While we were busy tinkering with our home media center, two worthy news items crossed our desk:

At the CTIA Wireless show, Spotwave Wireless announced a small office and residential version of its SpotCell adaptive coverage system. The SpotCell Home system aims to deliver wide-area cell phone coverage currently not covered (or not covered well) by a wireless carrier. The product - essentially an indoor/outdoor intelligent repeater - costs about $895, depending on your wireless carrier, and is available now.

I met with Spotwave at the show and was impressed with the company’s faith in the potential of the small office/consumer market. Spotwave plans to push down the product’s price to about $200 (depending on sales volume, of course) and sell it in retail stores, making it very attractive for home users sick of spotty cell phone coverage.

In other news, Pure Networks has released Network Magic, all-in-one networking software that sits on each home network computer and connects them all to the routers, gateways and other networked devices. Network Magic displays a visual map of all computers and devices, making it easier for an average PC user to “understand and run his or her own home network,” the company says.

Printers attached to a PC can be shared via the click of a button, eliminating the need to e-mail documents to a PC with the attached printer or to buy a new printer. Other features include an automatic network connection fix (the software determines what’s wrong and fixes it for you); an intruder alert feature that reveals when others are trying to access your wireless network; and automatic configuration of any new devices (legitimate ones, of course).

The software is available for $49.95 at the Network Magic, and includes a license for up to 5 PCs and an unlimited number of networked devices (printers, cameras, media adapters, etc.). A full-function 14-day trial is also available.

For more on Network Magic - and its competition - see "New tools ease home network headaches."