Naomi Graychase

Atheros has announced the development of a new chipset, designed to substantially reduce power consumption in Wi-Fi-enabled mobile devices without sacrificing performance or throughput. In Atheros’s tests, the AR6002 ROCm chip consumed 70% less power while downloading content than previous chips, and achieved a near-zero level of power consumption when in standby mode, which, if […]

Good news today for those seeking to deploy access points in parks, tree-filled campuses, or other areas where leaves and branches abound. ArrowSpan today announced the release of a rugged new multi-radio full-duplex switching wireless 900 MHz mesh network access point for areas with heavy foliage. Santa Clara-based ArrowSpan, which also has offices in Beijing, […]

Ekahau announced last week that it has formed a new partnership with Polycom to bring its Real Time Location System (RTLS) to Polycom’s SpectraLink 8000 Series handsets. The location-enhanced Wi-Fi phones are expected to bring greater levels of safety, increased workflow, and better asset management to enterprises utilizing the new phones. The phones work by […]

Earlier this week, Jackson, Mississippi-based SmartSynch announced the deployment of what may turn out to be the magic beans muni wireless providers have been looking for. SmartSynch’s Wi-Fi-enabled SmartMeters offer the potential for a self-sustaining municipal wireless business model. By enabling Wi-Fi-based regulation and control of electricity within a municipality (or even just part of […]

Cisco announced today that it has reached a “definitive agreement” to purchase Navini Networks, a major player in the mobile WiMAX 802.16e-2005 space. The move is intended to expand Cisco’s Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi-Mesh assets and to expand what the company calls its “Connected Life” vision, a plan to one day “deliver any service to any […]

Recent studies (including two from The Yankee Group) show that consumers are making up to 40% of their mobile phone calls from home. According to a 2006 study by Harris Interactive, only 58% of U.S. adults subscribe to wireline services, but 74% subscribe to wireless phone service. As landlines slowly go the way of the […]

Thanks to a partnership between Apple and Starbucks, iTunes users can now wirelessly download songs via the new iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store at participating Starbucks Coffeehouse locations. Any Wi-Fi-enabled device (that can support iTunes) will do—although Apple is, of course, hoping that iPhone and iTouch users will lead the charge. iPhone users (and eventually, iTouch […]

According to Tod Dykstra, CEO of Streetline Networks, a young company focused on city infrastructure technology, U.S. cities are missing out on billions of dollars in potential revenue due to ineffective parking policies and enforcement. Dykstra cites studies conducted by the International Parking Institute, the U.S. Census, and other sources, but if you’ve ever circled […]

Price: $89.99Pros: Slim, affordable, easy to use, compatible with major Internet phone services.Cons: Call quality is shaky.Requirements: Windows XP with open PC Card slot, Bluetooth, Internet connection, Internet phone service software/provider. If you’ve got Bluetooth in your laptop, and don’t like the idea of a Bluetooth headset sticking deep in your ear canal (or making […]

As part of its multi-year redevelopment plans, Lincoln Center, located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, has deployed a free Wi-Fi network that will cover a 6.3-acre swath of its 16.3-acre campus, which includes 22 separate performance venues. The network will be open to the public, including the five million visitors who attend events […]

Roughly five months after filing suit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, the Seattle-based nonprofit Washington Research Foundation (WRF) has dropped its Bluetooth patent infringement suit against Matsusita (and its Panasonic unit), Samsung, and Nokia. The original complaint filed on December 21, 2006 claimed infringement on four patents marketed under the […]

As more cities and towns move toward deploying municipal Wi-Fi networks, a new report from muni wireless expert Craig Settles sheds some light on best practices, both for vendors looking to cash in and for government officials looking for someone to pay. The 40-page report, “Government Workforce Automation in a Muni Wireless World,” was released […]