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All posts tagged "wi-fi"


Monday, October 25, 2010

Wi-Fi Direct Certification Starts Today, The End of Bluetooth?

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "The Competition" @ 11:27 AM

http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/25/...-device-transm/

"So, Bluetooth -- last fall didn't end up being as frightful as you had probably imagined, but this fall is bound to be different. Or so the Wi-Fi Alliance says. If you'll recall, Wi-Fi Direct promised to do what Bluetooth had been doing for years, but with far less fuss and on a protocol that's much more widespread. A solid year has come and gone, and we've heard nary a word from any company who plans on implementing it."

But now comes the day that the certification process for devices begins. Basically, using a device that is Wi-Fi Direct certified doesn't require a network connection, they create their own and allow you to connect to other certified devices such as printers. Speeds for Wi-Fi Direct are upwards of 300Mbps since its based on the 802.11b/g/n channels, along with greater range than what Bluetooth currently offers. So the thought is that this could be the end of Bluetooth, what are your thoughts?


Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Free Content Via Wi-Fi From Starbucks Starts Today

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "The Competition" @ 01:00 AM

http://gizmodo.com/5668191/starbuck.../full+(Gizmodo)

"Starbucks' free wireless service is a boon to the mobile employed and unemployed, or anyone just looking to kill some time. But starting tomorrow, every store in the nation will also offer sippers a nice buffet of free online content."

The content is called "Starbucks Digital Network" and it was designed by Yahoo. You can access it for free at any Starbucks, and it contains various content including video clips, eBook excerpts and song of the week picks. The best part though, is that you get total access (while you are in the Starbucks of course) of normally paid content such as that offered by Wall Street Journal. If you frequent Starbucks, it's worth checking out, you don't have anything to lose except for some time.


Friday, October 15, 2010

Everyone is Selling the iPad!

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad" @ 09:04 AM

http://images.apple.com/v2010100115.../14ipadatt.html

"AT&T* and Apple® today announced that all three iPadTM Wi-Fi + 3G models will be available at more than 2,200 AT&T Stores starting Thursday, October 28. AT&T will offer customers 3G pre-paid data plans for iPad, complete with Apple's easy on-device activation and management. All iPad data plans are available without a term contract and include unlimited access to AT&T's 23,000+ domestic Wi-Fi Hot Spots."

Target is selling the iPad now, while Wal-Mart is set to begin selling the iPad starting October 15th. Sam's Club will also be selling it in the near future, so I guess it was just logical that AT&T get in the mix. But that is not all. Verizon is also set to begin selling the Wi-Fi version of the iPad at the end of October, with an optional bundle that includes the MiFi Hotspot for an extra $130.00 USD. Since you can't use the iPad 3G on the Verizon network, this is a good option (I do the same thing with my Wi-Fi only iPad) and it turns out the price difference is what you would pay for a 3G version of an iPad.


Tuesday, October 12, 2010

FedEx and Kinko's For Your Free Wi-Fi Needs

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "The Competition" @ 03:00 AM

http://www.electronista.com/article...i.fi.at.stores/

"FedEx announced on Wednesday that it is now offering free Wi-Fi access at around 1,000 of its FedEx Office Print & Ship Center locations across the US. The connection is powered by AT&T, and will arrive at its other stores by the end of October. This should bring the total closer to 1,600 locations."

Another option for you folks, in case you have to have access while making copies, or Starbucks has kicked you out of their place.

Tags: wi-fi, free, at&t, fedex

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Chicago Set Up for AT&T Wi-Fi Hotspot

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad" @ 07:22 PM

http://www.electronista.com/article....wi.fi.hotspot/

"AT&T has launched its promised Wi-Fi hotspot in Chicago much earlier than expected. The access covers Wrigleyville, the neighboring restaurants and shops surrounding Wrigley Field. Streets and outdoor areas to the immediate south, east and west sides of the stadium have the Wi-Fi coverage."

They have also set up similar Wi-Fi areas in Times Square in New York City and downtown Charlotte, NC. Anything to help the 3G right?


Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Wi-Fi Locator Now a Part of AT&T's App

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple Software (iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad)" @ 09:00 AM

http://appadvice.com/appnn/2010/07/...otspot-locator/

"The free AT&T account management app for the iPhone, myWireless Mobile, got a few new features yesterday, with the most significant being the new AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot locator under the More section."

This will help if you are really trying to watch your data usage, I'm glad they made it a part of the app [link]. Especially handy since any iPhone data plan includes the free usage of AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots. Oh, and it's iOS 4 compatible.


Wednesday, July 14, 2010

FaceTime In-Flight

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple Software (iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad)" @ 12:00 PM

http://9to5mac.com/inflight_facetim...t=Google+Reader

"This video shows you that Apple's FaceTime video chat works over in-flight Wi-Fi -- a huge deal to business travellers, we suspect."

The quality isn't all that bad, but I wonder if more and more start using this if the airlines start restricting it due to bandwidth usage? I'm not all that familiar with in-flight internet access since I hardly ever fly but I'm curious about it, does anyone out there use it and if so, what do you think the odds are about restrictions in the future if this becomes widely used?


