Dynamic DNS service provider Tzolkin Corporation (TZO), today announced it will supply embedded dynamic DNS services for the new HP
MediaSmart Server product announced at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show.

The HP MediaSmart Server helps consumers access their digital assets from
any computer or digital entertainment center on the home network and is slated to ship later this year. TZO will allow HP customers to select a personal web address for
easy and secure remote access to the HP product.

SIPphone, the makers of Gizmo Project, today announced the launch of its web-based VoIP product Gizmo Call, which lets people call any type of landline or mobile phone, anywhere in the world, from any web browser, for free.

No registration or account setup is required for five minutes of calling per day. Users can double the time if they register with an email address. Additional calling time is available by purchasing "Call Out" minutes in $10 increments.

Updated with corrections from Bill McFarland 1/29/07

In both private discussions and during the Intel draft 11n chipset webcast, I have been hearing hints about 11n’s “bad neighbor” problem having been addressed in draft 1.10. I was able to get Atheros’ CTO, Bill McFarland on the phone to bring me up to speed on what actually got into the 1.10 draft. Note that some of these mechanisms were being debated back when Draft 1.0 was being finalized. But since consensus couldn’t be reached, the 11n task force punted and didn’t include any of them in 1.0.

Broadcom today announced two new single-chip solutions aimed at wireless
headset applications that support Bluetooth Version 2.0 with EDR. The duo
support Broadcom’s SmartAudio sound enhancement technology and are upgradeable
to Bluetooth Version 2.1.

The BCM2047 is targeted at premium headset products and includes an
integrated ARM AudioDE based digital signal processor for premium sound
quality. The DSP can handle stereo SBC, MP3 and AAC compression algorithms.

The BCM2044 is intended for basic audio headsets that don’t require
extensive feature programmability. The ROM-based, single-chip device has the same
low-power radio and audio architecture as the BCM2047 and also integrates a power
management unit including "comprehensive" safety circuitry.

Atheros Communications today announced its first Bluetooth product.
The AR3011 is a Bluetooth 2.1 + Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) solution specifically
targeted for PC applications and the first member of Atheros’ ROCm (Radio-on-Chip
for Mobile) family of Bluetooth solutions.

The AR3011 is a single-chip solution that supports WLAN co-existence and simultaneous
usage of multiple Bluetooth-based devices. Atheros will offer the device in combination
with the company’s wireless LAN products to the PC OEM market to drive adoption
of Bluetooth technology in laptops and desktops.

Here’s a little about the folks who make SmallNetBuilder tick. You can reach any of us via the Contact Us page or emailing [email protected]. Tim Higgins – Managing Editor Tim doesn’t quite know how he became a web journalist, but suspects it has something to do with karma or past lives. A few decades as … Read more

Tuesday’s entry by Intel into the draft 11n market was a bit of a surprise, given its history with being late to the party with previous wireless LAN product generations. But the 11n train left the station awhile ago and Intel, like any other company wanting to stay in the WLAN game, had to get on board, draft status or not.

But aside from lending legitamacy to a technology that has so far been most notable for further decreasing the chance of an average consumer having a successful wireless networking experience, and for getting reviewers’ and pundits’ shorts in a knot (myself included), Intel did something else. Something that, in my opinion, they didn’t play up enough in their announcement material or webcast / conference call, and that deserves special mention.

Intel today officially introduced its draft 802.11n chipset. The company
described its Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N network connection, as "an
upgrade to the wireless component found inside Intel Centrino Duo mobile technology
and other Intel-based laptops".

The release contained no hard specs and was even vague on whether the product
has dual-band capability (it does). It was noted, however, that the new chipset offers "up to five times the performance and twice the wireless range" and would provide "up to an extra hour of notebook battery life" when compared to existing Draft-N products.