Category: Commentary

The rumored WiFi capabilities of the upcoming Microsoft 'Zune' MP3 player may doom the product from the beginning. Battery life may become a huge issue as WiFi is a very large draw on batteries in portable devices. Details are thin at this time, however it seems that unless Microsoft can included extra features and similar...

Municipal wireless may deliver too little too late. A leading wireless consultant thinks that a great many municipal wireless projects are doomed to fail because they end up not being free and because they don't have indoor coverage. He also believes that WiMax will have problems too. He believes that the edge the technology provides...

WiFi phones and security are somewhat at odds with each other. Using WPA/WPA2 enterprise on a WiFi phone introduces latency issues when users roam from one AP to another. Some Phones support WPA/WPA2-PSK, but even that introduces problem since the phone is authenticated but not the user. Via [techworld.com]

Pipex is nearly ready to launch WiMax services. Initially targeting public services, the services aims to fill the gap in internet access in areas with poor broadband service. Full rollout is expected in Mid-2007. Via [news.zdnet.co.uk]

New Zealand is headed for a big set of problems with WiMax. The current spectrum allocations are being under-utilized, are small slices (7MHz), owned by telco incumbants that already have invested in 3G networks, and won't be reallocated until 2010. This means that anyone wanting to compete using WiMax will have significant problems. This can't...

Wireless Philadelphia has chosen a CEO for the non-profit to head up the effort to cover Philadelphia with wireless from Earthlink. Greg Goldman will oversee the installation, starting with a 15 sqare mile area and expanding out to 135 square miles covering the city. Via [wirelessweek.com]

An appearance on CNN by French entrepreneur Rafi Haladjian last December generated 350,000 online requests from Americans for more information on his invention, Nabaztag. The WiFi-supported 9-inch tall rabbit, which lights up when it talks, wiggles its ears and sings songs, is not yet available in the U.S. European consumers have bought 50,000 units since...

Anvil Technologies performed a demonstration of its Wi-Fi-supported emergency communications system at the Aldwych subway station in central London. The event took place a year after the London subway bombings, to which the response was considered generally efficient except for the difficulty of communication among the first responder groups. The Canadian wireless systems integrator worked...

With 12,000 comments to review, the earliest date that the IEEE Task Group E in the 802.11 Working Group can come out with a 2.0 draft on Draft-N chips is sometime in January 2007, and not next month as many had looked forward to. The panel had already tackled half of the comments as part...

Like other U.S. cities, Boston is hoping to build a citywide Wi-Fi network. The goal is to reduce broadband fees in the area from around $35 to $15 per month. Pamela Reeve, former Lightbridge CEO and a member of Boston's Wireless Task Force, is in charge of establishing a not-for-profit agency that will manage the...

The future of WiMax remains in doubt, as per remarks by analysts. Craig Mathias of research firm Farpoint Group said "there's just no infrastructure supporting WiMAX today." In addition, "converged Wi-Fi and cellular networks also give the best of both worlds." Dave Park, BelAir Networks' vice president of product development, believes the situation is a...

The LiftPort Group is conducting a two-month test to find out if a balloon-based platform can act as a reliable relay of Internet signals in remote regions. The company's president, Michael Laine, said the Federal Aviation Administration issued a waiver for the trial, which began last week in a rural area near Poulsbo on western...

The city of Burbank in California is one of the many the cities in the U.S. that currently offer free WiFi service to residents and visitors. The downtown area has 12 access points and is expected to have nine more in the coming months. Getting a strong-enough signal, however, is very difficult, with the highest...

Rhode Island Gov. Donald L. Carcieri issued $200,000 in grant to install a base station in rural Foster as part of the Rhode Island Wireless Innovation Networks (RI-WINS) initiative. In a statement, Carcieri said: "Supporting the extension of the RI-WINS pilot into Foster will not only speed up our efforts to make Rhode Island the...

Boston wants a non-profit group to manage the proposed citywide WiFi network, thus allowing it to promote technological innovation without having to spend taxpayers' money. Under the proposal, the non-profit group will raise the money through donations and possibly equity and debt financing, sell network service at wholesale prices, and let other entities offer free...