Sony Dash Offers Wi-fi and Touch Connectivity

Luis Sandoval — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 16:45:54 +0000

I personally don’t know what all the craze is with boxes that apparently do what my laptop or desktop can already do, but they just can’t seem to make enough of them. I was first introduced to the Chumby, which was a device that I just saw no use for. I thought it would have been a nifty idea like ten years ago, but nowadays with mobile devices as they are, it seem irrelevant. I’m sure Chumby owners are happy with their purchase, and I don’t want to take anything away from that, but beyond the novelty, I didn’t see the need.

Most recently I came across the Sony Dash, which is another device that, like the Chumby, offer a bevy of internet services and multiple uses. The device can access the internet to show stream audio, video, check your social networks, work as a photo album, and and even give you the weather. Sounds pretty savvy, but like the Chumby, I only have one question…why?

The Sony Dashy ($200) has a seven-inch screen, wi-fi, a USB port, stereo speakers, and full access to Sony Bravia’s Internet video platform (Pandora, Youtube), and some 100o apps from the Chumby library. So apparently there’s some cross connection between the two devices.

Sony Dash is wi-fi enabled device that offers you connectivity to information on the internet.

AT&T Finally Tethers the iPhone

Luis Sandoval — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 16:26:10 +0000

Image via CrunchBase

Users of the iPhone have long been looking for ways to utilize their powerful mobile phone as a portal to access internet from their laptops. Most cell phone by the major providers make it it possible to tap into the phone’s network and access it through the user’s laptop. Unfortunately the iPhone was never given such an ability so it fell to the development community to create their own applications.

It was not long that homebrew applications were created to tether the iPhone to a laptop, but Apple heavy handedly shut down the application and refused to support such an application, more because of the contract with AT&T rather then outright unhappiness of what the application did. Still, when the iPhone was “jail broken” tethering became an option and users were frantically trying to share the information with the masses and get them on board in support of jail breaking the iPhone. Apple turned around and said that no Apple store or mail location would support an iPhone out of service due to a botched jail break attempt. Such attempts would be consider a breach of agreement and null and void any support from Apple.

Until now most non-tech savvy users were unawares of jail breaking an iPhone and simply settled for the inability to link up service with their mobile computers. Until now…

The Announcement

On Thursday Nov. 6th, AT&T Mobility Chief, Ralph de la Vega announced that users of the iPhone 3G would be able to tether their phones to their laptops and use them as modems for internet service. The remarkable service will not be available until 2009, but users were left wondering just how it would be implemented, and how much it was going to cost.

Reports state that AT&T was afraid to offer tethering believing that the major influx of users would bring down the network, and thus frustrate customers from purchasing an iPhone. What they failed to realize is that customers were finding work arounds, and even while Apple was shutting applications like NetShare down for providing modem compatibility, AT&T remained deaf to user’s needs.

Information on Apple’s and AT&T’s tethering option became available six days later with costs of $30/month and a 5GB cap on data usage being the key release information. Already users of iPhone with bloated bills are complaining about the cost saying that applications like NetShare are offering their services free of charge. Why would you pay $30 if you know a tried and true app can provide you the same service for free? That seems to be a question AT&T won’t answer for now, but the real question is if tethering is now legitimate, will NetShare be allowed to offer its alternative on Apple’s App Store?

Still, to AT&T’s benefit, after acquiring Wi-Fi provider Wayport, the network is boasting another 20,000 locations to access the network. Could AT&T become successful in having iPhone users pay the monthly fee for the benefit of tethering. With so many access points now added to the already expansive network, only time will tell.

Crenk » Wi-Fi

Sony Dash Offers Wi-fi and Touch Connectivity

AT&T Finally Tethers the iPhone