The computer makers are the latest to integrate Broadcoms 802.11g chipset
into their laptops.
Now that the 802.11g standard has been officially approved, PC manufacturers
are starting to integrate the wireless networking technology into more notebook
computers.
Fujitsu and Gateway
are the latest to offer laptops with built-in 802.11g. The companies said
Wednesday that they would offer notebooks using Broadcoms 54g mini-PCI cards. 54g is
Broadcoms brand name for 802.11g. The standard, which was ratified
earlier this month, extends the data rate of the 802.11b standard from 11Mbps to
54Mbps, and is intended to be backwards compatible with earlier 802.11b
products.
Fujitsu said it would offer 54g as an upgrade to several LifeBook notebooks,
including the N series, E4000D, P5000D, S2000 and S6000D, while Gateway is
offering it as a $30 option on its 450 and 600 notebook lines, as well as with
several configurations of the 400 line. Gateway said 11g would be available as
an option on its entire line by the end of July.
Products based on Broadcoms 54g account for 93 percent of all 802.11g
equipment sold in the United States, according to the NPD Group. Irvine,
Calif.-based Broadcom was one of the first companies to supply wireless LAN
chipsets based on the draft of the 802.11g specification.
Reprinted fromallNetDevices.