Wi-Fi

Hands-on with the Eye-Fi Card: Give any digital camera Wi-Fi capabilities.

Last week I wrote about the Eye-Fi Card, a special SD card that enables digital cameras to upload their photos wirelessly. Well, I've had several days with the card, and I'm ready to give you some first impressions. Unfortunately, the card I've been using doesn't include the firmware the Eye-Fi Card will use at release, so I can't yet give this product a formal score.

The card comes with a USB reader, a small instruction booklet, and nothing else; all the pertinent software is included on the card, and it autolaunches when you connect it … Read more

Archos 705 WiFi PVP on preorder

Amazon.com is now showing preorder pages for the mythical Archos 705 WiFi portable video player. If you're in the market for a super-sized, Internet-ready PVP for the holidays, the 705 WiFi comes in 80GB and 160GB capacities for $399 and $499, respectively. For the price, you get a 7-inch, 800x480 touch screen, Mac/PC compatibility, and all the features found in the latest Archos 605 WiFi--most notably, the online content portal.

What do you think? Is the 705 making you salivate? Can a PVP ever be too big?

Buy One Laptop Per Child, get One Year Free WiFi for You

Techluver reports that T-Mobile USA is partnering with the One Laptop Per Child Project to give individuals a great reason to buy an OLPC laptop: free WiFi:

T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced it is partnering with One Laptop per Child for its Give One Get One initiative. T-Mobile is offering one year of complimentary T-Mobile HotSpot access to people who donate an XO laptop to a child in a developing country through the campaign.

Nice. Self-interest at its very best. This is a Very Good Idea.

City Wi-Fi networks get Senate panel nod, again

Cities and local governments would be free to build their own broadband networks under a bill approved once again this week by a U.S. Senate panel.

Yes, that's right--not all of them enjoy that freedom right now. The Community Broadband Act, which was approved by the Senate Commerce Committee and counts both Democrats and Republicans as sponsors, is largely a response to the enactment of several state-level laws that limit the ability of municipalities to compete with private broadband providers. (Not surprisingly, it's phone and cable companies that have fought for those laws.)

The bill, which first … Read more

Kill your camera cords: Eye-Fi reveals a wireless SD card for digital cameras

Wi-Fi-enabled cameras aren't really anything new. Many professional photographers use wireless adapters with their SLRs, and we've seen a small handful of Wi-Fi-enabled snapshot cameras over the past few years. Unfortunately, Wi-Fi on SLRs requires a rather pricey equipment investment, and Wi-Fi on snapshot cameras until now has only worked on certain models with built-in wireless modules.

Eye-Fi has announced its plans to change the limitations of wireless shooting with the Eye-Fi Card. While it looks like an ordinary (albeit painfully orange) 2GB SD card, it's really a 2GB SD card with a Wi-Fi chip inside.

After … Read more

iPhone could drive citywide Wi-Fi

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--Apple's iPhone and other Wi-Fi enabled handsets coming into the market could boost demand for citywide Wi-Fi networks, said experts Tuesday at the MuniWireless conference.

As cell phone operators push their 3G data services, new cell phones outfitted with Wi-Fi capability are also being introduced. Apple's iPhone was one of the first to reach the American market. And so far the phone has gotten rave reviews for Web surfing when it's on a Wi-Fi network. Conversely, critics have complained about the painfully slow surfing on AT&T's 2.5G cellular network. (The … Read more

AT&T embraces citywide Wi-Fi, sort of

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

That seems to be the philosophy AT&T has taken when it comes to citywide Wi-Fi. Only a few years ago, AT&T was lobbying in city councils and statehouses around the country trying to prevent cities from building their own broadband networks. AT&T and other service providers argued that these new networks would compete unfairly with their own broadband services.

But a little over a year ago, the company had a change of heart. And instead of battling local governments in court and in the legislature, AT&… Read more

San Francisco's Wi-Fi dream lives on

Citywide Wi-Fi is not dead in San Francisco.

At least that's what the city's chief information officer Chris Vein said Monday at a panel at the MuniWireless conference in Santa Clara, Calif.

Vein told attendees at the conference that the city is simply "taking a deep breath" while it figures out its next step.

"Nothing has changed in terms of our strategy," he said. "A lot has happened in the last three years, so we are at the stage now where we're listening and learning to figure out what our next move … Read more

Ubiquitous wireless will save the world

I love wireless Internet.

I know, I'm hardly alone. There is no end to the number of road warriors and writers in cafes and rural professionals whose incomes and lifeline to friends and family depend on getting online on the go.

But after spending a few days away from connectivity, I'm really struck by just how vital Wi-Fi and other methods of getting on the Internet wirelessly are to me.

I noted the other day that I had managed, via an EV-DO card, to get a connection, albeit a slow one, while visiting my in-laws. This was ground-breaking, … Read more

Wi-Fi shirt finds your hot spot

The Wi-Fi detector shirt takes geek-wear to a whole new level. The image on the front of this shirt isn't static: The glowing bars light up according to how strong an 802.11b/g signal is when detected.

It requires a battery pack to work, and that's sewn inside the shirt. Three AAA batteries are required, so it will add to your weight a little.

But instead of looking really dumb walking around with an open laptop when searching for a hotspot, you can now look dumb by just looking at your own chest. And for those wondering, … Read more