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The WAVE Report on Digital Media
3D --- Media Creation --- Shared Space ---Published by 4th Wave, Inc.--- Issue #0503------------------1/21/05 |
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0503.1 Display Technology
0503.2 Story of the Issue
0503.3 Advanced Mobile Phones
0503.4 Radio Technology
0503.5 Virtual Reality
Virtools and VizTek Announce Their Partnership in Virtual Reality and Simulation
0503.6 Low-Cost Linux-Based Laptops
Wal-Mart Breaks Price Barrier with $498 Linux Laptop Running Linspire
0503.7 Trend Forecasting
Research and Markets: IT Trends and Expenditures in the U.S. Professional Services Industry
0503.8 Wireless Networking and 802.11g
D-LINK Launches Super G With MIMO Wireless Networking Using Smart Antenna
0503.9 Hackers Challenge Hacker-Hardened Boundaries
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***A Permanent European Platform for Advanced Displays Coordination action to Strengthen the EU Displays Community
ADRIA-0104
November 9, 2004
A consortium of six European organizations – four industry associations and two academic networks – has announced that they have started ADRIA (Advanced Displays Research Integration Action), a network project to enhance the competitiveness of the European advanced displays community. Funded by the European Commission, ADRIA aims to create a “one stop shop” for modern information display technologies and applications for Europe.
European researchers and suppliers are global drivers in display innovation – on the other hand Europe is a major influence on the market for display applications. However, European R&D is scattered, and lacks both collaboration and a strong production base. ADRIA’s six partners are:
• the German Flat Panel Display Forum (DFF) within the German Engineering Federation VDMA,
• Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI),
• the Scottish Optoelectronics Association (SOA),
• the French Club VISU also representing the European chapters of the International Society for Information Display (SID),
• the Swedish LCD Center and
• the University of Dundee in the UK.
The European Commission was convinced and funds the 2-year project with Euro 1 M from the IST priority of their 6th framework program.
Apart from carrying out a comprehensive review of European activities in the display field and making it accessible in a comprehensive database, other goals of ADRIA include a Europe-focused technology roadmap for the displays sector, the development of a coherent approach to education and training of display engineers as well as the consolidation and enhancement of standards knowledge.
The two year project is just the start. A call for such an action sent out by DFF last year, resulted in almost 100 Expressions of Interest from all over Europe.
Among their overall competence in the display field, the partners have distinct knowledge in the fields ADRIA addresses with specific work packages:
• SEMI are well known for their standards work in flat panel displays,
• SOA has a track record of successful technology roadmapping , including two generations of display technology roadmaps,
• Club VISU already organizes training events in France, and – with SID – the international “Eurodisplay” conferences,
• the Swedish LCD Center and the University of Dundee are already running separate Masters level degree programs in display technology,
• and VDMA is the largest industry association in Europe with an over 100 year old tradition in running and financing networks.
ADRIA will soon approach the European display community with calls for information input and will set up meetings, conferences and workshops to kick-off the planned activities and services.
Useful links:
http://www.optoelectronics.org.uk
http://www.displaymasters.ac.uk
***EUSAI (Ambient Intelligence) 2004
By John Latta
Eindhoven, The Netherlands
November 9 – 10, 2004
Ambient Intelligence is a step beyond Ubiquitous Computing. There is an explicit focus on individuals in an environment. As we look across Wearable Computers and this event there is a shift taking place. Tom Rodden, University of Nottingham, UK, put it bluntly - for 40 years our thoughts have been dominated by the PC, keyboard and mouse. This has actually been a diversion away from finding out what “will be our every day relationship with computing.” One of the most important changes is the social context and awareness that permeates the use of computers in every day life. The shift is profound: So far the individual has had to adapt to what the computer could do for the person; now with ambient intelligence the computer must adapt to the individual. These are implications that are only becoming evident.
