Cisco sinks funding into WiMAX-supporting Grid Net, looks to ride the 'smart energy' wave

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/26/cisco-sinks-funding-into-wimax-supporting-grid-net-looks-to-rid/

Here's an interesting one. Just days after Cisco admitted that it was killing its own internal development of WiMAX kit, the networking mainstay has sunk an undisclosed amount of cheddar into a company that holds WiMAX in the highest regard: Grid Net. Said outfit has close ties to GE, Intel, Motorola and Clearwire, all of which have also voiced support (and invested real dollars) for the next-generation wireless protocol in years past. Last we heard, Cisco was doing its best to remain "radio-agnostic," and while some may view this as flip-flopping, we view it as brilliant; it's costly to develop internally, but buying stake in a company that's already well versed in a given technology allows Cisco to keep WiMAX at arm's reach without incurring the risk associated with building within. Beyond all that, we think that Cisco's just trying to get in early on the energy management biz, particularly after the US government announced that it would be funding the distribution of loads of in-home energy monitors in the coming years. According to Grid Net, it intends to "use the proceeds from this investment to promote its real-time, all-IP, secure, reliable, extensible, end-to-end Smart Grid network infrastructure solutions," though specifics beyond that were few and far between. Verizon mentioned that it would soon be using its LTE network for all sorts of unorthodox things -- we suppose WiMAX backers are planning to allow the same.

Cisco sinks funding into WiMAX-supporting Gr! id Net, looks to ride the 'smart energy' wave originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 21:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: Google's Set Top Box Won't Replace Your Current One, But "Daisy-Chain" Them [Google]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5502602/rumor-googles-set-top-box-wont-replace-your-current-one-but-daisy+chain-them

Google's upcoming set top box won't replace what you've already got, VideoNuze has reportedly been told by sources. Instead, it'll daisy-chain between the boxes and the TV via HDMI, bringing the best of the web to your TV.

All we know for certain so far is that the box will be built by Sony and Intel, run on Android, and use Google Chrome as a browser. VideoNuze's "additional information" heard from sources will show Google "contemplating an entirely novel strategy for its set top box."

"In other words, the MVPD's set-top's HDMI output would be connected to the Google TV set-top's HDMI input, and then its HDMI output would be connected to the TV. The authorized TV channels would still be delivered, but Google TV would collect data from the MVPD's set-top and introduce an entirely new UI for users to control their TV experience, to include searching and browsing channels. It would also add a host of new interactive web-type capabilities around the content."

Jason already ran through his wish list of features, which would include all Google services as well as support for Hulu and other streaming sites. [VideoNuze via SlashGear]

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Microsoft's budget 720p HD-5000 LifeCam reviewed (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/26/microsofts-budget-720p-hd-5000-lifecam-reviewed-video/

A week after becoming a reality, Microsoft's LifeCam HD-5000 webcam has been given the review treatment by Mobile + Netbook and, while it delivers what looks to be generally excellent quality video, it doesn't score perfectly high marks. For one thing, this cam does not feature onboard hardware encoding, which resulted in 40 percent CPU utilization for this tester when recording at 720p on a Core i5 750 processor -- ouch. This also means that the cam will not be usable for Skype HD, as that service requires onboard hardware encoding. But, other than some slow focus issues, the camera delivered quite good quality and color and, at just $50 MSRP (we're seeing them for $40 online), it's still quite a bargain.

Continue reading Microsoft's budget 720p HD-5000 LifeCam reviewed (video)

Microsoft's budget 720p HD-5000 LifeCam reviewed (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 09:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vitality GlowCap hands-on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/25/vitality-glowcap-hands-on/

We just got a quick look at one of those Vitality GlowCap bottles. It's about as dead simple as it looks: the LED at the top of the cap glows (orange, but there's also a blue mode that must mean something else like "you're all going to die"), and with the right amount of adult supervision you can push down and twist off the cap. All the details of the service, which involves patent recognition to figure out the best way to remind you and incentivize you to take your pills via phone calls, flashing lights, and social network reminders, aren't completely ironed out, but it sounds like Vitality is paying AT&T up front for the bandwidth -- at least you won't have another charge on your AT&T bill to worry about. Not shown is a base station that the GlowCaps connect to over 2G wireless (more unclarity here, but rest assured your prescription infos will be beamed over the internet via AT&T's network), and which does the primary flashing when you need to take a pill.

Gallery: Vitality GlowCap hands-on

Vitality GlowCap hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Mar 2010 11:51:00 EST. Plea! se see o ur terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS O!Play AIR reviewed, deemed 'capable'

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/25/asus-o-play-air-reviewed-deemed-capable/

When we first saw the ASUS O!Play Air set-top box the latter part of last year, we were interested -- when looking for a networked media player, it's definitely good to have options. Now that the kids at Bit-Tech have got their hands on a review unit, however, are enthusiasm has dampened quite a bit. Sure, it looks good in print: HDMI 1.3, composite video and audio output (for lovers of antiques), eSATA and USB ports, CF, SD+MMC, MS+MS Duo card readers, and 802.11n -- none too shabby, eh? Once you got past the "greasy plastic outer surface," however, things were not so awesome. The interface felt "sluggish" as the reviewer "repeatedly watching the timer... waiting for menus to load," and the device itself eschews support for Dolby TrueHD and DTS MasterHD in lieu of multichannel HD LPCM audio over HDMI -- a tongue twister for sure, but also a deal-breaker for some. On the other hand, the kids did find the UI intuitive, and an automatic media preview especially helpful for wonky filenames. The question remains -- is it worth it for $130?

ASUS O!Play AIR reviewed, deemed 'capable' originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Mar 2010 14:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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