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Toshiba Bluetooth Portable Storage Device

An Anonymous Coward writes: "Toshiba has announced a new portable storage device, Bluetooth Pocket Server, that can be used as a HTTP/FTP wireless server. This device with a 5GB of data can hold up to 37 hours of MPEG-4 moving images. You can read the press release on the Toshiba web site. Now while walking you can be a human web server..."

170 comments

  1. I know I shouldn't... by TheConfusedOne · · Score: 5, Funny

    Imagine a cluster of guys all named Beowolf walking around with these...

    --
    --- I wish I could hear the soundtrack to my life. That way I'd know when to duck.
    1. Re:I know I shouldn't... by 56ker · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      Can someone explain the joke to me here? And after reading it for the thousandth time on /. - what is a Beowolf cluster?

    2. Re:I know I shouldn't... by thaigan · · Score: 2, Informative

      You can find out what it's all about here: http://www.beowulf.org/intro.html

      --

      42
    3. Re:I know I shouldn't... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What a complete dumb ass. Have you never heard of doing a www.google.com search? You fuckin Linux nerds...

    4. Re:I know I shouldn't... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Its funny in the same way `all your base are belong to us`, Dilbert, Bastard Operator from Hell and User Friendly are funny - ie, not at all. Its comedy for people who don`t have a sense of humour - the nerd equivalent of people who buy cds called `20 classic car commercial soundtracks`.

  2. Next on Slashdot!: by Telastyn · · Score: 4, Funny

    WarDriving for WaReZ.

  3. I don't want to be a server by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Me? I don't want to be a walking server.

    Now, my dog on the other hand... he's just about the right size.

  4. How helpful! by Chairboy · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's awfully kind of these posters to tell us how many hours of MPEG-4 'Moving Images' can be stored on 5GB. Seeing as how hard it is for this readership to understand 5 GB in other terms....

    1. Re:How helpful! by drsoran · · Score: 3, Funny

      Reminds me of the retail box on the hard drive I bought that listed capacities in number of hours of MP3s that could be stored on it. :-)

    2. Re:How helpful! by Mr.Sharpy · · Score: 2, Insightful

      More interesting is the fact that the phrase "37 hours of MPEG-4 'Moving Images'" appeared in the Toshiba press release. The poster simply took it from there.

    3. Re:How helpful! by warpSpeed · · Score: 5, Funny

      Could you translate that to the LOC (Libraries of Congress) units please. That is the Unit I am most familar with.

    4. Re:How helpful! by sugrshack · · Score: 1

      can we get this in monads?

      --
      I can't believe it's not lard!
    5. Re:How helpful! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Soon, there will be more than just FTP/HTTP Imagine it...

      telnet girlfriend
      Trying 192.168.23.45
      Connected to girlfriend
      Escape characters are 'Football'.
      What do you want? rm /dev/complaints
      What do you want? mknod 5 12 /dev/do_the_washing_for_me_love
      What do you want? mknod 5 13 /dev/happy_to_let_you_surf_til_late
      What do you want? cat /proc/wallet | grep 'enough_for_a_pizza' | mail me@me.com
      rm: cannot open `/proc/wallet': Permission denied. You are barred from the house until further notice.

      Warning! Liberties quota exceeded.

    6. Re:How helpful! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I got yer gonads RIGHT HERE! (ob JonKatz note: add goatse.cx link here)

    7. Re:How helpful! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow, that'll hold 17000 low quality ten-second porn clips.

    8. Re:How helpful! by cthrall · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      My car gets five ramrods to the hogshead, and that's the way I likes it.

    9. Re:How helpful! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Could you translate that to the LOC (Libraries of Congress) units please. That is the Unit I am most familar with.

      Oh, that's 25 LOC. BTW, 1 LOC = billion US$ / GB of pirated movie / person.

  5. I can see it now... by Mysticalfruit · · Score: 5, Funny

    Your walking along and suddenly the RIAA police run by and tackle some kid for pirating over the air waves.

    Or better yet, you'll go on a warez site and the instructions will be like..

    "Goto the mall, stand in front of the Orange Julius and make the 'pirate sign' in the air. Your download will commence shortly aftwards."

    --
    Yes Francis, the world has gone crazy.
    1. Re:I can see it now... by SensitiveMale · · Score: 0
      Orange Julius?


      They still have those? I haven't been to one in over a decade. Brings back memories.

    2. Re:I can see it now... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or, in the case of the /. crowd

      telnet 127.0.0.1
      Trying 127.0.0.1
      Connected to 127.0.0.1
      login: root
      Access Denied

    3. Re:I can see it now... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


      Nahh.. someone'll write a handfull of scripts with GPS & Context Sensitivity. Integrated with IRC or some other groupware protocol, the possibilities are endless.

      Gnutella and the like WORK, but don't scale for shame - the dynamic, and hence quasi-anonymous, networking possibilities of wearable servers astounds.

  6. In the future . . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Boxen will be spread over a few feet with bluetooth cpus, gpus, monitors, and cd drives all physically disconnected. And crackers may not 0wn your cpu, but if they get your hard drive, you're still screwed.

  7. Transfer rates? by questionlp · · Score: 3, Informative
    I wonder what kind of transfer rates one can get with that thing, since it is limited to the speed of the Bluetooth connection.

    The storage unit would be a nice add-on for those with a Pocket PC 2002 device and a BT card (or in the case of the iPaq 3870, which has BT built-in) as you could just sit the drive on a table or in a jacket pocket and listen to MP3s or even watch (shrunken versions) of Anime or movies with PocketDiVX.