The Technical University of Eindhoven, where the conference is being held, was showing an Electronic Paper Prototype with Visual Interaction with Windows. This is based on a large tablet, 36”+ diagonal that can be manipulated by a stylist or pen. Projected onto the surface are multiple objects which represent applications. These window frames can be manipulated with a small cursor box which is above the frame. The impressive aspect is that the objects, i.e., the windows of applications can be rotated just like a piece of paper. Even ordinary paper can be placed on the surface and a corresponding virtual paper can be rotated with these objects. The way that all of this works is that the objects are projected onto the tablet surface and the detection of what is happening on the surface is done by a camera which looks at the same surface. The objects on the surface are actually applications windows which are mapped as a texture on an OpenGL surface. Yes, this is not easy to explain without pictures. This is one of the most effective emulations of a desktop surface which uses computing windows we have seen.
EUSAI – Shaping the Future of How Computing is Used
This is the second European Symposium on Ambient Intelligence. The last one was sponsored by Philips and this one by the University of Technology, the Netherlands, also here in Eindhoven. There is no coincidence that much of this is centered here in Eindhoven, the headquarters of Philips. It has made a major commitment to Ambient Intelligence. There are 100 at the conference and most from Europe with a few from Asia. By every indication we have collected, the Europeans are well ahead of other parts of the world.
There are many definition of Ambient Intelligence and we offer some of the components:
Computing devices are everywhere in one’s environment;
Mobility of the individual(s) is assumed and that they have some type of electronic identification and/or other devices on them; and
The environment is aware of the presence of the individual(s), is context sensitive and provides something for the individual(s).
This is quite broad but opens a new dimension on the relationship of the individual with their environment.
This conference is exploring in multiple tracks: Ubiquitous Computing, Context Awareness, Intelligence and Natural Interaction. We would broadly describe the presentations as
- either dealing with the technical issues of creating the environments or the human side of what these environments mean, or
- how individuals participate in these event.
Equator – Making Ambient Intelligence Real
Tom Rodden, University of Nottingham, UK, is director of Equator. The project is described as:
Equator is a six-year Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration (IRC) supported by EPSRC that focuses on the integration of physical and digital interaction. The IRC brings together researchers from eight different institutions and a variety of disciplines that address the technical, social and design issues in the development of new inter-relationships between the physical and digital.
A series of experience projects engage with different user communities to develop new combinations of physical and digital worlds, how explore these (possibly exploit) and enhance the quality of everyday life.
A series of research challenges explore new classes of devices that link the physical and the digital, research into adaptive software architectures and new design and evaluation methods that draw together approaches from social science, cognitive science and art and design. Now in its third year, it involves over 60 researchers, with a range of expertise that encompasses computer science, psychology, sociology, design and the arts.
Equator aims to forge a clearer understanding of what it means to live in an age when digital and physical activities not only coexist but also co-operate. This is the age we are now entering, and it promises radical change in how we communicate, interact, work and play - that is, how we live. But fulfilling that promise requires more than new technology. We need equally new ways of thinking about technology, and thus also about ourselves.
What stood out in his presentation was the drive to take the technology into the “wild.” That is, he feels that to make the concept of ambient intelligence work it is essential to work with individuals. As a result, he described ways in which the technology has been used that were unforeseen.
His talk discussed five examples from Equator:
City
Can You See me now – game within a city
Ambient Wood – learning in the outdoor setting
Uncle Roy all Around You
Drift Table
City was a museum project to show the city of Glasgow, Scotland. This mixes a physical visitor a museum with a VR Visitor and a web visitor. This brought a deeper visit experience and the video was interesting to see how the visitors interacted with others.
“Can you see me now” is an online game played in city streets. The objective was to locate the individual in the city. This uses GPS for position updates but there are errors due to masking. This significantly enhances the value of the game play and shows how sophisticated the players have become.
Ambient Wood is a children’s experience in the woods. It also uses technology in a number of ways to allow for exploration of the environment and biology. The woods were wired with WiFi. Children could probe the physical world and hand held devices were a part of this exploration.
An extension of the drift table, described at CHI, is the key table. This is a surface where individuals can drop items as they enter the house. The hypothesis is that the state of an individual’s emotion is reflected on how hard they deposit items on the table when entering the home. This is reflected in a picture on the wall which rotates based on the action one takes onto the key table. This picture frame had a dog in it. An unforeseen consequence of this test in one family’s home is that the family, and especially the mother, became very attached to the dog in the picture, and the emotions they felt were expressed in how the frame rotated.
