Belkin’s Play and Play Max Routers Gain App Support

Apps, apps, apps. They're everywhere, and where they aren't, they will soon be. App stores have taken over the world, and they're now leaving the smartphone realm and bleeding over to printers, netbooks and even wireless routers. Belkin is a huge networking player, and the company has been making routers, switches, hubs and all sorts of other linked products for years. The newest thing in Belkin's camp is the introduction of Apps, and while we're obviously skeptical of the importance (apps on a router?), we actually are into the idea once we gave it a listen.

For starters, Belkin has made the app integration seamless and the process easy. Also, the apps are actually helpful; software will be around to help you print without wires, transfer music, stream media and do all sorts of other fancy networking tricks that usually require lots of in-depth knowledge. These routers also have dual-band WLAN support, and the Self-Healing app "automatically detects and resolves network problems and runs routine maintenance scans to give you the clearest wireless channel." Nice!

The routers will be available in the U.S. starting next month, with worldwide rollouts to follow. Pricing has yet to be announced in a public manner.

The Share, Play, and Play Max Routers offer the Print Genie app that lets you wirelessly print from any computer on the network in your home while Memory Safe™ automatically backs up your photos and files to an external hard drive (sold separately)—so you can rest assured that your precious memories are protected.

With advanced Dual-Band N technology, Belkin’s Play and Play Max Routers provide the best speed and performance. Simultaneous networks eliminate interference and allow you to optimize performance for media-intensive activities, such as streaming HD movies, gaming online, and downloading large media files.

Apps on Play and Play Max let you do more with your music. Music Mover can play your entire music library on smart devices, like the Xbox^® or PS3™, making your music just a touch away. The Daily DJ app serves up daily personalized playlists to match your mood. By analyzing the musical DNA of your music, Daily DJ creates playlists around three mood mixes: High-Energy, Steady Groove, and Kick Back. You can also create your own playlist by choosing a song and letting Daily DJ offer a new take on your favorite music.