Some days, you just have to chuckle at what is about to be the MPAA and RIAA's next headache. Just in case anyone thought BitTorrent couldn't get any easier or more popular, it just did - now router manufacturers are building it right into networking products. That's right, you can now buy wireless routers, NAS boxes, and other networking peripherals with built-in clients for the world's most popular pirac...err, P2P tool.
Users can log on to the network device like they normally would, only now these devices will have a bit-torrent option built right in. Wireless routers will automatically stream the data to an IP of choice (not limited to a PC), NAS boxes and wireless storage routers will download right to their own drives. Though we're not sure about remote configuration options for those on-the-go, one would bet that to be a key feature - remote operation of your torrents from wherever you are.
ASUS is the manufacturer leading the pack, with three products being released that include the functionality. This includes two routers (one wired, one wireless) and a wireless storage router for media sharing. The company is excited about merging the technologies, as expressed by TenLong Deng, Associate VP of the Wireless Device Business Unit.
"BitTorrent technology is clearly going to be the default platform for downloading high-quality digital entertainment, which makes them a key partner for us and a key ingredient in our product roadmap," he said.
As BitTorrent becomes even easier to use (now no longer even requiring a PC) and becomes more recognized as the optimal media delivery vehicle, one has to wonder when lawyers will start taking another stab at the service. After all, if it's big enough for hardware manufacturers to get in on, it's got to be turning some more heads. Soon, we might even hear Senator Stevens talking about the tubes being clogged with all the BitTorrent traffic. Darn tubes.
One has to wonder if BitTorrent could even sustain itself if even someone like my grandmother could plug it in and download an episode of "Friends." Piracy has long survived by being an art of the techically elite, who know how to cover their tracks well enough to protect themselves and design more anonymous services. In fact, many credit the fall of Kazaa and Napster to their ease of use, where people with little familiarity of computers became targets for viruses and lawsuits (often together).
Got a thought on the new routers? Or is all this just betting on a technology that will evolve into something new before any of this is even useful? Should BitTorrent be so easily accessible? Tell us your thoughts in our forums.
Users can log on to the network device like they normally would, only now these devices will have a bit-torrent option built right in. Wireless routers will automatically stream the data to an IP of choice (not limited to a PC), NAS boxes and wireless storage routers will download right to their own drives. Though we're not sure about remote configuration options for those on-the-go, one would bet that to be a key feature - remote operation of your torrents from wherever you are.
ASUS is the manufacturer leading the pack, with three products being released that include the functionality. This includes two routers (one wired, one wireless) and a wireless storage router for media sharing. The company is excited about merging the technologies, as expressed by TenLong Deng, Associate VP of the Wireless Device Business Unit.
"BitTorrent technology is clearly going to be the default platform for downloading high-quality digital entertainment, which makes them a key partner for us and a key ingredient in our product roadmap," he said.
As BitTorrent becomes even easier to use (now no longer even requiring a PC) and becomes more recognized as the optimal media delivery vehicle, one has to wonder when lawyers will start taking another stab at the service. After all, if it's big enough for hardware manufacturers to get in on, it's got to be turning some more heads. Soon, we might even hear Senator Stevens talking about the tubes being clogged with all the BitTorrent traffic. Darn tubes.
One has to wonder if BitTorrent could even sustain itself if even someone like my grandmother could plug it in and download an episode of "Friends." Piracy has long survived by being an art of the techically elite, who know how to cover their tracks well enough to protect themselves and design more anonymous services. In fact, many credit the fall of Kazaa and Napster to their ease of use, where people with little familiarity of computers became targets for viruses and lawsuits (often together).
Got a thought on the new routers? Or is all this just betting on a technology that will evolve into something new before any of this is even useful? Should BitTorrent be so easily accessible? Tell us your thoughts in our forums.
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