After the presentation, the WAVE asked Tom why he did not show “more serious” applications of the technology. Yes, they do have such efforts and there are three under the Equator called digital care. One deals with Agoraphobia. Tom described that the involvement with health care as being an eye opener. One of the major issues is – what if the treatment is successful. This is not so easily dropped at the end of the experiment. As a result the art department has had to develop an ethics policy on how it will handle patients. In this case ambient intelligence is similar to drug care in a testing situation.
Ambient Intelligence – Difficult Realities Surface
Ambient Intelligence is infrastructure associated with individuals. By implication it is every where, it is sensitive to presence and responsive. The WAVE saw some of the hard realities rise to the surface: where will the power come from for all these devices and what will it do for individuals?
Philips Research = Ambient Intelligence
No company is more committed to ambient intelligence than Philips. Some of its writings made available at the conference highlighted that focus and explained the position of the company.
“The ability to implement ubiquitous computing, a situation where processing power is embedded into everything is certain to arrive within the next ten to fifteen years. When it does, Philips will be able to fully realize its vision of ambient intelligence, using technology that is embedded into the fabric of our surroundings to create an environment that is sensitive and responsive to our presence and sympathetic to our needs. In the long term, what ordinary people will want from ambient intelligence is far less certain, but is nevertheless a subject for intensive work in Philips HomeLab, in the mean time, Philips Research is already exploiting key characteristics of ambient intelligence to develop product concepts that will allow us to experience some of the benefits of much sooner.”
Key attributes include:
Context Awareness:
“One of the key characteristics of devices in an Ambient Intelligence environment is that they must know the context in which they are being used.”
Personalized:
There is a very high level of personalization required “...and the ability to emanate a digital aura that invites and enhances the opportunity for new experiences are both key characteristics Ambient Intelligence.”
Immersive:
“If the role of Ambient Intelligence is to make the delivery and sharing of experiences much easier, another role is to enhance the quality of the experience.”
Adaptive:
Context awareness, personalization and immersion are some of the important steps toward Ambient Intelligence that are beginning to appear in consumer products. The next major challenge for Philips Research is to add the ability for environments to become highly adaptive – “...a characteristic that relates very much to how people will interact with Ambient Intelligence.”
An important element in the Philips vision of Ambient Intelligence is a connected world of which seamless connectivity is very important. Philips sees that there are two parts to this:
Worldwide Coverage of Communications:
Geographically, ubiquitous connectivity is already Here, thanks to the worldwide proliferation of cellular systems. In the cellular phone world, the concept of ubiquitous connectivity extends far beyond voice, e-mail and Internet browsing, however. Anticipated convergence between mobile phones and wireless local area networks (WLAN) technology is expected to result in new generations of mobiles with WLAN functionality. Philips Research is actively developing integrated multi-standard radio solutions that automatically reconfigure themselves to the standard required.
Home-Centered Connectivity:
A cornerstone of Philips’ Ambient Intelligence vision is home-centered ubiquitous connectivity, which encompasses not only entertainment and communications but also the proactive responses of the environment itself to people.
“Ambient Intelligence promises a world where technology will disappear below the level of our consciousness, leaving us free to enjoy the experiences that it can delivery. Nobody, however, expects that world to arrive tomorrow, or that we will all rush out and buy ‘ambient intelligence in a box.’ When it does, the vision must materialize gradually building on what is available today and growing with us a we become more aware and more confident of what it has to offer.”
Conference - Super-distributed RFID Tag Infrastructure
The Institute of Pervasive Computing of ETH in Zurich Switzerland described how it would be possible to use RFID tags on a mass scale. Passive RFID tags can be deployed which are highly redundant and over large areas or object surfaces. They call their approach “super-distributed RFID tag infrastructure. SDRI.”
This allows for the discrete partitioning of the physical space. In the case of a regular grid pattern it is possible to have uniquely addressable cells and this can translate into a regular occupancy grid. This in turn, can support robot navigation. Thus, SDRI enables devices to interact with their environment. For example, it is possible to have an object move on a floor which has many such tags, and trace a virtual path on the floor.