    1. Re:Transfer rates? by apachetoolbox · · Score: 1

      Bluetooth transfer speed is 1Mbps

    2. Re:Transfer rates? by DdJ · · Score: 2, Informative
      I wonder what kind of transfer rates one can get with that thing, since it is limited to the speed of the Bluetooth connection.
      It's interesting to note that they tell you to hook up USB if the bandwidth of the thing is too slow for you. That should tell you something significant about the transfer rate you get in practice.
    3. Re:Transfer rates? by questionlp · · Score: 1

      Only problem for handheld users is that not all handhelds are capable of hosting USB devices (with the exception of maybe two or three Pocket PC based handhelds).

    4. Re:Transfer rates? by nicke999 · · Score: 1

      As opposed to Bluetooth?

      --
      Thanks for browsing at -1
      Please vistit my blog: www.framtiden.nu
    5. Re:Transfer rates? by questionlp · · Score: 2, Informative

      At least with Bluetooth, you can get a Compact Flash card (for most Pocket PC devices) or an SD or Memory Stick BT card for some Palm devices. If you don't have any of those options, then you are SOL :)

  8. GPS as well? by Tribbles · · Score: 1

    Hook it up to your Bluetooth GPS, and have your own "where am I today?" web server. Or a bluetooth web-cam for "what am I doing today?"

    1. Re:GPS as well? by questionlp · · Score: 1
      Hook it up to your Bluetooth GPS, and have your own "where am I today?" web server. Or a bluetooth web-cam for "what am I doing today?"
      As far as the GPS is concerned, it depends on if you are using a Microsoft OS on the host machine; if so, then it's "where we (Microsoft) want you to go today?". On the paranoid side, think of the possible uses by the RIAA/MPAA... not only do they know that you are serving illegally ripped/copied media files, but they can track every move you make :)
    2. Re:GPS as well? by elorg · · Score: 1

      *chuckle*
      you could walk around with the cam and try broadcast your video feed to the "Knights" in the Wired...
      0_o

  9. Cool.... a new iPod perhaps? by Bake · · Score: 5, Funny

    Can't wait for some kid to walk with one of those into CompUSA and rip Office X without even plugging into the computer:)

    1. Re:Cool.... a new iPod perhaps? by Mysticalfruit · · Score: 3, Insightful

      better yet, the kids standing across the street with a high gain yagi getting office X.

      I can see it now, there going to start installing bluetooth scramblers (they'll just call it "bluecavity") in public places to prevent remote theft...

      --
      Yes Francis, the world has gone crazy.
  10. I wanna be a Bluetooth Radio Station by BeBoxer · · Score: 3, Interesting

    What I think would be really neat is a simple radio protocol for Bluetooth. That way, I could "share" whatever tunes I happen to be listening to on my MP3 player with the people around me. Other folks on the bus or whatever could "tune in" to see what I was listening to, or I could check out what other people are listening to. It wouldn't even have to include download capability, just a stream of whatever is going to my headphones.

    1. Re:I wanna be a Bluetooth Radio Station by Hooya · · Score: 2

      try that and instead of a bluetooth radio station, you'll be a black-eye radio station. if Ms. Rosen gets her way. I mean, that would be public performance... unless of course you were listening to copylefted or otherwise free (un-copyrighted) tunes.

    2. Re:I wanna be a Bluetooth Radio Station by Merlynnus · · Score: 5, Informative

      Bluetooth? How about FM broadcast, so that anyone around you with a FM radio can tune in?

      It already exists, and it's cheap. When I got my SlimX MP3 player, I also got a Link-It which is a personal FM transmitter, with a range of a few dozen feet, weighing a few ounces, and only a few inches in size. You can buy them for about $30 US from various places, including here.

      Excellent for listening to MP3s in the car.

      A>

    3. Re:I wanna be a Bluetooth Radio Station by tomstdenis · · Score: 1

      Yeah, as long as you never get that stupid FM transmitter from radio shack. See a little thing they didn't think of when they made an analogue tuner [with no display!]. The FM band on most radios is done in 200khz steps [or something like that] so you can never get the crappy shack tuner near the 200khz boundary.

      POS...

      Tom

      --
      Someday, I'll have a real sig.
    4. Re:I wanna be a Bluetooth Radio Station by afidel · · Score: 1

      Thank You!
      I have been looking for a cheap PLL based fm tuner. The cheapest one I had found was like $75 and that was for a kit form! That absolutly rocks, I think I will go and order an iPod and one of these this aternoon after I tell the misses =0

      --
      There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
    5. Re:I wanna be a Bluetooth Radio Station by imnoteddy · · Score: 1

      I often hear what's streaming to the headphones of other bus riders because they play it loud enough for everyone to hear.

      --
      No electrons were harmed creating this post, though some may have been subjected to electrical and/or magnetic fields.
  11. Just imagine this at the next G8 meeting... by Saint+Aardvark · · Score: 5, Interesting
    A protestor goes to the front of police lines and videotapes them. The camera is seized, but there's no tape inside. It's too late to stop the news from getting out; the group's been mirroring the contents of her pocket server the whole time, and are busy putting that up on their website in real time.

    Or alternatively, one police car is designated the "friendly face" -- it's got a camera and one of these inside. The police are busy mirroring its movies/images in real time, to show the world that the protestors are getting out of hand and the police are doing their best to keep things cool.

    1. Re:Just imagine this at the next G8 meeting... by MrFredBloggs · · Score: 1

      "the camera is seized, but there's no tape inside. It's too late to stop the news from getting out"

      So, you`ve read `1984:Spring` by Arthur C Clarke too, eh?

    2. Re:Just imagine this at the next G8 meeting... by cutecub · · Score: 5, Interesting

      David Brin discusses this very idea in his book, The Transparent Society .

      In his example, a person wears a small camera pinned to his shirt which wirelessly streams video and audio to his personal server ( located in his apartment. )
      When this hypothetical person is pulled over for a traffic violation, both the the police officer and the driver are on their best behavior because each knows he's being recorded.

      I doubt Brin would have imagined his futuristic example becomming plausible quite so soon. - the book was published in 1999.

