Ten Wild and Wonderful Wireless Gadgets
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In an astonishing recent announcement, the market research firm In-Stat announced that they expect Wi-Fi-equipped devices to top the one billion mark by the year 2012. That’s a lot of electronics. And not all of them are going to be the staid stuff. Keep reading for a look at some that walk on the wild side.
The majority of existing wireless gadgets are of the common or garden laptop-printer-cell phone variety, but hiding among them are ten gems: devices in some cases so improbably extraordinary that, once you discover them, you will never know how you lived without them. Anybody who isn’t a gadget freak themselves probably knows one, and with Christmas just around the corner, one of these devices could be the answer to a prayer. So here we present ten of the most wild and wonderful wireless gadgets on the planet. Enjoy the ride.
1. Eye-Fi share SD card
Most of us know how big an SD card is – just about big enough to be able to hold between your thumb and finger without dropping it. This makes the achievements of storage company Eye-Fi all the more extraordinary. Eye-Fi is the company behind a range of Wi-Fi equipped SD cards designed to simplify the process of uploading, saving and sharing photographs. Each card stores up to 2GB of data, and when correctly set up it will automatically upload photos from your camera to your home Wi-Fi network as soon as it is switched on anywhere within range.
Eye-Fi currently market three varieties of card: the Home, which is designed to interact with domestic networks; the Share, for uploading to online sharing, printing and blogging sites; and the Explore, which offers additional geotagging and hot spot access.
Prices start at $79.99, and the cards are available from the Eye-Fi online store.
2. Chumby Internet streamer
Tired of having to boot up your computer or cell phone whenever you want to browse your favorite web sites? The Chumby could be the answer. It is an always-on Wi-Fi powered Internet streaming device that gives you continuous access to just about any web content you like. Part Internet radio, part web reader and part web TV, this little hybrid gadget sits on your desktop and plays the Internet at you on its 3.5” touch screen.
If that sounds like it might be on the small side, fear not: the Chumby displays content creatively to make the most of the available real estate. It also thrives on a lively user base, who often create custom flash-based widgets to make the device more than just a dumb Internet relaying machine. It’s already starting to carve out its own niche, based around Chumby-oriented content.
Chumby is available in a choice of three colors for $179.95. For more information see http://www.chumby.com/
Next: Wi-Fi Gets Personal >>
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