“An SDRI can be regarded as a scalable shared medium with (almost) unlimited, independent, and highly distributed physical ‘access points.’ Further, if RFID tags support read-write operations, then they enable mobile devices to support a certain amount of data directly into the physical tags themselves.”
One mobile robot was developed using Lego Mindstorms. This was done to demonstrate the concept of an autonomous location-aware vacuum cleaner.
Overall, an innovative piece of work.
Shaping the Ambience of Homes with Domestic Hypermedia
Marianne Petersen of the Center for Interactive Spaces, ISIS Katrinebjerg, reported on how we are seeing an explosion of domestic media from digital photos to home videos and more. She examined surfaces at home, such as tables and book shelves and categorized these. Home boards have information that is “one click” away. Then this was examined in terms of digital solutions. The analysis considered how both the physical spaces, i.e., the surfaces in the home, could be merged with digital media. The result was domestic hypermedia. This was termed – infrastructure for home materials. A MediaTable was outlined which became a collaborative and spatial organization of domestic material. This was actually displayed as a table. Also shown was a MediaWall. The talk was concluded with a next step that a MediaTable and connected surfaces would be placed in a real home for a 3 week trial.
Excellent analysis.
Conference Discussions
A number of issues came up in conference, mostly during the questioning period. We summarize these:
How are these mobile or distributed devices going to be powered?
Will consumers want what is being developed here?
This captures many of the thoughts we have had over the period of the conference. Some of the concepts, such as the MediaTable and the demonstrations in the Equator project, get close to making sense, from a consumer perspective. In fact, Tom Rodden, University of Nottingham said in his keynote that a number of companies have expressed an interest in commercializing the drift table. Yet, creating appealing products and profitable ones is not a given.
WAVE Comments
This is the only conference dedicated to Ambient Intelligence and thus a unique opportunity to evaluate the technology and status.
Ambient Intelligence (AmI) is a major step forward. Even if the net result of the focus of Ambient Intelligence is transitory before shifting to another technology, AmI causes institutions to change their thinking about the role of technology and individuals. This was very clear at EUSAI.
AmI is also about scale – the impacts of the technology are everywhere when it seeks to help the individual. The result is far reaching. The dimensions of AmI thus span Sociology, Psychology, Physiology and Well Being. But, it does not stop there. The technology also encompasses Philosophy, Evolution, the Life Cycle, Environment and Adaptation
Ambient Intelligence or Ambient Life?
We suggest that Ambient Intelligence is misnamed; it should be Ambient Life. The reasons are given above. The problem, as reflected at EUSAI, is that there is still too much emphasis on the computing or intelligence of the environments. Intelligence is one step beyond IT and IT is not where the thinking should be.
Thus, Ambient Life, as we are calling this, is about making technology with a higher purpose. It is a matter of thinking about products. It is at the center of where we go beyond the PC.
***Wherify to Distribute GPS Locator Phone for personal safety
REDWOOD SHORES, Calif.
January 5, 2005
Wherify Wireless, Inc., a leading developer of wireless location products and services, today announced that Wal-Mart Stores will soon offer the breakthrough Wherifone GPS Locator Phone from Wherify to customers at select locations, and to Internet shoppers through Walmart.com. The Wherifone will help provide added safety and peace-of-mind for seniors, or for families with children and persons of special needs.
Whether used as a "First Phone" for pre-teens or as a "Companion Phone" for seniors or special needs family members, the Wherifone provides affordable peace-of-mind to the modern mobile family. The slim, small and lightweight cell phone features incoming and outgoing calling, five programmable buttons for one touch dialing, a 911 panic button for use in an emergency, a built-in two-way speakerphone, and a headset jack and a backlit LCD display for use with numeric paging. The cell phone is supported by Wherify’s Global Location Service Center which can be accessed 24 X 7 by telephone or the Internet to retrieve a Wherifone’s precise location, which can be plotted on both street maps and aerial photographs. Wherify’s patented integration of digital wireless and global positioning technologies provides an unprecedented level of location performance that does not require satellite line-of-sight, and can pinpoint a device’s location with a high degree of accuracy inside most vehicles, homes or offices.
