December 4, 2005

By Michael Brook



Many of you will already have jumped on the VoIP bandwagon, thanks to obscenely reasonable broadband pricing and top-drawer service from the likes of Skype. The problem at the moment is a lack of quality Wi-Fi handsets to deliver internet telephony minus the wires. The F1000, developed in collaboration with UTStarcom Inc, delivers mobile telephony while in range of an 802.11b network.

December 5, 2005

By Staff

Would Internet users want to pay US$0.05 every time they visit Google.com, Yahoo.com or any other Web site? That's one possibility if the U.S. Congress fails to include strong "network neutrality" rules as it debates a comprehensive telecom reform bill, a group of open Internet advocates said Friday.

A more likely possibility: Broadband providers such as Verizon Communications and Comcast block access to services such as competing VOIP (voice over Internet Protocol) services or video downloads, said panelists at an open Internet forum for congressional staffers in Washington, D.C.

While charging users a fee to visit some Web sites may be an unlikely scenario, large broadband providers could slow down access to Web sites or services with which they have no distribution agreements, said members of consumer groups and two consumer-focused technology companies.

December 4, 2005

By David Ho

The dreaded Internet pop-up ad is a dying breed, but as record numbers of consumers shop online this holiday season, a new arsenal of advertising technology awaits.

From ads that float, sing or dance to video commercials that seem straight from TV, the hot online ad market is evolving quickly as faster Internet connections spread and Web surfing goes more mainstream.

To keep up, advertisers are experimenting, often with mixed results, as they walk a line between attracting eyeballs and annoying the consumers they covet.

"The Web has become a mass medium," said Greg Stuart, president of the Interactive Advertising Bureau industry group. He said that with more than half of U.S. households with Internet access now using high-speed connections, "it opens up the creative palette in a bigger and broader way."

December 1, 2005

By Tom Ham

Vonage F1000 Integrated WiFi Handset

Imagine making phone calls when others can’t.

So you’re at the airport. Your cell phone is getting horrible reception and calls are being dropped. What do you do? If you had the Vonage F1000 Integrated WiFi Handset, all you need to go is get to an access point (which are nearly everywhere nowadays) and make your calls, Vonage, the world’s leading voice-over IP provider; brings users a single-line VoIP phone that looks and functions like your regular cell phone.

Dan Tynan States His Craving For All Things Wireless With Some Nifty Wi-Fi Gadgets

December 1, 2005

By Staff

I admit it. I’m addicted to the Internet. If I go for more than a few hours without checking my e-mail I break out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, thanks to WiFi networking, I rarely have to go cold turkey.

WiFi (or “wireless fidelity”) networks use radio signals to make high-speed Internet access available to anyone with the right gear. Public WiFi networks (“hotspots”) are becoming common features in airports, hotels, coffee shops, bookstores, and burger joints, among other locales. Already standard in some new laptops and handheld computers, WiFi is now finding its way into devices like digital phones and cameras.