      -Cutecub

    3. Re:Just imagine this at the next G8 meeting... by wiredog · · Score: 2

      Read "Earth". His SF novel which is full of that sort of stuff. And a black hole orbiting the Earth. Underground.

    4. Re:Just imagine this at the next G8 meeting... by Banner · · Score: 1

      Actually I think he does expect it soon. Of course I find a society where there is no such thing as 'privacy' to be upsetting. The fact that David likes it so much makes me think he's a voyeur.

    5. Re:Just imagine this at the next G8 meeting... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "The fact that David likes it so much makes me think he's a voyeur. "

      I didn't know David Brin was a 1700s French-Canadian fur trader travelling by canoe!
      :-)

    6. Re:Just imagine this at the next G8 meeting... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Privacy does not exist in public places. So a cop pulling you over and blah blah isn't under the scope of privacy.

    7. Re:Just imagine this at the next G8 meeting... by Salamander · · Score: 2
      I find a society where there is no such thing as 'privacy' to be upsetting. The fact that David likes it so much

      You're misrepresenting his position. Have you actually read the book? Brin doesn't think a society without privacy is a good thing, just that with current (or near-future) technology it's unavoidable. The government simply will be able to watch you, no matter what precautions you take. Maybe you don't believe that, but so far Brin has been much more convincing on that point than you have, and if one accepts his arguments on that point then the rest of what he has to say about symmetry between watchers and watched makes a lot of sense.

      --
      Slashdot - News for Herds. Stuff that Splatters.
    8. Re:Just imagine this at the next G8 meeting... by Saint+Aardvark · · Score: 1

      No...this was just the first thing that popped into my head. Worth a read, I take it? I'll have to look for it at the library.

    9. Re:Just imagine this at the next G8 meeting... by MrFredBloggs · · Score: 1

      I read it...ooh, years ago now. I`m not sure what else i can remember about it. I remember liking it, though. The title is from Orwells classic, but the point of the book (and the reason its called 1984:Spring) is because he wanted to show that it doesnt *have* to be a bad future - technology/society can develop stuff for good, rather than just ever more efficient ways of killing each other/ruining the environment.
      I however am not so optimistic.

    10. Re:Just imagine this at the next G8 meeting... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "I doubt Brin would have imagined his futuristic example becomming plausible quite so soon. - the book was published in 1999"

      Its hardly prescient though, is it? Many police have cameras in the front of their car, to gather evidence, and many civilians film the police - witness the Rodney King incident. (Imagine what would have happened if there hadn`t been any evidence that the policemen didnt over-react and abuse Kings human rights! King could have made baseless claims that he was the subject of a violent, racist attack if it werent for the evidence that no such attack took place!)

  12. Does it use IIS? by squison · · Score: 2, Funny

    Your pocket catches on fire because of the latest version of the Nimda virus..

  13. Insecure by MoceanWorker · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    As if I'm not insecure about myself already.. will this make me even more insecure? :-\

    --


    "The ones who dont do anything are always the ones who try to pull you down" -- Henry Rollins
    1. Re:Insecure by cedmond · · Score: 1

      Is that a server in your pocket or are you just happy to see me? :)

      --
      ----------------------------------
      I'd rather not take sides until I hear the monkey's version - PHB
    2. Re:Insecure by Budgreen · · Score: 1

      wow.. Not only will I have to wear the tinfoil on my head, I will have to put it over this as well!

      --
      The greatest right given is the right to be wrong...
  14. Don't forget to leave the server by ZahrGnosis · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Hey, the file server was down for the last hour, do you know what happened?"

    "Oh, hey, sorry, I had it in my pocket when I went out for lunch."

  15. I think Warwick will get this thing implanted. by Target+Drone · · Score: 2, Funny
    Now while walking you can be a human web server...

    So how long do you think it'll be before Professor Warwick really does become a human web server?

  16. iPod by EccentricAnomaly · · Score: 1

    Just a thought....

    a bluetooth iPod.... Download songs
    without even bothering to plug in... be a walking radio station... play your ipod
    music through your stereo where the ipod serves the music and acts as a remote control...

    eewwww..... bluetooth ipod beow---

    --
    There are 10 types of people in this world, those who can count in binary and those who can't.
    1. Re:iPod by ultramk · · Score: 1

      Cool idea, but from what I've read, the transfer rates on bluetooth are pretty poor (less than USB). Is this correct?

      The cool thing about the iPod (aside from iTunes) is the firewire port: you would still want to plug in to upload music, especially of any quantity. This is one reason why USB-based MP3 hd players suck so hard: transferring more than 100mb of data over USB is incredibly tedious.

      m-

      --
      You catch enchiladas by picking them up behind the head and holding them underwater until they don't kick anymore -VeGas
    2. Re:iPod by EccentricAnomaly · · Score: 1

      Cool idea, but from what I've read, the transfer rates on bluetooth are pretty poor (less than USB). Is this correct?

      Slow transfer rates would still be fun. You don't need to transfer lots of data fast, maybe just a song or two at the same speed that the song plays.

      A bluetooth MP3 player would probably be the most fun if it did streaming MP3 files... you could broadcast your own little theme song that people on the street could pick up... or you could trade music back and forth with someone as some sort of whimsical communictation. This could be a lot of fun.

      I keep thinking of "I'm gonna get you sucka" where the guy walks around with a band following him playing his theme song.

      And it could probably stream MP3 files to a stereo system.... an iPod would make a really neat stereo remote control.

      Ever been at one of those 50's diners with the little jukebox on every table... you could now bring your jukebox music with you and put a quater in just to have access to the speaker system...

      You could also turn it around and have multiple music channels in a restaurant that could be picked up via a bluetooth device.

      Sure probably none of this is very practicle, but it sure seems like fun to me :) And it would be a funny way for wearable computers to take off...

