Author: Wayne Slavin

As large companies install Wi-Fi in their offices, equipment suppliers are challenged to come up with a new standard that will allow gear from different companies to work together. Via [news.com.com]

BMW is to roll out public Wi-Fi Internet access at three of its London showrooms and service centres, the motor manufacturer said today. Via [theregister.co.uk]

San Francisco taxis are getting interactive panels so cab riders can look up local information and news using a touch screen from the backseat. Via [vnunet.com]

There are now enough wireless standards using the worldwide licence-exempt band at 2.4GHz that - if they were people - they could have a pretty decent party. The problem is there are so many of them that if they did, they might not be able to hear what each other was saying. Via [electronicsweekly.com]

The city of Philadelphia on Thursday unveiled a controversial plan to transform its streets and neighborhoods into a gigantic wireless Internet hotspot. Via [news.com.com]

The group's job is to create a WLAN standard that will deliver actual throughput of more than 100M bit/sec. The higher, though still shared, bandwidth will rival that of many wired networks and support demanding applications, such as several video and audio streams at once, huge image files and simulations. Via [wireless.newsfactor.com]

The Wi-Fi Alliance, the industry consortium that acts as promoter and tester of interoperability between wireless LAN equipment makers, has seen the writing on the wall. Vendors have not been touting the Wi-Fi Certified stamp of approval as they once were—a fact that has not escaped notice. So the group is making plans to stay...

The forthcoming 802.11e standard will permit scheduling, so traffic can be better managed. Scheduling helps the access point control its own usage of the wireless network to better match the priorities of the client traffic. Via [newsfactor.com]

Wireless fidelity, or WiFi, and cellphones have been the darlings of the wireless stage, but in the coming years they could be sharing the spotlight with a technology called WiMax. Via [globetechnology.com]

Mobile computer users will be able to take advantage of the growing number of wireless 'hotspots', even without wireless capability, under a new plan by Optus. Via [pcworld.idg.com.au]

As interest grows in extending the reach (802.16/WiMax) and speed (802.11n) of wireless networking, so does the intensity of a long-running battle over who will profit from the new technology. An interesting sub-plot to the story of when the proposals become actual IEEE-endorsed protocols is a recently-renewed debate over patents. Via [wi-fiplanet.com]

BT's Wi-Fi subsidiary, Openzone, has added Broadreach Networks' collection of hotspots to its own, courtesy of a roaming deal struck between the two companies. Via [theregister.co.uk]

Local government officials discussed the pluses and pitfalls of wireless technology yesterday at the FOSE trade show in Washington. Via [gcn.com]

Sprint Corp. chief executive Gary D. Forsee predicted that next year will see the first ''combo phones" come to market in the United States, linking conventional wireless service and low-priced Internet calling. Via [boston.com]

President Paul Otellini says that staying competitive in wireless-connectivity technologies such as WiMax is critical to U.S. success. Via [informationweek.com]