wifi

Phone-Cloud Lets You Ditch Office Landlines

BY Chris DannenFri Oct 30, 2009 at 2:22 PM

For many office workers, landlines are a redundant nuisance: one more voicemail account to check, one more thing to ring during a clandestine nap. But most office buildings wreak havoc on cell reception. New intra-office phone ...READ»

WIFI | 3 comments

Silent Movie Theaters, Courtesy of Anti-Wireless Paint

BY Chris DannenTue Oct 6, 2009 at 12:51 PM

Clever, mischief-minded researchers in Japan have developed an interior paint that blocks wireless signals. Made with aluminum-iron oxide, the paint resonates at the same frequency as many household devices like routers and cell ...READ»

WIFI | 1 comment

Microsoft Building One-Mile Wi-Fi

BY Chris DannenThu Aug 27, 2009 at 11:58 AM

Despite protestations from the Bush administration, the FCC succeeded last year in making a certain chunk of the nation's TV and radio spectrum--dubbed "white space"--available to unlicensed broadcasters. That meant that companies ...READ»

FREE CALLS | Comment

Cherry Lets You Slide Between WiFi and GSM Calling--Cheap

BY Chris DannenSun Jul 5, 2009 at 11:29 PM

Cherry is going to have T-Mobile and AT&T more than a little worried. The Belgium-based startup modifies your GSM smartphone to allow it to switch seamlessly between WiFi and cell network calling, all at ultra cheap "WiFi calling" ...READ»

4G NETWORK | Comment

The Insanely Byzantine Radio Spectrum Map [Graphic]

BY Chris DannenThu Jul 2, 2009 at 6:15 PM

This week, Comcast announced it would begin the first official commercial rollout of 4G wireless broadband in the U.S. in Portland, Oregon, after using Baltimore and Atlanta as test markets. The company plans to bundle the WiMAX ...READ»

TRILLIANT | Comment

Trilliant Snaps Up SkyPilot Networks in Smart Grid Domination Attempt

BY Ariel SchwartzThu May 28, 2009 at 4:54 PM

Smart grid developer Trilliant announced that it purchased SkyPilot Networks yesterday in an attempt to future-proof the smart grid. SkyPilot, a broadband wireless company, delivers over 10-times the bandwidth of cellular networks ...READ»

VERIZON | 3 comments

Who Needs a Femtocell?

BY Chris DannenTue Mar 17, 2009 at 3:16 PM

During the last presidential election, two major mobile phone carriers parked portable antennas at John McCain's Arizona ranch, as it was out of range of the nearest tower. If you live in a dead spot, you can get a smaller ...READ»

BROADBAND | 6 comments

Which Senators Are Fighting Broadband Funding?

BY Chris DannenFri Feb 6, 2009 at 12:23 PM

As the President's stimulus package approaches $1 trillion, the Senate is looking to cut the fat. In the senators' sights: about $6 billion in funding for expanded broadband access, much of it for wireless access in rural areas, among ...READ»

BLACKBERRY | 14 comments

Does the White House Have Wi-Fi?

BY Chris DannenThu Jan 22, 2009 at 4:23 PM

Is the White House more of a museum than a working office? Does it even have WiFi? MSNBC has reported that on their first day on the job, Obama's White House staffers suffered from downgrades on every front. During the campaign and ...READ»

2009 | 6 comments

The Six Tech Marvels We Had Better See In 2009

BY Chris DannenWed Dec 31, 2008 at 5:05 PM

As 2008 comes to a close, here are the six tech marvels that are ready to explode into ubiquity. And after a year of almost-breakthroughs -- fast-but-spotty 3G; cheap-but-slow netbooks -- we deserve them. After all, this is the future, isn't it?READ»

BUSH | Comment

FCC Cancels Whitespace Free Wi-Fi Meeting

BY Kit EatonMon Dec 15, 2008 at 6:48 AM

First George W. expressed his disapproval of the future-thinking nationwide free Wi-Fi service, and now the FCC has simply cancelled a meeting that was scheduled this week to discuss the issue.The December 18th meeting was due to be ...READ»

AUTO | Comment

Dodge's New Ram Is a WiFi Hotspot, Too?

