Belkin to Purchase Linksys From Cisco

Belkin announced this morning that has entered into an agreement to purchase Cisco’s Home Networking Business Unit, including the well-known Linksys brand.

Rumors circulated in Dec. 2012 that Cisco was looking for a potential buyer for Linksys – a company it purchased in 2003 – along with all of its home networking holdings as it intended to focus on business and Enterprise equipment. According to reports at the time, the company had retained Barclays to explore the potential sale, but neither party would comment on the information.

Today a press release hit the wires that a deal has been struck with Belkin, another well-known name in the home networking field, to acquire the entire division from Cisco. No specific terms of the financial side of the deal are being shared at this time. “We’re very excited about this announcement,” said Chet Pipkin, CEO of Belkin.  “Our two organizations share many core beliefs – we have similar beginnings and share a passion for meeting the real needs of our customers through the strengths of an entrepreneurial culture.  Belkin’s ultimate goal is to be the global leader in the connected home and wireless networking space and this acquisition is an important step to realizing that vision.”

Belkin intends to keep the Linksys brand as an ongoing concern, and it will honor all valid warranties and customer support for current products.

Thanks to this purchase, Belkin will now account for 30 percent of all home and small business networking sales in the market.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Belkin fills the void with first third-party Lightning accessories for Apple devices

When Apple dropped the 30-pin connector in favor of Lightning for the iPhone 5, new iPods and new iPads, it also dropped much of the current accessory market: short of an expensive adapter, years of collecting docks and more exotic peripherals were for nought. Belkin is stepping into that vacuum with what it says are the first officially sanctioned third-party Lightning accessories. Neither its Charge + Sync Dock (seen at left) for the iPhone 5 nor its Car Charger for Lightning (right) are what we'd call revolutionary, but they both cover missing pieces of the puzzle -- including Apple's, as the tech firm skipped making an iPhone dock of its own for this generation. Should either the audio-supporting dock or the iPad-capable charger sound appealing, both are up for pre-orders today and will ship in mid-November for $30.

[Source: Engadget]

Geek Competition Results - the finalists

The results of the Geek Competition were announced earlier today. It now gives us great pleasure to share the three finalists with you here. Click through to see their channels & of course subscribe if you like what you see (I am sure you will). A big thank you to all the companies involved in supplying prizes too.

First Runner-up is houlker199 who wins a Belkin Tri-Fold Folio & PowerPack 4000 (thanks to Belkin).

 Second Runner-up is TechMeOut who wins a Belkin Tri-Fold Folio & PowerPack 4000 (thanks to Belkin).

The Grand Final Winner is TechnologyGadgets who wins the following;
Blackberry Curve 9380 (thanks to Blackberry UK).
Editors Keys SL150 Mic & FCPX Keyboard (thanks to Editors Keys).
White Sennheiser HD228 Headphones (thanks to Purely Gadgets).
Belkin Conserve Surge Protector (thanks to Belkin).

Watch your favourite live and recorded TV anywhere in the world with Belkin’s @TV Plus

(Rushden, UK). – 25 July, 2012 – Belkin has today unveiled the latest addition to its entertainment line-up, with the introduction of @TV Plus. Belkin’s @TV Plus allows you to watch live TV on your mobile devices – wherever you are in the world. Whether you’re traveling on holiday or on business, commuting by bus or train, or just enjoying the sun in the garden, you needn’t miss your favourite TV show or live sports event ever again.

Belkin’s @TV Plus turns your iOS or Android tablet and smartphone, or your laptop into a TV,enabling you to watch and control all of your home TV channels from anywhere in the world, as long as there’s a WiFi or 3G/LTE connection. @TV Plus also allows you to record live TV directly onto your mobile device so you can watch your favourite TV when it’s convenient for you, even if you don’t have access to WiFi*.

Belkin’s @TV Plus is easy to install and use, connecting to your digital set top box and to your router via it’s built in wireless connection, or via a wired connection if preferred. @TV Plus streams the signal from your digital TV service to up to 8 devices simultaneously within your home network, or to one mobile device located outside.

@TV Plus also turns your mobile device into a remote control, allowing you to scroll through channels and tap to record live programs with the SurfSwipe integrated channel guide. The @TV Plus App works on Android and iOS platforms for tablets and Smartphones, and is available from iTunes and the Android Play Store. Windows and MacOS player and configuration software is also provided.

@TV Plus (G1V1000) - £149.99/€199.99

  • Control your digital set-top box using your smart device whenever you want, wherever you are
  • Record live television to your smart device’s internal memory*
  • Surf channels at the flick of a finger with SurfSwipe integrated channel guide**
  • Wi-Fi enabled for easy placement in any room of the house
  • Built In security with Cloud-based connection, built-in firewall and NAT traversal
  • App for iOS and Android tablets and smartphones
  • PC and MacOS player and configuration software
  • @TV Plus will be available in August.

*In the UK, record feature can only be used while on your home network
**In supported countries