      --
      There are 10 types of people in this world, those who can count in binary and those who can't.
  17. This isn't a foolish as it may sound... by wowbagger · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Consider this hypothetical example:

    I have my Citizen/IBM Linux watch - not a lot of internal storage there, but it is my display device.

    I have the Toshiba storage device - there's all my disk space, tucked into my jacket pocket where it is out of the way.

    I have my cell phone, in an outside pocket. There's my Internet connectivity.

    Now, I can check if I have mail by looking at my watch. If I need to read it, I can either view it on my watch, if it is short, or on the phone, if it is longer (I assume the phone has a larger display than the watch).

    My tunes are in the storage device, and played via the watch or phone (and headphones, natch).

    If I have my digital camera, I now have GIGs of storage to save the pics to.

    Sounds like a good thing to me.

    1. Re:This isn't a foolish as it may sound... by sugrshack · · Score: 1
      okay... now i'm getting a funny mental image of someone walking around with all that gear...

      how many pockets would you need anyway? I think it's time for a neural implant so you can just think about whether you have mail or not and you'll know instantly...

      --
      I can't believe it's not lard!
    2. Re:This isn't a foolish as it may sound... by D4MO · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Then they'll just compress all that into one mini device.

      --

      Rocket science is easy. Neurosurgery, now *that's* difficult.
    3. Re:This isn't a foolish as it may sound... by SensitiveMale · · Score: 0

      I have my Citizen/IBM Linux watch - not a lot of internal storage there, but it is my display device.


      I have the Toshiba storage device - there's all my disk space, tucked into my jacket pocket where it is out of the way.


      I have my cell phone, in an outside pocket. There's my Internet connectivity.



      I have my chest tumor from all the EM devices.

    4. Re:This isn't a foolish as it may sound... by dstone · · Score: 1, Flamebait

      My tunes are in the storage device, and played via the watch or phone (and headphones, natch).

      My tunes are in an iPod and also played via headphones. No watch or phone required. No wireless snooping or hacking of my devices or my activities. I win.

    5. Re:This isn't a foolish as it may sound... by j0b · · Score: 1

      How about bluetooth headphones?

      (Do they exist yet?)

    6. Re:This isn't a foolish as it may sound... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How about a neural implant that ties into your sight and hearing...then you can play your mp3s in your head without speakers or headphones, and crank them as loud as you want without disturbing the peace or killing your eardrums. Also you can read your e-mail without looking at a screen because the implant could generate a false image to the part of your brain that interprets visual stimulations. Make that bluetooth compatiable and strap the hard drive/processor to something the size of your cell phone to your belt!

    7. Re:This isn't a foolish as it may sound... by PatSmarty · · Score: 2, Informative

      And image using Nextlink Bluespoon wireless headsets to listen to your mp3s - each headset weights only 10 grams, yet runs for 8 hours - crazy!

      Btw: If you have questions about this headset, head over to this forum, where one of the creators regularly answers questions.

    8. Re:This isn't a foolish as it may sound... by singularity · · Score: 2

      I hope not. One of the great problems with truly moblie (and wearable) objects is the struggle between portability and interface.

      For example, my watch is very good at what it does. However, that screen is going to be way too small to do any long reading (email) or data entry (composing email).

      You could do voice recognition, but you still have to worry about a screen.

      "Fine," you say, "what about small screens that attach to your glasses?"

      Well, I, for one, do not want to have to wear one of those at all times just to see if I have new mail, especially if I have something convinient like a watch already on my wrist.

      The point is that a few (but not too many) extremely portable objects is much more flexible than just one integrated product.

      I currently have both a cell phone and a Visor. I have a cord to connect the two together to check my email and things like that (the Visor's screen being much better than the cell, obviously).

      There are times, however, when all I need/want on me is my cell phone. Having an integrated device, like the Treo, will mean that I still have to carry around a fairly bulky device. Why? Because the Treo is going to have its size dictated by its screen.

      I would prefer to have several small things that are very good a what they do and all work together seamlessly.

      "Plug and play" without the "plug." I have a hard drive/computer in my wallet, a watch capable of minor alerts (like CallerID and mail alerts). I decide to email someone, so I pick up a keyboard and the devices automatically recognize it and accept wireless input from it. To see the input, I attach a glasses monitor (or a tiny projector) and the other parts see it and imeediately begin to use it as a display.

      --
      - (c) 2018 Hank Zimmerman
    9. Re:This isn't a foolish as it may sound... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      along with this im 1/2 way to my own walking computer :)* ME!

      http://www.scottevest.com/

  18. I can see it now... by rleyton · · Score: 5, Funny

    Soon, there will be more than just FTP/HTTP... Imagine it...

    telnet girlfriend
    Trying 192.168.23.45
    Connected to girlfriend
    Escape characters are 'Football'.
    What do you want? rm /dev/complaints
    What do you want? mknod 5 12 /dev/do_the_washing_for_me_love
    What do you want? mknod 5 13 /dev/happy_to_let_you_surf_til_late
    What do you want? cat /proc/wallet | grep 'enough_for_a_pizza' | mail me@me.com
    rm: cannot open `/proc/wallet': Permission denied. You are barred from the house until further notice.

    Warning! Liberties quota exceeded.

    --
    ooooooh! What does this button do? - DeeDee, Dexters Lab.
  19. this plus a socket at the back of my head... by BritInParis · · Score: 1

    and we will all belong to the world wide awareness !

  20. too much stuff by pandrew · · Score: 1, Insightful

    My only problem, is I already have a pda, cell phone, and other random things strewn about in my pockets at any given time. Now, i have to carry a device to let me store all the things i use?

    why don't they just make the next Jornada series with bluetooth and 5 gig storage built in?

    (oh and I don't think carrying a hard drive while its spinning is a great idea: that would be the day I decide to do jumping jacks and I scratch my precious server!)

