Have Laptop Will Travel

Wireless Laptop-TV Connection Via WiDi Device From D-Link

Originally posted on June 15, 2011 @ 11:07 am

D-Link Mainstage

It was only recently that I got exposed to having almost all devices in the house connected together. One laptop functions as a media server. We play music and videos via the laptop and use the HDTV as the monitor. It’s pretty handy, especially with other portable devices being used to access/control the laptop. It’s a pretty good setup, although not quite perfect: we still have kilometers and kilometers of wires.

While it probably won’t solve the entire problem of wires, the recently launched D-Link MainStageTM for Intel® Wireless Display (DHD-131) just might make things better in any household that has a heavy ‘media consumption”. This WiDi device is a tiny non-descript gadget that will fit in the palm of your hand. If you look at the photo above, it is easy to see just how simple it looks. Honestly, my first thought when I saw it was that it reminded me of a smooth-edged monolith. ((The kind that was described in Arthur C. Clarke’s Space Odyssey))

This monolith-like gadget does not hold much in terms of mystery, though. What it does has pretty much been announced by D-Link and hyped up even. The MainStageTM connects to an HDTV via an HDMI cable or an A/V cable. The device then connects to a wireless router, which can then be used to stream media from any laptop. Think 1080p. Think 5.1 surround sound.

With this setup, you have more freedom as to where you place your laptop. This is more practical for those who don’t have much living space and who may not have a dedicated laptop for media purposes; and even if you do have a dedicated laptop, the removal of one set of wires might very well be worth it. One thing’s for sure – the device is worth considering.

This gadget will set you back around USD130. It is currently available in the US and will be released in Canada next month. For those in other parts of the world, you can visit D-Link’s online store.

Via The Digital LIfestyle

The Caribbean: A techie’s holiday paradise

Originally posted on September 30, 2010 @ 7:10 am

My wife and I are preparing for a long overdue holiday vacation (holiday if you’re in the UK, vacation if you’re in the US). The one caveat is that as an online entrepreneur, I need daily access to the internet.

Whenever I travel, I make plenty sure that the location I travel to will have reliable and pervasive wireless internet access. I don’t care if I have to pay or piggyback, I just can’t get there and discover that there’s no internet service. Doesn’t work. The internet has become attached to my body like another organ. I simply can’t live without it.

So when my wife and I started planning for our next vacation we made WiFi access a priority. Where is the best, most relaxing location to go on vacation, where, at any moments notice, I can still hop on the net for about 2 hours each day? We considered Ireland and Italy at first, but quickly realized that in both of those countries you are traveling so much between cities that you can’t guarantee a consistent signal. Plus, the airfare is prohibitive. We prefer cheap holidays if you know what I mean. A vacation is supposed to ease your mind, not make you tense worrying about the bank account. All things considered, we calculated that a vacation in the Americas would be best. Just not the United States. We really need to get out of the country on this trip.

So, after much research and discussion we decided that our two vacation desiderata (steady WiFi and cost effective) would be best met by any number of 10 day Caribbean holidays. For one thing, the options are numerous. We could do an all-inclusive. We could do a cruise. What we discovered is that no matter what we choose to do, a Carribbean vacation saves us thousands of dollars on airfare and guaranteed WiFi connections. Unlike a European vacation (which we had initially preferred) a Caribean holiday is a more controlled holiday. And that’s really what we want out of our vacation: worry free beaches, blue seas, warm sun and (my favorite) sipping margaritas.

Dell Latitude Z to feature wireless charging?

Originally posted on September 25, 2009 @ 10:00 am

If this rumor is true, then this is going to be the ultimate portable notebook.

From Tech Ticker:

Dell Latitude Z was leaked in June and till date we maintain that it looks hot. Now the word comes from Forbes is that Latitude Z will get its official unveiling in the coming weeks along with an interesting feature.

The Latitude Z will support wireless charging. How it works is still a mystery but we can expect something on the lines of previous concepts like Wildcharge or Palm’s Touchstone.

I’m pretty sure that the charging will be kind of a hassle more than an advantage, but whatever will push us more towards full wireless charging for ultimate portability, I’m for it.

HSDPA based internet connections: True mobile productivity

Originally posted on April 1, 2008 @ 11:51 pm

Whenever I get cabin fever from working too much inside my house I would often bring my laptop, go to coffee shop and work from there. Free hotspots have really helped in making me more productive. Of course, productivity can only happen when there is an existing hotspot near you.

I discovered this limitation when I decided to accompany my wife in one of her errands as a magazine editor. She needed to visit a number of commercial shops and look for items that can be featured in her magazine. Hoping that this would be a great way to spend some time with her while at the same time catch up with work, I decided to join her. The plan was for her to walk around these establishments while I go look for a coffee shop where I can work. Good idea, right?

It wasn’t. The commercial area we went too didn’t have a hotspot and the one area that did have Wi-Fi was restricted to subscribers of a Wi-Fi service. I was well and truly screwed. This incident really drove home the convenience of having a ready internet connection wherever you go. Subscriptions to a Wi-Fi service is really not a good idea because it is still dependent on an available hotspot. This made me really see the value of HSDPA based internet connections. With just a small gadget plugged to your lappie, you can access the internet literally wherever you are — in the car, in the middle of a mall, even on the beach! As long as the area is within range of a mobile network you’ve got internet.

With the level of mobility that my work requires from me especially in the near future HSDPA will give me the productivity edge that I need.

New gaming router from D-Link

Originally posted on October 30, 2007 @ 6:41 pm

I love playing games using a gaming laptop. A laptop frees you and allows you to move anywhere in your house (or ANYWHERE, for that matter) to play your favorite games. Heck, I’ve even tried playing games while in the toilet! A gaming laptop transforms your whole house into an instant gaming room. Of course, if you are the type who loves playing games online then a gaming laptop will not be enough. You will also need a reliable WiFi and WLAN connection, one that has practically no lag and stable connections. These requirements have resulted in the development of a family of products called gaming routers that are optimized for the demanding conditions that gamers need.

D-Link recently released a new gaming router that offers a number of really cool features. The D-Link Xtreme N Gaming Router can operate at the draft 802.11n standard (which makes it somewhat futureproof) and also possesses GameFuel technology as well as a nifty little OLED screen.

The new router boasts of having a quality-of-service technology. This means that the router will automatically give priority to gaming related traffic. It is also optimized for the gaming requirements not only for PC games but also for the Xbox and PlayStation gaming consoles. The OLED screen is quite useful because it gives users a quick view of network statistics, the devices that are connected to the router as well as other important information.

The  D-Link Xtreme N Gaming Router (model number DGL-4500) will sell for a $239.99.