***Software Defined Radio Forum Develops New Initiatives To Support The Advancement Of Cognitive Radio Technology
DENVER, Colorado
January 10, 2005
In response to increasing interest from the wireless community, the Software Defined Radio (SDR) Forum has developed new initiatives to support the advancement of Cognitive Radio technology. The SDR Forum has created a Cognitive Applications Special Interest Group and a Cognitive Radio Working Group to leverage the role of SDR in the continued development of Cognitive Radio technology.
With this unique two-pronged approach, the Cognitive Applications Special Interest Group is studying the business case, market drivers, regulatory, and other cross-disciplinary implications of SDR within a Cognitive Radio framework, while the Cognitive Radio Working Group is working to produce technical guidance and standardization to design, develop and implement cognitive concepts and features based on SDR technology and architecture.
By its very definition, SDR is the ability to reconfigure a radio’s operating parameter—and that’s exactly why it is so attractive for Cognitive Radio technology. According to the organization, SDR is the best solution to address the ‘adaptability’ component of Cognitive Radio.
Software Defined Radio is a reality today. SDR-enabled radios—from handhelds to large, shipboard-mounted radios—are available through numerous defense contractors in support of the U.S. Department of Defense’s multi-billion dollar Joint Tactical Radio Systems (JTRS) program. Numerous coalition forces have similar programs under way worldwide. In the commercial sector, SDR-enabled base stations are continuing to come to market throughout the world. The public safety/homeland security communities continue to closely examine ways to leverage the SDR development within the defense and commercial sectors.
The most recent meeting of the Cognitive Applications Special Interest Group and Cognitive Radio Working Group was held on January 18, 2005, during the Forum’s general meeting in Austin, Texas.
About the Software Defined Radio Forum
The Software Defined Radio Forum is an international industry association dedicated to supporting the development and deployment of software defined radio systems that enable flexible and adaptable architectures in advanced wireless systems. The membership of the SDR Forum spans commercial, defense, and civil government organizations, and includes wireless service providers, network operators, component and equipment manufacturers, hardware and software developers, regulatory agencies, and academia. Presently numbering more than 100 organizations, the SDR Forum’s membership includes major commercial wireless players from Asia, Europe, and North America. The SDR Forum’s administrative office is headquartered in Denver, Colorado.
***Virtools and VizTek announce their partnership in virtual reality and simulation
Montreal, Canada
January 10, 2005
Virtools has added VizTek as a new value added reseller (VAR) in the field of virtual reality and simulation.
VizTek specializes in the development of turnkey solutions for their clients, delivering complete turnkey systems comprising computational platforms, screens, projectors, software, sound, sensory interaction, and interactive simulation content.
According to Virtools, VizTek is one of the very few specialists for the integration of PC based VR systems, and has gained an expertise over the last year on the most versatile VR software, the Virtools Software Suite. The combination provides a competitive turnkey solution. Not only does VizTek integrate into the Virtools Software Suite as part of the MAVRIC solution, but it can also provide custom development and services, therefore reducing costs, development time, resources and personnel involved in the interactive 3d projects.
Virtools publishes a proven suite of software solutions used to create interactive 3D applications for simulation/virtual reality, as well as video games and marketing/multimedia applications.
This new strategic partnership will leverage complementary capabilities for both companies to deliver turnkey solutions that include the world's most advanced software suite within the MAVRIC solution.
0503.6 Low-Cost Linux-Based Laptops
***Wal-Mart Breaks Price Barrier with $498 Linux Laptop Running Linspire
SAN DIEGO
December 20, 2004
Walmart.com has released the $498 Balance laptop, which runs the Linux-based operating system Linspire. The laptop comes fully equipped with the operating system, Internet suite, and Microsoft-file compatible office suite, and can be used with both dial-up modems and broadband connections. The $498 price does not require coupons or rebates and can be purchased immediately online.
Wal-Mart and Linspire worked together to offer a laptop that would give customers the best user experience at the lowest price possible. The Balance notebook is the lowest-priced laptop currently on the market to include a complete operating system and office suite - comparable machines cost hundreds more even without an office suite or software included.