  21. Free software. by AlgUSF · · Score: 1

    This would be perfect for going into CompUSA and stealing software, much better than an iPod.

    --


    I want my rights back. I was actually using them when our government stole them after 9/11.
    1. Re:Free software. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      At 1mbps you'll be done in a jiffy.

  22. What about battery life... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    We're assuming that it's a portable device, so it must use batteries, correct?

    5Gibibytes is neat stuff, but it's useless if it'll only spin for 2 hours at a time.

    1. Re:What about battery life... by afidel · · Score: 2

      I assume that it uses the same 1.8" hdd as the iPod, the iPod gets ~10-12 hours of play time, this includes periods of spinning the disk and the power to keep the ram refreshed, the mips core running to decompress the music etc. I'm not sure what affect spinning the hdd full time would have but I would bet it would get ~6-8 hours for just the drive. p.s. karma's at 50 don't bother to mod me up.

      --
      There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
    2. Re:What about battery life... by foniksonik · · Score: 1

      Well of course you're looking at an Apple device, and they (Apple) are known for good engineering, if expensive. Other companies haven't as yet produced anything with good battery life as far as i know....

      --
      A fool throws a stone into a well and a thousand sages can not remove it.
  23. Think of the Spy oppertunities by warpSpeed · · Score: 5, Funny

    Two agents walk up to a park bench and sit. Never talking, exchanging anything or touching. They sit for 1/3 hour while the secrets are copied from one to the the other. (and if they are double agents the transfer will be bi-directional) Then they get up an leave.

    Man, the CIA and FBI will hate that. You honor in this video we see now non-descript men in a park doing, umm, nothing...

    1. Re:Think of the Spy oppertunities by Spydr · · Score: 1

      you forgot about the dog with the implants sitting next to them intercepting everything.

    2. Re:Think of the Spy oppertunities by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oooo. Wireless communication. Yeah, that's something law enforcement has never seen before.

  24. bwahahaha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Your pocket catches on fire because of the latest version of the Nimda virus..

    OMG your sense of humor is amazing!! Still ROTFLMAO!!!
    Because it's a poke at Microsoft... and then you suggest that if you have an IIS server in your pocket, and because IIS is vulnerable to things like Nimda, that it will actually combust!! hahahahahahahah
    Where you do come up with this stuff?? Bwhahahahahahahahahah
    I haven't read anything this fresh and clever in a long time! Bravo! Bravoooo!!!!

    1. Re:bwahahaha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      It seems the pot is calling the kettle black.

      Let's make a list of the literary devices you've used in your attempt at humour:
      1. Sarcasm

      Let me guess: when lunchtime came at school, you went home so mommy could make you a sandwitch. You had some time to kill, so you visited Slashdot and tried to "shake it up" with your keen wit (easily duplicated by sed).

    2. Re:bwahahaha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Let's make a list of the literary devices you've used in your attempt at flaming:

      1. childish insult

      So is a "sandwitch" a good witch, or a bad witch?

  25. 5GB == 37 hours of MPEG-4 moving images by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That's so lame. They're trying to fend off the obvious "5GB isn't very much storage these days" with some arbitrary quantity that is supposed to impress us.

    Gee, would it matter what the content of the images was? Their size? The compression ratio?

    It will hold literally billions of terrabytes of gzipped data!

    Why it would be nice to have editing of posted stories...

  26. Okay... by ultramk · · Score: 1

    ...so now I can be a victim of the /. effect anytime, anywhere?

    m-

    --
    You catch enchiladas by picking them up behind the head and holding them underwater until they don't kick anymore -VeGas
  27. Bluetooth is too slow by Mr.Sharpy · · Score: 4, Informative

    If I remember correctly, bluetooth 1.1 comes in with a transfer rate of about 720Kbps and only works in about a 10m radius (for devices, access points have longer ranges). At that rate, It would take about 16 hours to copy 5GB of data to or from the device. So unless you plan on standing close to somebody for a quite a while, the mental images of swapping mp3 collections or walking for warez can be put on hold for now.

    Now if they will support Bluetooth 2, the situation improves...

    1. Re:Bluetooth is too slow by javatips · · Score: 2

      The device also have a USB port for large data transfert.

      The bandwidth is twice what required for viewing the MPEG4 movies (I assume the 37 hours of MPEG4 in the PR and the 16hours needed to copy all the stuff).

      So it's more than enough for listening/viewing content.

    2. Re:Bluetooth is too slow by KFury · · Score: 2

      "The device also have a USB port for large data transfert."

      USB (USB1.0) isn't any faster...

    3. Re:Bluetooth is too slow by KFury · · Score: 2

      "So unless you plan on standing close to somebody for a quite a while, the mental images of swapping mp3 collections or walking for warez can be put on hold for now. "

      Hardly. If I wanted some cool stuff off your computer, does that mean I want everything on your computer?

      You're my friend. We hang out for a half hour. That's time enough for 38 MP3 tracks, or 133 megs of whatever. A few days later, we hang out again. Swapping continues.

      If you lose the 'must have everything now" mentality, this becomes pretty useful, especially if it happens automatically in the background whenever you're within range of a like-minded wearer. I could see people using these things in class, on the subway, or in traffic. At the end of the day you check out what your hip-scanner picked up for you.

      Keep in mind that not all valuable files are as big as MPEG4 streams or MP3 collections. Back in the day, 500K of porn jpegs would get you through the day, and that would only take six seconds to transmit.

    4. Re:Bluetooth is too slow by Kris_J · · Score: 1

      I think you'll find that USB is 10 times faster than Bluetooth.

    5. Re:Bluetooth is too slow by pacc · · Score: 2

      I think you'll find that USB is infinitly faster than nothing at all.

