Hasta La Gadget!

Here’s one way to fix the spectrum crunch: set up wireless base stations and WiFi hotspots in every single one of the 9,000 buildings currently owned and operated by the US General Services Administration. That idea, along with the proposal that such installations be made mandatory in all future federal structures, was put before the US Senate this Friday. It’s argued that installing femtocells at those locations would improve reception indoors, lighten network loads in busy areas, and expand accessibility for more rural locales. Ubiquitous WiFi routers, on the other hand, hardly require any justification beyond “common sense,” but you should be aware that the Federal Wi-Net bill also asks for a $15 million budget for the performance of retrofitting and future installs. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Federal Wi-Net bill proposes a femtocell and WiFi hotspot in every federal building

Federal Wi-Net bill proposes a femtocell and WiFi hotspot in every federal building originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 01:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There’s just no two ways about it: what Lufthansa has managed to accomplish here is nothing short of incredible. While avid jetsetters have been enjoying in-flight WiFi on (select) domestic routes for a few years now, the in-flight fun has been coming to an abrupt halt when boarding a flight requiring a passport. The dream of long-haul in-flight internet has felt like a distant one, but it seems that the future is indeed happening today. The carrier’s FlyNet service has been relaunched this week, and with assistance from Panasonic and the 802.11n gods that be, it’s now offering broadband internet access on intercontinental routes. At first, the service will be limited to select North Atlantic routes, but access should be available on “nearly the entire Lufthansa intercontinental network by the end of 2011.”

No specific performance figures are being released, but the company does call it “extremely fast” and quick enough to open large attachments “without delay.” Better still, the airline will be enabling cellphone data access (GSM and GPRS) in the spring of next year, giving highfalutin’ bigwigs the ability to send and receive the most expensive text messages of their life. Deutsche Telekom will be providing the actual internet service, with pricing set as such: €10.95 (or 3,500 miles) for one hour or €19.95 (or 7,000 miles) for a 24-hour pass that also allows patrons to access the web on “on all Lufthansa connecting flights equipped with a hotspot during the period of validity as well as after the flight in Lufthansa lounges.” Oh, and did we mention that it’s totally free through January 31st, 2011? It is.

Update: We’re seeing expected uplink rates of 1Mbps, with download rates reaching 5Mbps. Not bad for being over an ocean.

Continue reading Lufthansa launches in-flight WiFi on intercontinental flights, ushers in ‘the future’

Lufthansa launches in-flight WiFi on intercontinental flights, ushers in ‘the future’ originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Dec 2010 15:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A school bus-sized satellite—the world’s most capable—is for sale, as its corporate owner goes under. But rather than let it slowly die, a non-profit is raising money to repurpose it as a free internet provider for the poor. More »

Hey, Adobe’s finally figured out how to make Flash secure — have Google do it! The guys behind your favorite search engine have updated their latest Dev channel release of Chrome to include a new sandboxing facility for Flash Player content. It’ll serve to limit access to sensitive system resources and make Flash’s operation a generally less threatening proposition than it currently is. This also marks the fulfillment of a longstanding promise from Google to give Flash the same treatment it’s afforded to JavaScript and HTML rendering for a while, and should be welcome news to Windows users eager to minimize “the potential attack surface” of their browser. Sorry, Mac fans, you’re out in the unsecured cold for now. Of course, the Dev channel itself is one step less refined than beta software, so even if you’re on Windows it might be advisable to wait it out a little bit.

Chrome sandboxes Flash Player in latest Dev channel release for Windows originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 05:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here we go: Verizon’s LTE network is launching on Dec. 5 in 38 markets and 60 airports—going nationwide by 2013—with two USB sticks from LG and Pantech supplying the superfast goodness. But just how fast is it? More »