Wireless & Mobile Breaking News

ACLU, EFF sue US gov't over mobile phone tracking
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) are asking a federal court to order the U.S. Department of Justice to turn over records about the agency's tracking of mobile phone users. More..

Mobile software blends Wi-Fi/GPS signal for accuracy
Skyhook's mobile device software fixes your location using Wi-Fi and GPS signals. The new version adds cellular signals, and improves accuracy and speed. More..

802.11n, WiMAX continue to make strides
The IEEE 802.11n wireless LAN standard and WiMAX are both making an impact on their respective markets for wireless equipment, according to recent data from Infonetics Research. More..

Wi-Fi Alliance takes on wireless IP telephony
The Wi-Fi Alliance wants to make voice a part of Wi-Fi networks, and has introduced a program to certify products, it announced on Monday. More..

Meru, Aruba top researcher's 802.11n rankings
A recent, multidimensional evaluation of 802.11n wireless LAN vendors compiled by ABI Research reflects the complexity facing IT departments as they conduct their own assessments of enterprise-class 802.11n prospects. In what was more or less a photo finish, Meru Networks edged out its fierce rival, Aruba Networks, as the leading vendor in ABI's latest Vendor Matrix, released last week. Motorola took the No. 3 spot. More..

Control your BlackBerry with voice commands
The BlackBerry from Research In Motion Ltd. is the most popular line of cell phones in part because they tend to be easier to type on than most other phones. We e-mail addicts love them. More..

Add Wi-Fi to the list of options on Chrysler vehicles
With Wi-Fi already available in many coffee shops and coming soon to some airplanes, it was only a matter of time before a U.S. carmaker started offering Wi-Fi access for automobiles. More..

Handset issues may hurt femtocells
Femtocells may be stymied by handsets that can't make best use of them, even though an industry agreement has been signed which should make the indoor base stations a fundamental part of future wireless networks including WiMax and LTE. More..

Laptop use helps spur adoption of 802.11n
Products that support the 802.11n wireless networking standard are starting to take off, with vendors reporting acceleration in shipments, according to Infonetics. More..

Chipset sends video and data over UWB, coax and Ethernet
A new chipset will allow network device makers to create a product that can communicate at high speeds via Ultrawideband wireless, coaxial cables and Ethernet cables - all at the same time. More..

Where does Wi-Fi fit in a 4G world?
Several wireless technologies are contending to become the next-generation transport system for mobile video and collaborative business applications and services. The frontrunners in the WAN are WiMAX and Long-Term Evolution (LTE). More..

BlackBerry: Use Your Phone as a Modem for Your PC
When you carry a Research In Motion (RIM) BlackBerry, you've got an Internet connection in your pocket wherever you may roam--as long as your travels don't take you outside cellular coverage. And that connection is not restricted to your handheld; rather, many BlackBerrys and other Internet-enabled smartphones can be used as external modems to connect Bluetooth-enabled computers to the Web, saving time and money associated with registering and connecting to hotspots--though depending on the device, your connection will likely be slower than Wi-Fi. More..

Are smartphone viruses really a threat to your network?
Smartphone viruses aren’t an imminent threat, but it might not be long given the growing popularity of Web browsing via iPhones and other mobile devices. More..

Afghan Wireless, Roshan hit 2 million subscribers each
Despite continued fighting in the nation, Afghan Wireless Communications and rival Roshan both said their subscriber numbers have each hit 2 million in Afghanistan, marking fast growth in a nation that in 2002 first launched mobile phone services. More..

3Com unveils 802.11n WLAN wares
3Com is expanding its business-class wireless LAN line to embrace higher-performance IEEE 802.11n applications. More..

LTE-WiMAX wars ignite
Lately, the spotlight has swung toward Long-Term Evolution (LTE), the so-called fourth-generation mobile broadband technology descended from GSM cellular protocols. CDMA veteran Verizon Wireless, for example, has switched to LTE as its future mobile service delivery platform. GSM-based AT&T is, unsurprisingly headed that way, too. And recently, mobile base station maker Nortel dumped its WiMAX product development in deference to LTE. More..

Will gadgets make knowledge obsolete?
In the 1984 cyberpunk novel, Neuromancer , author William Gibson describes a future in which people can acquire knowledge by buying special chips called "microsofts" that plug into a surgically installed jack behind the ear. Once you plug in the chip, your brain can access its database and - voila! Knowledge! More..

Proxim unveils support for bandwidth-hungry backhaul duties
Proxim Wireless this week has released a new multifrequency point-to-point radio, offering up to 28Mbps over a 10-mile range for carrier-class, last mile connectivity. More..

Wireless modems not just modems anymore
Huawei Technologies and Sony Ericsson have launched wireless modems for High-Speed Packet Access networks that try to be more than just modems. More..

Microsoft's critical Bluetooth patch didn't work on XP
Microsoft has reissued a critical Windows security patch, saying that the fix didn't initially work on the most recent versions of Windows XP. More..

Sonus helps carriers add voice to WiMAX services
Sonus Networks has unveiled a new solution aimed at helping carriers add voice services to their WiMAX offerings. More..

WiMAX moves forward with certification
The WiMAX Forum issued its first certifications for Mobile WiMAX products operating at 2.5GHz on Tuesday. More..

WiMAX will get first commercial deployment in September
After months of uncertainties, it looks as though Sprint will launch its first commercial WiMAX services this September. More..

Speech technology powers Instinct, other wireless devices
Do you talk to your cell phone? More..

Potential fallout of wireless acquisitions
Verizon buys Alltel; Belden buys Trapeze. The consolidation game in the wireless industry - WAN and LAN alike - is officially afoot. More..