With the next release of its WLAN software all Ruckus-built hotspots will be able to supply optional encrypted connections to any user who wanders into Wi-Fi coverage. Read more »
Boingo is the latest company to take advantage of in-app payments on iOS devices. An update to the Boingo Wi-Finder app lets you sign up for a $7.99 monthly Wi-Fi plan simply by typing your iTunes password. Read more »
Spark Devices is using Kickstarter and DIYers as the gateway into building a hardware and cloud-based platform for the internet of things. Today it’s DIY, but tomorrow it hopes to have corporate clients. Read more »
Samsung’s new $650 smart camera, the NX2000, boasts connectivity like the older Galaxy Camera. But this isn’t a camera grafted onto an Android point and shoot. This is more like an appealing DSLR with Wi-Fi and NFC. Read more »
This week’s podcast stars our gadget reporter, Kevin Tofel, who helps me figure out a few tips for consumers thinking about buying connected devices to build out an internet of things in their homes. Read more »
The Linkase for iPhone 5 boasts up to a 50 percent boost in Wi-Fi signal strength thanks to a small electromagnetic waveguide extension. Does it work? See for yourself in these mobile speedtests where Wi-Fi is usually terrible. Read more »
The UK’s second-largest mobile carrier, O2, has become the latest to sign a deal with Virgin Media in order to give its customers free internet access on the London Underground. Read more »
Here’s a clever idea: Piggyback the installation of connected, smart utility meters with free Wi-Fi service for outdoor use. That’s exactly what the City of Santa Clara is doing. Read more »
Wi-Fi has moved from an at-home convenience to a public service as mobile devices continue to take over. Here’s a look at the new opportunities to connect with consumers, and how businesses can easily screw it all up. Read more »
Can an iPhone case boost Wi-Fi speeds by 50 percent or more? According to Absolute Technology, its Linkase can by using electromagnetic waveguide technology. Read more »
The increase will have been partly down to LTE taking off in 2012, but also due to massive subscription growth in China, other emerging Asian economies and Africa. Read more »
Users of TruPhone’s unique global GSM service will have a new network to use when cellular service is spotty. Yup, it’s Wi-Fi and the TruPhone+ app will smartly use the best connection. Read more »
Certification for WiGig products meant to stream data over short distances at up to 6 Gbps may not happen in 2013 after all, which could delay products well into 2014. Read more »
Looking for the best network nearby? Consider downloading OpenSignal 2 for Android. Using crowdsourced information and a database of Wi-Fi hotspots, it should keep your phone’s connection running fast. Read more »
Delivering and managing the web experience isn’t just about mobile. Companies are also faced with new challenges in the desktop environment, including browser fragmentation, network evolution, and client-side technologies. They must invest in both the desktop environment as well as to create an optimized experience for mobile. Read more »
Too many connected devices downloading, streaming or uploading in the home can choke a home network, and there’s not much average consumers can do about it. But Qualcomm hopes that its new StreamBooost technology will help make the router –and home networks — smarter and better. Read more »
My pick for Android app of the year? AirDroid, which provides wireless management of your Android phone or tablet from any browser on the same Wi-Fi network. You can manage files, videos, music, ringtones and more on any computer, making for a great free companion application. Read more »
Will 2013 see carriers eyeing their Wi-Fi offload strategies with suspicion? As consumers turn more to ubiquitous Wi-Fi networks, will that threaten carrier’s data revenue, and if so, what will carriers do about that? Expect a subtle war to control Wi-Fi in the coming year. Read more »
The year 2013 may bring real disruption to the mobile industry. Upstart carriers are embracing noncellular technologies to provide cut-rate services, third-party developers are gaining traction with cheap (or free) alternatives to SMS, and a major U.S. operator is preparing to drop handset subsidies. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The “mobile first” philosophy is under way today. That means a new generation of mobile-centric data centers will arise over the next three years, with chips, servers, and power architectures customized for mobile workloads. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The efforts to sell Cisco’s Linksys business and Google’s attempts to sell Motorola’s set top business both indicate changes in the market for consumer boxes is changing. Soon we’ll see fewer of them. And maybe we’ll even lose the ISP-provided modems and routers. Read more »
When releasing the software update, Apple didn’t specify the nature of the bug. But a look at the company’s online support forums show a variety of complaints of problems related to accessing some local networks. Read more »
