Consumer Electronics Daily News

New WD Wi-Fi Range Extender Instantly Boosts Home Wireless Coverage

WD^®, a subsidiary of Western Digital and a world leader in external storage and solutions for today's connected life, today unveils its My Net™ Wi-Fi™ Range Extender to expand wireless home networks into out-of-reach areas of the home. Following the introduction of its first line of wireless home networking products, the acclaimed My Net family of HD dual-band routers, the selectable dual-band My Net Wi-Fi Range Extender provides faster, stronger and more reliable wireless network coverage to computers, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, media players, smart TVs and other Wi-Fi connected devices that suffer from a weak Wi-Fi signal within the home.

"Today's home is filled with multiple Wi-Fi connected devices simultaneously streaming movies, music and TV shows on services such as Netflix™, Hulu Plus™, VUDU^® and others," explains Scott Vouri, general manager for WD's connected life solutions group. "The My Net Wi-Fi Range Extender provides faster speeds at greater distances, enabling HD streaming to the outermost areas of the home."

My Net Wi-Fi Range Extender's power comes from its 3x3 multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) antenna array design, versus the 2x2 design used by most competitive products. This design enables customers to significantly extend the Wi-Fi signal from their existing routers or gateways, letting them enjoy HD streaming movies, online gaming and video calls in remote areas of the home with the fastest wireless-N speeds possible. The range extender also features a Gigabit Ethernet port, providing a high-speed Internet connection for distant, wired-only entertainment devices.

Setup of the My Net Wi-Fi Range Extender is a simple two step process, with no installation CD or software needed. Customers can use Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) to connect the range extender to their existing home network with a push of a button. Then they can use the convenient Wi-Fi signal strength indicator lights on the front of the range extender to find the optimal signal-boosting location in their home. Once all the indicator lights are lit, the My Net Wi-Fi Range Extender is in the best location to provide maximum performance. The My Net Wi-Fi Range Extender is compatible with all Wi-Fi certified routers and gateways, as well as all wireless Wi-Fi standards, from 802.11a to 802.11ac.

My Net Wi-Fi Range Extender is available now at select U.S. retailers and online at wdstore.com for is $89.99 USD (MSRP).

New Logitech Harmony Touch Gives You Unprecedented Control of Your Home Entertainment

Today Logitech announced the next generation of its award-winning line of Harmony® remotes, the Logitech Harmony® Touch. This premium advanced universal remote gives you customization with an intuitive color touch-screen for unprecedented control of your home-entertainment system.

The Logitech Harmony Touch lets you add, remove and re-order up to 50 favorite channel icons from your respective cable or satellite provider right on its vibrant 2.4-inch color touch-screen. After simple online setup, you and your family can access all of your favorite channels with a simple tap, swipe or scroll, removing the hassle of memorizing channel numbers and scrolling through lengthy on-screen guides. You can personalize the experience to quickly and easily find all of your favorite entertainment – from TV and movies to games and music – with one touch. In addition, its low-profile keys are backlit so you can easily navigate your favorite entertainment, even in the dark.

“The Logitech Harmony Touch represents the next evolution for the universal remote,” said Joerg Tewes, vice president of Logitech’s digital home business group. “Today, people prize convenience and want home-entertainment systems that are impressive and easy to use. With this in mind, Logitech designed a remote that makes it simple for people to customize their experience, and feel in control of their systems like never before.”

The Logitech Harmony Touch is compatible with more than 225,000 home-entertainment devices and more than 5,000 brands, and it can control as many as 15 devices. And its included charging station keeps your remote powered and within reach so it’s ready to go, no matter the activity.

The Logitech Harmony Touch is expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe beginning in October 2012, for a suggested retail price of $249.99. For more information please visit the company website.

NETGEAR Router Backs up Data

NETGEAR®, Inc. today announced the worldwide availability of NETGEAR CentriaTM, a powerful, all-in-one automatic backup/media server and high-speed WiFi router. Centria is a dual band high-performance router with the added convenience of automatic data backup for both PCs and Macs.

The backup capability of the Centria router gives you peace of mind knowing that your data is always backed up. If your PC or Mac goes down or is lost, you can still access your data from Centria using another computer.

Routers are an ideal device to provide data backup since they are always on and are the central point of connection for all computers in the home. Additionally, Centria can be used as a storage repository for photos, media and documents that may take up too much space on your computer. Centria uses an internal SATA drive and/or external USB drives to backup and store data.

