Author: Wayne Slavin

They might be shrouded in fog and clouds for much of the year, but a new survey ranks San Francisco and Seattle the hottest metropolitan regions in America. Via [news.com.com]

The industry that provides wireless local area networks -- which give users wireless access to the Internet in public locations such as libraries, airports and coffee shops -- is becoming a crowded one. Via [wired.com]

Berkeley Varitronics Systems, Inc. (BVS) today announced the release of two devices, called Scorpion and Beetle, for installing, configuring, and troubleshooting 802.11b WLANs. Via [wi-fiplanet.com]

Like it or not, WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) has arrived and if you havent been affected by it yet, there is good certainty you will be experiencing it in 2002. Via [planetpdamag.com]

I don't know about you, but I feel we're in the proverbial lull before the storm. The other shoe is about to drop. Pick your cliché. Whatever their strategies, the big carriers have simply got to be getting into position to invade the WLAN services space. After all, they are the ones with the brand...

Since delivering its first packages overnight to 25 U.S. cities in 1973, FedEx has grown into a multibillion-dollar corporation with air and ground forces that handle upwards of 6 million packages per day. Key to the company's success has been its use of network technology - particularly wireless - that enables FedEx to keep customers...

Sales of wireless LANs to home users will soar this year, with products using the IEEE 802.11x technology leading the way, according to a report by research company Cahners In-Stat/MDR, an In-Stat analyst told IDG last Monday. Via [mobile.commerce.net]

The 802.11 wireless standard allows computers near each other to communicate using high bandwidth at an attractive price. Products based on the standard are very popular. Unfortunately, the networks these devices create are not secure. Ride along with our wardriving columnist. Via [linuxworld.com]

Lots of small businesses across the nation are providing wireless access for their customers. Coffee shops and neighborhood cafes come to mind quickly because they are places where people gather for a little while and might want to replace reading the paper with reading their email. But any business that is providing a place for...

Hewlett-Packard is set to unveil a wireless-enabled addition to its Jornada range of PDAs (personal digital assistants) at the GSM World Congress in Cannes Feb. 19. Via [infoworld.com]

Unlike victims of car theft, mobile phone users do not have the equivalent of a LoJack system to track their stolen device. But a new programmable chip could provide the next best thing -- a way to make that phone totally useless to the thief. Via [wireless.newsfactor.com]

Meetinghouse Data Communications Thursday announced the immediate commercial availability of its 802.1X authentication software for MS Win 98/98SE/ME operating systems. The 802.1X standard is an IEEE -ratified authentication protocol designed to be used in conjunction with wireless and wired LANs to authenticate users at log-in and enables dynamic key encryption of network traffic during network...

A system will be unveiled next week that enables seamless roaming between 802.11 wireless local area networks (WLANs) and GSM wireless networks, according to the three companies that developed it. Via [wi-fiplanet.com]

A University Of Maryland professor and his graduate student have apparently uncovered serious weaknesses in the next-generation Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) security protocol known as 802.1x. Via [infoworld.com]

Wireless LANs that use the IEEE 802.11b and 802.11a standards stormed the market in the fourth quarter of last year, with revenue worldwide growing 21 percent sequentially from the third quarter, market research company Dell'Oro Group Inc. reported Thursday. Via [wireless.itworld.com]