The 802.11ac Router operates in the 5 GHz spectrum and offers transfer speeds up to 1300 Mbps. With the super high speeds, Buffalo is hoping that the next generation of tablets and portable devices will feature the technology which will dramatically reduce battery usage due to increased download speeds.

“5G WiFi will improve the HD video streaming experience with its higher speeds, enhanced range and increased reliability,” said Michael Hurlston, Broadcom’s SVP and GM of the Wireless Combo Connectivity line of business. “Buffalo Technology’s products using Broadcom’s chipsets give consumers the fastest, most robust wireless networking solutions available.”

The router is now available at select retailers and goes for $189.99 on newegg.com. This is pricey, but with the reality that more and more homes have refrigerators and microwaves that are connected to the internet, the need for a high capacity router becomes more and more necessary.

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In 2010, Google acknowledged that its Street View cars had been gathering information about wi-fi while they were out and about photographing streets for the ground-level imagery feature but that it was not collecting payload data (e.g., entire emails, browsing histories, passwords, etc.). After it was discovered that Google had in fact been collecting payload data this way, it refused to reveal to the FCC exactly what information had been collected. Although Google has claimed that it had cooperated with the FCC investigation, the FCC nonetheless charged Google with obstructing the investigation and fined the company $25,000.

Google has previously defended itself by saying that the software that was harvesting personal information from wi-fi networks was an unauthorized program created by a rogue developer. However, the full, unedited version of the FCC report, which was first obtained by the Los Angeles Times, reveals that at least two other engineers had corresponded with the developer about the program. More, those associated with the Street View team told the FCC that they had no knowledge of the payload data collection yet a document describing the program was sent to the Street View team by the allegedly rogue developer in October of 2006.

Whether Google has claimed the software was a mistake or the actions of a rogue developer, the more that is learned about Google’s wi-fi snooping via Street View Cars, the more that the company’s prior defenses fail to stand up to scrutiny. In a statement to the New York Times, Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said, “”Google’s rogue engineer scenario collapses in light of the fact that others were aware of the project and did not object,” before adding that the debacle is the result of an absence of enforcement and regulation.

Jill Hazelbaker, a Google spokeswoman, explained to the LA Times Google’s decision to release the rather damning report. “We decided to voluntarily make the entire document available except for the names of individuals,” she said in an emailed statement. “While we disagree with some of the statements made in the document, we agree with the FCC’s conclusion that we did not break the law. We hope that we can now put this matter behind us.”

The full, non-redacted report released by Google can be viewed below.

Fcc Report on Googles Street View

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In theory, the user would benefit from faster internet speeds, and mobile providers would be able to monitor what type of network a user is on, at any given time. This would afford mobile operators the ability to offload data to various wireless networks, and surely pass on savings to mobile clients. Right.

The Wifi roaming initiative would incorporate the WBA’s Next Generation Hotspot program, as well as the Wifi Alliance’s Passport Certification technology. So far, a common agenda has been agreed upon, but both agencies still have to sort out guidelines on keeping security, billing, data offload, device implementation and network selection consistent.

Worldwide, the initiative could help billions of smartphone and tablet users a possibly better way to connect to the internet with their mobile devices. Especially if they are in the vicinity of a Homeless Hotspot.

Dave’s Answer:

Unless you’ve seen the network before, you should never just automatically join a wireless wifi network, so that’s curious behavior, to say the least. The problem? If your laptop automatically hops onto available networks without telling you, you could quickly find malicious folk sniffing at your data and possibly copying files off your system without you ever being aware of it. Not good. And also why spending some time battening down the proverbial hatches with your sharing and network setup is time very well spent.

What you want to do is have Windows 7 ask you whether to join a specific network, but it’s not very good at that so what you need to learn instead — as I detail herein — is how to identify the various networks that might be within range and then pick and connect to the one you prefer. I like ones that have passwords, personally, as they’re a bit more secure than those without, but as the proverb says, beggars can’t always be choosers, so if you’re in a café or library, an open, public wifi network might well be all they have available. No worries, Win7 knows how to deal with open networks, if you let it.

