Other News

Hawking Technologies today announced that it has released the next generation of its remote home automation system.

Linksys today announced that it is now supporting router setup for Mac OS X v10.4 and higher users with its Linksys EasyLink Advisor (LELA) Setup Wizard.

Best Buy has launched a test of an expanded electronics recycling program in 117 U.S. stores in the Baltimore, San Francisco, and Minnesota markets.

D-Link today said that it is entering the digital signage market. The company is demonstrating a 32-inch sign and two 10-inch signs along with its back-end content and advertising delivery system at Interop 2008 in Las Vegas. Pricing and availability was not announced.

Slingshot Communications today announced what it claims is the first prepaid wireless broadband access product in the United States. Slingshot’s prepaid wireless broadband service will not require a contract or credit check and will be offered in both prepaid and pay-as-you-go forms.

DigiTimes today reported that declining market share in North America over the past year has prompted Linksys to launch plans to pursue other markets and bring North America revenue contribution to "below 50%".

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IOGEAR today announced a self-contained remote access appliance for PC's and KVMs.

The PCPortal connects between a display and USB keyboard and mouse and the display and USB port on a computer or KVM server. No software is required on the computer or KVM and both Windows and Linux-based OSes are supported.

Digi International today introduced the ConnectPort X2 ZigBee-to-IP Gateway.

The product is a wireless gateway "about the size of a deck of cards" that links ZigBee/802.15.4 device networks with IP networks over Wi-Fi or Ethernet connections. The ConnectPort X2 is available in two configurations: ZigBee-to-Wi-Fi; or ZigBee-to-Ethernet. Both models are housed in industrial-grade metal enclosures.

The ConnectPort X2 features a native Python engine for programmability and also includes the Digi Connectware Manager network management platform which provides a one-to-many interface for network configuration and maintenance.

The ConnectPort X2 ZigBee-to-Ethernet model lists for $199 and the ZigBee-to-Wi-Fi version for $299. Availability was not announced.

The ZigBee Alliance today announced the public availability of the latest version of the ZigBee Specification and the certification of the newest ZigBee Golden Unit platforms which implement the ZigBee PRO Feature Set.

The new Golden Units are available from Ember, Texas Instruments and Airbee Wireless. These units have passed independent testing conducted by NTS Corp. and TUV Rheinland.

The latest ZigBee Specification includes the ZigBee Feature Set and the new ZigBee PRO Feature Set, offering product companies greater flexibility in using ZigBee. It was released exclusively to Alliance members last October.

"Golden Units" are used as a ZigBee quality control mechanism. They are multiple independent implementations proving a Specification revision and demonstrating interoperability for future ZigBee products.

IOGEAR today announced start of shipments for its Wireless USB (W-USB) Hub & Adapter Kit. The GUWH104KIT is certified by the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) and FCC.

The kit consisits of a four-port USB 2.0 hub and separate wireless adapter and supports wireless USB connectivity at raw speeds up to 480 Mbps. The hub can associate with up to three different laptops or PCs, using W-USB adapters. It also features four USB ports and connects to wired USB devices, such as printers, scanners, MP3 players and external hard drives up to 30 feet away.

The kit requires Windows XP SP2, with Vista support to follow later this year. It is available immediately at $199.95 MSRP.