Tag: WIRELESS

Google and Verizon have already taken plenty of heat for their recently unveiled joint-proposal on how to apply Net neutrality ideology to regulatory policy. Now, Facebook has joined the chorus of boos by formally announcing its opposition to the plan. As the New York Times reports, the social network is raising concerns about any plan that would exempt wireless carriers from Net neutrality rules, ...

Share Tinfoil hats are our go-to mocking tool when it comes paranoid conspiracy theorists. But if this little YouTube experiment from MrfixitRick (a.k.a., Rick Crammond) is to be believed, we're wrong to laugh. (At the hat, at least. We're still laughing at the person.) Sci-Art weirdo Rick demonstrates, by way of a cap covered in tinfoil, that the kitchen staple can actually block ...

The latest and greatest Wi-Fi standard, 802.11n, promises to reach download speeds of up to 600 Megabits per second as the technology matures. It was only finalized in 2009, and before the seal on its certification has even had a chance to dry, the industry is talking up its successor -- developed in part by WiGig. The Wi-Fi Alliance, the body in charge of wireless networking standards, has ...

Don't look now, but soon HP could know about every move you make. According to CNN, HP will start depositing "smart dust" around the globe in the next two years. The term was coined in the 1990s by UC Berkeley researcher Kris Pister, who envisioned "smart dust" spreading rice-grain sized sensors across the Earth (think a more mobile version of Helen Hunt's tornado trackers in 'Twister'). These ...

We're all more or less aware that we exist in a world that is largely invisible to the human eye. The machinations of physiology are too small to perceive, and the vast majority of the electromagnetic spectrum simply doesn't register with our peepers. But we're quite literally surrounded by electromagnetic waves, with radiation emitted by the sun and naturally-occurring radioactive particles from ...

Share As pacemakers become increasingly connected via the Web, doctors and patients must figure out how to protect these devices from security breaches. Some attempts include using ultrasound waves and developing 'cloaking' devices, among other techniques. But, according to Popular Science, Microsoft Research (.PDF) believes that tattooing the device's password onto the patient's skin in ...

Japanese researchers discovered a way to transmit data, at broadband speeds, using the human body back in 2005. Now Korean scientists have improved on that demonstration by performing the same feat with using a set of slightly modified electrodes. Using low-frequency electromagnetic signals, which travel easily and safely across human skin and are free of the interference common to wireless ...

Right now, we rely on radio wave to pass data wirelessly from one device to another, but that approach has inherent limitations. For one, there is only so much radio bandwidth to go around. That already limited space is crowded with TV signals, cell phone radios, Bluetooth headsets, and, most obviously, radio stations. Then, there is the fact that radio waves can pass through walls, which is ...

The biggest obstacle in treating chronic health conditions would seem to be a simple one: getting patients to consistently take their medication. A new invention could effectively serve as a constant reminder to the patient. According to The Wall Street Journal, a St. Louis company will begin a small test trial next month of a high-tech pill bottle cap that emits light and sound in order to ...

Extras At this point, USB ports and Gigabit Ethernet are standard features in desktops and laptops alike, so we won't waste your time talking about them. There are still a few hardware options worth mentioning, though. Wireless If you're getting a laptop, Wi-Fi is a given. You'll want to make sure you get one with an 802.11n card in it. Wi-Fi is less important in a desktop machine that ...

We think it goes without saying that Japan loves robots. Japanese pop culture has had a love affair with our metallic friends since the '50s, and slowly but surely science is catching up to their imagination. fuRo, a Japanese robotic research & development firm, has taken their first tentative steps towards realizing a glorious future of wirelessly controlled robotic surrogates. fuRo's ...

We're big fans of innovative electronic instruments, especially ones that look past the idea of human interaction and incorporate random input. Design outfit Fascination Workshop just unveiled its new prototype of the Winduino II, an electronic instrument that creates sound from wind. The company describes its creation as "a wireless, digital version of an Aeolian harp." The Winduino II is ...

What's AT&T to do, now that it has a solid foothold in the cell phone service market? According to Reuters, the wireless provider will make deals to bring its service to 20 new devices this year -- expanding both its reach and our freedom to roam while staying connected. Speaking at CES 2010, Glenn Lurie, head of emerging devices, said these gadgets will include (but not be limited to) ...

Ancient Aboriginal instrument, we'd like you to meet modern technology. Who can you thank for this introduction? A nerdy white guy, not even from Australia. Musician and geek Kyle Evans took a didgeridoo, which is an Australian wind instrument, and modified it because he was interested in combining organic sound with modern technology. Evans can manipulate the noise that the custom-built ...

You never want your wireless device open to attacks, but if that device is implanted inside your body, security becomes even more important. With pacemakers and other medical devices being controlled and monitored from afar, scientists say it's time to step up protection. Those concerns in mind, a group of researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and the French National ...