wireless

Microsoft today unveiled its new Explorer and Explorer Mini Mouse, both of which employ Blue Track technology, thereby ending the reign of the laser mice. Blue Track technology will allow owners to use their mice on a variety of surfaces that laser mice can't handle. According to Mark DePue, platforms engineering manager at Microsoft and co-inventor of BlueTrack Technology, "Research shows that people aren’t sitting at a desk all day, but they’ve gone mobile. In fact, 72 percent of PCs sold are notebook PCs, and consumers need a mouse that can go with them anywhere." Blue Track is the solution.

The first optical mouse debuted in 1999, rendering the trackball mice obsolete. It was able to perform on a variety of surfaces that trackballs simply couldn't handle. In 2005 the laser mouse replaced the optical mouse and was even more versatile. Now the Blue Track mouse will replace the laser mouse. Microsoft's proprietary tracking technology uses a large, blue beam and specular optics architecture

AT&T today announced that LaptopConnect subscribers can now connect, free of charge, to more than 17,000 Wi-Fi hot spots nationwide. Around 7,000 of these AT&T hot spots are at Starbuck's locations while thousands more are in hotels, airports, restaurants and other locations.

LaptopConnect keeps AT&T customers connected to the Internet wherever they can make a mobile phone call with a $59.99/month DataConnect subscription. With this new Wi-Fi availability qualifying customers will receive a pop-up alerting them that they are in range of one of AT&T's hot spots. Simply

Comcast has just made a move that is causing quite a bit of speculation about their future plans for wireless service. Although there has been no official announcement yet, the cable giant has hired the former CTO of Telefonica O2 Europe, Dave Williams to "explore wireless options." He apparently took the role of Senior Vice President of wireless and technology strategy.

Williams has been in wireless for several years and has held positions at several major companies. Before Telefonica he was VP of strategic planning at Cingular Wireless, a position he rose to in the aftermath of the SBC Wireless-BellSouth Cellular merger. He also helped create the Pacific Bell Mobile network.

His experience in wireless has led to speculation that Comcast is positioning its pieces to move into the wireless market with Verizon and AT&T. Both Verizon and AT&T offer the quad pack of

The much anticipated annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) begins this Monday (Jan. 7th) in Las Vegas, where plenty of new technologies are sure to be unveiled. Wireless HD, though not a new concept, has finally become a reality and will be on display at this year's CES. Several companies will be showing off their versions of wireless HD including the aptly named WirelessHD group, Westinghouse and LG.

WirelessHD, a consortium of companies including Sony, Toshiba and now Intel among others, has announced its completion of a chip that will allow HD signal to be beamed from DVD players, cameras, set-top boxes, etc. to the television set without compressing the signal, which can lessen