Let’s start at the beginning. I’ll show you how I got my Win7 Dell laptop to connection to my closed, password protected network, and also highlight what would be different if it were an open network.

Step one is always to look at the tiny wifi network status graphic on the lower right of the toolbar:

It’s hard to interpret, but the little yellow sunburst means that it’s not connected and something’s wrong. Me, I’d have flames coming out of it, or the bars all flopping to a side, but I’m not a UI designer in Redmond, so…

To find out what wireless networks are available, simply click on the wifi icon.

It’s too bad that here it doesn’t show which are secured and which are not, but it’s still accessible data. Simply move the cursor over the name of one of the wireless networks and you’ll learn more about it:

The key item, of course, is “Security Type”. In any case, Aerie is the network we seek to join, so let’s click on it to do so…

Ah, you can see that there’s a “Connect” button, but notice also that there’s a “Connect automatically” checkbox that will let our laptop instantly connect online next time the network is detected. I like those for every network except wide-open public ones, like at the public library.

Click on “Connect” and if you were on a public, open network without a password, here’s what you’d see:

Since our network does have a password and some wifi security, instead we’ll be prompted for the network password:

Type it in, click “OK” and…

Connected! There ya go. Hope this helps out…

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Dave’s Answer:

You bring up a fascinating question, actually, one that I’ve never really thought about before: if you buy a computer with the ability to connect to a wireless wifi network, can you just pick one at random and use it for Internet connectivity? I mean, when I check the wireless networks available while sitting in my living room, there are almost a dozen. Now I admit just about all of them are secured with a password, but if it isn’t, can I use it?

The answer is “no”. In fact, it turns out that there are laws against you using a wireless network without permission of the network owner is known as piggybacking and is now considered to be a felony.

In Canada it has the fancy name of “Theft of Telecommunications” and here in the United States, the applicable law is detailed in the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

However you spell it, though, it’s actually a pretty serious crime, even if you just want to watch the latest viral video on YouTube or check your Facebook account for updates from Aunt Judi.

The long and short of it is that if you want to gain access to the Internet with your new Apple computer, you’re going to have to pay for the privilege. Either you can get a DSL connection through your local phone company (relatively inexpensive, relatively slow), or a cable modem connection through your cable tv provider (typically a bit more expensive, but usually faster).

You could still talk to a neighbor who already has wireless Internet access and ask if you can piggyback — which would be generally legal, though some Internet service providers explicitly say you shouldn’t share your Internet connection in their terms of service — and perhaps contribute something towards their monthly bill.

To add a wireless capability of your own, in addition to the Internet connection itself you’ll need some sort of wireless or wifi base station which will be a one-time cost of $50-$100, depending on how fancy you want it. Then you configure it directly from your computer in your Web browser and, yes, should add a password so neighbors don’t tap into your connection.

Hope that’s all helpful. Sorry it’s not just free for all, but.. not yet. Give it a few years and perhaps we’ll see neighborhood wifi connectivity as we currently see electricity and water, as simple metered utilities.
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You can see the size of it when looking at these two devices side by side in the photo above – the Note on the left and the SII on the right.

When I first looked at the Note on unpacking the box, my immediate thought was – this is like the 5-inch Dell Streak in terms of size. In fact, I have a Dell Streak so a comparison is easy to see at first hand as this photo below shows: Galaxy Note on the left, Dell Streak on the right.

Pretty close in overall size dimensions. Pretty close, too, in screen size – the Note has a 5.3-inch display and the Streak has 5.0 inches. Not really much in it. Compare that to the SII at 4.3 inches – an inch less in overall dimensions – or the iPhone 4: at 3.5 inches, its screen is nearly 2 inches smaller overall than the Note’s (and almost 1 inch smaller than the SII’s).

You may be wondering why I seem to be fixated on size. Does size matter? Well, it does if you’re thinking of a smartphone and how you’d use that with emphasis on the ‘phone’ part of the word. I don’t know about you, but I really wouldn’t want to have to use a device the size of a Note or a Streak as my primary phone. Imagine something that big stuck to your ear!

Although the Galaxy Note does have a slot for a SIM card so you can make and receive phone calls and text messages, I wouldn’t call it a smartphone as what you’re far more likely to want to do with it is run apps and connect to the net. So a cellular connection as well as wifi is handy, letting you be online just about anywhere. And if push comes to shove, you can always make a phone call if you really want to.