      And while your at it you will be pleased to know that the power-efficiency of the Bluetooth chip really comes in handy when the battereies need to support the harddrive. (Try to keep it spinning while transfering 5Gb of data over 750 kbps)

  28. Bluetooth iPod - just say no by Tokerat · · Score: 1
    Although it would be nice, I think I'd rather not wait for Bluetooth's slow-ass transfer rate for all my songs.

    Last i knew it was around 1.5Mb/sec, which is around USB speed, correct? (I'm so not-up-to-date with this). MacSlash had a discussion about it a while ago when Apple announced Bluetooth support and everyone agreed putting 802.11b for Airport support would be much better, although much more power consuming.

    If Bluetoth can get teh trqansfer rate up then it would definately be worth it... anyone care to elaborate?

    --
    CAn'T CompreHend SARcaSm?
  29. But can you WATCH those MPEG4s? by chill · · Score: 5, Informative

    Speeds for Bluetooth spec out at under 1 Mbps, depending on range, obstacles, etc. At an average speed of 750 Kbps, could you watch an MPEG-4 encoded video clip at a decent resolution on a handheld? (Hmmm...that OQO has Bluetooth built in.) Check out the specs on Bluetooth.

    --
    Learning HOW to think is more important than learning WHAT to think.
    1. Re:But can you WATCH those MPEG4s? by rassie · · Score: 1

      Correct. The best rate is 768/56k. And that is the *BEST* rate, if there are no other users etc.
      With a DigiAnswer PC card, the best you can hope for is 115k on a Bluetooth LAN connection (why you ask? probably because it does it via some kind of virtual serial connection).
      And seriously, would you want to download 5GB on 768k, much less 115?

    2. Re:But can you WATCH those MPEG4s? by Locutus · · Score: 2

      That sounds about right and this is just why Microsoft wants Bluetooth dead. The lower power handhelds ( read PalmOS-based, Symbian, cell phone ) can support the power requirements of Bluetooth but not 802.11. The WinCE and Linux based handheld pocket PC's already have huge battery systems and can better support the requirements of 802.11.

      Wonder why MS is holding back Bluetooth support and running full steam with 802.11....

      I would much rather have a Bluetooth enabled small/cheap cellphone, ear piece/mic, and PDA instead of a large/expensive single device that does a poor job at everything. Having my desktop Bluetooth enabled or Tivo or one of these servers at the house or office would rock. Bluetooths short range also will keep snooper close enough to get caught or at least seen.

      It looks like 2002 WILL be the year of Bluetooth.

      Awesome!

      LoB

      --
      "Anyone who stands out in the middle of a road looks like roadkill to me." --Linus
    3. Re:But can you WATCH those MPEG4s? by foniksonik · · Score: 1

      "That sounds about right and this is just why Microsoft wants Bluetooth dead."

      While, of course, Apple has supported 802.11b for years now (4-5?) and is pushing Bluetooth enormously in the near term.

      Will M$ ever be at the forefront of technology or will they simply continue to exploit old tech by throwing money at it? hmmm... looks like the latter of the two and yet somehow they still do it and at a profit? could be something to do with their status as a criminal organization with an accused monopoly. (notice that M$ is officially a criminal organization, tried and convicted)

      --
      A fool throws a stone into a well and a thousand sages can not remove it.
  30. I can see piracy will be an even bigger problem by nvts-NUTS · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Remember the story a few months back about the kid who walked into a story and copied the MAC version of MS Office off a store display computer by hooking in his portable device. Well now they'll be no wires to give him away. Now I realize PC software isn't as easy to copy installed versions of but there is a wealth of data now available to be copied without giving yourself away with any obvious wires.

  31. USB? by Triv · · Score: 2

    In business, stored presentation data can be transmitted to a BluetoothTM-enabled printer or projector without the need of an intermediary PCs. When large volumes of data do have to be transferred to a PC, an integrated USB port can be used to optimize the speed of the transaction.

    What, no firewire? I understand that it's s'posed to be wireless in the first place, but since they DO include a wired interface you'd think they'd use the fastest available one.

    triv

    1. Re:USB? by Mr.Sharpy · · Score: 1

      Well hopefully it would be USB 2.0. Just about as fast as firewire. Backward compatible with USB 1.0 and 1.1. It would work on just about everyone's pc or mac.

    2. Re:USB? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Uhhh, USB 2.0 is Faster then Firewire, 480Mbps vx 400Mbps

  32. Argg!! Why not 802.11b? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I want a portable wireless hd with 802.11b.. a portable NAS!

    1. Re:Argg!! Why not 802.11b? by jechoe · · Score: 1

      Sounds like the bastard child of an Ipod and a wireless NIC card.

      --
      Push the envelope. Watch it bend.
  33. Actual transfer rate. by juuri · · Score: 4, Informative

    Maximum transfer rate is asynchronous 732.2/57.6kbps. Sync is around 433kbps. So don't expect to be transfering lots of data around. This is still plenty fast enough though for DiVX movies.

    --
    --- I do not moderate.
    1. Re:Actual transfer rate. by questionlp · · Score: 1
      Thanks for the info... even at 400kbps async (interference, distance and the BT chip/controller factored in), that would still be able to stream a DiVX and MP3 files fairly nicely.

      I wonder if they will include a USB (either 1.1 or 2.0, preferrably 2.0) port on the device for faster data transfers from a laptop or a desktop. I'd hate to have to sit around and transfer 4-5GB of files via BT :)

    2. Re:Actual transfer rate. by questionlp · · Score: 1

      Nevermind on the last part... my eyes must have glazed over the last part of the press release. Still, I wonder if it will be USB 1.1 or USB 2.0.

    3. Re:Actual transfer rate. by foniksonik · · Score: 1

      Anyone out ther ever use Firewire or that IEsomethingsomething? Transfer rates are at 400 Mbit/sec.. you know like iPODS?

