technabob » wifi

worksnug: find free wifi hotspots using augmented reality

range — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 03:19:06 +0000

With more and more coffee shops asking you to pay for WiFi, it’s getting annoying to open up your laptop and find the internet hidden behind a pay wall. That’s why I thought that WorkSnug was so cool. It finds WiFi connections for you using your iPhone and augmented reality.

It uses GPS and WiFi to locate hotspots, uses the camera, compass and accelerometer on the iPhone 3GS to show locations on a heads-up 3D screen wherever you point your phone. You can also toggle to a 2D mode if the 3D is too difficult for you to follow.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The best thing about WorkSnug is that this app is that it’s currently free. The worst part is that it only works in London and Barcelona at present. But if you’re fortunate enough to live in one of those places, you can download WorkSnug for iPhone here.

[via Ubergizmo]

parrot ar drone helicopter has streaming video and iphone controls

range — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:59:18 +0000

This new toy is so cool that I’m almost speechless. It’s a quadricopter and it’s got a camera on board!

The AR.Drone from Parrot is one amazing toy. It can be controlled via iPhone or iPod Touch thanks to WiFi and it will provide a live video stream of what it sees. How cool is that?

There is another camera facing downward to measure speed and to compensate for turbulence. In case the drone looses contact, an autopilot kicks in and lands the thing. This is kind of like having your own little spy plane, only it’s more maneuverable and stable since it’s a quadricopter.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

There’s even going to be an open AR.Drone SDK, which will allow developers to build custom applications for controlling the remote drone. Cool!

Expect the AR.Drone to hit stores sometime later this year. No word on pricing or an exact release date yet.

[via Make:]

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/01/altces_rc_heli_with_streaming_video.html

mvix nubbin 802.11n wifi adapter: small size, small price

lambert v. — Tue, 19 May 2009 11:40:08 +0000

I love pocket-sized gadgets – I like to think of my PSP as cargo pants-pocket sized – but recently we’ve seen stuff that could fit in your pocket’s pocket, if it had one. Here we have yet another pocket-pocket-sized device, the appropriately named Nubbin from MvixUSA. It’s the world’s first 802.11n USB WiFi adapter that’s also a choking hazard, measuring only 1.18″ x 0.55″ x 0.28″.

At this rate, pretty soon we’ll have gadgets that could easily fit in our nostrils. Fortunately, the Nubbin sells for just $39 USD, so you can still probably afford to buy another in case you lose it, and you probably will. Head on to MvixUSA’s online store to order.

[via popgadget]

wi-far out: wi-fire usb range extender

lambert v. — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 12:35:42 +0000

Wireless connectivity is the bees’ knees. In most cases however, you have to give up some of your connection speed for the convenience and neatness of being wireless. Sometimes it’s the router’s fault, but I think you’ll agree with me that the built-in receiver/transmitter in most computers, especially the ones in laptops, could be better. If you frequently rely on wireless connectivity then you will love the Wi-Fire.

The Wi-Fire is a USB device that boosts WiFi signals. It uses a directional antenna, a powerful receiver along with proprietary software to enable a computer to detect and access wireless sources up to 1000 ft. away. I haven’t personally seen the Wi-Fire at work, so I’ll let the experts from Maximum PC do the talking: “Our jaws really dropped as we moved the notebook ever further away: 350 feet from the router, with the signal passing through an insulated, double-thick interior wall and a steel garage door, the Wi-Fire delivered TCP throughput of 14.5Mb/s.”

Dr. Macenstein even said that the Wi-Fire works even better than advertised, giving him not 3 times but 5 times the normal range of his G4 Powerbook.

The Wi-Fire works with the three major operating systems. It has a retractable cable for portability and easy storage. The Wi-Fire is sold at hField Technologies’ store for only $79 USD.

It does have it’s flaws though, like its size and the boring design. It also only supports 802.11b and g, so you won’t be able to run at 802.11n speeds. Dr. Macenstein also said that when you attach the device on your computer using the clip, “a slight breeze will send the Wi-Fire toppling, as the “clip” aspect of the stand is pretty much useless”. But overall, I think the Wi-Fire is a really neat gadget. I really hope it’s being sold here; the free internet signal boost will be a lot of help.

[via CoolTools]