Centria makes it easy to automatically backup data from both PCs and Macs. It includes NETGEAR ReadySHARE® Vault for Windows PC for backup. It supports Apple® Time Machine® for Mac to deliver wireless backup to the Centria integrated hard drive or connected USB hard drive.

After the simple initial setup, Centria will automatically backup your PC or Mac every time you connect to the network, so you don't have to remember to backup your computer.

Centria is available in two models. The NETGEAR Centria WNDR4700 allows you to insert your own hard drive into its internal storage bay. NETGEAR Centria WNDR4720 comes with an internal 2 TB hard drive. You can easily upgrade the internal hard drive yourself anytime – an industry first.

Both models come with two SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ports – which are up to10 times faster than standard USB 2.0 ports – to provide additional storage capacity with compatible USB 3.0 external hard drives. An SD card reader affords simple, single-click backup of media to the internal hard drive.

NEC Display Solutions Introduces Touch-Integrated V Series Monitor

NEC Display Solutions of America, a leading provider of commercial LCD display and projector solutions, announced today the premiere of the Touch-Integrated V Series with the 46-inch V462-TM and 65-inch V651-TM. The commercial-grade panel and components promote extended use and deliver superior touchscreen capabilities in education, corporate, retail and restaurant environments.

NEC’s V462-TM and V651-TM displays offer digital signage users interactive capabilities with full-HD resolution at a cost-conscious price. Within the Touch-Integrated V Series bezel is an integrated, low-profile, 4-camera optical-imaging technology that allows for up to six simultaneous touches. Its double-sided, anti-reflective glass coating protects the panel, prevents mirrored imaging and allows for higher brightness transmittance.

Touch-Integrated V Series models include the following features:

• 4-camera optical-imaging technology supports up to six simultaneous touches
• Integrated, double-sided anti-reflective glass protects the LCD panel, while minimizing reflectivity
• Commercial-grade LCD panel and components
• Full-HD native resolution with up to 360 cd/m² brightness
• Expanded connectivity with digital loop through, DisplayPort, HDMI and DVI-D
• Networking capabilities through RS232C, RJ45, IR Remote and DDC/CI inputs
• Built-in expansion slot allows for seamless integration of Open Pluggable Specification (OPS) devices or NEC accessories
• Built-in, low-profile 10W speakers enhance the experience with superior sound
• Optional accessories include stands, 3G/HD/SD-SDI card, DVI daisy chain, OPS devices, OPS adapter and external PCs

The V462-TM and V651-TM will be available in September 2012 at a minimum advertised price of $2599 and $7999, respectively. Each carries a 3-year limited parts and labor warranty, which includes the backlight.

NETGEAR Introduces Industry's First 802.11ac WiFi Home Router With Integrated ADSL

NETGEAR®, Inc., today introduced its ADSL2+ 802.11ac integrated router, the NETGEAR D6300 WiFi Modem Router available worldwide from major retailers and online beginning October 2012.

Up to three times faster than 802.11n, the NETGEAR D6300 WiFi Modem Router supports combined WiFi speeds up to 1600 Mbps.* The NETGEAR D6300 WiFi Modem Router enables HD video streaming and gaming throughout the home for an optimal entertainment experience. Like other NETGEAR 802.11ac WiFi Routers, its compatibility with next-generation WiFi devices and backwards compatibility with current WiFi devices provides a future-proof solution.

The NETGEAR D6300 WiFi Modem Router also includes a separate gigabit Ethernet WAN port for connecting to either high-speed cable or fiber optic broadband. Consumers can switch between cable, fiber optic broadband or ADSL without having to reconfigure their home network or replace their router.

The NETGEAR D6300 WiFi Modem Router also supports NETGEAR ReadySHARE® Cloud service, which keeps all your files stored securely at home on a USB external storage attached to the router, but available to transfer, edit or share anywhere, anytime remotely via your smartphone, tablet or PC.

