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A Blackberry blackout - the second in less than a week - had users of the popular phone and texting service fuming Tuesday night. Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/tech_guide/2009/12/22/2009-12-22_werent_blackberry_useful.html#ixzz0aUOdyTNU

While the Pentagon may not have been listening to the increasing calls, from the troops, for a militarized smart phone, one defense supplier (Raytheon) has, and resulted in RATS (Raytheon Android Tactical System). Taking advantage of the open source Android operating system (think of it as mobile Linux), and the thousands of applications already available for it, RATS combines this with increasingly powerful, and inexpensive smart phone hardware, to produce something the troops want. Actually, RATS isn't a phone, it's a wi-fi device that looks like one (as does the Ipod Touch). RATS has GPS, a compass, vidcam and software...

I work near a wi-fi restaurant.....

Starting in January 2010, US McDonald's restaurants will no longer charge for Wi-Fi: The quick-service chain has service in 11,000 of its 14,000 locations in the US, and previously charge $2.95 for two hours access. The network is operated by AT&T, originally contracted by Wayport which was acquired by the phone giant last year. Most AT&T subscribers get free access at McDonald's, Starbucks, and a few thousand other locations...

Apple's Base Stations Have Three 802.11n Streams DECEMBER 5, 2009 Apple's October revision to its AirPort Extreme Base Station and Time Capsule lets these units run at up to 450 Mbps, 50 percent faster: I knew that Apple had put a 3x3 antenna array into these devices, which could be argued was intended to improve speed-over-range, a common reason to add antennas. (Read the background in my 20 October 2009 article, "Apple Slipstreams 3x3 into Wi-Fi Base Stations.") But I had heard that Apple had built three streams in, making these devices capable of a raw 450 Mbps operation, or...

While rumors of a possible Verizon-compatible iPhone in 2010 persist, one analyst has predicted that Apple will instead bring the iPhone to another GSM-based carrier in the U.S.: T-Mobile. In a note to investors released this week, Doug Reid of Thomas Weisel Partners said his firm believes that T-Mobile, and not Verizon, will be the beneficiary when Apple's exclusive agreement with AT&T expires next year... AT&T's exclusive contract with Apple for the iPhone is due to expire in 2010... While the iPhone in its current iteration is compatible with T-Mobile's network, it is not capable of connecting to its high-speed...

I want to know how to get on the net with a P3.

Internet hot spots are already available in some models of Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge, the Volkswagen Routan and Cadillac CTS vehicles as a dealer option. Autonet Mobile, maker of a Wi-Fi hot spot for the car, has created an OEM developer kit to allow its “hotA” spot to be embedded in new cars. According to Reed Business Informaton’s Twice Magazine, the Autonet hot spot produces an EV-DO cellular connection that is then converted to Wi-Fi, allowing anyone in your car access to the internet on a number of devices. Users in a car can watch YouTube, check Facebook and listen...

Don't like the idea of your neighbors rudely snooping on the wireless signal you slaved to pay for from the lazy comfort of their living room? It's not just about slowing down your connection; while they're downloading Mad Men via bittorrent, you could be on the hook for their actions. Wireless security and encryption systems are fraught with problems and insecurity, and other methods to restrict your signal to a small area are cumbersome at best. Enter a new solution: Anti-Wi-Fi paint. The idea is simple: Use a special paint on walls where you don't want wireless to pass through...

The newest trend in Internet fraud is "vacation hacking," a sinister sort of tourist trap. Cybercriminals are targeting travelers by creating phony Wi-Fi hot spots in airports, in hotels, and even aboard airliners. Vacationers on their way to fun in the sun, or already there, think they're using designated Wi-Fi access points. But instead, they're signing on to fraudulent networks and hand-delivering everything on their laptops to the crooks. "More and more people are traveling with Wi-Fi devices like smartphones and laptops," says Marian Merritt, Internet safety advocate at the computer-security giant Symantec. "Airports and airlines and hotels are responding....

Reportedly, Senator John McCain wants Predators to provide with uncensored Wi-Fi coverage to the people of Iran. I don't know if this is even technically possible, but its so preposterous and fantastically cool that I love the idea: "During the Cold War, we provided the Polish people and dissidents with printing presses. Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube are the modern-day printing presses. They are the way to spread information and keep the hope of freedom alive amongst the Iranian people." Of course, the Predators—or whatever other method—could be taken down with missiles or fighter planes, but the basic idea is spot...

