The new Linksys WRVS4400N is in place!

I just hooked-up my new Linksys WRVS4400N Wireless N Router with VPN server built-in.   It is currently acting like an Access Point at this juncture, since  I want to make sure some issues I discovered during my research phase do not become apparent before I place it in Gateway mode, where it will control of my entire network and the Internet connection.

But already, I am quite impressed by this unit.  And boy, is this puppy fast.  My Wireless G signal strength appears to be about 40% better than with my previous 2Wire 1800HG Wireless G Router.  And the number of security options is truly dizzying.  I’ll be beating on it for the next day or so, then hook it up so that it will be the Gateway.  This hurried aspect is due to my having received the Router today, and the seller only offers a 3-day window for returns.

Just bought a new Linksys WRVS4400N Router!

WRVS4400N Purchased on eBay just today (not a venue I normally purchase hardware from, but they had an unbeatable price of $100.00, which is more than half off it’s regular price). 

This  router is so high-end, it boggles the imagination.   It has Wireless-N, dual-band reception, a VPN server, and even Intrusion Protection (IP).  Not to mention GIGABIT network speeds for the local network, and full backward compatibility for Wireless G (and way old “B”) connections.

My life will be so much easier after I get this router installed: I can retire the VPN function that my tired old Windows 2000 Server currently controls, and my VPN will be back-up and running again!  

It will offer me future growth capability in two areas, I currently do not have Wireless-N clients yet, nor are any of my desktop’s equipped with Gigabit Ethernet adapters, so whenever I wish to take advantage of those technologies, they are there waiting for me.

The big benefit for me will be Intrusion Protection (IP) feature, which is a step further than an SPI Firewall (Stateful Packet Inspection), which the unit also comes with as an Industry standard.

But it’s the VPN that I will get the most use out of.  I use VPN on almost a daily basis to link my laptop with my home network so I can access File Shares and FTP.

I’ll be reviewing this unit in the near future. Hopefully it’ll get high-marks…  

No help from 2Wire this time…

2wire_red_logo Good news and bad news on the home DSL front.  The good news is that 2Wire sent me word today that they would love to be able to help me.   Unfortunately, (can you sense the pending bad news?), they then told me that they will be unable to assist me further, as their inventory of the 6v 2000mA A/C adapter is exhausted.

So I have a perfectly good Router that can’t be powered-up because all of the A/C adapters burn-out prematurely.

It looks like I’ll end-up buying a nice Linksys router instead…   Any ideas?

I applied to be on ETEN’s Beta Test team

Well, I was invited to take a survey and see if I "qualified" to be a part of ETEN’s  Beta Test team.  

I am certain that I qualify on the technical front, but I am unsure if I’ll get the role since I was pretty hard on them in the survey that they asked me to fill-out.  Some of the questions appeared to be geared to see if I had high-expectations of the company and their products, and since I said yes to all of them, I will likely be passed-up.   Oh well.

It would have been fun to work with them!   And if I could only get them to up the ante on their SD RAM offerings, every device they made would be top-notch.  This was the Achilles’ Heel of the X500+ that I reviewed a while ago.

Here’s hoping….

DSL Service Temporarily restored…

2wire_red_logo Well, I dusted off an older 2Wire router (1000SW) and plugged it into the equation.   It will restore DSL service immediately, and will provide most of the services that we used to utilize on the newer 1800HG.   It will lack some services, like Wireless “G”, “IPSec Passthru”, and of course all of the firewall entries that I had created on the 1800HG…   sigh…

I’ve written 2Wire Technical Support to see if they could assist.  I remembered that they had assisted the last time I had this problem (yes, it has happened before) by sending me a complimentary replacement cord/adapter.  I think they felt bad that the router (very high-end electronics with Integrated Circuitry) was lasting longer than their A/C Adapter power cord.

My 2Wire Router’s Power cord died…

While I have had nothing but success with my 2Wire 1800HG Wireless Router, I cannot say the same about the bundled A/C power adapter.  It’s a 6V 2000mA converter, which is impossible to find a replacement for.  Even 2Wire themselves no longer stock the replacement items.

Luckily, I have an older 1000SW (Wireless-B) Router from 2Wire, so I have plugged that into the equation.   This restored internet access, and provides basic wireless “b” service, but the effective radius of service is about two-thirds of what we used to have with “hyper-G” service.   Also, the older router does not provide “IPSEC Passthru” capabilities, so VPN is dead in the water…

I want the new HTC Touch Diamond

touch_diamondI want this new device, the Touch Diamond from HTC! 

The fact that this device has VGA resolution, a GPS chipset, and 192MB of DDR SDRAM is absolutely kick-ass!  The 4GB of internal storage infers this product is meant to have a Multimedia capability that should rival the iPhone.  You can see all the details at their new device website, including some YouTube videos that leave me drooling every time.

