The device goes by the name of GUWH104KIT and includes a router with four wired USB hubs. It can wirelessly link different Wireless USB adapters or notebooks.

The company first announced this product in June 2006 and the first Wireless USB certifications were performed earlier this year. IOGEAR’s Wireless USB hub can work with current and future Certified W-USB devices.
Via [extremetech.com]

Windows maker, Microsoft, balked at the idea that its updates caused the outage. “Windows Update is a routine service Microsoft provides to its users to receive software updates, including last Tuesday’s security updates, which were not unique.” Indeed, an analysis of recent monthly updates showed that there is nothing different in this event as compared to similar incidents in the past.

Aron Rosenberg, chief technology officer of VoIP company SightSpeed, deemed Skype’s clarification as an excuse. He noted that Windows updates are default downloaded and installed at 3 am, arguing that “at the very least, then, systems would have rebooted time zone by time zone, not all at once.” Likewise, the security fixes are normally released on the second Tuesday of each month since October 2003. His question: why now?

Rosenberg, however, conceded that the minority system of Skype’s networks suffer from infrastructure vulnerabilities. When “supernodes” — or computers with surplus bandwidth and processor cycles — go offline, the service could collapse.
Via [computerworld.com]

Broadcom is obviously happy with Bush’s decision. “This decision strengthens the intellectual property rights of all U.S. companies, not just Broadcom,” remarked David A. Dull, Broadcom’s senior vice president and general counsel. “And (it) sends a clear message to all those who would seek to escape the consequences of their patent infringement. In upholding the ITC remedy, the administration is also encouraging a market-based solution to patent issues that is in the best interests of American consumers, U.S. companies and global patent protection.”
Via [news.com.com]

The review came amid contract negotiations with San Francisco, whose mayor, Gavin Newsom, voiced frustration over the hold-ups from the Board of Supervisors and revealed that the city lacks a back-up plan if Earthlink and Google withdraw from the project.

Muni-wireless expert Craig Settles said EarthLink’s announcement could bring “some sanity” in WiFi project talks. “If there’s hope for this industry, it’s that more cities will start serious benefit analyses within governments of the impact of muni wireless on operations, as well as conduct similar analyses within business, medical and education constituencies that could all be anchor tenants,” Settles remarked. “San Francisco, unfortunately, may not be demonstrating good judgment if they dismiss anchor tenancy out of hand unless they still have their sights on owning the network. I’m surprised — sort of — by the smaller cities that stomp their feet and pout like petulant kids, refusing to even discuss buying services because they think their cities deserve a free ride.”
Via [govtech.com]

Cisco provided the $8 million data and voice system, which has Wi-Fi and mesh wireless components, as well unified communications technology, voice-over-IP phones linked to e-mail and other online functions, and core routing and switching over some wired links. The technology enabled for sharing of 3-D architectural models over the links among workers, dissemination of news and information, and efficient management of payroll needs.
Via [computerworld.com]

The research involves RF frequencies around 60 GHz, which anyone can freely use as they are unlicensed. So far, GEDC scientists have seen wireless data-transfer rates of 15 Gbps over a 1-meter distance, 10 Gbps at 2 meters and 5 Gbps at 5 meters. Laskar is optimistic that very rapid peer-to-peer data connections will emerge in the near future, possibly within two years. Such technology can benefit devices like external hard drives, laptops, MP3 players, cell phones, and commercial kiosks that need to transmit large data volume in seconds.
Via [gatech.edu]

The Whisher beta software is available for download and can operate with most, if not all, Wi-Fi routers or access points. Users must register their Wi-Fi network and to do so, they would need to disclose its name, physical address, and WEP or WPA encryption key (Whisher demands that networks be encrypted), which will go to a database containing information of other Whisher members’ networks. Through the database, Whisher members can locate and log on to each other’s networks for free but they need not worry that other members will see their key since this is only known by the software. Beware, however, of the possibility of network slowdown because controlling the volume of of wireless bandwidth used by Whisher members is impossible.

FON is another option. Unlike Whisher, sharing WiFi through FON is not for free — you need to buy the La Fonera router, which is sold for $40 or half the price if referred by existing FON members — but you can limit the amount of bandwidth use. Plus, you may earn a few bucks since FON allows users to impose a $3 daily fee or $10 for five days for network use, though you can only get less than half of that, after deducting FON’s share and Paypal’s fee, on top of surrendering your free access to other FON networks.

If security is of high importance to you, then WeFi may not be your best choice. The software, which is in beta, works on non-encrypted networks, and at present, with Windows XP only.
Via [wi-fiplanet.com]

The worry of many incumbent telephone and cable broadband providers is that the FCC will impose network-neutrality mandates on the spectrum auction. At the June 14 hearing of the Senate Commerce Committee, Verizon Wireless’ executive vice president and CTO Richard J. Lynch called on the agency to “set auction rules that allow for full and fair competition by qualified bidders, without artificial and unwarranted constraints.” According to Lynch, “such discriminatory eligibility restrictions are aimed at the companies most ready to deploy next-generation broadband networks.”

Michael Small, CEO of New Jersey-based Centennial Communications and a member of the executive board of CTIA, saw “no economic basis to impose open access or other intrusive forms of regulatory intervention on the wireless industry.” He believes “the auction should proceed with few, if any, encumbrances, and the market should determine which business plans and competitors will prevail.”

Meanwhile, Amol Sarva, one of Virgin Mobile’s founders, hopes the FCC will reserve an “open access” block of spectrum to allow for “innovation at Internet speed.” Sarva is not against incumbents getting large chunks of spectrum so long as bidders with other ideas on how to use the airwaves will still get some.
Via [internetnews.com]

Authorities in other states have made similar arrests. In 2005, a Florida man was charged with a third degree felony for tapping an open WiFi network from his SUV. Last year, an Illinois resident pleaded guilty for using an unsecured WiFi network from his car while someone in Washington was apprehended for parking outside a coffee shop and using the store’s WiFi connection without buying anything. This year, a man in Alaska had a similar fate after hours of piggybacking on the public library’s wireless network to play games from his car in the parking lot.
Via [arstechnica.com]

Colubris will bring its Multiservice Access Point (MAP)-625, which has two radios. One radio supports 802.11a, b, and g while the other is compatible with 11n draft 2 standard. The MAP-625 11n radio promises a minimum useable throughput of 100Mbps, which could go up by another 24Mbps via the 11abg radio. The company looks to sell the product for $999, around 30 percent higher than the current dual-radio 11abg variant.

The new 11n ZoneFlex WLAN product line from Ruckus Wireless includes a new 11g access point, an existing 11g low-end access point for small offices, a new 11n draft 2 access point, and the ZoneDirector 1000 controller, which the firm will make available in 3 models to host as many as 25 access points. The ZoneFlex 2942 11g access point is expected to deliver 20Mbps of “sustained throughput.” The ZoneFlex 7942 11n access point, which is due for release in August or September, features a 2.4 GHz radio that can operate on 11bg and 11n.

Trapeze Networks unveiled its Mobility Ppoint(MP)-432 11n draft 2 access point. The AP features a 3×3 antenna configuration for each band, and like Colubris’s MAP-625, is based on the Atheros dual-band MIMO chipset. The two radios can operate simultaneously. When working on the optional 40 MHz channels, they can support a total data rate of 600Mbps. The device is likely to be sold for “less than $1,500,” according to the company.
Via [networkworld.com]