the original U300; it offers 3-6Mb/s speeds within Sprint’s WiMAX-covered areas, 600Kb/s on a typical mobile 3G connection and a built-in GPS receiver.
The U301 is currently offered to business users for $50 with a 2-year contract.
McDonald’s has just announced that they’ll be dropping their Wi-fi fees next year, and will be offering the service for free by January 2010. Previously priced at $3 for two hours, McD’s now gives you another reason to stay longer for coffee and cakes other than to wait for your kids tire themselves out at the Playplace. See that, everyone-else-who-still-charges-for-Wifi? Now we all think you’re just being greedy.
Car pooling with your co-workers? Road-tripping with geeks? Do you need to check on your fantasy teams while in the parking lot? Do you own an Avalanche, Equinox, Express, Silverado, Suburban, Tahoe or Traverse? Chevrolet now offers an add-on that’ll turn your car into a Wi-fi hotspot with the Autonet Mobile WiFi In-Car Router. It’s basically a 3G-to-WiFi router that connects to 3G mobile networks that’ll allow you to spread some internet love in the car and 150 feet around it. The router will set you back $499 and Autonet’s mobile service costs $29 per month, but buyers who pick it up before the end of the year for a limited offer that brings the price down to $199 (thanks to a sale price of $399 plus a $200 mail-in rebate).
Netgear’s new wireless kit is designed for multimedia streaming, or more specifically, Blu-ray-quality HD streams. The 
Have you ever been in a situation where you and maybe four other guys need to go online, a Wi-fi hotspot isn’t available, and only one of you has a 3G modem? That might sound farfetched, but it could happen, right? Especially since everyone (or at least almost everyone) brings a laptop or Wi-fi mobile device, everyone needs to go online at some point in time for any reason, and not everyone signs up for a 3G USB modem. Connect One’s 
Gefen has released a new kit called the 
Netgear’s CES lineup involves the usual network devices–media servers, 3G routers, and Powerline AV plugs–sprinkled with interesting features. Really, you never thought you needed so much networking equipment, but these things do make living in a digital world easier (but that’s just us. We’re a bunch of nerds). The lineup is headlined by the 
