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City of Cerritos aims to be biggest U.S. Wi-Fi hotspot
On Jan. 1, the Los Angeles suburb of Cerritos, Calif., will become the biggest Wi-Fi hotspot in the U.S., according to wireless Internet access company Aiirnet Wireless LLC. In the absence of complete DSL (digital subscriber line) or cable coverage, the city of Cerritos gave Aiirnet permission to use city property such as lamp posts and traffic lights to mount antennas and offer wireless broadband access to Cerritos' 50,000 residents, as well as businesses and the city itself, Aiirnet, of Woodland Hills, California, said in a statement Tuesday.How-To
Mac 911
Do you rue the range of your Graphite Base Station, seek softer cell-phone ring tones, find PC viruses vexing, or loathe the limitations of your iTunes music library? There's no need to feel hemmed in by transitory travails when help is at hand. This month's Mac 911 gives you a beneficial boost over each of these barriers.News
Apple releases AirPort Software 3.2
Apple on Thursday released an update for its AirPort Software, bringing the current version to 3.2. According to notes provided with the update, version 3.2 provides support for the Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) specification for the AirPort Extreme base station and AirPort Extreme client. Also included in this release is v5.2 of the AirPort Extreme base station firmware.How-To
Your Digital Music Studio
If you want to enjoy digital music, here's what you need to know to get started. Plus, learn how the technology works behind the scenes.Reviews
AirPort Extreme Antennas
Apple's AirPort Base Stations can liberate you from the shackles of Ethernet cable, but sadly, their range often doesn't extend as far as most people can throw a stone. Meet the Dr. Bott ExtendAir antennas, which plug right in to the AirPort Extreme's antenna port (on the $249 model only).News
Palm unveils new company name
Palm Inc. plans to call its handheld computing company PalmOne Inc., following the anticipated spin-off of its operating system (OS) business later this year. The name change represents a new beginning for the Milpitas, Calif., company, Palm said Monday in a statement. The handheld computing company is focusing increasingly on converged handheld devices, aided by its proposed acquisition of Handspring Inc.News
AirPort 3.1.1 drivers released
Apple on Wednesday released a point update to its AirPort drivers, bringing them to version 3.1.1. The new version "provides improved AirPort wireless networking software," according to the release. Apple recommends that the update be installed by all users with AirPort Extreme-enabled computers or AirPort Extreme base stations. The new version includes AirPort Extreme base station firmware v5.1.1. Apple did not offer specific information on what's changed in this new version as MacCentral posted this article. The 7.8MB file can be downloaded through the Software Update System Preferences pane.News
Extend your AirPort’s range
Apple’s AirPort technology has made wireless networking affordable and easy to use. But walls and other objects can severely decrease the 150-foot range of your AirPort Base Station. Here’s how to extend the range of your network, using an external antenna.News
Configure a wireless bridge
With a little networking savvy, you can configure a wireless bridge to work with your AirPort network.News
Researchers see trouble ahead for WLAN performance
French researchers say they have pinpointed a problem in wireless LAN technology that could severely impair the performance of newer high-speed networks. Engineering experts at France's Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in Paris have demonstrated how a slow device connected to WLAN (wireless LAN) hotspot can cause an entire network to drop to a slower speed, citing a common channel access method as the cause, Andrzej Duda, one of the researchers, said Thursday in an interview.News
Wi-Fi revenue predicted to fall as use climbs
While global Wi-Fi use is set to explode over the next five years, revenue from the technology is due to shrink, leading to a consolidation of the market, according to a report released this week by Pyramid Research LLC. Worldwide Wi-Fi users will number 707 million by 2008, Pyramid predicted, yet revenue per user will drop from around US$30 a month this year to $3 a month in five years.News
Sprint to offer network of Wi-Fi hot spots
Sprint PCS Group will build Wi-Fi wireless LAN hot spots and create roaming agreements with other service providers to provide high-speed local wireless data access in more than 2,100 U.S. locations by the end of this year, the mobile operator announced Monday. Prices were not yet available for the service, which will be launched by the end of this quarter, and charges for the Wi-Fi service can't be integrated into Sprint customers' cellular service bills until late this year. However, the combination of Sprint's own hot spots and those available through roaming deals will create one of the largest networks of hot spots in the country.News
AirPort update complies with final IEEE 802.11g spec
A week following the IEEE's final 802.11g spec approval, Apple has released an update to bring AirPort Extreme base stations and client computers equipped with AirPort Extreme cards in-line. The release updates the firmware for the AirPort Extreme base station itself. It is available for download through the Software Update System Preferences pane. New features also include AirPort Extreme base station and client support for "Interference Robustness," which Apple noted offers improved performance when other devices that operate on the 2.4GHz radio frequency used by AirPort Extreme cause problems — devices including cordless telephones and wireless video distribution systems. Simpler WDS setup within the AirPort Admin Utility and other changes have been made, as well.News
Palm to buy Handspring
Palm Inc. plans to buy Handspring Inc. and spin off PalmSource Inc. as a separate company, the company said Wednesday. Palm is currently made up of two companies; PalmSource, which develops the Palm operating system, and Palm Solutions Group. After the spin-off of PalmSource, Palm Solutions Group will merge with Handspring to create a new company, to be renamed later in the year, Palm said in a statement.News