<span class="vcard">editors</span>
editors

WiFi Wok — DIY 2.4-GHz Repeater Kit

The folks at the usb-wifi section of Orcon.net have assembled a super, step-by-step how-to guide, complete with photos, for making your very own wifi wok! The largest (300-mm diameter) provides a 15- to 18-dB gain, enough to extend the range to between three and five kilometers, costs about US$5.00 and comes with a user-friendly bamboo handle that suits WLAN fieldwork — if you can handle the curious stares! Complete with Chinese parabolic cookware and notepad by Stan, you gotta check this out.

Connextion by Boeing Price Plan

Connexion by Boeing today announced initial pricing and details for its new high-speed Internet service for the maritime market, scheduled for commercial availability this fall. The Connexion by Boeing service is available today on flights offered by Lufthansa, SAS, Japan Airlines, ANA and Singapore Airlines. In addition, China Airlines, El Al, Korean Air and Asiana have announced their intent to install the Connexion by Boeing system on their long-range aircraft.

Crossbow Establishes Japan Subsidiary with Sumitomo Precision Products

Crossbow Technology, Inc., the leading end-to-end solutions supplier in wireless sensor networks and the largest manufacturer of Smart Dust wireless sensors, announced today that it will establish a subsidiary in Japan. The subsidiary, to be named Crossbow Japan Ltd. (Crossbow Kabushiki Kaisha), is a joint partnership with Sumitomo Precision Products Co., Ltd., one of Japan’s leading companies. The subsidiary, to be established by April 2005, will be based in Sumitomo Precision Products’ complex in Amagasaki, Hyogo, Japan. Crossbow will retain majority interest, with Sumitomo holding a minority interest.

Philips Unveils WLAN Mobile Solution

Philips Electronics announced a new low-power 802.11g wireless LAN semiconductor system-in-a-package (SiP) solution for the mobile phone market. The new low-power 802.11g solution enables consumers to access voice, data and multimedia content through WLAN networks up to five times faster than current 802.11b products on the market without compromising the battery life of the mobile phone.

Dilithium Networks Announces Joint Collaboration Agreement with NTT DoCoMo

Dilithium Networks announced it has concluded a joint collaboration agreement with NTT DoCoMo, Inc. to collaborate on the development of 3G terminal test cases to advance video telephony interoperability test solutions. Dilithium Networks will, with support from NTT DoCoMo, design a broad suite of IOT test cases. Dilithium Networks will incorporate these cases into its Dilithium Networks Analyzer (DNA). Using DNA, 3G terminal vendors and mobile operators will be better suited to test new handsets being developed, as well as testing terminals software upgrades to ensure high interoperability performance.

Samsung's SPH-4300 SmartPhone

Samsung Electronics continued its relentless stream of innovations on Monday by announcing it will put out a music phone [.jpg image] with built-in wireless LAN and a powerful sound system at the end of the month. Microsoft’s mobile operating system, Pocket PC 2003 Phone Edition, allows use of applications like Outlook, Word and Excel, while a 520-MHz CPU and 1.3-megapixel camera are also part of the gadget.

Atheros Communications Introduces First Single-Chip Cellular Solution

Atheros Communications, Inc., a leading developer of advanced wireless solutions, today announced the company’s first cellular solution, the Atheros AR1900. In a single chip, the AR1900 implements a complete cellular transceiver, baseband, application processor, audio paths, power management, and keypad, display and USB interfaces. Through this high level of integration coupled with the addition of new industry leading features, the AR1900 enables industry-leading performance at a price that is designed to fuel further market growth. The AR1900 is the first product to leverage a platform of innovative technologies developed by Atheros over the last year, including audio, voice, low-power battery operation and novel RF architectures. The AR1900 is the world’s first single-chip solution for PHS (Personal Handyphone System), which is widely deployed in China, Japan, Taiwan and other countries.

Sweet New Sanyo 3G Phone

KDDI has just announced a new addition to their line-up of 3G handsets made by Sanyo [.jpg image] to go on sale starting tomorrow in the Kanto region. Aside from glowing candy colors like “Pink Mousse” and “Mango Pudding” — sure to please the young, hip, teen crowd — it also has a unique GPS function so the parents will know where the kids are located when they send email. The ultra-high-density QVGA display combined with ‘Smart-Mode’ and ‘friendly design’ also has BREW, QR code reading and Navi-Walk functions onboard, making it a certain smash hit with the ‘tween crowd this spring.

Intel's New Power-Saving Chip

Called Dynamic Power Coordination, or DPC, the technology is a way to conserve energy in dual-core chips, stated Mooly Eden, vice president of the Mobility Group at Intel. When workloads are light, DPC will slow down one processor core to extend battery life. DPC will be integrated into Yonah, Intel’s first dual-core chip for notebooks, which will arrive in late 2005 or early 2006. Eden will demonstrate DPC at the Intel Developer Forum taking place in Japan April 7 and 8.