Cohda intelligent transport system allows cars to communicate mph or kph and location and BMW/Car 2 Care are researching A device that could dramatically reduce the number of collisions by eliminating driver error is to be tested in Europe. The system uses technology similar to wi-fi to enable vehicles to communicate with each other, sharing information about their speed and location, to determine when a crash is imminent. It can then warn the driver or take over the controls. Cohda Wireless, an Australian technology start-up, will announce this month that it has signed a multi-million-pound contract with a partnership of...

  This proposed bill has been floating around the ether for a long time -- and it's just made a big time comeback. Essentially, the Republican-backed bill would be a "sweeping" federal measure which would require all ISPs and many WiFi access point providers to keep records of their users for two years, in order to aid police investigations. There are two separate bills -- one in the Senate and one in the House -- both named the "Internet Stopping Adults Facilitating the Exploitation of Today's Youth Act," or Internet Safety Act. Catchy, right? The bill would cover, as...

Republican politicians on Thursday called for a sweeping new federal law that would require all Internet providers and operators of millions of Wi-Fi access points, even hotels, local coffee shops, and home users, to keep records about users for two years to aid police investigations. The legislation, which echoes a measure proposed by one of their Democratic colleagues three years ago, would impose unprecedented data retention requirements on a broad swath of Internet access providers and is certain to draw fire from businesses and privacy advocates. "While the Internet has generated many positive changes in the way we communicate and...

For all the annoyance of being crammed into an aluminum tube at 35,000 feet with a bunch of strangers, air travel has offered one benefit: the ability to tell bosses and colleagues, "I'll be on a flight, so you won't be able to reach me." So much for that excuse. Wireless Internet service is starting to spread among airlines in the United States — Delta and American have installed it on more than a dozen planes each, and several other carriers are planning to test it. For the airlines, always desperate for new sources of revenue, offering the service —...

Turn off that Wi-Fi network — it's disturbing our chakras. That's what many residents of Glastonbury, a lovely medieval town turned New Age hub in southwestern England, are demanding the local government do. Ever since the town's free municipal wireless broadband network went online in May, people have been complaining of, as an online petition puts it, "headaches, dizziness, nausea, severe tiredness, brain fog, disorientation and loss of appetite, loss of balance, inability to concentrate, loss of creativity" — all ailments an examining physician would find it difficult to prove or disprove.

Poor Starbucks! The purveyor of caffeine-fueled trendiness has announced it will soon be closing 600 underperforming stores and laying off 12,000 people. It bears repeating. Poor Starbucks! Dumb Starbucks. Here’s what caught my eye about the story. ABC News reported that Starbucks, in an attempt to better retain customers and attract new ones, is now offering free Wi-Fi. Did you hear that? Free Wi-Fi! Wow! What’s next? A place to sit? As it turns out, the super-amazing offer of free Wi-Fi isn’t even what it first appears to be. If, and only if, you buy a Starbucks Rewards Card, you...

The top U.S. communications regulator on Thursday postponed consideration of a plan to auction a piece of wireless airwaves to buyers willing to provide free broadband Internet service without pornography. The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission said he would delay an expected vote on his proposal to auction an unused piece of 25 megahertz wireless spectrum, with the condition that the winning bidder offer free Internet access and filter out obscene content on part of those airwaves, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin had scheduled the commission to take up the proposal at its next meeting on June 12. Martin said...

As the FCC auctions off an unused spectrum of airwaves, the winner may be forced to provide free wireless internet for most of the country. No date or terms for the auction have been set, but the government's deal requires that free service on the 25 MHz spectrum reaches at least half the in five years and 95 percent within ten years. The agreement, proposed by FCC chairman Kevin Martin, also stipulates that the bidder must filter out obscene content for allowing the winner to use the remaining portion of the spectrum for commercial purposes. "We're hoping there will be...

A group in Santa Fe says the city is discriminating against them because they say that they're allergic to the wireless Internet signal. And now they want Wi-Fi banned from public buildings. Arthur Firstenberg says he is highly sensitive to certain types of electric fields, including wireless Internet and cell phones. "I get chest pain and it doesn't go away right away," he said. Firstenberg and dozens of other electro-sensitive people in Santa Fe claim that putting up Wi-Fi in public places is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The city attorney is now checking to see if...

Group wants Wi-Fi banned from public buildings A group in Santa Fe says the city is discriminating against them because they say that they're allergic to the wireless Internet signal. And now they want Wi-Fi banned from public buildings. Arthur Firstenberg says he is highly sensitive to certain types of electric fields, including wireless Internet and cell phones. "I get chest pain and it doesn't go away right away," he said. Firstenberg and dozens of other electro-sensitive people in Santa Fe claim that putting up Wi-Fi in public places is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The city...