BY Chris DannenFri Dec 12, 2008 at 2:53 PM

As Detroit feels the noose around its neck, everyone says it's getting what it deserves for years of crappy cars. And it is. But you wouldn't know it by looking at the new Dodge Ram, which is replete with more tech toys than most ...READ»

BUSH | 14 comments

Bush Condemns Free National Wi-Fi

BY Chris DannenThu Dec 11, 2008 at 5:07 PM

In another nod to his alleged "free-market" principles, President Bush has expressed disapproval of the free nationwide Wi-Fi proposal being considered by the FCC and Congress. It's an inauspicious time to decry helpful...READ»

AIRLINES | Comment

Virgin America's Gogo Wi-Fi Takes to the Skies

BY Elizabeth SvobodaMon Nov 24, 2008 at 6:47 AM

Virgin America has started a beta test of its new in-flight Wi-Fi service, Gogo, that's expected to go public by December 1st. Take a ride with us on the service's initial test flight from San Francisco.READ»

700MHZ | 2 comments

Tech Watch: Cheap Nationwide WiFi

BY Chris DannenThu Nov 6, 2008 at 1:00 PM

Lots of news stories have been trampled by Election Day coverage, but none more nerdily exciting than Tuesday's FCC decision to open up “white space” – or space in the 700MHz range of the wireless spectrum – for unlicensed wireless use. Imagine a new Bluetooth frequency that could rove hundreds of miles, instead of just a few feet.READ»

BALTIMORE | Comment

Toshiba’s Refreshed “Satellite” Packs WiMAX

BY Chris DannenThu Oct 9, 2008 at 1:30 AM

Now that Sprint [S] has announced its big WiMAX launch in Baltimore, bunches of companies are scurrying to announce products that will incorporate the wireless broadband technology. As of this week, the XOHM network in Baltimore ...READ»

ASUS | Comment

Asus Planning Skype Video Phone

BY Chris DannenThu Sep 18, 2008 at 6:17 PM

It's getting increasingly difficult to make fun of Asus [TPE:2357] for its incredible fecundity, simply because it keeps coming up with good ideas. The latest is a Skype-certified [EBAY] video phone that looks simple enough for ...READ»

APPLE | Comment

Zune Owners Getting Free WiFi at McDonald's

BY Chris DannenTue Sep 16, 2008 at 7:10 PM

If you've ever sat in a McDonald's [MCD] munching on a quarter-pounder and thought, "man, I really wish I could download music right now," you're finally in luck. A new Zune software update from Microsoft [MSFT] will give ...READ»

AIRLINE | Comment

American Airlines Announces On-Board WiFi

BY Chris DannenWed Aug 20, 2008 at 10:51 AM

The Internet Age dawned about a decade ago, and still American Airlines [NYSE:AMR] is the first of the major airline carriers to finally get on-board Wifi. Sure, it's pitifully late -- bus services like Bolt and MegaBus have had ...READ»

CONSUMER PRODUCTS | Comment

D-Link Firmware Gets Green

BY Chris DannenFri Aug 8, 2008 at 8:27 PM

Yes, you know it's a slow tech news day when we're discussing... firmware. But the Olympics are on, so why are you online anyway? No TV? Okay, well then I'll continue. D-Link [TPE:2332] has been making a concerted effort to get ...READ»

ACER | Comment

Acer Jumps On The WiFi Projector Bandwagon

BY Chris DannenThu Jun 12, 2008 at 10:52 PM

Wireless projectors are all the rage in the boardroom, and Acer [TPE: 2353] is not about to let the trend pass them by. The company claims its new P5260i, which features good ole 801.11b/g WiFi, can stream HD video of MPEG1/2/4, ...READ»