Thursday, July 1, 2010

Starbucks Starts Free Wi-Fi Today in US and Canada

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "The Competition" @ 07:30 AM

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/01/...ss-in-us-and-c/

"Mmm... nothing like the smell of a warm caramel macchiato in the morning being masked by the smell of fresh greenbacks being burned, right?"

Nothing better than free Wi-Fi with your coffee, unless it's one of those blueberry muffins. Anyway, two clicks and you get free Wi-Fi at any Starbucks in the USA or Canada starting today. Good luck finding a seat now!


Monday, June 21, 2010

FaceTime Won't Use Up Carrier Minutes, At Least for Now

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple Software (iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad)" @ 12:00 PM

http://www.businessinsider.com/appl...-minutes-2010-6

"Good news: Apple's new FaceTime video calls won't use up your allotment of carrier minutes, even if they're initiated from within a voice call, an Apple rep tells us."

I wouldn't have thought so, but the way AT&T is doing things these days, you never can tell. Once the voice call goes into FaceTime, it switches to Wi-Fi, thus no minutes come off your plan. The question is when FaceTime is allowed to work off of 3G, what happens then? My gut instinct is that the minutes would come off your plan since you are using AT&T to keep it going versus the Wi-Fi. Or would it come off of your data plan? I guess we will cross that bridge when we come to it, hopefully you are given the choice between Wi-Fi and 3G if you want to switch to FaceTime.


Monday, June 14, 2010

Free Wi-Fi at Starbucks, Starting July 1st

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "The Competition" @ 06:00 PM

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way...i-at-all-stores

"There's big Starbucks news today that may help customers more easily swallow those venti lattes which can cost more than $5 in some places - the chain is going to offer unlimited free Wi-Fi at all its U.S. locations starting July 1."

They are calling it the Starbucks Digital Network, and instead of having to purchase something tied to your Starbucks registration to get a few hours of wi-fi, starting on July 1st you will get unlimited free wi-fi access. Starbucks is teaming up with Yahoo! to create the portal, and they will offer access to various content providers including, among others, Apple iTunes, The New York Times, Patch, USA TODAY, The Wall Street Journal, Yahoo! and ZAGAT.


Thursday, May 13, 2010

International Wi-Fi iPad Pre-Orders Pushed Back to June 7th

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad" @ 01:00 PM

http://www.tuaw.com/2010/05/12/new-...ll-ship-june-7/

"That was fast. Apple has updated international websites to note that iPad pre-orders accepted from today on out will ship by June 7th. If you've already placed an order, you can still expect to receive your shiny new device on May 28th."

This week they started accepting pre-orders, initially with a ship date of May 28th, but now it appears that has been moved back about a week. This goes hand in hand with the news about shortages in the US, which have led to orders with ship dates 7 to 10 days out. I wonder if they will reach the $1 billion dollars in revenue that is predicted if these shortages aren't corrected?


Tuesday, May 4, 2010

My Month With The iPad

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad" @ 06:00 AM

Product Category: Tablet Computer
Manufacturer: Apple
Where to Buy: Apple, Amazon.com, Best Buy
Price: Wi-Fi Version 16GB $499.00 USD, 32GB $599.00 USD, 64GB $699.00 USD; 3G Version 16GB $629.00 USD, 32GB $729.00 USD, 64GB 829.00 USD
Specifications: Apple Technical Specifications

Pros:

  • Truly portable computing for browsing and media;
  • Compatible with major eBook apps as well as ePub standard;
  • Magazines in all their full color glory;
  • Yes you can use it for work, however there are limits;
  • Nice start to the accessories list.

Cons:

  • No Flash but that may not be a con later;
  • Not all sites are optimized for video;
  • Backlighting may not be optimum for book reading for some;
  • No print option without third-party solutions.

Summary: With the introduction of the 3G version this last Friday, those that have waited to purchase one may have joined the iPad owners club over the weekend. So in light of that even, and the fact it's been one month since I purchased the Wi-Fi version, I thought it was appropriate to give you a run down of what I think about the iPad. The nuts and bolts, or technical side of the iPad has been covered extensively (if you are interested, click on the link above under "specifications" and you will learn all you need to know about the inner workings of the iPad), so this review is more from a user point of view. Its is about my experiences in using the iPad over the last few weeks and what I think of it. I'm also assuming in this that you are familiar with the intuitive way of the iPhone and how it operates, as the iPad is very similar in function. So, lets get to the iPad! Read more...


Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Eye-Fi GeoX2 Announced, Geared for iPhoto and MobileMe

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "The Competition" @ 10:00 AM

http://www.cultofmac.com/eye-fi-ann...t=Google+Reader

"Eye-Fi, pretty much the only company in town doing interesting things with SD cards, have just announced their newest card: the Apple-exclusive Eye-Fi GeoX2."

