Your Guide To Wireless

Lexmark’s Latest Wireless Printer

Lexmark’s love affair with wireless printers continues, with four new models released this month. For low price you can get the Z1520 wireless inkjet photo printer, which can print at up to 4,800 x 1,200dpi resolution. The X4850 is an all-in-one version priced also includes a scanner, memory card slots and an LCD display so you can edit photos directly on the printer. Alternatively, for the same price you can get the X6570, which swaps the LCD display for a 25-sheet document feeder and double-sided printing. Finally, there’s the X7550, which includes both the document feeder and LCD display. Lexmark’s wireless printers can be shared by everyone on your network, click to view product details:

Wireless Networking Device

D-Link DIR-655 Xtreme N Good wireless throughput and above-average broadcast range are just two reasons why the DIR-655 should be at the top of your networking wish list. You also get four high-speed Gigabit Ethernet ports and an impressive Quality of Service (QoS) configuration tool to help you prioritize bandwidth usage for specific applications like streaming video. The DIR-655 is a touch pricier than other Draft N routers, but it’s worth it.

Kensington Ci70 Wireless Desktop Set-Titaniu

If you're looking for a lean, totally wireless keyboard and mouse combo, the Kensington Ci70 Desktop Set is a great bet. The Kensington Ci70 is notable for its sleek, low-profile design. Kensington says the keyboard is roughly 35 percent thinner than a standard multimedia model, but it seems much leaner. It’s a trimmed-down multimedia keyboard that eliminates boundless buttons in favor of a limited selection that will serve the average user well. You get quick-launch controls for applications and basic controls for media-player operation. The wireless mouse is similarly svelte. It’s a comfortable, responsive pointer with a symmetrical design, making it a great choice for lefties. You can dock the mouse at the top center of the keyboard; when the mouse is docked, the PC is automatically dispatched to Sleep mode. The set is easy to set up: it simply connects to your PC wirelessly via a single USB dongle. Most people liked the feel of the Ci70, because we use laptops as much as we use desktops, and the Ci70 feels much like an oversize laptop keyboard. It doesn’t have the deep key travel or tactile response of traditional desktop keyboards, however, so those accustomed to desktop typing may not like the feel. Speed typists, on the other hand, will be able to race across the keyboard because it requires less effort to depress the keys. Kensington provides a five-year warranty and includes free technical support. The company says the combo should deliver up to six months of battery life.

Logitech MX Air Rechargeable Cordless Air Mouse

The Logitech MX Air cordless mouse lets you send long distance commands with hand gestures in the air, making it ideal for controlling an entertainment PC from across the room. To set it up, just connect its tiny receiver to your PC’s USB port, and it’ll instantly come to life. Its tear-drop shape makes it comfortable to hold in the air. Unfortunately, the MX Air has no grooves for your thumb, so when you’re using it conventionally on a desk, it’s not the most ergonomic mouse around. And despite its high price of $149.99, it has only a modest 800-dot per inch resolution. In addition to left and right buttons, the mouse has dedicated back, select, play/pause, and volume buttons that glow orange when the mouse is witched on. Instead of a scroll wheel, the mouse comes with a touch-sensitive strip. Glide your finger up or down the strip, and the mouse makes an audible clicking sound that mimics a scroll wheel. Slide your finger a little faster, and not only will you scroll through documents more quickly, but the speed of the clicks increases, too. There is no trouble opening folders, browsing through pictures, or even dragging individual files to the trash with arm gestures. There’s a slight learning curve to Logitech’s motion control when using the mouse in the air, but nothing you can’t master after a day’s use. It worked well with both Apple’s iTunes and Microsoft’s Windows Media Player software on a Windows PC. There is no support for Mac OS X, however.

Microsoft Mobile Memory Mouse 8000

The Mobile Memory Mouse 8000 may cost more than you’d expect to pay for a computer mouse, but it has 1GB of flash memory built right into the transceiver (see pictures)! This rechargeable mouse also features 2.4-GHz wireless technology, four-way scrolling, and a magnifier.

Pinching Wi-Fi Poachers

Police are arresting those who connect to unsecured wireless networks. But is it really a crime to surf for free? Piggybacking on your neighbors Wi-Fi connection may seem like a victimless crime unworthy of punishment, but some officials beg to differ. In late August, the BBC reported that London police arrested a 39-year-old man for connecting to an unsecured Wi-Fi network while standing outside the network owner’s home. In the U.K., clear provisions such as the Communications Act 2003 and the Computer Misuse Act ban this practice. But here in the States, the laws are vaguer. The closest the U.S. comes to outlawing Wi-Fi mooching is Title 18, Section 1030 of the U.S. Code, which prohibits “unauthorized access.” According to Tracy Mitrano, director of information technology policy at Cornell University, there are three types of laws that courts use to try to prosecute Wi-Fi filches: those dealing with trespassing, hacking, and creating counterfeit cable boxes. “It’s not a perfect fit,” Mitrano says. “Trespass law was based on physical space. I don’t think any of them successfully address the issue.” Often, state and local regulations are prosecuted in vastly different ways. In 2005, a Florida man was charged with a third-class felony for lurking outside a Tampa house with his laptop. And two men, one in Alaska and one in Michigan, were handed down fines for accessing free Wi-Fi hot spots from the street, instead of inside the walls of the business. In 2006, the legislature of Westchester County, on the outskirts of New York City, became the first in the country to pass a law requiring businesses to secure their internal wireless networks. County Board Chair Bill Ryan says that the measure was put into place to protect both the data of local businesses and the personal information of employees. Mitrano, like many others, feels the responsibility lies with users to secure their home or business networks. She warns against hindering wireless technology’s progress through over legislation. “Thank goodness we don’t live in a country where we are required to process all of our technology through federal and state governments, where it is not released until lawmakers are shown every intended and unintended use to establish a legal framework,” she says. “We would throw ourselves back into the Stone Age if we did that.”

Aeros Aeroscraft ML866

Let’s put it this way: You’ll certainly make an impression. It’s not exactly Air Force One, but with an Aeroscraft ML866 sky yacht, you’ll have a fully connected wireless office in the sky. Picture yourself commanding a high-definition video conference from your personal dirigible. You’ll be tooling along at 138mph over the limos of lesser individuals. Imagine the command and control you’ll have over your empire from your bleeding-edge computerized office. And then laugh all the way over the bank as you think about the hangar fees your deflatable sky yacht is saving you.