Dec. 19, 2005 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

GOOD: Cheaper and faster wireless?

Researchers in Dublin, Ireland, and scientists from Bell Labs will collaborate as part of a government-funded effort to explore new applications for fourth-generation (4G) mobile phone technology and ways to ensure low-cost service delivery. "3G was immensely expensive to deploy. So next time we want to figure out how to fix some of that in advance," said Ronan Farrell, director of the institute.

Click to see: Dec. 19 GoodBadUgly

BAD: Waiting for IPv6

IT professionals are interested in the additional authentication and security services built into IPv6, the long-anticipated upgrade to the Internet's main communications protocol. However, few IT shops have committed to migrating to IPv6 because it lacks a measurable return on investment, according to a recent survey of more than 200 IT professionals conducted by consulting firm INS.

UGLY: Paris Hilton and beyond

It would seem the Internet's evolution has quite a way to go, based on AOL's annual listing of top searches. The word "lottery" has proven to be the most searched-for word this year via AOL, followed by "horoscopes" and "tattoos." Paris Hilton extended her 15 minutes and topped the celebrity list.

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