Just like the other cards in the line, this one will let you upload images via Wi-Fi, but the twist with this card is that it will directly interface with iPhoto and MobileMe, as well as Picasa, Facebook and several other online services. You also get the Endless Mode and geo-tagging features, and this card should be available in May of this year, retail price listed at $69.99 USD for the 4GB version.


Thursday, April 22, 2010

Stuck in the Airport? Have Some Free Skype

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "The Competition" @ 09:00 AM

http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2010/04...e-airport-pain/

"Airports are wonderful places, aren't they? Everyone is friendly, the seats are comfortable, the prices reasonable, and the food delicious. I love hanging around airports. I relish the time between connecting flights, and I have been known to pack my bags and drive to the nearest international airport just to hang out and pretend I'm waiting for a flight."

Obviously he is delusional, but if you find yourself stuck in the airport over the next two days, Skype wants to make it a little easier on you by offering free service at any of sites, which number over 100,000. This ends at 23:59GMT on Friday April 23rd, 2010. If you are stuck, check it out at Skype.


Monday, April 19, 2010

Here is One iPad Wi-Fi Solution

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad" @ 07:00 AM

http://www.businessinsider.com/appl...+Alley+Insider)

"A reader updates us on the on-going does-the-iPad-properly-connect-to-WiFi saga."

What the reader did was to change the Airport Extreme's admin password. All other Mac devices worked on it but the iPad wasn't connecting even though it recognized the network. Once they changed the password, it worked fine. 


Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Possible Solutions to iPad Wi-Fi Problems

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad" @ 10:30 AM

http://www.cultofmac.com/how-to-fix...w+(Cult+of+Mac)

"Having some problems with your iPad's WiFi connection? Apple's aware of the problem, and has some ideas on how to fix them. According to Apple, the iPad might not automatically rejoin known WiFi networks using third-party routers that are dual-band capable (802.11 b/g and 802.11 n) when each band's network uses the same name or use different security settings."

Image Credit: www.psdgraphics.com

Of course the first step to the solution with any problem is to admit you have a problem, which Apple has done fairly quickly by posting this support article. An Apple employee has also posted an FAQ on the wireless problem with possible fixes at the discussion forums on Apple. I haven't experienced this yet but I know some of you have, so here are some resources to hopefully help you. 


Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Boingo Wi-Fi

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple Software (iPhone/iPod Touch)" @ 08:00 AM

http://mashable.com/2010/03/29/boin...able+(Mashable)

"There's a new iPhone, iPod touch and iPad app in the Apple App Store that you can use to buy access to Boingo Wi-Fi hotspots: Boingo Wi-Fi Credits."

I could find some use for this if I was traveling, and you get one hour credit when you download the free app. Extra hours are just $1.99 USD, unless you buy 10 at a time in which case you get one free, decreasing the per hour cost. This company, Boingo, has hotspots all over the world according to the app info, mainly in the airports. They also offer laptop plans as well as a variety of other combination plans. 


Monday, April 5, 2010

Wi-Fi Problems on the iPad?

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad" @ 09:00 AM

http://www.businessinsider.com/ipad...+Alley+Insider)

"Mike Arrington at TechCrunch has picked up on one potentially serious flaw with the iPad. Some users are having real trouble picking up WiFi signals and/or are getting worse reception with the iPad than with comparable devices."

The TechCrunch article is here, and it lists several users as having some problems connecting. Apple also has a discussion thread about the same problems. I've been lucky I guess, or just haven't used mine enough to discover I have a problem, but its working flawlessly on Wi-Fi.

Tags: hardware, wi-fi, ipad

Friday, March 5, 2010

Time to Line Up, iPad Goes on Sale April 3rd!

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Other Apple Hardware" @ 01:15 PM

http://www.macworld.com/article/146...l_mwnws_h_crawl

"The wait for the iPad is, er, well, it's just beginning I suppose. On Friday, Apple announced that the new device would go on sale on Saturday, April 3 in the U.S. Customers who want to pre-order can put in their claim on March 12-just a week away, so get your clicking fingers ready."

Again, this is only the Wi-Fi version so I expect you will have to wait until late April for the 3G versions to roll out. Countries outside the U.S., specifically Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, and the U.K. per Apple, will have to wait until the end of April for either one. On March 12th you can pre-order either version from the Apple online store. Here is the press release if you are interested. Better start saving now!


Friday, October 23, 2009

Free In-Flight Wi-Fi From Google and Virgin America

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple Laptops" @ 11:00 AM

http://www.macworld.com/article/143...ss_products_mac

"Virgin America and Google are teaming up to make holiday traveling more bearable. The search giant is subsidizing in-flight Wi-Fi service on the airline for the holiday season, from November 10 through January 15."

The normal price for the in-flight internet is $5.95 to $12.95 USD per laptop, or 5.95 to $7.95 USD for handheld devices, cost depending on the length of the flight. So if you fly during this period, and you may want to fly Virgin because of some of the great deals, you get free Wi-Fi courtesy of Google and Virgin America. You can get more info on the offer from Google, or more info on the in-flight Wi-Fi by visiting the Virgin America site. 


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