Gear

Concept validation

By Staff -- EDN, 1/23/2003

Radio station

Users want more from their mobile phones these days (or so handset makers and cellular operators are nervously hoping). So in addition to support for high-speed GPRS networks, the 7250 also includes an integrated digital camera and a built-in FM radio. The optional Music Stand accessory, pictured here, plays radio programming through stereo speakers while also charging the phone and functioning as a speakerphone. Nokia, www.nokia.com

Phase 2.0

The PCX3000 is among the first cable modems to receive PacketCable certification from CableLabs. The designation means that the modem, based on the DOCSIS (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification) 2.0 standard, is ready to carry potentially revenue-generating services such as VoIP (voice over Internet protocol). As a DOCSIS-2.0 device, the modem also supports the S-CDMA (synchronous code division multiple access) and A-TDMA (advanced time division multiple access) modulation schemes, which promise higher upstream bandwidth than the previous DOCSIS 1.1 spec. Toshiba, internet.toshiba.com

Berry flavors

Given the world's failure to unite on a single cellular standard, wireless-device makers have to cover all the bases. For instance, the Blackberry platform now includes devices that run on narrowband networks like Mobitex and DataTAC, as well as data-only and voice-enabled handhelds for higher-bandwidth networks such as GSM/GPRS, Nextel, and CDMA2000 1X. The Blackberry 6750, which supports the latter standard, is set to debut on Verizon's Express Network this quarter. Research In Motion, www.rim.com

Bands together

Just a couple of months back, dual-band wireless-networking products—those supporting both 2.4-GHz IEEE 802.11b and 5-GHz IEEE 802.11a—were exotic and rare. Now they've become so common that they hardly merit mention. This dual-band access point, the $299 WAB102, autoconfigures with client access cards and offers corporate-oriented features such as 152-bit WEP (wired equivalent privacy) encryption and MAC-address filtering. Netgear, www.netgear.com

Hold onto the past

Everything old eventually becomes new again. For example, turntables and vinyl records are considered cool today, despite (or perhaps because of) the increasingly digital nature of music. That coolness factor didn't escape the makers of Digital Vinyl CD-R discs. With an appearance and texture remarkably similar to old 45s, the blank discs honor music's analog past while fully supporting its digital present. Verbatim, www.verbatimcorp.com