Hardware specifications:
1.0 GHz processor
128 MB RAM, expandable up to 512 MB with included SODIMM slot
14.1'' LCD screen
Included software:
Linspire 4.5 operating system
OpenOffice.org - full-featured Microsoft file-compatible office suite with word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation programs Internet suite including email with spam blockers, Internet browser, and built-in firewall
More than 1,900 free software programs for download, with guaranteed software updates for 3 months. More specifications are available at the Linspire website.
The $498 Balance notebook with Linspire is an extremely affordable Linux-based computer perfect for use as a second or third home machine. Users can connect to the Internet and create, edit and share documents within minutes of bringing the laptop home without paying extra charges for software or licensing fees. Wal-Mart and Linspire partnered to bring a full-featured laptop to consumers at the lowest price point possible.
The Balance laptop is compatible with other office and Internet suites like Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer, and can be used with more than 1,000 printers and hardware components. With the included office suite OpenOffice.org, users can open, edit and exchange files such as word processing documents (.doc), spreadsheets (.xls) or presentations (.ppt) in a familiar, comfortable environment. The laptop's included Mozilla Internet suite comes with a fast-functioning browser and email program that can display Web-based forms, PDF documents, images, and multimedia files. The suite's included instant messenger program works with AOL, MSN and Yahoo! logins.
Besides being affordable, the laptop is also easy-to-use, even for those new to Linux-based operating systems. The computer's Linspire operating system has a comfortable, familiar interface and software that is comparable to Windows. "Hot keys" on the keyboard give users one-touch access to email and the Internet. The laptop also comes installed with multimedia tutorials that Linspire worked with Wal-Mart to create for users who purchase the laptop, and a Quick Start guide to make set-up easy.
Because it is based on Linux, the Linspire operating system is immune to security threats targeting Microsoft Windows software including viruses, Trojan horses and spyware. The machine's built-in firewall gives an extra level of protection from outside threats, and the included Internet suite's standard spam and pop-up blockers make surfing and emailing hassle-free.
The $498 price also includes access to software programs via the CNR Warehouse, an Internet-based software download center that allows users to install any of more than 1,900 software programs with one click. The CNR Service is available free to those who purchase the laptop from Walmart.com, with guaranteed software updates available for three months after purchase. Once programs are downloaded, they are completely owned by the user and can be shared on multiple Linspire-based PCs with no activation codes required.
View the interactive tutorials at
http://www.linspire.com/walmartstart
and a sample Quick Start guide at
http://www.linspire.com/qsguide
To purchase, visit
***Research and Markets: IT Trends and Expenditures in the U.S. Professional Services Industry
DUBLIN, Ireland
Jan. 19, 2005
Research and Markets announced the addition of The "Industry" Effect: IT Trends and Expenditures in the U.S. Professional Services Industry to their offering.
This study takes a deep dive look into the IT spending and trends in
the professional services vertical. The professional services vertical
includes specific industry segments such as business services, engineering
and consulting services, and legal services.
Current and forecast IT spending is provided for the overall market,
as well as in applications, computer hardware, telecom, network hardware,
IT personnel, and outsourcing/hosting services. Other relative information
provided includes survey feedback on purchasing channels and buying behaviours/influences.
The professional services vertical is projected to spend $96 billion in IT, including computer hardware, IT personnel, outsourcing/hosted solutions, telecom, applications, and network hardware. Telecommunications and applications are expected to be the greatest opportunity for vendors serving the professional services vertical. As professional services employees seek out wireless solutions and wireless access of business applications, these two segments are expected to be strong drivers of IT spending over the next few years.
http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c12024
0503.8 Wireless Networking and 802.11g
***D-LINK Launches Super G With MIMO Wireless Networking Using Smart Antenna Technology to Boost Speed and Range Multiple Input, Multiple Output Smart Antenna Technology Enhances Throughput Data Rate and Range While Remaining 100% Backward Compatible with 802.11g/b Products
FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif.
Jan. 18
D-Link has introduced a new standard-based 802.11g WiFi line of wireless products with a revolutionary smart antenna wireless networking technology that delivers breakthrough performance with up to eight times effective power over traditional 802.11g/b wireless networks. The new D-Link Super G with MIMO line of networking products incorporate beamforming and receive-combining technology to significantly boost the performance and range of a new wireless network while offering 100% backwards compatibility and support for existing 802.11g and 11b devices.