• NETGEAR Genie^®: This free app for PCs, Apple® Macs®, iOS® and Google® Android® smartphones and tablets enables home users to control, monitor, repair and manage their home networks easily through a simple, elegant dashboard. NETGEAR customers can download the utility at http://www.netgear.com/genie or from the Google® Play or App Store.
• AirPrint ^TM Support: The NETGEAR Genie app enables users to print on any USB or networked printer directly from an Apple iPad® or Apple iPhone®.
• Guest network access: The NETGEAR genie app makes setting up a guest network simple. Guests and visitors can go online through the router without the need for secure login information. The guest network also prevents users from seeing and accessing a household's computers, printers, storage devices and other home network devices.
• ReadySHARE Printer: This feature makes it easy for the router to turn any existing USB printer into a fully functional networked printer that is fully compatible with Macs and PCs.
• Media Server-DLNA: The NETGEAR D6300 WiFi Modem Router is DLNA-ready and can stream to any DLNA-compatible device in your house, including the latest smart TVs, Blu-ray® players, media players, game consoles, handheld devices, tablets and more.
• NETGEAR Live Parental Controls: A centralized, flexible, and reliable parental control solution for all the devices on the network, including Macs, Windows PCs, smartphones and tablets, for a safe online environment for children and teenagers. No subscription is required.
• Automatic WiFi Security: The integrated router comes with wireless security turned on out-of-the-box, complete with a pre-configured network name and password, protecting home WiFi networks by default.

* Actual speeds for the NETGEAR D6300 WiFi Modem Router are 300 Mbps (@ 2.4 Ghz 802.11n) and 1300 Mbps (@ 5 Ghz 802.11ac). Maximum wireless signal rate derived from IEEE standard 802.11 specifications. Actual data throughput and wireless coverage will vary.

Egreat Unveils Airplay-compatible Media Streamer

Egreat, an Asian developer of HD media players introduced Monday its Apple compatible Android media streamer the Sonic-300A.

The Sonic-300A is able to stream movies and TV directly from the Safari Browser, while local storage allows you to watch anything you can think of on whatever screen you need.

The Sonic-300A runs on the Android OS, which combines with the Sigma 8671AD chip, meaning the picture quality is unrivaled and allows you to enjoy the versatility of the Android system.

Egreat's Sonic-300A will start shipping at the end of 2012. For more information, please visit the company website.

D-Link Launches New 4-Bay Cloud Storage Solution for Home and Small Business Users

D-Link today announced the newest installment to its high-performance ShareCenter^® storage solutions – the 4-Bay Cloud Storage 4000 (DNS-345). Offering superior performance with a fast CPU to simultaneously support multiple user streams, more memory to boost performance, four drives for up to 16TB of storage, and two Gigabit Ethernet ports for high speed data transfer and failover, the Cloud Storage 4000 is a robust storage, back-up and recovery solution. When combined with D-Link^® Cloud Cameras, the Cloud Storage 4000 also enables a full-featured network video recorder (NVR) which supports real-time monitoring, recording and playback of surveillance video.

The Cloud Storage 4000 creates a personal Cloud portal via the free and user-friendly mydlink^™ cloud app, enabling users to store, safeguard, share, and remotely access or stream their digital documents, music, videos, and photos from anywhere in the world on their iPhone^®, iPad^®, Android^™, Blackberry^®, or Microsoft^® Mobile OS device. In addition, the mydlink cloud app supports two-way data syncing, ensuring users have the latest data on their ShareCenter and computers.

Equipped with four SATA HD bays for 3.5-inch drives supporting drive capacities of up to 4TB, the Cloud Storage 4000 ensures plenty of storage for today's home users and small businesses. Plus, the Cloud Storage 4000 grows with a user's storage requirement, allowing users to start off with one SATA hard disk with the ability to add up to four drives (up to 16TB of storage) as needed.

For added network safety, the Cloud Storage 4000 features the D-Link Surveillance Station App, which supports recording and playback of up to four IP cameras, such as D-Link's award-winning line-up of mydlink enabled cloud cameras. In addition, users have the flexibility to choose from seven different RAID configurations for specific hard drive protection preferences, schedule backups, and set file and folder permissions to allow for ultimate sync flexibility and storage control. Installation of the Cloud Storage 4000 is simple without any special configuration requirement – making it easy for anyone to get their storage drive up and running. And easy expansion allows consumers to add up to four hard drives for more storage capacity, without using tools or attaching any cables.

Additional Features:

• Built-in Web Files Server and Secure FTP Server for File Access Over the Internet*
• DLNA^™ Server to Stream Music, Photos, and Video to Compatible Media Players, including Boxee Box by D-Link, PlayStation^® 3 and Xbox^® 360
• USB Port Supports Print Serving, UPS Monitoring and One Touch Backup
• Full or Incremental Backups
• Auto Power Recovers and Power-off Scheduling
• Automatic E-mail and SMS Event Notification
• Supports Add-on Applications, including Logitech Squeeze Center Support, Audio Streamer, Create a Blog App, and Photo Center App

Availability and Pricing
The Cloud Storage 4000 will be available for an Every Day Low Price (EDLP) of $449.99 throughout the D-Link^® network of retail and e-tail outlets in North America, including Amazon.com and Tiger Direct.

