Gizmodo: wusb

Lightning Review: Kensington's Wireless USB Universal Docking Station Is the World's First

Sean Fallon — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 13:50:00 EDT

The Gadget: Kensington's new docking station is the first to offer wireless USB connectivity. A DVI external monitor (DVI-to-VGA adapter included) and up to five peripherals spring to life when your WUSB-enabled laptop PC comes within a 15 foot range.

The Price: $219–$230

The Verdict: I'll be dammed—it works. If you are one of the few people out there running a WUSB-enabled notebook, Kensington's new docking station makes it fairly easy to wirelessly connect USB devices so you are not constantly plugging and unplugging them as you move in and out of your workspace.

First off, I was impressed with its size. The whole device was about as big as my hand, so it will not take up much desktop real estate. Getting things up and running was easy enough, although it took a little fiddling to get the settings the way I wanted them. However, once all of that was behind me, my external 20-inch monitor, speakers, keyboard and mouse all synced with a Lenovo T61 laptop fairly quickly when it was brought within range.

Don't expect miracles though—Kensington is very frank about what it's wireless docking station is and isn't capable of. For example: It is not designed to stream hi-res videos. YouTube quality is okay, but even launching WMP causes a bit of a lag. There are also some choppy transition issues with open applications. For example: if I open up a Word document when out of range, the document is minimized awkwardly in the tray on a cloned external monitor when I transition back in range. Still, these shortcomings are not significant enough for me to override a recommendation. Just keep in mind that WUSB-enabled laptops are still pretty rare and I'm told that a WUSB adapter will work, but it won't give you the best "go" of the product. [Kensington]

NEC Wireless USB Prototype Just As Fast As USB 2.0

Elaine Chow — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 14:00:00 EDT

Wireless USB has finally begun to match regular USB 2.0 speeds, making our inevitable launch into a life untethered by the confines of copper and rubber cabling all the more forthcoming. At the Fall 2008 Intel Developer Forum, NEC unveiled a WUSB prototype that transfers at speeds of 200Mbits per second. The company didn't mention the effective range or when it plans on commercializing its new technology, but it's still exciting news for all of us who have trouble finding our desks under the tangle of our various USB doohickeys. [Tech On via EverythingUSB]

Silex WUSB Device Server Gives You Pseudo Wireless USB

Haroon Malik — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 16:20:00 EST

The Silex SX-2000WG USB Device Server is a nifty little gadget with a ridiculously long title. The WUSB will allow you to network your USB dependent peripherals wirelessly, they can then be reached via any computer on your WLAN. It is both Windows and Mac compatible, and works by utilizing software that emulates a direct USB connection. The WUSB supports transfer speeds of 12Mbps, it can stream low resolution music and video and even sync your iPod, (again). Wired free living will set you back to the tune of $149. [Everything USB]

Wireless USB For Cameras Will Transfer 1GB in 30 Seconds

Louis Ramirez — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 19:44:53 EST

No one ever did master the art of sending photos from your camera to your PC wirelessly, but now a semiconductor company by the name of Artimi is hoping to give the concept another shot. They're working on a wireless USB technology that, with the aid of a USB dongle, would let you transfer up to 1GB of photos from your camera to your computer in about 30 seconds sans cables. Artimi is hoping to get some WUSB cams out the door by end of this year, with bigger names jumping on the bandwagon by 2008. We just hope it works, since last time someone tried this the process were slow and kinda clunky. – Louis Ramirez

Artimi Wireless USB Technology for Cameras [The Future of Things]

Share USB Devices Between Two Computers With the MultiSwitch

Jason Chen — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 15:00:33 EST

MultiSwitch, the first USB "Hub" that allows two machines to share one USB device, should be available in stores some time in early 2007. Why should this matter to you? Well, with MultiSwitch you can share printers, USB hard drives, card readers, fingerprint scanners, and whatever other USB devices you can think of without having to rig up a separate system sharing system.

The MultiSwitch can act as a switch to control which PC sees which device at a certain time. In future models, SMSC may develop wireless technology as well, using WUSB so there are even less cables to manage.

The point? Well, it'd be nice to have access to printers and scanners with multiple PCs if you're running a small or home office. This way, you're not encumbered with a complicated networking setup, or need to make one PC the bottleneck for all USB-related activities. – Jason Chen

MultiSwitch - First USB Sharing Hub [TFOT]