This device is a mini tablet – a hybrid, in fact, in between a smartphone and a tablet. It’s the space Dell first entered in 2009 with the 5-inch Streak. But it’s a space they’ve now vacated entirely in the major markets of Europe and North America, leaving it to Samsung in particular to make the most of it.

The Galaxy Note I have is unlocked, not tied to any particular network or mobile operator. It works just fine on wifi without a SIM card, although I did notice something interesting – when I first turned it on and configured a wifi connection, it notified me of a new firmware update.

But it wouldn’t let me get it without a SIM card installed.

That was easy to sort out by using the SIM card from my SII. It enabled the firmware to be downloaded and installed, which updated the version of the Android operating system from 2.3.5 to 2.3.6. Bang up to date!

(As an aside comment on that, searching for a firmware update on the SII – which, like the Note did, has Android version 2.3.5 installed – produces no result. Yet 2.3.6 is available. Maybe the fix that 2.3.6 brings – for a voice search bug – isn’t relevant to the SII. Or, as that device is tied to a mobile operator – Three UK – perhaps it’s waiting for Three to release the update)

As I opened the box only yesterday, I haven’t yet kicked the Note’s tyres in a meaningful way. Not run any apps nor explored some interesting aspects such as the S Pen – a hi-tech stylus that may seem conceptually familiar to you if you remember devices like the Compaq IPAQ from a decade ago – and some of the neat ways you can use it.

The short time I have spent so far with the Note shows me a mobile device that’s powerful, fast, familiar, light in the hand, feature-laden and a pleasure to use. One other thing I noted in particular was the battery – 2500mAh capacity. ( Wikipedia explains mAh if you’re interested.) What that means to you and me is that a device this size with a screen this big needs all the juice it can get. Depending on use, I’d expect battery life to be on a par with what I get from my Galaxy SII with a smaller capacity battery (1650mAh) for a smaller-size and smaller-screen device – about a day’s charge with my typical use.

Would the Note be good as a primary mobile device, eg, as your phone? No, I wouldn’t recommend that. But if you want a tool that lets you do much of what you can with a full-size Android tablet (or iPad, for that matter) but in a pocket-size form factor – the best of both worlds, perhaps – then the Note may appeal to you.

Here are the top-level specs:

• 1.4GHz ARM9 dual-core processor
• 1Gb RAM
• 16Gb internal storage (32Gb version also available but not in the UK)
• MicroSD card external storage support for cards up to 32Gb capacity
• Bluetooth
• 802.11a/b/g/n wifi
• 5.3-inch Super AMOLED HD display with 800×1280 resolution
• 8 megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash plus 2 megapixel front-facing camera
• Android 2.3 Gingerbread with upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich coming
• Screen capture capability (making screenshots)

More thoughts to come as I get to know the Samsung Galaxy Note.

(All the pics above were shot with an HTC Desire 5-megapixel camera and tweaked a bit in Paint Shop Pro X2. Not a bad camera compared to the Note’s and SII’s 8-megapixel ones.)

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The outstanding Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Honeycomb tablet is lighter and a hair thinner than the Apple iPad 2, and has a smaller footprint than either the Motorola Xoom or the Acer Iconia Tab A500, which are heavier and bulkier than most tablets. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a major contender.

If you check out the specs, you will be even more impressed.

That 10″ wide screen just invites you to get involved. The iPad has already prepared the market place for devices like this and the Galaxy Tab may well be the major beneficiary.

The only impediment on the road may be the patent conflicts that are already ongoing between Apple and Android / Samsung. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has again been delayed in Australia by the courts. However this is only temporary. Note also that the full Federal Court of Australia seemed to have found Apple’s objections to the tablet sales somewhat lacking.

The full court found that Justice Annabelle Bennett did not adequately assess the strength of Apple’s patent claims when she allowed a ban to go into effect last month.
“In our view, her decision was clearly wrong and should be set aside,” the full court wrote.

Now in the US, the headlines are that Judge rejects Apple bid to halt Galaxy sales.