Some advice from the FBI: You're at the airport waiting for your flight. With time to kill, you're thinking of connecting your laptop to the airport's Wi-Fi to check your office e-mail, do some personal banking, or shop for a gift for your spouse. But first, consider this: Odds are there's a hacker nearby, with his own laptop, attempting to "eavesdrop" on your computer to obtain personal data that will provide access to your money or even to your company's sensitive information. Here's something else to consider: There are 68,000 Wi-Fi "hot spots" in the U.S., at airports, coffee shops,...

The Bluetooth wireless technology that allows people to use a hands-free earpiece while making a mobile telephone call could soon alert the emergency services when someone has a heart attack, Ofcom predicts. The communications regulator said that sensors could be implanted into people at risk of heart attack or diabetic collapse that would allow doctors to monitor them remotely. If the “in-body network” recorded that the person had suddenly collapsed, it would send an alert, via a nearby base station at their home, to a surgery or hospital. However, Ofcom also gave warning in its report, Tomorrow’s Wireless World, that...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Less than a week after losing in the latest U.S. spectrum auction, Google Inc. (GOOG) (GOOG) has started pitching its plan to use TV "white space" - unlicensed and unused airwaves - to provide wireless Internet. In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission released by Google on Monday, the Internet search giant pressed the government to open up the white space for unlicensed use in hopes of enabling more widespread, affordable Internet access over the airwaves. "As Google has pointed out previously, the vast majority of viable spectrum in this country simply goes unused, or...

Municipal Wi-Fi Failing, Earthlink Pulls Out Shane McGlaun (Blog) - March 24, 2008 2:20 PM Protected by FormShield Earthlink bails on municipal Wi-Fi leaving low income families in a lurch When some large and medium sized cities decided to try and roll out city wide municipal Wi-Fi service that would be used by paying customers and by low-income families for free or reduced rates, EarthLink was one of the first ISPs to jump on the project. EarthLink pretty much cornered the market on municipal Wi-Fi and the projects in cities like Philadelphia were hailed as Internet for the masses. The...

PHILADELPHIA — It was hailed as Internet for the masses when Philadelphia officials announced plans in 2005 to erect the largest municipal Wi-Fi grid in the country, stretching wireless access over 135 square miles with the hope of bringing free or low-cost service to all residents, especially the poor. Municipal officials in Chicago, Houston, San Francisco and 10 other major cities, as well as dozens of smaller towns, quickly said they would match Philadelphia’s plans. But the excited momentum has sputtered to a standstill, tripped up by unrealistic ambitions and technological glitches. The conclusion that such ventures would not be...

My sister-in-law and brother-in-law discovered that a neighbor has been tapping into their unsecured wireless internet connection. They've discovered 8-10 folders of photos accessible through their network that do not belong to them. (My BIL discovered this a few days ago when he wasn't able to get an internet connection and went searching for his wireless connection.) Some are general family photos of camping trips, their home, etc., but there are numerous photos that can only be described as all-male kiddie porn. Tonight my husband took steps to delete access to the folders that had been mapped to their computer...

AT&T Inc today announced that more than 10 million AT&T broadband subscribers will soon have free unlimited access to the company’s nationwide Wi-Fi network, the largest Wi-Fi network in the United States. The offer delivers an annual saving of $60 for AT&T broadband customers, and an annual saving of nearly $240 compared with AT&T Wi-Fi costs for consumers who do not have an AT&T broadband plan. The enhancement plays directly into the company’s efforts to increase the value of broadband by adding more ways for consumers to stay connected to their worlds. The move also reflects the growing popularity of...

Network security firm Sophos recently published a study on what it terms WiFi "piggybacking," or logging on to someone's open 802.11b/g/n network without their knowledge or permission. According to the company's study, which was carried out on behalf of The Times, 54 percent of the respondents have gone WiFi freeloading, or as Sophos put it, "admitted breaking the law [in the UK]." Amazingly, accessing an unsecured, wide-open WiFi network without permission is illegal in some places, and not just in the UK. An Illinois man was arrested and fined $250 in 2006 for using an open network without permission, while...

Wi-Fi Nearby? Check Your T-Shirt Mon Oct 8, 2007 3:16PM EDT Don't want to check your laptop or cell phone to see if a Wi-FI network is near? No problem—just look down at your T-shirt instead. The Wi-Fi Detector Shirt ($30) isn’t all that practical—or subtle, for that matter—but it's sure to warm the hearts of wireless geeks everywhere. Powered by three AAA batteries sewn into the shirt itself, the unmistakable wireless logo on the front of the tee (removable for washing) lights up whenever you wander in range of an 802.11b/g Wi-Fi network. Nope, you won't see the name...

