NetStumbler.com

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 battery life, it won’t fly well with consumers.
Via [appleinsider.com]

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 will only last 3 years and that is not enough time for a return on investment.
Via [eetimes.com]

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]

The Cloud launched it’s first wireless hotspot in Manchester. The company worked a content deal with the Manchester Evening News to provide free access to the papers site in exchange for advertising the pay for use portion of the service. The Cloud aims for 9 more hotspot installations.
Via [news.zdnet.co.uk]

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]

Dell is offering Pre-N wireless cards in thier Inspiron line of notebooks. Using an unapproved version of the spec, the cards are backwards compatible with b/g/a networks. The official version of the 802.11n spec is not due until 2007. No word if the cards are upgradable in the even they are not compatible with the final spec.
Via [vnunet.com]

NuVisions is slowly covering Manhattan with wireless access. Thier technology provides interior WiFi to buildings, but also allows them to offer WiFi in the general vicinity of the building. As more properties get setup, the cloud gets bigger. The already have coverage in some key spots in the city and are looking at setting up operations in other major US cities.

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 be a good thing for competition and requires some government regulation changes or else WiMax won’t go very far in New Zealand.
Via [computerworld.co.nz]

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]

For a week, New Yorkers were able to chat with celebrities like Billy Wagner of the New York Mets and Ms. Universe Zuleyka Rivera over the Internet through the Blogmobile, an oversized van that houses a dozen PCs and acted as a WiFi hotspot. The blogmobile used Telkonet NuVisions technology to enable connection among the PCs, 20-inch and 40-inch plasma TVs, CD/DVD players, and Sony PlayStation 2 players. The technology created a WiFi “cloud” that was deployed around Columbus Circle and covered a broad area of Central Park. The activity is part of the ChatWithAStar.com project.
Via [informationweek.com]

Extricom has added technology from Airtight Networks to shore up the security on thier blanket WiFi product line. The technology will hopefully make them a contender in the wireless security market.
Via [techworld.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 the French bunny’s market debut last year. Haladjian’s goal is to add 150,000 in sales by the end of 2006, a further 400,000 in 2007 and another 2 million by 2008. The 115-euro gadget also performs basic Internet feed like weather forecasts, stock market performance and selected e-mail reading for free and enables text messaging for a fee.
Via [today.reuters.co.uk]

Lycos has created an online database to help people locate Wi-Fi hotspots in the U.K. The database includes details on more than 10,000 connections in 1,500 towns including free-to-access Wi-Fi points and fee-based hotspots provided by such companies like T-Mobile, The Cloud and BT. The downloadable tool also provides information on hotspots in Sweden, Spain, Germany, France and Portugal, and automatically updates when new hotspots and countries are added. It runs a free McAfee Wi-Fi security check but the user must have Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and an activated ActiveX to run the application.
Via [computeractive.co.uk]

Google has blanketed Mountain View, Calfornia, the place it calls home, with WiFi using a mesh of nodes placed on the city’s lamp posts. A test of the network — access to which is not available to the public yet — showed that reliability, speed and ease of use do not match up with cellular or home Internet connections. Google claimed that the network can provide a speed of up to 1Mbps or less than half a fast DSL connection of 2.5Mbps and such would depend on how far the user is from the node. Signal inside homes is also very weak, which can be addressed by using an extra piece of signal-boosting hardware. There is also a lag in communication when calls are made using VoIP applications such as Skype.
Via [news.bbc.co.uk]

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 U.K. satellite services company Primetech to set up a network at the station, which took no longer than 10 minutes. The RECoN, according to Anvil, is designed to provide a framework that will allow for integration of various products. For the demonstration, the network used wireless equipment from Rajant Corp. and Trilogy Communications, streaming video technology from Mobile Data Exchange (MDEX), and document management from Mindoka. Anvil revealed that police and intelligence organizations in the U.S. and Canada already purchased the system.
Via [wi-fiplanet.com]