Six Innovative Products Headline Variety Of New NETGEAR Technologies At IFA 2012

NETGEAR®, Inc., a global networking company that delivers innovative products to consumers, businesses and service providers, today introduced a full line-up of new innovative products at the IFA 2012 conference. The products demonstrate NETGEAR's leadership in networking technologies for consumers and small-and medium-sized businesses. At IFA 2012, taking place in Berlin, Germany, from August 31 to September 5, the new products on display in Hall 12 at NETGEAR booth # 102 will include:

NETGEAR N600 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit ADSL2+ Modem Router (DGND3700B)
The NETGEAR N600 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit ADSL2+ Annex B Modem Router (DGND3700B) is the ultimate integrated DSL networking gateway. It offers concurrent dual band technology to avoid interference and ensure top speeds, as well as the greatest range possible to handle demanding applications like streaming HD video and multiplayer gaming. Key features include NETGEAR ReadySHARE® Cloud, DLNA media server compatibility and NETGEAR ReadySHARE Printer, which enables wireless printing from any computer to a connected USB printer.

NETGEAR Powerline Music Extender (XAUB2511)
The NETGEAR Powerline Music Extender (XAUB2511) allows music to be played wirelessly on any speaker anywhere at home from a tablet, smartphone or computer. It turns any power outlet into an Internet connection, and can convert a USB printer or USB hard drive into a network device that is accessible from any connected device.

NETGEAR Powerline 500 Nano PassThru 2-Port (XAVB5602)
The NETGEAR Powerline 500 Nano PassThru 2-Port (XAVB5602) turns any electrical outlet at home into a high-speed 500 Mbps network, which is perfect for applications such as HDTV, multiple HD/3D video streams, streaming multimedia and multiplayer gaming. It comes with two fast Ethernet ports to simultaneously connect multiple devices to your home network or to the Internet.

NETGEAR Powerline 500 PassThru WiFi Access Point (XWNB5602) and Powerline 500 WiFi Access Point (XWNB5201)
The NETGEAR Powerline 500 WiFi access points (XWNB5602 and XWNB5201) are the first Powerline WiFi 500 Mbps products capable of turning any power outlet at home into a high-speed WiFi N 300 Mbps access point. The access points offer easy, plug-and-play setup and provide ultra-fast WiFi coverage to enable quick access to even the most demanding applications. The NETGEAR Powerline 500 WiFi access points are ideal for connecting devices like tablets, laptops and smartphones to fast wireless Internet in the home.

NETGEAR Universal WiFi Range Extender – Powerline PassThru edition (XWNB1601)
The NETGEAR Universal WiFi Range Extender – Powerline PassThru edition (XWNB1601) is a premium range extender combining WiFi and Powerline technologies to seamlessly extend the WiFi signal of a gateway/router to virtually any room in your home.

For more information visit NETGEAR.

IBM Cloud to Deliver New Home Entertainment Services for Philips Smart TVs

IBM today unveiled a new cloud platform for consumer electronics firms and announced it will power the Philips Smart TV platform for Internet services, which will deliver greater interactive services to millions of TV viewers in more than 30 countries in Europe, as well as Brazil and Argentina.

Through their broadband connections, smart TVs provide consumers with innovative, on-demand access to an unlimited array of entertainment options throughout the Internet. In addition to standard, linear TV, they provide two-way interaction and personalized content, enabling new "intelligent" consumer services. 

Today's announcement at the IFA consumer electronics event in Berlin provides IBM cloud services on a pay-per-use basis to TP Vision, an Amsterdam-based joint venture between Philips and TV manufacturer TPV responsible for the development of Philips Smart TV.

TP Vision needed a cloud computing environment resilient enough to support unexpected service demands at any given time when millions of TV units access a variety of services on its network. 

"IBM's cloud platform allows us to place the service and application intelligence into the cloud, and reduces the complexity of managing software in the TVs for our consumers," said Albert Mombarg, head of Philips Smart TV at TP Vision.