The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a bill saying that anyone offering an open Wi-Fi connection to the public must report illegal images including "obscene" cartoons and drawings--or face fines of up to $300,000. That broad definition would cover individuals, coffee shops, libraries, hotels, and even some government agencies that provide Wi-Fi. It also sweeps in social-networking sites, domain name registrars, Internet service providers, and e-mail service providers such as Hotmail and Gmail, and it may require that the complete contents of the user's account be retained for subsequent police inspection. Before the House vote, which was...

According to a study by Dr. George Carlo in Australasian Journal of Clinical Environmental Medicine, the signals emitted by Wi-Fi routers cause metals to be trapped in brain cells, thereby accelerating the onset of autism. I’m not quite sure how Wi-Fi singnals are the significant culprits here — unless they have 50 kids in faraday cages with 802.11G routers strapped to their heads — but this finding is sure to make the rounds of the local evening news tonight (”Something in your living room may be giving your child autism — a Fox 5 Scranton special report tonight at eleven!”)...

Wi-Fi, once hyped as the technology that could provide wireless Internet access to personal and business computers across urban America, is in deep trouble here and around the country. In many cities, Wi-Fi projects are dead or faltering, saddled with growing equipment expenses, reception problems and little interest by governments in pumping tax money into them. Unreliable business plans of prospective Wi-Fi firms, mounting expenses and undependable technology have delayed some projects or led wireless providers to walk away from others. Some experts are advising local governments to drop their involvement with Wi-Fi and leave the venture of wireless Internet...

My out of state friend is lazy about computer protection, but he just bought a new laptop that has wi-fi (he may never use that). I sent him what I hope is an easy, minimal list of actions to take, until he can look deeper into the subject. I know that everyone has their own preferences for programs, and many of you computer guys have had to deal with indifferent friends and family. How do you guys keep it simple and free for them, keeping in mind that an imperfect defense that is implemented, is better than no defense at...

The train Nevsky Express on the route Moscow-St. Petersburg will appear the first in Russia to have wireless Internet. It is planned that Wi-Fi technology will be available to passengers by the end of August.

A Michigan man has been fined $400 and given 40 hours of community service for accessing an open wireless Internet connection outside a coffee shop. Under a little known state law against computer hackers, Sam Peterson II, of Cedar Springs, Mich., faced a felony charge after cops found him on March 27 sitting in front of the Re-Union Street Café in Sparta, Mich., surfing the Web from his brand-new laptop. Last week, Peterson chose the fine as part of a jail-diversion program. "I think a lot of people should be shocked, because quite honestly, I still don't understand it myself,"...

The TJX credit-card data breach -- the largest ever -- was sort of amazing, in that it went on for a few years before it was detected and disclosed. It was established at the outset that the company didn't comply with credit-card companies' strict security guidelines, but a story in today's Wall Street Journal spells out the depths of TJX's incompetence when it came to security. Investigators believe that the hackers used directional antennas to intercept signals sent over the WiFi networks at the company's stores, which were encrypted only with the easily cracked WEP standard, since TJX never bothered...

LONDON, England (UPI) -- British health officials want an investigation into possible hazards of wireless communication, which is increasingly being used in British schools. The inquiry comes after recent research revealed new threats of radiation from wireless communication, or WiFi, The (London) Independent reported. The Department of Education has touted WiFi as a 'magical' system in which computers do not have to be hooked up to phone lines. A majority of Britain`s elementary and high schools reportedly use WiFi. Sir William Stewart, the chairman of the Health Protection Agency, has chaired two official inquiries into similar risks believed to be...

The Mexico City government signed an agreement Monday with a Chinese telecommunications firm, ZTE, that is intended to provide free wireless internet throughout the city in 2008...The idea is that ZTE will now establish a subsidiary in Mexico City that will in turn create jobs. The agreement provides for the creation of a wireless network that can be accessed free of charge from anywhere in the capital city.

SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - With agreements underway to install free wireless Internet connectivity throughout San Francisco and the Peninsula, it is a matter of considerably more than passing interest that the spread of easy Wi-Fi access has already triggered a whole new breed of identity theft hackers. It is too early yet for statistics about how prevalent this new crime category is becoming, but the FBI cyber squad is well aware that laptop users at wireless hot spots such as airports, hotels and wireless cafés are increasingly being targeted by identity thieves. Hackers find it comparatively simple to set...

