Author Archive
Friday, January 11th, 2013
Karen Ambrose Hickey, Editor
All other news seemed to be drowned out what with the CES 2013 in Las Vegas. What’s fascinating are the new uses for Wi-Fi, beyond the mobile device technology like smartphones and tablets.
In the home:
Wi-Fi connected lights
Wi-Fi chips in the light bulbs allows users to turn lights on or off–either by room or individual bulb–through a free smartphone and tablet app.
Samsung debuts T9000 refrigerator with LCD and Evernote integration
The 9000 adds some much needed versatility by integrating Evernote into the Linux-based OS.
And more spectrum:
CES 2013: FCC plans to free up additional spectrum for WiFi
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced, “We’re moving to free up a substantial amount of spectrum for WiFi to relieve WiFi congestion and improve WiFi speeds at conferences, airports and ultimately in people’s homes.”
Help for IT in managing BYOD:
2013: The year Gigabit Wi-Fi arrives
new chipsets and routers were announced towards this standard. For IT, this means “…meeting the diverse needs of a large and increasing number of users with a similarly growing number of devices per user (driven in large measure by today’s broadening shift to BYOD [Bring Your Own Device]) and with a robust mix of application demands…”
More Wi-Fi for (and during) travel:
CES 2013: Wi-Fi gets on the road
Fancy switching on the engine using an app? Or replying to talking text messages sent to your phone purely by speaking? Or how about creating an in-car Wi-Fi network for your kid’s Google Nexus 7?
And safer mobile browsing:
Private WiFi takes its VPN mobile
Private WiFi debuts mobile apps for all the major smartphone platforms, just in time to protect you from the insecure public Wi-Fi at CES.
And for the young and young-at-heart: Toys!
Best Toys at CES 2013
Also to come this year from BeeWi is a set of iOS and Android device controlled Mini Coopers and a Fiat 500 toy as well as Windows Phone 8 versions of the remote control apps. Plus other interactive apps and devices.
Canon Power Shot N: Wi-Fi point and shoot
The camera is equipped with enhanced wireless capabilities that connect the point and shoot to a variety of mobile devices instantly, so users can upload and comment on their images in real-time while on-the-go using wi-fi connectivity.
Wi-Fi News and gadgets at CES 2013 >>
Monday, January 7th, 2013
Karen Ambrose Hickey, Editor
Traveling to Portugal this year? iPass users will be able to connect to additional Wi-Fi hotspots. I’ve listed a few here:
Lisbon:
Sheraton Lisboa Hotel & Spa
Modern and stylish, this hotel is in one of the premier business districts.
Cafeetaria Linha d’agua
The self-service snack bar, consisting mainly of outdoor seating, is situated in a grassy hollow in Jardim da Amália Rodrigues at the top off Parque Eduardo VII,
Holiday Inn Downtown Lisbon
Across the street from the Instituto Superior Técnico and near the Alameda Metro station and only 15 minutes to the airport.
Hotel Tivoli Lisboa
In the very centre of Lisbon, on the capital’s most famous Avenue, the Tivoli Lisboa is an elegant 5 star hotel and provides guests with a warm welcome and an exceptional level of service.
Irish Docas
An Irish pub on the Doca de Santo Amaro.
Porto:
Sheraton Porto Hotel & Spa
This Sheraton is a modern wonder of marble, wood, steel, and glass, situated in the business and cultural district of Porto.
Hotel Pestana Porto
Located in Praça da Ribeira in the heart of the historic core of Oporto, Hotel Pestana Porto stands on the city’s medieval walls, with a magnificent view of the river Douro.
Azores
Hotel Holiday Inn Azores
Sao Miguel Park Hotel
The Sao Miguel Park Hotel is located near Ponta Delgada´s Botanical Gardens and features ocean and city views of the island from the upper floors.
Wi-Fi access in Portugal for iPass users >>
Thursday, January 3rd, 2013
Karen Ambrose Hickey, Editor
The new year has barely started and there are rumors of new things Wi-Fi.
Apple is partnering with Broadcom to bring super-fast 802.11ac networking to upcoming Macs
A new chipset change has the inclusion of 802.11ac networking – providing Apple’s updated Mac range with super-fast WiFi connectivity.
FCC adopts new rules for in-flight Wi-Fi
The new FCC rules should streamline and quicken the application process for Earth Stations Aboard Aircraft (ESAA) applications for these externally-attached satellite antenna.
China Mobile, Wireless Firms To Expand Wi-Fi
China Mobile is expected to add over a million Wi-Fi access points this year, good news for roaming users.
BMW’s Car Hotspot LTE means Bavarian Motor WiFi
An in-car hotspot! The BMW Car Hotspot LTE is a purpose-built WiFi router that houses an LTE SIM (it also supports 3G and EDGE). It’s compatible with any BMW with a telephone docking station and allows connections from up to eight client devices. Coming soon….
Wi-Fi for 2013 >>
Thursday, December 20th, 2012
Karen Ambrose Hickey, Editor
Complex equations, Metrology lab calibrations and…20,000 pounds of potatoes. All for testing inflight Wi-Fi.
Companies are going to great lengths to bring us a strong, steady inflight Wi-Fi experience. In PCMag.com, Boeing Tests In-Flight Wi-Fi … With Potatoes, Boeing shows its creativity in its effort to build in-flight Wi-Fi systems. Rather than asking real people to sit on test planes for hours, the company is replacing them with sacks of potatoes.
Pototoes mimic the interactions that a human body will have with the radio waves.
And, if you don’t believe it, you can watch the video:
This way, the mobile worker doesn’t need to worry whether they get a strong signal in any row and in any position at the seat.
Happy travels!
Inflight Wi-Fi testing with sacks of potatoes >>
Tuesday, December 18th, 2012
Karen Ambrose Hickey, Editor
Yes, I know that you are busy – frantically wrapping up projects before the holidays hit. But before you go, if you are in IT, click on the link and fill out our survey. And there’s a chance to win an iPad – it goes perfectly with the 2013 mobility trends!
Let’s not waste a minute – take me to the survey! >>
If you are still reading, let me give you a sneak peak at what we are learning in for the next Mobile Enterprise Report.
- 72% of enterprises support the iPhone
- 59% of enterprises support Android smartphones
- BYOD is having an impact; not just on devices: 55% of companies have changed their enterprise mobility guidelines to be more accommodating to personal devices because of the mobile devices.
- Almost a third of enterprises are providing/plan to provide business applications on their employees’ smartphones and/or tablets by means of having apps be downloadable from a private enterprise app storefront
And when we provide “Other” as a response to having you identify security problems that your enterprise is experiencing, I see that “Lost/Stolen Phone” is currently the top vote-getter. However in the Comments section, some survey responders put in…a phone number? Are we supposed to track that lost phone down?
Let us know your thoughts and what should be counted.
Trends in the Mobile Enterprise [survey] >>