      Of course iPODS have had bluetooth for a couple of months now but then discontinued because Apple is releasing their own version... in fact the next Powerbooks are also supposed to come w/ bluetooth, April 30th.

      anyways... Firewire 2.0 should really rock... USB 2.0 is already out but isn't really supported by anyone as far as I can tell.

      just comments.

      --
      A fool throws a stone into a well and a thousand sages can not remove it.
  34. SETI@Home(or not) by idontneedanickname · · Score: 1

    now with a cell phone, the storage and a PDA u can d some SETI number cruching anywhere u want!

    oh, and another thing if u could develop a program that's like kazaa etc. and as soon as someone comes close to u and has something that's on ur dl list it would atomatically start transferring, or it would tell what's avilible where u are and u could choose...wouldn't that be sw33t?!

    --tzan

  35. Nomad Jukebox 3 by user32.ExitWindowsEx · · Score: 1

    Creative could have one-upped this if they had put Bluetooth in the Nomad Jukebox 3. More HDD space...longer battery life...now with Bluetooth for wireless headphones == a very Good Thing(tm).

    --
    "Evil will always triumph because good is dumb." -- Dark Helmet
  36. Human web server? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So what, sitting at a desktop computer w/Apache installed makes me a human web server also? Sweet!

  37. Forbidden webcasting? by andyring · · Score: 1

    Think of events such as the Olympics, where there are absolute choke holds on disseminating information outside of their contracts. Think back to the two recent Olympics, where they had teams of people scouring the net for the slightest trace of anything "unauthorized," such as amateur video clips, early reporting of scores, etc. This little bugger has the potential to run rings around that! Think of it - watching an Olympic event over the net in real time, not having to wait for NBC or whomever to run it when they feel like! WooHoo! The possibilities are endless!

  38. That's cool! by jeorgen · · Score: 1
    Maybe in the future young people will have interactive outfits in the form of jewellery that contains lots and lots of data. You express yourself by draping yourself into a landscape of multimedia experiences. Like you could have Ultravox play when somebody pushes you on the shoulder, Encyclopedia Britannica "playing" from one of your knees to show your interest in encyclopedial knowledge, and a live cam view at the back of your neck of the view from a mountaintop in the Himalayas. Bluetooth could work as an aura, or a perfume. A perfume is supposed to consist of three components, a basic scent, a middle scent and a top scent. You could do that with different ranges on your Wi-Fi. Because That is who you are!

    And the girl's Google sensors feel you are nearby...

    /jeorgen

  39. Finally real life will be just like IRC. by highfreq2 · · Score: 1

    But first we'll need androids, town crier types, shouting out: #1 Sim City 10,000 #2 Photoshop 9 #3 ... And a queue of people following behind.

  40. For the traditionalists... by marhar · · Score: 1

    That's about 2.8 million double-spaced typed pages.

    1. Re:For the traditionalists... by MaxVlast · · Score: 3, Funny

      Remember when floppy disks and hard drives had this statistic on them?

      --
      There should be a moratorium on the use of the apostrophe.
      Max V.
      NeXTMail/MIME Mail welcome
    2. Re:For the traditionalists... by vlag · · Score: 1

      Remember when we bought RAM in "Lines of text"? That always cracked me up. My dad paid almost $2000 CDN in the 80's for 22,000 lines for his Apple I think. :-)

      --
      Do you want to remove linux?
    3. Re:For the traditionalists... by MaxVlast · · Score: 2

      That was before my time, actually. Wow. I really can't fathom not being able to deal with a text file because of its size. I suppose it translates well to big images, or whatever, but it's much more real when thought of as a text file.

      --
      There should be a moratorium on the use of the apostrophe.
      Max V.
      NeXTMail/MIME Mail welcome
  41. Portable web server by Baalam · · Score: 1

    Brings a whole new spin to the idea that someone could walk off with you computer

    1. Re:Portable web server by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What..............you mean like a laptop?

  42. Imagine having these at a convention by 1WingedAngel · · Score: 1

    Just point at a vendor table and be able to see their website.

    Even better, being able to point at a prospective new hire at a job fair and call up their resume.

    (Not to mention having all /. users have their Usernames and kharma ratings built in so you can see your friend/foe rating on line-of-site)
    Tim

  43. Picture by joeku · · Score: 4, Informative

    O'Grady has a pic of it. Nice and clean design I might add.

    http://www.powerpage.org/story.lasso?newsID=9274

  44. SE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    SE Lain is here.

    It's just that Navi is now called Bluetooth.

    Present Day, Present Time, hahahahahaha

  45. Walking Data Haven? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Not this release of course but soon enough.

  46. pshaw by tps12 · · Score: 2
    This device with a 5GB of data can hold up to 37 hours of MPEG-4 moving images.

    This is a hoax. There is no such thing as a "moving image." Such a thing would be as much an absurdity as a carriage which moves under its own power, or heavier-than-air flight, and is the stuff of science fiction.

    --

    Karma: Good (despite my invention of the Karma: sig)
  47. Re:NEW /. FEATURE PROPOSAL! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    that threshold has already been passed. There are virtually no legitimate posts; hell most of the articles are wrong or crap. my friend's 1 year old puts out less crap than this site.

  48. hmmm by teslatug · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is that 5GB of porn in your pocket or are you just happy to see me? ;)

  49. /me slaps you around a bit.... by CausticPuppy · · Score: 1

    But first we'll need androids, town crier types, shouting out: #1 Sim City 10,000 #2 Photoshop 9 #3 ... And a queue of people following behind.

    And the mIRC users will need to be issued a large trout.

    --
    -CausticPuppy "Of all the people I know, you're certainly one of them." -Somebody I don't know
  50. an even cheaper way to broadcast music by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you're going to broadcast music over a couple dozen feet, wouldn't it be more effective to just use speakers and turn up the volume?

    The only use I'd see for the FM transmitter is to broadcast through your own car stereo.

