| D-Link SharePort DIR-505 is a router / repeater that fits in your pocket, ships today for $100 Jun 19th 2012, 17:39  An April ship target may have come and gone, but that's not stopping D-Link -- the company's SharePort DIR-505 Mobile Companion is finally ready to join your side, beginning today. The $100 pocketable WiFi-enabled hub can serve a variety of wireless functions, making it an ideal choice for road warrior types hopping from hotel to hotel while longing for just a hint of consistency. In router mode, the SharePort pumps out an 802.11g/n WiFi signal, converting a lone Ethernet hook-up to a shareable connection. There's also a nifty repeater mode, for those rare check-ins met with a spacious suite upgrade, where a single access point won't get the job done. Or, if you're covered on the connectivity front, you can use the DIR-505 to link your USB hard drive with the web -- or, if all else fails, it'll at least charge your smartphone. Ready to hand over a Benjamin in exchange for a slab of all-in-one wireless goodness? Jump past the break and hit up our source link to make your purchase. Update: The press release references a $69.99 price tag, though the DIR-505 carries a list price of $99.99, which is what you'll pay if you order it directly from D-Link. The device is available through third parties (including Amazon and TigerDirect) for $70, however. Continue reading D-Link SharePort DIR-505 is a router / repeater that fits in your pocket, ships today for $100 D-Link SharePort DIR-505 is a router / repeater that fits in your pocket, ships today for $100 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jun 2012 13:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  D-Link | Email this | Comments | | Apple and Liquidmetal hug it out, lengthen their pact until 2014 Jun 19th 2012, 16:52  The deal between Apple and Liquidmetal was originally supposed to be a short-term fling. Technically, it expired in February this year, less than two years after the couple first met. There must have been a spark, as the two have just decided to extend their licensing deal through to February 2014. Of course, simply having a deal isn't the same as putting it to use, and there's no certainty that we'll see anything exotic materialize out of it: the last time Liquidmetal's extra-sturdy alloy was used in an Apple product, it wound up in a SIM card ejector tool. Still, Apple must have found something it wants to make in order to keep its union going forward, whether it's another tiny pack-in with an iPhone or (once costs allow) something a tad larger. Apple and Liquidmetal hug it out, lengthen their pact until 2014 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jun 2012 12:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  MacRumors | SEC | Email this | Comments | | Y!kes' app-enabled system transforms hotel accessibility: talking with hotel chains, launching this month on iOS, Android, BlackBerry and WP7 Jun 19th 2012, 16:30  We all knew opening one's hotel room door with a smartphone was just the beginning, didn't we? As the years have turned (and LodgeNet has inexplicably remained), a smattering of companies have seen the opportunity to connect savvy hotel guests to the properties they frequent. Y!kes is the latest to tune in, and its solution undoubtedly has the potential to change the way smartphone users interact with lodging venues. Designed as a hardware + software platform, the proximity-aware access system offers hotels the ability to tightly and specifically grant or deny access to one's phone. As an example, a hotel and guest both utilizing the system could see an elevator automatically choose one's floor upon entry, a door automatically unlock when a patron walks within range, a parking deck automatically have its gate raised, and a VIP lounge door automatically open if the credentials are programmed in. Going a step further, one could envision this system having the ability to alert a hotel when a guest lands at the nearest airport, thereby triggering a series of events that places fresh Perrier bottles on the desk, blue mood lighting in the bathroom, a thermostat adjustment to 74 degrees and whatever else that person has specified in their profile. Insane? Sure, but not at all outside of the realm of feasibility. Once a venue has installed the system, guests need only have the associated app -- available for Android, BlackBerry OS, Windows Phone and iOS -- running in the background on their device. If all goes as planned, he or she won't even have to drop by the check-in counter, and when the stay is over, they'll be able to bypass the check-out line as well. If you're curious about app availability, we're told that the iOS build will hit the App Store "this week," while the other three platforms will see launches "within 30 days." We asked the company if it was ready to announce any partnerships with hotel chains, and received the following reply: "As for integration, Y!kes is currently engaged in deep discussions with the top hotel chains and will have information pertaining to specific contracts in the near future." Needless to say, the jetsetters in the crowd will be keeping an ear to the ground for more. Continue reading Y!kes' app-enabled system transforms hotel accessibility: talking with hotel chains, launching this month on iOS, Android, BlackBerry and WP7 Y!kes' app-enabled system transforms hotel accessibility: talking with hotel chains, launching this month on iOS, Android, BlackBerry and WP7 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jun 2012 12:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Yikes | Email this | Comments | |
