Wi-Fi Gearing Up To Take On Bluetooth

Wireless data transfer between devices is a serious bonus especially when it comes to mobile handsets or other portable devices that use either Bluetooth and or Wi-Fi. However, Bluetooth has always been the definitive option of selection when it comes to this particular aspect of portable devices, but it looks like Wi-Fi could be its successor and pretty soon when it comes to device-to-device connectivity.

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According to reports, the Wi-Fi Alliance, is planning something big come 2010. The next big thing we can expect form the community is wireless data transfer via Wi-Fi and not just Bluetooth. We’re not talking about using a hub or a router or even via the internet. The latest technology will be to seamlessly transfer data between two devices equipped with Wi-Fi receivers. It may not be able to serve all purposes like wireless audio perhaps, but we’ll just have to wait and see what kind of environment this generates. It’s a work in progress but something that we can surely see hopping of the drawing board and heading to the production line. Stay tuned.

LG L224WS LCD Monitor

We have reviewed quite a few LG HDTVs recently, including their frameless plasma. Today we have an LCD monitor by them, a rather basic 22-inch model, with a reasonable price tag.

Design and Features
The monitor is quite straight up in terms of aesthetics, quite a no frills approach. It’s got the usual black bezel, with straight edged borders. The surface is matte black, with a centrally located LG logo on the bottom panel. The buttons are on the right extremity, a single row of flat narrow push buttons. The only unique thing that catches the eye is the power on LED. It’s not the regular small blue dot shape, rather it is an L shaped one (inverted L), and aligns along the bottom right corner. It glows a radiant blue, and looks pretty good.

The stand has a different finish, a glossy black one. It’s circular and pretty sturdy and huge. The monitor build quality is also impressive, as the joints between he frame and the stand is not wobbly, it’s fixed in well. We received it fixed straight out of the box, though there are screws to attached it.

The monitor has a 16:10 TN panel LCD screen, 22-inch diagonal size, with max resolution of 1680×1050. The contrast ratio is 1000:1 native; brightness is 300 Cd/m2. Response time is 5 ms, while the input is regular 15 pin D-sub.

Motion is really no problem on these TN panels, detail and sharpness was visible right from the text in my word processor, to the action scenes in the film sequences.

There is no Digital video input, which could be one of the reasons the cost is low. The screen has an antiglare coating, plus it is not reflective or glossy which is good for me. There are no extra features like inbuilt speakers, webcam or any thing else of the sort.

Dell Unveils Rugged Laptop

Dell has introduced the Latitude E6400 XFR rugged laptop engineered to meet the needs of customers in the harshest of environments.

The system meets a higher drop specification and offers a greater level of dust and moisture protection and is available in the U.S., Canada, France, Spain, United Kingdom, Germany and Italy. It starts at $4,299.
Designed for the military, first responders, oil and gas environments, manufacturing floors, field technicians and homeland security, the Latitude E6400 XFR features the Dell-exclusive Ballistic Armor Protection System featuring PR-481, which leverages a high-strength substance used for applications such as cryogenics, aircraft components, military equipment and medical devices.
Features of Ballistic Armor include:

• Twice the impact strength of magnesium alloy
• 25 percent higher drop specification than any computer in its class – up to four feet with system powered down and closed and up to 36-inch drop test with the unit operating and LCD open
• High compression strength for outstanding impact protection
• Structural stability at extreme temperatures
• Scratch resistance providing corrosion protection

The Latitude E6400 XFR also features PrimoSeal Technology to enhance protection from dust and liquid with compression gaskets that deliver a higher level of ingress protection, or shielding from dust and moisture, than any system in its class with an IP-65 rating. The fully rugged laptop is engineered and independently tested to more than 13 military standards (MIL STD 810F) for operation in challenging environments. It shares common images and components with the Dell Latitude E6400 laptops for easy integration into existing environments and enables low ownership costs.
The Latitude E6400 XFR also includes:

• Intel Core 2 Duo processors and vPro technology for enhanced manageability and advanced security features
• QuadCool Thermal Management System allows the XFR to meet the MIL-STD 810F for temperature extremes and enables excellent performance – a fully configured Latitude E6400 XFR performs up to 90 percent faster than the Panasonic CF30
• Up to 167 percent faster than the Panasonic CF30 in graphics-intensive applications
• Extended field use batteries equipped with ExpressCharge enables battery re-charge up to two times faster than Panasonic CF-30
• At 2.2 inches thick and starting at 8.5 pounds, the Latitude E6400 XFR is 15 percent thinner and up to 5 percent lighter than the previous generation XFR
• Field-ready options include an in-vehicle docking solution, 12-cell rugged battery slice, E-family docking and legacy I/O adapter
• Large 14.1-inch wide display including DirectVue Technology – customers can work in direct sunlight on a screen that features impact resistance
• Optional Dell ProSupport service offerings.