The new IBM cloud platform opens up paths to new revenue. The data stored within the cloud can provide new insights about consumer needs and behavior for the media and entertainment industry, such as recommending TV shows based on past selections. Service providers, chief marketing officers and advertisers can use Big Data analytics to deliver more personalized entertainment options and targeted advertisements. Marketers can generate collective consumer knowledge derived from the aggregation of data from a population of homes, in addition to an individual TV.

"As the Internet and smart devices continue to infiltrate home entertainment, today's consumer electronics manufacturers are looking to deliver new interactive entertainment services," said Bruce Anderson, general manager of IBM's global electronics industry. "Televisions are about to become the next open application platform, similar to the application platforms on mobile devices.  Organizations are turning to the IBM cloud as the channel for their innovation."

IBM Launches IBM SmartCloud Service Delivery
Today IBM unveils a cloud-based platform managed by IBM global cloud data centers, for subscriber and device management, service life-cycle management and more.  IBM's new service delivery platform, called the IBM SmartCloud Service Delivery for Electronics, provides consistent management of millions of different connected consumer devices, provisions services, interfaces with third parties, and acts as a collector of customer intelligence. It bundles services, software, hardware, network and third-party services in a single integrated service, for an all-in price, with per active user pricing, making smarter TV services more cost effective for manufacturers and consumers.

Examples of live solutions demonstrated at IFA include the Philips Smart TV and service portal, and a smart home proof-of-concept, with home management and monitoring, as well as home energy management.

For more information about IBM's global electronics industry, visit http://www.ibm.com/electronics

NETGEAR Raises The Bar In Powerline Networking - Streams Music To Any Speaker And Turns USB Printers And Hard Drives Into Networked Printers And Storage

NETGEAR®, Inc. today announced the NETGEAR Powerline Music Extender (XAUB2511). Using Powerline technology, the NETGEAR Powerline Music Extender combines the ability to turn any outlet into an Internet connection, with the ability to play your music in any room in the home with an outlet.

The NETGEAR Powerline Music Extender enables you to stream music to speakers anywhere in the home from a smartphone, tablet (Apple® iOS- and Android®-supported) or Windows PC. Just choose music on your smartphone, tablet or Windows PC, select a remote speaker in your home connected to the NETGEAR Powerline Music Extender, and play it. For Macs and iOS devices, use the Airplay® function to stream the music to your desired speaker. For PCs and Android devices, download an app for such capabilities. 

Any type of audio system is supported, from a brand new home theater system to an old stereo, which can be connected using RCA jack connectors.

As a unique feature for your Apple iPhone® and Apple iPad®, you can stream your favorite music from Pandora®, Spotify® or Deezer™ services to the remote speaker using the Airplay function.

The NETGEAR Powerline Music Extender can also connect smart TVs, HD set-top boxes, gaming consoles, Blu-ray™ players, network DVRs, PCs or any other Ethernet-based device to the Internet via an Ethernet port (RJ45). In addition, the XAUB2511, through a NETGEAR "media extender app" downloaded to your PC, enables you to connect your Windows PC to remote USB devices located anywhere at home, be it a USB printer or USB hard drive.

The NETGEAR Powerline Music Extender is the latest in a series of NETGEAR products that go beyond basic networking to enhance the multimedia experience for consumers worldwide.

The NETGEAR Powerline Music Extender Difference

• Stream music from your smartphone, tablet or Windows PC to a speaker anywhere at home
• Enjoy music on existing Hi-Fi system's speakers, even for those that are not Internet-enabled
• Works with iOS and Android smartphones or tablets
• Turns any power outlet into an Internet connection
• Includes a "pass-through" power outlet so other electrical devices can share the same outlet
• Share a USB printer or USB hard drive on the home network.

"Consumers want to remotely control and play their music anywhere in the home without being confined by distance or device," said Fred Guiot, senior product line manager, consumer products at NETGEAR. "By enabling users to connect and use existing speakers, NETGEAR Powerline Music Extender facilitates the 'play music anywhere' lifestyle we have come to expect."

NETGEAR Powerline Music Extender is simple to install and set up. No configuration is necessary – just plug and play.

NETGEAR Powerline Music Extender will be available worldwide from major retailers and online starting in October 2012. The NETGEAR Powerline Music Extender Starter kit (XAUB2511) starts at $139/139€. The single pack XAU2511, ideal for those who already have NETGEAR Powerline at home, is priced starting at $99/99€.