NetStumbler.com

Lexmark printers are going wireless. The company, along with Ipsos, carried out a study showing that half of 9,000 respondents in 18 countries consider wireless networking as the biggest time-saving technology, beating broadband, faster computers and smart cards. The conclusion led Lexmark vice president Najib Bahous to state that “wireless is the technology wave of the future.”

Bahous hopes the company’s new products will pave the way for increased uptake of wireless printers. “Because of the high price of existing wireless printers and the complexity of use, consumers have been slow to adopt wireless printing,” he said. By the end of June, Lexmark will start selling printers with wireless capabilities for as little as $80, such as the Z1420 colour printer without scanner and X3550 all-in-one with an optional wireless feature. With corporations still relying on wired LANs, Lexmark’s printers are intended for the consumer and small enterprise markets.
Via [techworld.com]

A new study by In-Stat shows that more Americans prefer WiMax over 3G and Wi-Fi. Of the 1,200 surveyed, 50 percent affirmed they are willing to leave their current broadband provider for another if the latter can offer a wireless broadband package. In addition, many lose their interest in 3G/cellular due to the price of the service.

Vendors are taking note of this trend. At the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in Beijing, China, the chipmaker provided details of its plans for its Centrino products. This May, it is due to ship the Santa Rosa chipset a package containing a Core 2 Duo processor, the Mobile Intel 965 Express chips, Intel Next-Gen Wireless N, Gigabit Ethernet and Turbo Memory. But this chipset will be replaced by “Penryn” and later by “Montevina” in 2008.

Phone manufacturers are also developing products supporting WiMax. Nokia, Samsung and Motorola are supplying the equipment and handsets for the mobile WiMax service that Sprint Nextel plans to roll out in the U.S. next year.
Via [wi-fiplanet.com]