Author Archives: Eliza Villarino

Intel Wows With Dual-Mode WiMax Chip

Intel is set to unveil Rosedale 2 — a chipset that can support fixed and mobile WiMax — at the upcoming Wireless Communications Association International (WCA) 2006 meeting in Washington. The chip is intended for use in modems and residential gateways but the company is aiming to extend its application to picocell base stations. LaterContinue Reading

Wireless USB’s Coming Out Party

The Certified Wireless USB is now ready to hit the market. This was the overall message of a recent conference on the technology. The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) also said the next-generation Certified Wireless USB Peripheral Development Kit (PDK) is now complete. This cheaper, fresh model provides new features and is expected to be availableContinue Reading

Mobile WiMax Roams The Outback

The lack of certification has not deterred the deployment of Mobile WiMax, as indicated by what is happening in Australia. Around 50,000 Unwired Australia users and several subscribers of TV operator AUSTER in the city of Wagga Wagga are now roaming seamlessly between two Mobile WiMax networks equipped by Navini Networks. The Texas-based company hasContinue Reading

WiMax Seen Getting A Slow Start

Despite the excitement over WiMax, the technology is not expected to enjoy a large initial uptake. According to Motorola Asia-Pacific chief Simon Leung, WiMax users in Asia will number 3.8 million, most of them in Japan and South Korea, by 2009. One concern is how this technology, which promises to be faster and more extensiveContinue Reading

Locking The Wireless Network

Securing wireless networks in homes and small businesses is no longer a big problem today as the market is teeming with products and solutions to address this concern. One such product is Kaspersky Lab’s Internet Security 6.0, which includes an anti-hacker application and software that can scan wireless and wired networks and restrict access toContinue Reading

Google Details Mountain View Wi-Fi Service

Google has no plan to profit from the the free Wi-Fi service that it is providing to Mountain View, California, the city where it is based. “The reason it is free is because…we want to get a lot of people on it,” Google’s Larry Alder said at the Supernova 2006 conference in San Francisco. ThoughContinue Reading

When Wireless Routers Keep Failing

Laptops with wireless routers that keep failing may indicate that the device is suffering from interference. To solve this problem, it is recommended that the owner download and run NetStumbler, which could locate another access point with a strong enough signal or multiple access points on the same channel. Interference could also be caused byContinue Reading

World Cup Network Includes Wireless Links

Avaya claimed its voice and data network for the World Cup is the biggest of its kind for any sporting tournament. Over the 31-day duration of the event, Avaya expects 15 trillion bytes of data to run through the network, which links 12 host stadiums, international media centers and the FIFA (Federation Internationale de FootballContinue Reading

Analysts Split Over HSDPA Vs WiMax

Ovum analyst Julien Grivolas expects faster third-generation mobile services to become mainstream consumer service by 2008. The analyst firm believes users of High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) in Western Europe will grow to 16.5 million in two years and 50 million through 2010. Grivolas ascribed the high estimated uptake to the reality that HSDPA recyclesContinue Reading

Wi-Fi Music Player Cuts Out The PC

MusicGremlin is one of the latest Wi-Fi enabled music players in the market. The $299 device comes with an 802.11 wireless connection and carries 8 GB of storage or about 2,000 MP3, WMA, or WMA DRM worth of tracks. At $14.99 per month, subscribers get access to MusicGremlin Direct’s 2-million-track music library directory, which isContinue Reading

China Abandons Encryption Talks

The delegation from China walked out from the opening session of the two-day meeting on wireless computing standard in the Czech Republic. The Asian nation is currently struggling to get global accreditation for its locally produced encryption technology called WAPI. The country accused the U.S. of employing unfair tactics to prevent WAPI from getting accredited.Continue Reading

Alvarion Launches WiMax Do-It-Yourself Device

Alvarion has launched BreezeMAX Si, a low-cost, self-installable indoor customer premises equipment for the wide-area wireless technology. Carlton ONeal, Alvarion’s vice president of marketing, said the device is “cheap and easy to install” and has “the size of “a one-slice bagel toaster.” The CPE, which, according to ONeal, will allow customers and small businesses “toContinue Reading

Intel Looking For Peaceful Wi-Fi Co-Existence

Researchers at Intel have developed a new technology that could address network performance degradation in wireless networks resulting from interference generated by devices like microwave ovens, cordless phones and baby monitors. The Spectrum Sensing technology enables a Wi-Fi radio to locate such interference and increase its signal to subdue the background noise. During early testsContinue Reading

Airgo Debuts Wi-Fi Range, QOS Enhancements

Airgo has released True MIMO Media, a quality-of-service enhancement for its “Multiple In, Multiple Out” scheme of multiple antennas. The technology aims to boost range and effectively rid packet errors or wireless interference. STMicroelectronics and Caton Overseas are expected to utilize this latest innovation for their reference designs and set-top boxes. Via [pcmag.com]Continue Reading

WiFi Versus 3G: Let Battle Commence!

With the increasing use of wireless networks, experts are debating which technology, Wi-Fi or 3G, would be the best option. The Cloud chief operating officer Bobby Sarin believes laptops and devices would soon be able to use both types of networks but it would all depend on the cost. Toby Wright, who heads the contentContinue Reading