wireless

Vista keyboard already has us confused

If Microsoft hadn't issued a press release on this new keyboard, we honestly would never have been able to pick it out of its growing crowd. Even then, the company's product nomenclature doesn't make it easy to distinguish one item from the next: The product in question is the "Wireless Laser Desktop 4000," for example, not to be confused with the "Wireless Optical Desktop 4000" or the "Wireless Laser Desktop 6000."

Whatever it's called, the new keyboard-mouse package is part of the wave of Vista hardware continuing to reach the … Read more

Samsung tries to frame us, wirelessly

Call us cynical, but we think the world needs another digital picture frame about as much as Caroline McCarthy needs another penguin in her life. But Samsung, which is seems determined to get into every business possible, has come out with a new 7-inch model anyway. (That's the frame, not the 'gwin.)

The SPH-72H can be hooked up to an optional "bolt-on" device that allows the frame to upload photos from Web sites wirelessly and share them with PCs, according to Pocket-lint. It also has a built-in speaker for MP3 tunes, a memory card reader and USB … Read more

'Wireless' game seat still has umbilical cords

If your looming IRS bill prevents you from getting a $300,000 racing simulator, something like this may tide you over until tax season ends.

The "Pyramat Wireless Sound Rocker" is an upgraded version with a 2.4GHz transmitter that plugs into the TV and sends audio signals wirelessly to your built-in sound system. Coolest-Gadgets notes, however, that the $200 Sharper Image chair isn't completely wireless because it still needs cords to power those speakers and its blue LEDs.

If you really want to save some dough, you can make a rumble seat out of a regular … Read more

TiVo finally makes it onto Verizon phones

It's been so long we almost forgot about it, but Verizon Wireless finally delivered on its year-old promise to bring TiVo services to cell phones. As a refresher, TiVo Mobile will allow Verizon customers to schedule recordings on their Series2 and Series3 DVRs from their phones. That's pretty neat by itself but Verizon also is pushing a selection of "premium content" that will come with a TiVo Mobile subscription. Included will be a customizable channel lineup, the most popular and most recorded shows, and a current list of TiVo recommendations. The service is available for a … Read more

Verizon's new 3G Samsung phone

After weeks of rumors of a new Samsung phone for Verizon Wireless, the Samsung SCH-U540 is now officially on deck. According to Verizon's Testman Web site, long a reliable source of what's coming soon for the carrier, the SCH-U540 should land in stores very soon. The design is far from exciting--basically your dull silver flip phone--but the inside promises more offerings than we thought originally. Its features should include a 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, a speakerphone, a microSD card slot, EV-DO support, V Cast and V Cast Music compatibility, voice commands, and support for Verizon's VZ Navigator … Read more

Verizon's LG VX9400 could launch this month

Just last week, Crave was in a bit of fix over the launch of V Cast TV from Verizon Wireless. Though we were excited to see the service take off, we couldn't help but bemoan the fact that only the Samsung SCH-U620 was supported at launch. It's not that the SCH-U20 was particularly bad, but rather that the other V Cast TV phone, the LG VX9400, was especially good. Not only did the quality look better on the VX9400, but we also loved the nifty swivel design of the ample display. Now, thanks to an anonymous tipster, Engadget Mobile … Read more

Speakerphone finally goes wireless

Our somewhat unhealthy obsession over wireless speakers notwithstanding, we now see that we totally overlooked a related technology in the workplace: the wireless speakerphone.

Even the best speakerphones seem to require people leaning over with their noses in the microphone to ensure that they're heard. (It can be quite undignified.) And when the boss speaks, a gaggle of minions invariably rush to place it in front of him--often dragging cords and knocking over cell phones and coffee mugs in the process.

That can all be a thing of the past with a new wireless speakerphone from Panasonic and Willcom, … Read more

A keyboard without the keys

If the iPhone ushers the phone industry into a new generation of touch-sensitive buttons, keyboards might be the next to follow the trend. A company called AMEW Digital (we've never heard of it either) is trying to get out in front of that curve with its TSK-VX7 wireless keyboard, which features a full set of touch keys in a compact frame. It's still too big to fit into your pocket at 11 inches by 4.3 inches and about half an inch thick, though it's certainly smaller than any standard keyboard. If you're really looking for … Read more

Another audio system cuts the cord

How quickly things change. Barely a couple of months ago we were whining about the dearth of wireless audio systems on the market; now it seems as if our cup runneth over.

The latest to join the fray is a new home theater system from Acoustic Research, a subset of Audiovox, which promises "CD performance" in its sound. The wireless setup includes five "voice-matched" satellite speakers that the company says uses a special channel so it won't conflict with the frequencies of phones, computers, microwaves and other household devices, according to Electronic House.

All this … Read more