D-Link Super G with MIMO enhances the speed and range of a wireless network through Smart Antenna technologies including beamforming, a technical capability to directionally focus the wireless signal at an angle towards the intended client. As opposed to a more omni-directional wireless transmission that generally propagates to the same range in all directions, beamforming will allow the signal to focus towards the target device recipient and allow the signal to propagate further ranges in that direction.
On the receive side, the optimal receive combining technology uses advanced signal processing to ensure that the incoming signals in the D-Link Super G with MIMO implementation are reassembled with the highest combined strength for maximum throughput. Even with non-MIMO enabled wireless products, the D-Link Super G with MIMO solution will give increased performance to current D-Link Xtreme G and AirPlus G families of product continue to gain the benefits of our Super G with MIMO Smart Antenna Technology.
The D-Link Super G with MIMO implementation is not only more compatible, but also offers the most cost effective design, resulting in a lower overall price point to consumers while yielding better performance. Using beamforming, D-Link Super G with MIMO operates at the highest possible speeds while delivering a strong 11g signal to legacy 11g and 11b devices for unsurpassed performance and throughput.
D-Link's Super G with MIMO solution features robust security to protect
the wireless network from intruders, complying with the latest wireless
networking security protocols, including WEP encryption and Wi-Fi Protected
Access (WPA). The products are also capable of supporting the government-grade
AES encryption, an integral component of the latest IEEE 802.11i security
standard.
D-Link's Super G wireless networking solution includes the Super G with
MIMO DI-624M Wireless Router with 4-port switch and the Super G with
MIMO DWL-G650M Wireless CardBus Adapter.
Availability
The D-Link Super G with MIMO wireless products will be available in mid February through authorized retail, reseller, and distribution partners at a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price MSRP of $149.99 for the D-Link DI-624M, an MSRP of $99.99 for the D-Link DWL-G650M.
0503.9 Hackers Challenge Hacker-Hardened Boundaries
***Globally Renowned Hackers Certify Secure Computing's Sidewinder G2 Defeats Full Spectrum of Malicious Attack Methods
SAN JOSE, Calif.
Jan. 18, 2005
Secure Computing Corporation is advertising that the company's Sidewinder G2 Security Appliance is "the world's strongest firewall," -- so the company put its claims to the test by engaging a group of professional hackers to bombard the Sidewinder G2 Security Appliance with some of the worst cyber-abuse imaginable. Secure called in Black Hat Consulting -- best known for their key role in the annual DEFCON and Black Hat computer security conferences, one of the largest security testing events in the world. Black Hat Consulting ran a full spectrum of attack methods at the Sidewinder G2. They concluded that the Sidewinder G2 Security Appliance are the most stable and reliable gateway security appliance they have tested. The Sidewinder G2 appliance blocked, filtered or ignored the attacker's packets that were transmitted to the internal or external interfaces.
Black Hat Consulting tested Sidewinder G2's resiliency against attacks targeted at all relevant layers of the OSI model (Open System Interconnection). The Sidewinder successfully defended against attacks methodologies across OSI layers 2 though 7, while simpler firewalls can only defend against attacks at lower networking levels up to layer 3. The attacks Black Hat launched against the Sidewinder included:
-- Worms such as CodeRed and SQL Slammer
-- Denial of Service attacks
-- Spoofing attacks
-- Statistical anomaly attacks
-- Information acquisition attacks
-- Gratuitous injection attacks
-- Session hijacking attacks
-- Directory traversal attacks
-- Brute force attacks
-- Firewall rule-set bypass attacks
-- Attacks utilizing binary data in HTTP packets
-- UNICODE cross site scripting attacks
-- Bounce attacks
Secure Computing's Application Defenses strategy is at the heart of the multi-layered defense-in-depth design of the Sidewinder G2 Security Appliance. The ability to face and defeat both known and unknown attacks is the strength of the Sidewinder G2 Application Defenses capabilities.
The report is available at
http://www.securecomputing.com/goto/blackhat
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