I copied the specs below, because I find it rather mysterious that several details are left out, or are covered in generic terms.

Specifically, the fact that there appears to be no external memory slots on this device for SD Cards or otherwise…

Additionally, the GPS section says merely "GPS and A-GPS ready", which tells us nothing about the GPS chipset and standard that they are going to be following.   I have a lot of respect for SiRFStar and their SiRFStar III chipset, so I am hoping this will be the chipset that is eventually chosen for this device.

Specifications:

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AT&T launches the GPS-enabled BlackBerry Pearl 8110 smartphone

clip_image001Workers and consumers on the go can now put away their maps but still easily navigate the fast lane.

 

AT&T Inc. and Research In Motion (RIM) today announced the launch of the BlackBerry Pearl 8110 SmartPhone, which includes built-in global positioning system (GPS) support for location-based applications and services. Combined with navigation and mapping applications such as AT&T Navigator, the handset provides turn-by-turn voice and on-screen directions with colorful 3-D moving maps that can be used in vehicles or while walking. AT&T Navigator also alerts users through voice and on-screen prompts to traffic slowdowns and incidents along their programmed travel route, and it provides customers with the option to choose an alternative route.

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What features do you want in a PDA Phone?

Smartphones generally favor the smaller form-factor: smaller screens that generally have no touch-sensitivity on the screen. But those of us who use PDAs prefer the opposite: a larger screen sizes that are touch-sensitive, but still have voice and data connectivity.
With that thought in mind, I think that the bulk of society only needs basic PDA functionality (Calendar, Tasks, Contacts, etc), and would be best utilizing them on a SmartPhone. This is obviously the reason for the prominence of SmartPhones. But what about those of us who are power users, who desire more of an actual PDA with more features than just a SmartPhone? Let’s discuss the benefits of what programs or technology are best kept relegated to one platform or another. Here are the basics that I see in each of the two categories at this time:

SmartPhone (where smaller size is better) for most of Society:

  • WM5 or WM6,
  • Regular PIM Functionality (Contacts, Calendar, Tasks),
  • E-mail,
  • Mobile Media,
  • Cell/PCS Phone,
  • Data Plan.
  • Bluetooth 2.0

PDA-Phone (where larger screen is better) for the Techies among us:

  • Larger Screen size (3.5″ – 4″), preferably VGA resolution of 640×480 (or better),
  • Much Larger Memory capacity: 1GB ROM and 2GB Flash RAM minimum,
  • SDHC Card slot,
  • Biometric Finger-Print reader for added Security,
  • Mini USB connector for data exchange and charging.
  • Should meet all of Rad’s Laws (tip of hat to Radimus).
  • All devices should charge via USB (where possible).
  • All devices should have more than one function or interface with other devices
  • Bluetooth LEDs are at least 50% too bright and should only be lit when an error is present, when searching, or when charging.
  • Full QWERTY Keyboard (Slide-out)
  • Regular PIM Functionality (Contacts, Calendar, Tasks),
  • WM6 (or better) with PDF & Office for PDA + Image Viewer native.
  • E-mail, preferably via WebIS’ FLEXMAIL application.
  • Mobile Media Player with support for all the known media formats (including AJAX and Flash),
  • 3G/4G/GSM Cell/PCS Phone service available through your favorite Carrier,
  • 3G/4G/GSM Data Service capability available through your favorite Carrier,
  • WiFi A/B/G/N with Quick-Connector for External Antenna,
  • Consumer InfraRED, with Bundled TV Remote software,
  • Bluetooth 2.0 w/EDR (enhanced data rate), full support for Stereo Audio
  • GPS (SiRFStar III or better), with bundled “on-road” and “off-road” Applications for getting you from point-a to point-z.
  • Barcode scanner, with bundled Database manager (for your DVD/CD collection).
  • 3MP+ Camera in back for quality snaps & video, and a 2MP front-facing camera for Video Conferencing/Calling, with built-in Flash.
  • Video Out connectors (for Video presentations, etc).

What else would you like to see added to either phone category?

 

Miscellaneous Stuff:

  • ActiveSync 4.6 (or whatever version#) w/OTA WiFi Synchronizing for non-Exchange (i.e. Single user Outlook) and Sync’ing w/Mac systems.

GPS Navigation service now Available from AT&T

A new GPS Navigation service is now available on select AT&T wireless devices, including the new Motorola Z9, the Samsung BlackJack II, MOTO Q, AT&T Tilt, and BlackBerry devices (8310, 8800 and 8820).  Available as a 30 day free trial, this program is a vast improvement on TeleNav, this program features integrated speech recognition for address entry and points-of-interest searches!

For any one who is constantly on the go but sometimes not quite sure where to go or how to get there, AT&T Navigator is here to pave the way. AT&T Inc. announced today at CTIA Wireless 2008, the immediate availability of its company-branded GPS-enabled navigation service, AT&T Navigator.

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