Author: Eliza Villarino

IOGEAR's Wireless USB hub is now for sale to interested customers. The price tag: $199.95. The device goes by the name of GUWH104KIT and includes a router with four wired USB hubs. It can wirelessly link different Wireless USB adapters or notebooks. The company first announced this product in June 2006 and the first Wireless...

Skype's explanation on the service's recent two-day blackout was met with skepticism. In a statement, the VoIP provider said: "The disruption was triggered by a massive restart of our users' computers across the globe within a very short timeframe as they re-booted after receiving a routine set of patches through Windows Update." Windows maker, Microsoft,...

Qualcomm continues to lose the war over patents with Broadcom. U.S. President George W. Bush has announced he will not overturn a June ruling by the International Trade Commission banning the importation of cell phones housing chips infringing Broadcom patents. Qualcomm, however, is determined not to give up the fight. Aside from preparing an appeal...

Juneau, Alaska residents can now avail of wireless WiMax-based broadband Internet service from AT&T Inc.'s subsidiary AT&T Alascom for $19.95 per month. The company said it is its first venture as part of a statewide plan to broaden broadband coverage via WiMax. The Juneau network will use Alvarion Ltd. equipment and will blanket the Douglas,...

Earthlink has abandoned its original business strategy for municipal wireless networks. "We're also beginning a dialog with the municipalities that we've partnered with, and that we're considering partnering with," said Earthlink President and CEO Rolla P. Huff. "The Wi-Fi business as currently constituted will not provide an acceptable return ... We're going to look for...

The $800 million El Cajon Dam in Mexico reached completion early this year and a cutting-edge wireless voice and data communications helped made that possible. Raul Orozco, the IT and telecommunications director at the principal contractor of the dam, said the technology not only produced savings but also ensured the safety of workers -- as...

Could computer wires become extinct soon? Scientists at the Georgia Electronic Design Center (GEDC) at Georgia Tech are looking at that possibility, with the use of extremely high radio frequencies. Prof. Joy Laskar, GEDC director and one of the lead researchers on the project, said the study aims to "maximize data throughput to make possible...

Wanna share your Wi-Fi? Now you can, and with three choices to boot. The Whisher beta software is available for download and can operate with most, if not all, Wi-Fi routers or access points. Users must register their Wi-Fi network and to do so, they would need to disclose its name, physical address, and WEP...

T-Mobile has an answer for consumers itching to get rid of their landline phone but worry about weak cellular coverage or costs. The No.4 U.S. mobile carrier is now offering a home Wi-Fi calling service, which would make switching calls from cellular networks to Wi-Fi possible, thus boosting indoor coverage. The service will cost subscribers...

The issue of network neutrality is now a hot topic in view of the upcoming spectrum auction by the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC is required to sell airwaves vacated by broadcasters as a result of the digital television transition, mainly to wireless broadband carriers, by the end of 2007. It is due to announce...

The Wall Street Journal reported that Sprint Nextel is seeking new ways to fund its WiMax deployment project. The company, in August last year, announced plans to build a $3 billion WiMax network but with high wireless-customer churn rates and a declining stock price, securing capital investment is proving to be a challenge for Sprint....

Analysts dubbed dual-mode cellular/Wi-Fi handsets as the "breakout market segment" in 2007. The devices are seen to grab 20 percent of the total chipset market in two years. Wi-Fi for voice, according to In-Stat analyst Gemma Tedesco, is also gaining momentum this year as a result of T-Mobile's deployment of fixed-mobile convergence in the U.S....

The Michigan police arrested Sam Peterson for using from his car the free WiFi network that Union Street Cafe has reserved solely for its customers. Peterson escaped the penalty of five-year imprisonment and paying a $10,000 fee, as prescribed by the state's "fraudulent access to computers, computer systems, and computer networks" law. Prosecutors only demanded...

A group of wireless LAN vendors plan to showcase their new high-performing enterprise access points at the Interop Las Vegas this week. Colubris will bring its Multiservice Access Point (MAP)-625, which has two radios. One radio supports 802.11a, b, and g while the other is compatible with 11n draft 2 standard. The MAP-625 11n radio...

Wireless technology is no match to wired networks as primary connection. This is according to Dave Burstein, editor of the industry newsletter DSL Prime. "Where you have a choice, DSL or cable compared to wireless, you are going to go for DSL or cable unless it's ridiculously overpriced." Burstein conceded that wireless networks are useful...