UK Availability Info - Linksus Wireless-B Media Adapter (WMA11B)

["Mark McCall" <lists@xxxxxxx>]

Just received the press release below.  We've talked about this product
here
for quite a while now, but this is a UK specific release with availabilty
info at the bottom.

M.



LINKSYS EXTENDS WIRELESS FUNCTIONALITY TO TELEVISION AND STEREO WITH THE
NEW
WIRELESS-B MEDIA ADAPTER

New Wireless Adapter Converges Home Networking and Consumer Electronics

London, United Kingdom - 4 September 2003 - Linksys(r), a division of Cisco
Systems, Inc., and the leading global manufacturer of broadband, wireless,
and networking hardware for home and Small Office/Home Office (SOHO)
environments, today announced the Wireless-B Media Adapter (WMA11B), a new
multimedia product which allows users to enjoy digital music and images
stored on their PC to view and play on their TV and stereo system.  This is
the first in a line of new Wireless Home products from Linksys.

In spite of the high growth and fast acceptance of MP3 players,
Internet-delivered music, and digital cameras, the average home
entertainment system is still designed for analogue input. The new Linksys
Wireless-B Media Adapter bridges the analogue and digital worlds using
802.11b wireless networking to deliver digital content to conventional TVs
and home stereos.

The Wireless-B Media Adapter sits by the television and stereo and connects
to both using standard A/V or S-Video cables. It then connects to the home
network by Wireless-B (802.11b) wireless networking or, if users prefer, it
can be connected via standard 10/100 Ethernet cabling. The media adapter
also works in peer-to-peer mode (direct connection between the media
adapter
and wired or wireless enabled computer) so that no Internet service is
required.

Listen to your digital music collection through your stereo system
The media adapter enables the user to stream MP3 and play WMA music files
on
the home TV and stereo system. Users can set the adapter to play songs
individually, by directory, or create M3U or ASX playlist files. Linksys is
also working to include playlist support from popular music providers and
music services such as the RHAPSODY digital music service from
Listen.com(r)
and MusicMatch(r). Users can also set up their own play lists by album,
song
title, genre and much more. Other convenient options include Repeat and
Shuffle. Users can select music displayed on the TV menu screen using a
remote control.

Browse your digital pictures on your television
InfoTrends Research predicts that by the end of the year, 60% of
Internet-connected households in the US will own a digital camera (over 26
million homes).  The Linksys Media Adapter provides a more convenient way
for this growing group of users to view images. By means of  the remote
control (included) and the user-friendly menus on a TV, users can browse
through the digital images on their wireless-enabled computer by folder,
filename, or thumbnail. Images can  be viewed one at a time, or through an
automatically created slideshow of all the images in a particular folder.
The Media Adapter utilises Intel's XScaleTM architecture PXA250 application
processor, not only to decode digital music files but also to support
popular file formats: JPG, GIF, TIF and BMP. The remote control's zoom
button enables close-up details in the images being viewed. For added
entertainment, streaming digital music can be played simultaneously with
the
display of images on a TV screen.

"Linksys is innovating products that extend the network beyond
traditional
applications such as Internet, file and resource sharing for which home
networks were developed.  The result is a new line of Wireless Home
products
that add on to the home network to provide connectivity and access to other
devices around the home," said Mike Wagner, Director of Marketing at
Linksys. "The wireless media adapter, our first Wireless Home product,
not
only brings together consumer electronics and home networking but also
provides users the ability to do more with the networks they have
installed."

Pricing and Availability
The Wireless-B Media Adapter comes complete with an Infrared Remote Control
with 2 AAA batteries, Audio/Video cable, S-Video cable, Ethernet cable,
power adapter, setup CD-ROM and installation guide. The WMA11B is
immediately available through distributors, major retail stores and
e-commerce at a recommended retail price of £160 excl. VAT.
A listing of all Linksys channel partners for where to buy can be found at:
www.linksys.com/uk/wheretobuy