Mobile & Wireless

Cnet has been pumping money into the Mozilla Foundation since last year; in return, the open source organization has been working on "Minimo," a mobile phone version of its Web browser, presumably for use on Nokia phones.

Japan's Personal Media Corp. demonstrated at CommunicAsia a functional computer called the Teacube, measuring 2 inches (5 centimeters) on each side, to show the potential of the T-Engine platform for embedded systems.

Nokia Corp. has said it is rejoining the WiMax Forum just a month after the company purposely allowed its membership in the organization to lapse.

Enterprise wireless LANs are about to crash in price, according to an analyst's report. Hardest hit will be the traditional stand-alone access points from vendors like Proxim Corp., and security gateways or "appliances," such as those from Vernier Networks Inc. or Bluesocket Inc.

Radio frequency identification (RFID) standards group EPCglobal Inc. said Monday that it has finalized its first global standards, promising to help speed companies' adoption of RFID technologies to improve supply chain operations.

Most people worried about wireless security are concerned that hackers could steal their data or damage their systems. But many wireless hackers aren't interested in your network for the data you own - they just want to piggyback on your Internet connection in order to wreak havoc elsewhere without incriminating themselves.

A report last week about a security hole in a wireless broadband router made by Cisco's Linksys division overstated the severity of the vulnerability, according to the man who first warned of the problem.

Many small businesses want 802.1X wireless security, but don't have the internal resources to implement it. Interlink Networks, a company that generally makes products for large enterprises, has come out with an offering to fill that hole.

Wayport, which recently won a bid to put its Wi-Fi World WLAN hotspots into McDonald's restaurants around the country, is moving to capitalize on its new network. SBC and Wayport have struck a deal through which SBC customers can buy unlimited access to Wi-Fi World hotspots at a discount.

Not all WLANs are meant for a single building: some span college campuses or compact downtown business districts. Tropos has just released a new version of its offering aimed at just that market. The new product will cover more space with less equipment than the previous version.

Most people's mobile phone numbers aren't listed in any public directory - but the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA) is developing a mobile phone book that may change all that. One tech observer is concerned that part of our privacy is about to vanish - and no one seems to realize it yet.

The WLAN market keeps humming along: Newbury Networks