Intersil Gives 11g a Nitro Speed Boost
Intersil recently unveiled Nitro, a free software fix enabling networks comprised mainly of 802.11g devices to triple the speed of data flow. The problem Nitro seeks to resolve is one that was known during the earliest stages of 802.11gs rollout: if 802.11b and 802.11g equipment are used side-by-side in a network, the effective speed of data transmission will drop. In terms of data rates, Intersil says 11g users could see speeds climb to as much as 30Mbps in real world use. Intersil makes chips for companies such as Netgear and D-Link.
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Airmagnet Looks to Attract Problems
A start-up that hopes to capitalize on the growing interest and concern over wireless networking updated its products for tracking the flow of data within a company. AirMagnet said last week that its AirMagnet Distributed system will be available starting June 1 for $6,995. The package includes a management console, server software and four remote sensors to make it easier for IT managers to monitor wireless networks using the 802.11b, 802.11a and 802.11g specifications. The system doesnt automatically lock out individuals from a network or restrict the installation of unauthorized access points in a businesses network. Rather, it informs an IT manager when an access point has been set up, whether it may be interfering with others and if it is struggling under heavy traffic.
Read the full story on: CNET News.com
Sony Ericsson Sees Big Drop in Sales, Income in Q1
Sony Ericsson saw sales drop more than a quarter year-on-year in the first three months of this year, while profits sank into the red, according to figures released Thursday by Sony. The company saw net sales fall 28 percent year-on-year to €806 million (US$885 million), Sony said as it announced its full year fiscal results. Net losses at the handset maker in the quarter were €104 million against a profit of around €3 million a year ago and unit shipments in the quarter were 5.4 million units, which is down 400,000 units on the year. The latest mobile market figures from Dataquest estimate Sony Ericsson saw shipments drop around 15 percent in 2002 making it the only one of the top five cellular handset makers to lose market share during the year.
Read the full story on: ITworld.com
Smart Phones Pick Up in Europe
Smart phones are on track to outsell conventional handheld computers this year in the European region, according to a new study. Research firm Canalys found that the Europe, Middle East and Africa market for all handhelds grew by 125 percent in the first quarter, compared with the same period a year ago. Voice-oriented devices running on the Symbian OS led the pack; shipments totaled 807,270 units in the quarter, eight times more than the same quarter last year. Nokia, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications and Orange are among the companies that use Symbian. Meanwhile, companies such as Hewlett-Packard and newcomers such as Dell Computer shipped a total of 370,530 Windows CE-based devices for the quarter, up 62 percent from the same period last year. Most of them–about 308,000–were data-oriented devices. About 284,840 Palm OS-powered devices shipped in the quarter, down 3 percent from last year.
Read the full story on: CNET News.com
Realtek to Sample Access Point Single-Chip Solution Next Month
Realtek Semiconductor said that it will being sampling 802.11b SoC (system-on-chip) solutions for access points next month, with volume production scheduled before the end of this quarter. The company plans to launch two more single-chip solutions in the third quarter and test run an 802.11b RF transceiver by year-end.
Read the full story on: DigiTimes