Karma has arrived and its brought its concept of social bandwidth along for the ride. It’s betting consumers will be willing to share their 4G connections with strangers if given the proper incentive so it’s doling out free bandwidth in exchange for benevolence. Read more »
The week started with a nifty wireless NFC experiment but not ever Android phone has NFC. Free software accomplishes the same task of toggling Wi-Fi based on location. The Nexus 7 dock makes an appearance as does Xbox SmartGlass for Google’s 7-inch Nexus tablet. Read more »
I’m not one to waste battery power on my devices, so I often shut radios off when not in use. Smart WiFi Toggler for Android does this automatically when moving in or out of preferred network range. Best of all: It doesn’t use a GPS radio. Read more »
At a time where Research In Motion needs all the momentum it can muster, it may lose a little more. Nokia has asked for sales ban on all BlackBerry devices in the U.S. that use Wi-Fi, which is most of them. Read more »
Update: Sources at Google are denying that the search giant has purchased Wi-Fi hotspot company ICOA, while executives at ICOA are also telling news outlets that a release announcing the deal is false. Read more »
AT&T will invest $14 billion in its networks as it tries to maximize the use of LTE in combination with small cells. By the end of 2014, the carrier expects to blanket 300 million people with this approach, which includes more than 1,000 distributed antenna systems. Read more »
Smartphones are use more for Wi-Fi hotspot connections as we want information from mobile devices on demand, but not by paying more for mobile broadband. Tablets are catching up to laptops in this regard too, making strong cases for hetnets, more hotspots and small cells. Read more »
We love Wi-Fi, but we don’t always understand it. Just because we have a Wi-Fi connection doesn’t mean we’ll get the same awesome experience we get at home or in our offices. Here’s why your airplane or Amtrak Wi-Fi is both pricey and slow. Read more »
The demand for mobile data is increasing at an amazing rate. A challenge of this magnitude needs more resources and, more importantly, radically new ways of acquiring, deploying, managing and optimizing these resources. Qualcomm’s Prakash Sangam looks at what’s needed to keep up. Read more »
Ruckus is following a different path than its arch-rival BelAir Networks. Instead of preening itself for acquisition, it’s filed for an initial public offering. Hoping to raise $100 million, Ruckus will keep plugging away at building expansive outdoor Wi-Fi networks. Read more »
Mobile data will grow 18 times over the next five years. To successfully address the shift from voice-to data-centric usage models, operators need to act on multiple fronts, because no single solution will be sufficient in isolation. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Here’s our daily pick of stories about Apple from around the web that you shouldn’t miss. Today’s installment: fixing a major Verizon iPhone 5 bug, the enormous task of improving Maps, decrease in work hours for Apple suppliers, App Store changes in iOS 6, and more. Read more »
Whether it’s the iPhone 5, the importance of LTE, or BYOD trends disrupting the enterprise, there are always technologies, trends, and companies changing the way we define mobile. Here are some noteworthy segments to watch in the coming months, from location-based shopping to apps to wireless networks. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Who needs a light switch when you have smart bulbs paired with smartphones? LIFX is just that: a Wi-Fi connected LED bulb that you remotely control or even change the color. But will consumers want one-off connected gadgets or centrally-managed smart homes in the future? Read more »
Open Garden, a small San Francisco startup that is helping users create and share their own personal mesh networks for PCs, Macs and Android devices, has raised $2 million from assorted angels. Open Garden is helping promote the idea of social wireless sharing. Read more »
Boingo and Google have been gradually expanding a free Wi-Fi experiment across the country, using a sponsorship model to open up public hotspots to consumers. But today they scaled big, announcing 4000 new hotspots in the program. There’s a catch though: it’s not available to iPhones. Read more »
Owning physical items — cars, apartments, office space — will be increasingly inefficient for a global market. This is driving a greater interest in the share economy. Companies like Zipcar and Airbnb have paved the way here, but a host of startups have surfaced recently, too. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
With a reported 50 percent of all smartphone owners not knowing how much mobile broadband their handsets use each month, data usage tracking tools are becoming valuable utilities. Boingo just added one to its Wi-Finder for iOS app, which can help save you money. Read more »