U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California stated that Apple would likely prove Samsung infringed one of its tablet patents. However, Apple had not shown that it was likely to overcome Samsung’s challenges to the patent’s validity. Apple must demonstrate both infringement and validity to succeed in its lawsuit.

Global tablet sales are expected to explode to more than 50 million in 2011. Apple, which has sold more than 30 million iPads so far, is expected to continue to dominate the market in the near term. With the entry of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, we may be about to see a shift.

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Dave’s Answer:

Though you may not have realized it when you bought it, that little Nintendo 3DS is quite a sophisticated piece of technology with a lot behind the screens. Indeed, once you get it online, there’s quite a bit your daughter can do with it, so it’s probably a good idea to learn a bit more about how to use the device before you’re surprised by what she’s finding on that little screen.

By the way, we look at a tiny screen say that it’s too small to watch or to use for reading or surfing the net, but I’ll bet your daughter is perfectly fine with its size. Something to think about, for sure.

The Nintendo 3DS does have a built-in wifi system and a fairly straightforward method of hooking up to a wireless network, but there are a lot of steps involved and I would strongly encourage you to have the stylus available if you’re going to need to enter a network password to get connected.

To start, tap on the HOME button, then move right until you get to System Settings:

Select System Settings and you’ll have a number of options from which to choose:

Notice the Parental Controls. If you’re worried about your daughter going onto the Internet and finding stuff you’d prefer she didn’t, this is somewhere you’ll want to investigate further once you have the 3DS all configured properly.

For now, however, tap on “Internet Settings”.

What the heck? Turns out that there’s a small switch on the right side of the Nintendo device that turns wifi on/off:

Simply slide the switch towards the hinge and the little indicator above the wifi graphic will illuminate. Now you’re ready to proceed…

On the upper screen, you’ll see this if it’s the first wifi Internet connection you’ve ever made on the 3DS:

On the lower screen, however, you’ll see the little smiley guy and – behind him – some buttons, the most important of which is “Connection Settings”.

Tap on “Next” to proceed, and on the upper screen, more helpful info:

Finally, on the lower screen, you can tap on “Connection Settings”…

The cheery little dude offers two options at this point:

This stuff’s easy, though, so select “Manual Setup” and you’ll be able to jump in and set things up quite a bit faster. First step: search for an access point:

Tap on “Search for Access Point” and it should find your wireless network, along with any others that are within range:

You can see by the orange padlocks that all of the wifi networks in this area are secured. That’s good. I’m going to connect to “MariposaNet” so I’ll tap on its name. Now I’ll need to enter the network’s security password:

This is where I strongly recommend using the stylus. It’s a very small screen!

Enter the password for your network, then tap on “OK” on the lower right. It won’t test it yet, however, because it needs to know what network connection slot you want to use:

Yeah, tap on “OK”. Now it’s ready to test…

No, really, we’re ready to test. Tap on “OK” again…

Gosh that little guy is cute. (twiddling thumbs, waiting for the network test to proceed)

Eventually, look at the upper screen and hopefully you’ll see this:

While on the lower screen we get an explanation of what’s transpired:

Tap on “OK” one last time and your Nintendo 3DS is now on the Internet and you’re good to go:

If the 3DS failed the network connectivity test, the most likely reason is that either you have the wrong network password or you’ve entered it incorrectly. It’s critical that you enter it exactly — and I mean exactly — as written or otherwise specified.

If that still doesn’t solve the problem, try taking the 3DS somewhere that has a public, open network without a password and see if that works. If it doesn’t, there might be something wrong with the 3DS…

Good luck, and good luck with your daughter!

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Pricing and Availability

Phone 4S comes in either black or white and is available in the US for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) for the 16GB model, $299 (US) for the 32GB model and $399 (US) for the new 64GB model.* iPhone 4S is available from the Apple Online Store, Apple’s retail stores and through AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, and select Best Buy, Target and Walmart stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers. iPhone 4 is available for just $99 (US) and iPhone 3GS is available for free with a two year contract.

iPhone 4S will be available on October 28 in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

*Qualified customers only. Requires a new two year rate plan, sold separately.

Source: Apple Press Info