Carmen Nobel

Wi-Fi hardware startup Xirrus last week introduced software that improves the voice support capabilities of its flagship product, the Wireless LAN Array. /zimages/1/28571.gifClick here to read a review of the Xirrus XS-3900 Wireless LAN Array. Newly added capabilities include support for SpectraLinks Voice Priority protocol, sub-10-millisecond roaming between radios, and better control over voice and […]

America Online furthered its investment in wireless services last week with the acquisition of Wildseed. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Wildseed is best known for its SmartSkin accessories, which snap onto a phone and customize the phones content via a chip embedded in the skin. Wildseeds software is Linux-based. An expanded AOL […]

Motorola Inc. is jumping headfirst into a yet-to-be-standardized version of the broadband wireless technology known as WiMax. The technology road map for WiMax calls for two flavors: one for fixed wireless and one for mobile. The fixed version, known as 802.16d, is meant to be a replacement for broadband cable access or DSL. While that […]

The groups competing to propose a standard for a faster flavor of Wi-Fi known as 802.11n have officially agreed to join forces. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers officials said that a partial merged proposal should be posted for review during a September meeting and that a complete proposal will be ready for group review […]

Nokia last week named the head of its mobile phone division to succeed Jorma Ollila, who has served as CEO for 13 years and chairman for six. Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo will replace Ollila next June. Kallasvuo, the executive vice president and general manager of mobile phones, has been with Nokia since 1980. Kallasvuo is also taking […]

Motorola last week introduced The Q, a wireless phone with a full QWERTY keyboard. At 11.5 millimeters, the Q is half as thick as most of its competitors. Similar in design to Motorolas popular Razr V3 phone, the Q also includes Internet connectivity, a 1.3-megapixel camera and Bluetooth connectivity. The Q runs on Microsofts Windows […]

Zultys Technologies and Meru Networks Inc. have each unveiled plans for products that support voice services over a wireless LAN. Zultys, which specializes in VOIP (voice over IP) technology, announced plans for its first Wi-Fi phone last week. While several companies already offer phones that run over Wi-Fi, “our products differ from those of our […]

The wireless networking industry is working to integrate sensor technology into access points without compromising the integrity of voice and data transmissions. Network Chemistry Inc. this week will announce plans to make its radio-frequency sensor agent available for several WLAN (wireless LAN) hardware platforms, allowing third-party access points to work as RF sensors. “We have […]

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers last week evaluated several proposals for bringing a mesh networking standard called 802.11s to the wireless LAN industry. Among the 15 proposals are single-company and consortia-submitted proposals from industry networking giants including Nortel Networks Ltd. and Nokia Corp., all of which already offer proprietary mesh networking products. In […]

Meru Networks Inc. last week introduced a multitiered channel strategy designed to make a case for deploying voice services over Wi-Fi. The Meru Channel Partner Program trains resellers and systems integrators in deploying converged WLANs (wireless LANs) that can handle voice and data, said officials of the Sunnyvale, Calif., company. The program includes three tiers—Authorized […]

Boingo Wireless Inc. and Skype Technologies S.A. last week announced a service that gives inexpensive wireless hot-spot access to Skypes VOIP customers. Skype Zones Powered by Boingo lets customers have unlimited access to Boingos network of 18,000 Wi-Fi hot spots for $7.95 per month or $2.95 for a 2-hour connection, using a custom version of […]

Officials from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers will meet in San Francisco this week to bring the wireless LAN industry closer to standards for high throughput, mesh networking and secure management frames. Since 802.11n was first proposed in the fall of 2003, the industry has been waiting for the standard, which is designed […]