Wireless networking - Infoworld

What the future holds for Wi-Fi

admin — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

The recent formal approval of the IEEE 802.11n wireless standard marks not the end but the start of a wave of Wi-Fi innovation. In the next three to five years, the Wi-Fi experience will be very different from today.

Report: Apple readying smaller iPhone for Verizon

admin — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:01:53 +0000

Apple will launch a smaller "worldmode" iPhone next year that will be ready for Verizon Wireless to sell in the third quarter of 2010, according to an analyst report citing unnamed handset maker sources in Taiwan.

Intel readies 2.3GHz, 3.5GHz WiMax support with Kilmer Peak chipset

admin — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:06:03 +0000

After keeping operators and users alike waiting for nearly a year, Intel has begun production of a wireless chipset, called Kilmer Peak, that will support three versions of WiMax, 2.3GHz, 2.5GHz, and 3.5GHz.

Intel's current WiMax chipsets only support the 2.5GHz version of WiMax, which is used markets like Japan, the U.S., and Taiwan. The company doesn't yet support the 2.3GHz profile, which is used by operators in South Korea and Malaysia, or the 3.5GHz version used in Pakistan. That will change with Kilmer Peak.

IPass makes MiFi available for business users

admin — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:35:39 +0000

MiFi is going to the enterprise. IPass said Wednesday it will begin reselling in December the Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 mobile broadband device used by consumers but it will be preconfigured with customer-specific security and connections to iPassConnect mobility manager software for business users.

WiMax to go on sale in Chicago next month

admin — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:49:35 +0000

WiMax will finally go on sale next month in Chicago, a city that was to have been one of the first places where the high-speed wireless service was offered in the U.S.

Nokia sues Apple over iPhone 'free ride'

admin — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:18:10 +0000

Nokia today said it has sued Apple in federal court, charging that the iPhone infringes on 10 patents owned by the Finnish mobile phone maker.

The patents have been used by the iPhone since it was introduced in June 2007, Nokia said, and relate to several technologies "fundamental to making devices which are compatible with one or more of the GSM, UMTS (3G WCDMA) and wireless LAN standards." According to a statement from Nokia, the patents cover wireless data, speed encoding and decoding, security and encryption.

Android-based Nook e-reader could upset Apple's and Microsoft's tablet plans

admin — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:38:58 +0000

The Nook e-book reader announced by Barnes & Noble offers several novelties, including an Android OS, two screens, and the ability for users to lend e-books, but its biggest impact could be on the widely rumored tablet computers expected from Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corp.

Test Center adventure: Phone and data off the grid

Doug Dineley — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Bottom Line

Inmarsat's BGAN mobile satellite data service and the Thrane & Thrane Explorer 500 mobile satellite unit allow you to bring a 384Kbps/128Kbps data connection and satellite phone with you wherever you might go.

Sprint renews focuses on wireless M2M with new business unit

admin — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:22:53 +0000

Sprint Nextel has been in the wireless M2M (machine-to-machine) business for a decade, but this week announced a greater focus on the exploding market area by creating a new Emerging Solutions business unit to speed up delivery of the technology to businesses and consumers.

Genachowski lays out FCC's mobile strategy at CTIA

admin — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:32:49 +0000

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski outlined a four-part strategy for U.S. wireless communications on Wednesday, focusing on additional radio spectrum, obstacles to 4G (fourth-generation) deployments, an open Internet and competition.

FCC's Genachowski to tackle wireless issues at CTIA

admin — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:34:46 +0000

What once looked to be a quiet CTIA Wireless IT & Entertainment show this week is now taking place amid a growing buzz about U.S. regulatory issues, with several appearances by U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski shaping up as the centerpiece.

T-Mobile ties Wi-Fi BlackBerrys into office PBXes

admin — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:18:10 +0000

T-Mobile USA is expanding beyond its consumer roots on Monday with T-Mobile Wi-Fi Calling with MobileOffice, a service that lets businesses extend capabilities of their desk phones to BlackBerry smartphones.

The service will tie into office PBX (private branch exchange) systems so that employees can use their T-Mobile BlackBerrys in the office on Wi-Fi, using the same number as on their desk phones. They will also have one voicemail box and call filtering system for both phones. Companies could even remove their desk phones and simply use the BlackBerry.

Wi-Fi Alliance launches full 802.11n certification

admin — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:11:41 +0000

The Wi-Fi Alliance is launching a certification program based on the completed IEEE 802.11n standard on Wednesday and looking toward a future peer-to-peer specification it is developing on its own.

Testing has now begun in the "Certified n" program, which succeeds the Wi-Fi Certified 802.11n draft 2.0 program that the industry group began two years ago. The testing begins with two labs but will expand to 13 locations within the next few weeks.

WiMax to finally arrive in 2010: Too little, too late?

admin — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 10:00:00 +0000

By the end of 2010, users in more than 80 U.S. cities may be able to ditch their cable modems, T1 setups, and DSL lines -- and the Wi-Fi routers that go with them -- in favor of WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) broadband wireless technology.

Sprint willing to fill Clearwire's coffers

admin — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:28:45 +0000

Sprint Nextel is willing to invest more money in Clearwire, the WiMax operator it helped create last year, and plans to maintain its 51 percent ownership in the company, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse said Thursday.

Robbed for Internet access

Christina Wood — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:13:23 +0000

Stanley wrote with a complaint that hits home with me. I suspect this is something that has angered anyone who ever had to work while traveling: the cost of Internet access in hotels.

MMS for iPhone works ahead of schedule for some users

admin — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:56:47 +0000

AT&T is reportedly making its multimedia messaging service available to some iPhone users ahead of its planned Sept. 25 launch, according to some iPhone users.

According to Apple Insider and some other reports, a "variety" of iPhone users have said the new MMS feature has been turned on.

Finally, the IEEE stamps "approved" on 802.11n Wi-Fi standard

admin — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 22:54:42 +0000

The IEEE has finally approved the 802.11n high-throughput wireless LAN standard.

There’s been no public announcement yet by IEEE. But Bruce Kraemer, the longtime chairman of the 802.11n Task Group (part of the 802.11 Working Group, which oversees the WLAN standards), has sent out a notification to a listserv for task group members, which includes a wide range of Wi-Fi chipmakers, software developers, and equipment vendors.

Analyst: AT&T likely to keep iPhone exclusive deal

admin — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:22:53 +0000

Despite widespread speculation that Apple will open the iPhone exclusive arrangement with AT&T to include Verizon Wireless after 2010, one analyst firm is predicting AT&T's exclusive deal as the wireless carrier will be extended beyond then.

AT&T opens device certification lab

admin — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:03:26 +0000

Looking to boost the number of wireless devices in its arsenal, AT&T today opened up a wireless device certification lab to help put developers and manufacturers on a fast track to getting their devices running on AT&T's network.