3x3

Trendnet to ship first 450Mbps true dual-band router

Announced at CES 2011, Trendnet's first true dual-band 450Mbps Wireless-N router--the 450Mbps Concurrent Dual Band Wireless-N Router, model TEW-692GR--is now about to be available for purchase, the company said today.

Unlike other 450Mbps dual-band routers, such as the Cisco Linksys E4200, which offers the higher 450Mbps speed only on the 5GHz frequency, the TEW-692GR is the first that also offers this higher speed on the 2.4GHz band at the same time.

Note that you'd need a wireless client that also supports the new 3x3 450Mbps standard to take advantage of the higher speed. An example would be … Read more

Trendnet ships first 450Mbps Wireless-N adapter

Three-stream (3x3) Wireless-N routers capable of offering the new 450Mbps speed (as opposed to the 300Mbps of most N routers) have been available for a while (examples: the Linksys E4200 or the Trendnet TEW-691GR ). But unless you have a laptop with a built-in Intel 6300/5300 Ultimate N adapter, you can't take advantage of this faster speed. Until now.

Trendnet announced today that it's shipping what it calls the first USB 3x3 Wireless-N adapter on the market: the 450Mbps Dual Band Wireless N USB Adapter (model TEW-684UB). The device lets you upgrade your computer to support the faster wireless speed.

Like most recent N devices, the adapter features advanced multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology. Its antennas, however, can handle three streams, instead of two, and therefore generate a maximum wireless throughput of 450Mbps. The device is dual-band, meaning it can work with both 2.4GHz or 5GHz wireless networks, and incorporates Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) that allows for connecting to wireless networks with the touch of a button.

Unlike most wireless adapters, which are shaped like a thumbdrive, the Trendnet TEW-684UB is much larger, about the size of a mini router and requires a separate USB cable to connect to a computer. This design means it's better suited for desktop computers than laptops. Apart from 450Mbps wireless networks, it's also compatible with existing regular 300Mbps and lower speed Wireless-N routers.

The 450 Mbps Dual Band Wireless N USB Adapter TEW-684UB adapter comes with a three-year warranty. It's available now and estimated to cost around $80.… Read more

Microsoft stops selling Windows 3.x

My friends often show concern about being obsolete when I tell them to stay with Windows XP and skip Windows Vista entirely. Little do they know, a lot of people are still actually using Windows 3.x. And for those, I have some bad news.

According to BBC, Microsoft finally decided to stop selling licenses of Windows 3.x, starting this month.

The third major release of Windows first came out in May 1990 with a few minor releases in the early 1990s. It was Microsoft's first big success with operating systems that have graphical user interfaces.

Windows 3.… Read more