WI-FI service is quickly becoming the air-conditioning of the Internet age, enticing customers into restaurants and other public spaces in the same way that cold “advertising air” deliberately blasted out the open doors of air-conditioned theaters in the early 20th century to help sell tickets. Today, hotspots are the new cold spots. Starbucks became the most visible Wi-Fi-equipped national chain when it began offering the service in 2002. Now, at more than 5,100 stores, Starbucks offers Internet access “from the comfort of your favorite cozy chair.” Before you pop open your laptop, however, you need to pull out your credit...

Connecting to a hot spot can be an open invitation to danger. Hot spots are public, open networks that practically invite hacking and snooping. They use unencrypted, insecure connections, but most people treat them as if they are secure private networks. This could allow anyone nearby to capture your packets and snoop on everything you do when online, including stealing passwords and private information. In addition, it could also allow an intruder to break into your PC without your knowledge. But there's plenty you can do to keep yourself safe. If you follow these tips, you'll be able to make...

The next time you're at an airport looking for a wireless hot spot, and you see one called "Free Wi-Fi" or a similar name, beware -- you may end up being victimized by the latest hot-spot scam hitting airports across the country. You could end up being the target of a "man in the middle" attack, in which a hacker is able to steal the information you send over the Internet, including usernames and passwords. And you could also have your files and identity stolen, end up with a spyware-infested PC and have your PC turned into a spam-spewing zombie....

So Microsoft's strategy for its Zune player is becoming clear. Just dig up what Register readers were talking about five years ago. Having attempted to add "BluePod" features ("squirting" music between devices wirelessly) to Zune, Microsoft is now promoting another concept that may sound familiar to long-time readers. On Saturday, Microsoft's media business chief Chris Stephenson said he wanted to see music dispensed by over the air "filling stations" to Zunes. The British-born executive was addressing the Midem Music expo in Cannes. Stephenson said the best candidates for these digital dispensers - he called them "filling stations" - were retail...

Thanx for the advice about upgrading security settings. I called linksys and got sheila in the Philippines and set up security with WEP ten digit settings. But, when someone hacks into your computer via wireless, can they read your hard drive? Can they watch you on the net? Or do they just establish a connection for their own wireless computer?

My niece has a laptop with a wireless modem (or something like that). She does not have the internet. So she rides around in her car until she finds a house with a wireless modem/internet connection. Then she logs on through their connection. I have a wireless network. I also have firewalls. Can people hack into my system through my wireless connection?

Moving Massachusetts Forward Growing Our Economy My Vision for Our Future This includes Education, Economy, Health, and Environment, plus citations.I see Massachusetts as a place in which businesses invest because of a well-educated and well-prepared workforce and because they are assured that neither taxes nor regulation will be unreasonable. Massachusetts will be where people with ideas and initiative want to be, whether they are the next software giant or the next local grocer. I see Massachusetts as the research and development center of the world in biotech, biomedical and alternative energy industries. I see a thriving marine science industry on...

California legislators have passed a law which will force makers of wireless internet equipment to include guidance on keeping data secure on wireless connections. The law now awaits signature by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. From 1st October 2007, manufacturers must place warning labels on all equipment capable of receiving Wi-Fi signals, according to the new state law. These can take the form of box stickers, special notification in setup software, notification during the router setup or through automatic securing of the connection. One warning sticker must be positioned so that it must be removed by a consumer before the product can...

Aug. 21 - KGO - Cell phones have become a key way for terrorists to detonate bombs remotely. But a Bay Area company has developed a possible solution for the military and for airports to pinpoint them before it's too late. Bradley Rotter, technology investor: "Our enemies are using our technology against us as a weapon against us." Cell phones are everywhere, keeping people connected. But they're also being used by terrorists to trigger bombs. Nicholas Miller, Air Patrol Corporation: "We would literally be able to detect a case, spot a case with a phone in it and literally watch...

The announcement by Sprint Nextel Corp (S) that it will spend several billion dollars to spread a cloud of broadband access over the nation is great news for the nation's broadcasters and wannabes. Kurt Hanson, publisher of Radio and the Internet Newsletter, said Sprint's decision to build a high-speed network using WiMax technology is "another major step towards wireless delivery of Internet radio." I've written about this before. With Wi-Fi blanketing cities, and without the need for hundreds or perhaps thousands of towers or relays, anybody can be a broadcaster. And you'll be able to listen at your PC, wireless-enabled...