Google’s grand plan for Internet domination

Latest Wireless news

Google’s grand plan for Internet domination, 03/20/06

Most of the gab around Google focuses on a possible desktop slugfest with Microsoft, but the real action may be on the WAN, where Google might be gearing up for a donnybrook with ISPs, telcos and cable operators.

VeriSign buys mobile content company for $250 million, 03/20/06

VeriSign Monday announced it has agreed to buy m-Qube, which sells software and services for delivering digital content to mobile phones, for about $250 million.

Baidu, Nokia team up for mobile search in China, 03/20/06

Baidu.com and Nokia have agreed to collaborate on mobile search capabilities for mobile phone users in a deal that pairs China’s top search engine with the largest supplier of mobile phones in the country.

IEEE, vendors press forward on speedier WLANs, 03/20/06

The IEEE has begun accepting comments on the just-adopted 802.11n draft standard for 100-plus Mbps wireless LANs.

Manufacturing show to spotlight wireless, network automation in plants, 03/20/06

Wireless technologies – from RFID to 802.11 – as well as supply chain management and machine-to-machine communications will be among the top IT issues at the National Manufacturing Week show in Rosemont, Ill, opening on March 20.

After deaths, mining industry digs for IT fix, 03/17/06

After four mining accidents in January and early February killed 16 people in West Virginia, industry experts are studying whether information technology can help to prevent future fatalities. But there’s little agreement about which technologies can …

Softbank to acquire Vodafone’s Japan unit, 03/17/06

Softbank has agreed to buy Vodafone’s struggling Japanese mobile phone unit for around ¥1.8 trillion ($15.3 billion), the companies announced Friday.

U.S. wireless tower vendors agree on merger, 03/17/06

SBA Communications, an independent operator of wireless telephone towers, will acquire competitor AAT Communications in a $1 billion deal, SBA announced Friday.

The bugs in the carpet are RFID, 03/17/06

One of Germany’s best-known makers of vacuum cleaners and carpets aims to tap a new market: intelligent flooring embedded with wireless chips.

CEBIT – Vendors flunk wireless security test, 03/17/06

More than half of the wireless networks deployed at the Cebit technology show in Hanover, Germany, last week had no encryption enabled, making the systems behind them prime targets, according to Kaspersky Lab, a security vendor.

Wireless Weblog: Vendor disputes claims of RFID virus threat, 03/16/06

A British threat management software company says that warnings that RFID chips are vulnerable to malware are theoretical and there is no cause for panic. Earlier in the week, a research paper described circumstances in which malicious code could be …

Wireless Weblog: Wirelessly take 2 asprin and call me in the morning, 03/16/06

Researchers are experimenting with wirelessly administering drugs through implanted devices that contain a postage-stamp sized microchip and scores of tiny addressable reservoirs of medicine. So far, the system has been tested in dogs , and human …

Q&A: Wireless in the enterprise, 03/16/06

As part of Network World’s upcoming IT Roadmap conference, analyst Craig Mathias of Farpoint Group will examine wireless technology as a strategic enabler in the enterprise. With the promise to deliver information to employees regardless of where they …

Wireless Weblog: Bill the Grinch slams $100 laptop project, 03/16/06

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates this week ridiculed the plan for a handcranked, wireless $100 laptop being designed for the world’s poorest kids. His comments have ignited a firestorm of criticism on the Web, even though he made essentially the same …

The wireless enterprise, with Craig Mathias, 03/16/06

We interview consultant Craig Mathias on the impact of wireless in the enterprise, and how to deal with it. It’s part of our March 20 IT Roadmap: Boston .

Wireless Weblog: Certicom white paper on VoIP security, 03/16/06

Certicom recently posted a 13-page PDF (registration required) on “Securing VoIP Networks: the importance of device security. You can access the paper online , but you will have to register (you get access to Certicom’s full white paper library). …

VON: New Orleans’ crime-fighting Wi-Fi network is now the city’s lifeline, 03/16/06

When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, the only communication system that hadn’t broken down was the wireless mesh network deployed in the downtown area to support surveillance cameras credited with reducing the city’s pre-storm violent crime rate.

NTT DoCoMo expects Asia to lead investment next year, 03/16/06

NTT DoCoMo expects investments in Asian mobile operators to lead its overall investment during the coming financial year, the company’s president said Thursday.

RFID tags are subject to viruses, study says, 03/15/06

Three computer science researchers are warning that viruses embedded in radio tags used to identify and track goods are right around the corner, a danger so far overlooked by the industry’s high interest in the technology.

Wireless Newsletter: All about location tracking, Part I, 03/15/06

There are a number of technical methods of wirelessly tracking down people, equipment, and goods. What applications require location capabilities, what are …

Mobile workforce tapping unified messaging systems, 03/15/06

Aging voicemail systems, increasing interest in IP telephony, and a surge in the mobile workforce are driving companies to consider unified messaging — a technology that has long fallen short of industry expectations.

Wireless Weblog: 126,00 square miles of Wi-Fi?, 03/15/06

ABI Research is predicting that the area covered by municipal Wi-Fi nets will jump from a mere 1,500 square miles to nearly 100 times that by 2010. That’s an area the size of New Mexico, or if you prefer, Poland. According to the company’s press …

Motorola’s Zander says Razr problem is history, 03/15/06

Motorola Chairman and CEO Ed Zander Wednesday downplayed the significance of a component problem that caused two U.S. mobile operators to stop selling its popular Razr handset model for several days

Wireless Weblog: New CEO for Network Chemistry, 03/14/06

Paul Thomas has been named CEO for Network Chemistry , which sells wireless security products for enterprise WLANs and mobile users. Thomas takes over from Robert Markovich, who will remain on the Redwood City, Calif., company’s board of directors. …

RIM hopes to launch BlackBerry in China, 03/14/06

Research In Motion is in talks with China’s largest mobile operator, China Mobile Communications, to launch its BlackBerry service in China, a company spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday.

Spring VON reporter’s notebook: RBOC finances, 03/14/06

Reporter’s notebook items from the Spring VON 2006 conference in San Jose. Check back often for updates.

Lower roaming fees catching on in Europe, 03/14/06

Two more mobile operators have scrapped their roaming charges between the U.K. and Ireland, and similar reduced roaming fees are likely to come to users across Europe this year, according to one industry analyst.

Wireless Weblog: WPA2 security now mandatory for WLAN gear, 03/14/06

Wi-Fi Protected Access 2, a wireless LAN security specification from the Wi-Fi Alliance, is now mandatory on all WLAN equipment certified by the Alliance’s tests. WPA2 is based on the IEEE 802.11i standard, including the Advanced Encryption Standard …

High-Speed LANs Newsletter: China seeks standard for WLAN security technology, 03/14/06

The row over Chinese companies’ battle to get their wireless LAN security protocol the blessing of the international community reflects how touchy folks can …

CEBIT – Alcatel adds satellite to mobile TV picture, 03/14/06

With the help of satellites, Alcatel aims to overcome a key hurdle in rolling out broadcast television services over mobile phones: the lack of available spectrum.