  51. OQO questions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    The OQO also runs 802.11b. What I want to know is: 1) Can you do adhoc peer-to-peer? 2) Can you install Linux instead of that digital-rights-enforcing XP crap?

    If so, I want one ;>

  52. Why Not WiFi? by NETHED · · Score: 1

    I figured with better transfer rates, better range, and A LOT MORE equpiement, someone would have made something like this for WiFi. I'd buy one. Stick it in your briefcase while using your laptop on your desk, plenty cheap data storage. And why not? make it nice and cheap using a slow 20 giger and your set.

    whatever

    --
    --sig fault--
  53. 27 hours with mpeg 4? by PsychoElf · · Score: 1

    I dont know, but most movies i have are at least 650MB.
    At 650MB you get decent quality on a two and a half hour movie.
    On a 5GB disk your gonna fit maybe 7-9 movies depending on their size.
    With 8 movies @2.5 hours thats only 20 hours.
    So I'm guessing Toshiba got to this by loading on lower quality, longer porn movies.

  54. errr.....37 hours....oops by PsychoElf · · Score: 1

    my internal math coprocessor must be bad.

    1. Re:errr.....37 hours....oops by Jaysyn · · Score: 1

      PentiumElf?

      Jaysyn

      --
      There is a war going on for your mind.
  55. Hello? by fungus · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Did I miss something or it has been easy to build a wireless ftp/http server for quite a long time? Bluetooth is slow and has a short range, while a laptop with a 802.11b network card can hold way more than 5 gigabytes, is way faster, and has an operating range very longer.

    Now imagine if every kid on the block had a laptop with a wireless network card in their backpack, swapping clips taken from the "security" x10 wireless cameras around the neighborhood with a p2p application.

    1. Re:Hello? by foniksonik · · Score: 1

      All you need to do is to reverse aging and move to Maine!

      http://www.apple.com/hotnews/articles/2002/04/ma in e/

      "Maine Schools begin to deploy wireless iBooks"

      "In the past few weeks, the first shipments of iBook notebook computers arrived at nine Maine middle schools. These schools, one in each region of the state, were selected to be Demonstration/Exploration Schools to receive an advance deployment of computers, in order to serve as learning laboratories and training sites for teacher professional development, as well as to test the technical reliability of the equipment. The shipments will total 675 iBooks, enough to equip several classrooms of seventh grade students at each school."

      --
      A fool throws a stone into a well and a thousand sages can not remove it.
  56. this would work great with Augmented Reality by snub · · Score: 2, Interesting

    If someone were walking aroung with AR goggles on (see recent articles here and on k5) you could broadcast an enhanced version of your appearance to them. You could appear in their vision as any object you chose, even animated. This brings Flash to a whole new level!

    --
    "Shredded cabbage and mayo go good together." Cole's Law
    1. Re:this would work great with Augmented Reality by shadowengr · · Score: 1

      This could be really useful various engineering applications. Not only could you have a better AR system but, you could have one that has access to large amounts of data such as gis, updated plans, and simulations.

  57. are you guys sure... by paradesign · · Score: 1

    are you guys sure this isnt just another iPod hack?

    --
    I want 2D games back.
  58. New realms for Echelon? by smithmc · · Score: 1
    Two agents walk up to a park bench and sit. Never talking, exchanging anything or touching. They sit for 1/3 hour while the secrets are copied from one to the the other. (and if they are double agents the transfer will be bi-directional) Then they get up an leave.

    Man, the CIA and FBI will hate that...

    I know this was supposed to be a joke, but seriously - do you think the various Three-Letter Agencies aren't going to try and surveil all this data somehow?

    --
    Downmodding is the refuge of the weak. Don't downmod, make a better argument!
    1. Re:New realms for Echelon? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      why decrypt now what you can record and decrypt later...

      or whatever, it's radio for fuck's sake.

  59. Good for the pirates.. by danielobvt · · Score: 1

    It would force them to get out. See the world around them. Maybe even .. socialize IRL with other people who share their interests. At the very least they wouldn't be sitting at home, snarfing Doritos and guzzling Mountain Dew.

  60. Your not using wired headphones, right? by systemaster · · Score: 1

    There is already a bt ear bud/mic for cell phones, just make it stereo and your all set. Which won't be too far off as you say, just need the $$$ to come down. But a real question for those that know about bluetooth, do all these devices actually work together, if I have say a bt harddrive and bt ear piece, how do I get the mp3 from the HD to my ear...OK lets make it reasonable and say I have another device for controling and display, a fancy watch or PDA with bt. Will all these devices automatically talk and work with each other? I assume they can talk, in my example they all use bluetooth.

    an analogy: with wired eithernet and tcp/ip, a linux box doesn't automatically work with a windows box. BUT I can install samba on the linux box and they will work together. Bad comparison I know, but the point is. With these blue tooth devices, with the exception of the PDA, I can't just install software to make them work together. The BT ear bud/mic for cell phones I have seen requires its transmitter that plugs into the phone, its included but can my built in BT in my mp3 player send to the phone earbud?

    --
    LinuxWorx
    Spelling errors are intentional as are gramatical error
  61. To be honest, I'm more worried... by Suburban+nmate · · Score: 1

    ...about yet another source of radiation hanging around my balls. Presumably the radiation output varies with bandwidth usage, and I dont want some leech roasting my love spuds. That's one Denial Of Service we can all do without.

    My old dodgy Nokia 3210 is quite enough, thankyouverymuch.

    Ali

    --
    "Windows and Linux can co-exist on the same machine." - Microsoft Corporation.
  62. Cool !! by Tha_Zanthrax · · Score: 2, Funny

    Now we can slashdot real people !!!

  63. Illegal without a license by fatcow · · Score: 0

    That, of course, will be illegal in the UK without a license.

    www.radio.gov.uk