February 22 - 11:25pm EST   Two Texas-based US representatives have introduced bills that would require ISPs to store user information for two years. The bills may even require home wi-fi router users to track the same information, according to Macworld. The bills were introduced Thursday, one in the US Senate, by Rep. Senator John Cornyn, and in the House by Representative Lamar Smith. Each bill is called the Internet Safety Act, aimed at preventing child pornography via the Internet. The bills call for stronger penalties for accessing child pornography on the Internet and would require Internet and e-mail service providers to retain all records and related information about anyone using a network ... [full story]

February 2 - 1:10pm EST   San Francisco's Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) service should soon see the addition of permanent mobile Wi-Fi access, according to the technology's provider. WiFi Rail says it has a signed a 20-year deal to provide hotspots throughout BART's terminal network, and particularly on all commuter trains, where the only alternative has so far been cellular access. Routers and switches are being provided by Cisco, while servers are slated to run Mac OS X. [full story]

January 9 - 8:20pm EST   iRiver at CES unveiled its latest multimedia devices including the Wave-Home multimedia device and several portable media players. The Wave-Home interface is displayed on a 7-inch touchscreen that resembles a digital photo frame, but the device also integrates a phone and webcam. A wireless handset fits into the back of the housing for calls made while moving around, or the webcam can be used for video conferencing. Games, weather, news, radio and other widgets are supported. [full story]

December 23 - 10:00am EST   Savoy Software is preparing for the release of Spots for the iPhone and iPod touch. The app allows users to find over 230,000 worldwide hotspots, and does not require an active Internet connection. Spots locates the closest available hotspots, and allows free navigation of a map to find a desired location. Users can also search specifically by name, street or city. [full story]

October 29 - 1:45pm EDT   AT&T has finally resumed its free Wi-Fi service for iPhone owners visiting Starbucks Coffee shops, according to an announcement. American iPhone owners are said to be receiving text messages, informing them of the expansion of hotspot service to include Starbucks; other locations include places such as airports, hotels and restaurants. Gaining access requires picking the "attwifi" network, entering a phone number, and waiting for a text message with a 24-hour link. [full story]

October 24 - 3:55pm EDT   Posimotion has introduced what it claims is the "world's first" mobile Wi-Fi network hub designed for gamers. About the size of a wallet, the G-Fi VS supports ad-hoc 802.11b/g connectivity between devices within a 100-foot range. The device allows gamers, including iPhone and iPod Touch users, to set up impromptu networks for multiplayer games or to share files and digital media. [full story]

August 11 - 7:00pm EDT   Global IP Solutions (GIPS) announced today it will enable Voice over IP for Apple's iPhone. GIPS VoiceEngine Mobile will allow developers to integrate a quality real-time voice experience into future iPhone programming. This technology can now be used for games, social networking tools, or other applications. VoiceEngine converts the user's voice into packets that can be transmitted via Wi-Fi. [full story]

August 5 - 4:05pm EDT   Delta Air Lines announced on Tuesday it will offer broadband Wi-Fi access on all domestic flights in 2009, equipping over 330 airplanes with the ability to access the Aircell-created Gogo network. The service will allow data transfer speeds of more than 12Mbps, and will be offered in both first and economy classes. It will give Delta the distinction of being the first and only US airline to offer in-flight Wi-Fi on all domestic flights. [full story]

July 29 - 6:30pm EDT   SyntheFX has released a handy iPhone app for A/V and theater professionals. Luminair 1.0 allows remote control of intelligent DMX512-A lighting systems via the iPhone. DMX is a widely-used standard for digital control of stage lighting, special effects and fog machines. Luminair uses Artistic Licence's Art-Net protocol through a Wi-Fi connection to interface with DMX devices. The app includes an on-screen "mixer," channel layout interface and data analyzer. [full story]

July 18 - 10:40am EDT   (Updated with AT&T denial) AT&T has, after some delay, officially reintroduced a free Wi-Fi plan for iPhone owners. The carrier has changed its policy on the service several times, announcing it and then retracting it; the company now confirms, though, that people should be able to access free Wi-Fi from an iPhone at over 17,000 hotspots, among them more than 8,000 restaurants, many of which should be Starbucks Coffee locations. [full story]

July 16 - 4:25pm EDT   Aircell, which will offer Wi-Fi access on airplanes while in flight via its Gogo service, today announced it would base its second generation of the service on the 4G Long Term Evolution data network. When the service goes live later on this year, it will use CDMA EVDO Rev A for data transfer during flights, topping out at more than 12 Mbps. By the end of 2009, Aircell plans to up that number to 22.7 Mbps with advances in its current technology. When the company incorporates the 4G LTE network in 2011, throughput speeds will jump to 300 Mbps, Aircell promises. [full story]

July 11 - 9:35am EDT   Two VOIP companies -- TruPhone and Packet 8 -- have announced support for the iPhone, allowing users to make calls through Wi-Fi hotspots. Truphone says its VOIP application acts just like the regular iPhone dialer, except that calls are made through the internet at what it claims are "incredible low rates." Calls to landlines in 40 countries cost 6 cents per minute; 30 cents for calls to other mobile phones. The dialer is free at the AppStore. [full story]

July 8 - 8:20pm EDT   Zilog says it has created the ultimate remote control -- allowing the iPhone, Blackberry Curve and other Wi-FI devices to control everything from stereos to water heaters. The company says Crimson Connects provides the “first compehensive digital home control and monitoring solution in the marketplace.” Zilog has says it has completed application interfaces for the iPhone and BlackBerry Curve, and is working on support for other mobile devices. [full story]

July 8 - 1:35am EDT   Boingo on Tuesday launched a Mac version of its GoBoingo! client software that provides access Boingo Wi-Fi at more than 100,000 hotspots worldwide. The company says the "lightweight" GoBoingo! client software simplifies the process of logging in to public Wi-Fi hotspots by memorizing multiple usernames and passwords, and paying different Wi-Fi providers at each stop during a trip. In addition, Boingo offers monthly plans for both North American and international usage, as well as a “pay as you go” option. GoBoingo! for Mac, designed for Mac OS X 10.4 or later (as well as Vista, XP and Windows 2000) automatically determines whether a hotspot belongs to a Boingo roaming ... [full story]

July 3 - 12:45am EDT   Just days after announcing Mac OS X-specific support, Linksys has announced its WRT610N Wi-Fi router, which offers wireless connectivity for 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n devices on two separate spectrum bands simultaneously -- effectively doubling available wireless bandwidth. Designed so all types of wireless devices can achieve maximum bandwidth, the "Simultaneous Dual-N Band Wireless Router" is packaged in Linksys' new, low-profile glossy black housing and offers Draft N performance on both the 5GHz and 2.4GHz spectrums. Users can connect high-bandwidth 802.11n devices (such as video hubs, media extenders, etc.) to the higher-performance, 20-channel 5GHz band, ... [full story]