Mountain View-based MetroFi won a contract bid with San Jose to expand the city’s hotspots along thoroughfares and in downtown parks. The winning proposal provides free Internet access to residents at zero cost to the city and boasts download speeds of about 1 megabit per second. MetroFi will generate revenue by selling network advertising and… Continue Reading
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ZigBee Startup Takes Money Raised To $65 Million
Ember Corp, a ZigBee start up has raised another $12 million for a total venture capital investment of $65 Million. ZigBee technology (Short range wireless connectivity) is expected to be $1 billion between 2008 and 2010. Ember Corp seems to be in a good position to become a player. Via [eetimes.com]… Continue Reading
Too Soon, Too Little For 802.11n?
802.11n seems not to be getting the warm reception that was expected. Reviews of pre-n gear is luke warm to negative. Lack of compatibility, bandwidth drop off at a distance and questions of future interoperability are burning many early adopters. Unless you have a real need for 802.11n now, it’s best to wait unit things… Continue 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 recycles… Continue 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 is… Continue Reading
Skyhook Woos Developers With Wi-Fi-Based Alternative To GPS
Skyhook i trying to attract developers to thier WiFi positioning system (WPS). The alternative to GPS uses data from wardriving to locate a user based on the access points they are near. In urban areas where GPS can fail, WPS is supposed to be able to work. The company seems to be targeting developers of… Continue Reading
Dell Jumping On The 802.11n Bandwagon Early
Dell is jumping on the Pre-802.11n bandwagon and has announced plans to put Pre-n in the third quarter of 2006. The hope that the equipment will be upgradable to the final 802.11n spec when it is released in 12-18 months, but there is nothing certain. Via [arstechnica.com]… Continue Reading
The In-Flight Wireless Wrangle
Noise-reducing headphone sales will surely skyrocket if AirCell and JetBlue Airways have their way. Their recently won chunk of air-to-ground communications radio airwaves is earmarked for in-flight Wi-Fi Internet access with possible cell phone usage not far behind. The deal isn’t final, however, and obstacles, such as the FCC, RTCA, FAA, and Verizon (current owner… Continue 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
Sacramento Wi-Fi Deployment Hits A Wall
The dream of municipal WiFi always seems to have one problem; how do you pay for it. Google and Earthlink seem to think that in San Francisco, they can support it through advertising. However in Sacramento, Mobilepro, the company that brought wireless to Tempe, Arizona, seems to think they can’t. The trouble seems to stem… Continue Reading
Wi-Fi: Coming Soon On Board U.S. Airplanes
AirCell’s newly-acquired radio spectrum license might change the world of in-flight Internet access for passengers aboard US commercial airplanes. The new spectrum would allow “affordable” broadband service without conflicting with the federal ban on in-flight cell phone use. The calls, which would travel over a different frequency, wouldn’t pose a threat to aircraft navigational systems.… Continue Reading
Google Forging Ahead With Wi-Fi Efforts
Google will provide free wireless Internet access service to its hometown of Mountain View, Calif. in a phased rollout that begins this summer. Volunteers providing feedback for the project can sign up for Wi-Fi this summer, with public service coming available later this year. Meanwhile, Google is working with Earthlink to blanket San Francisco with… 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 “to… Continue 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 tests… Continue Reading
Citywide Wi-Fi Struggles For Acceptance
With city-wide WiFi networks popping up all over the US, it’s no surprise that some cities are experiencing growing pains. One city was abandoned by its operator, technical problems plague another, and governmental red tape is slowing down wireless access in several others. Fans of the delays say waiting gives cities a chance for updated… Continue Reading