Are you tired of USB cables cluttering up your desk?  Dell and Lenovo have announced new laptops that have embedded Certified Wireless USB chips.  These new laptops will work in conjunction with the Certified Wireless USB hubs that D-Link and IOGear announced.  Computer owners will be able to add wireless USB functionality to their existing computers by purchasing a Certified Wireless USB adapter.  When looking for wireless USB devices make sure you keep an eye out for the Certified Wireless USB logo.

Sources: PC World and NetStumbler

More Information:

• Dell Inspiron 1720
• Lenovo ThinkPad T61 and T62p
• D-Link DUB-9240 - UWB Wireless USB Kit
• D-Link DUB-2240 - 4-Port UWB Wireless USB Hub
• D-Link DUB-1210 - UWB Wireless USB Adapter
• IOGear

Dell has introduced a new line of products and services for the small business market.  Their new we believe: in small business marketing campaign focuses on making it easier for small businesses to find what they need.  Here are some highlights from Dell’s website:

Introducing Dell^TM  Vostro^TM , a new suite of notebooks, desktops and services designed exclusively for small businesses with 1-25 employees, simple or no networks and limited or no in-house IT support. Every Vostro comes complete with:

No trialware.
Customers said they hated trialware, so we took it away. Vostro systems come without annoying trialware pre-installed. You only get the software you want.

30-Day Money-Back Guarantee¹
No restocking or return shipping fees. Try yours today, worry-free.

Dell’s most comprehensive standard services
Vostro systems come with the level of services small businesses need:

• Let Dell technicians remotely troubleshoot your system with DellConnect^{TM 2}.
• Includes 1-Year 10GB DataSafe^TM  Online Data Backup subscription to help protect your data.
• Includes 1-Year PC TuneUp³ to keep your system running efficiently.
• Connect easily to simple networks with Network Assistant.

Source: http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/odg/vostro?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04

One of the things I really like about this is the fact that their new line of computers, named Vostro, won’t have any trialware pre-installed.  I hate how computer manufacturers fill up new computers with junk most people will never use.  This is especially bad for small businesses because what they really need are reliable computers that will allow them to focus on getting their work done.

Another thing that I like is the inclusion of their online backup service for one year.  Most small businesses out there don’t have a good backup plan in place.  Usually they haven’t backed up their files recently, if at all, and sometimes they think they are backing up their important files but aren’t.  I ran into one company that was using CDs to backup their files and when they needed to recover some of those files they found out that all of the backup CDs were empty.  Hopefully by offering this trial subscription they will help get more small businesses to start thinking about their backup plan.  However, I haven’t used their online backup service myself or read reviews about it so I’m not sure how good it is or how much it costs after the free trial runs out.