Today, the Wi-Fi Alliance announced a new protocol that is sure to further embed the groups namesake technology in your life called Wi-Fi Direct. The new technology will allow devices to use the Wi-Fi protocol to make device-to-device connections (similar to Bluetooth) with the range and throughput of the 802.11 specification. As the press release reads: “Wi-Fi Direct-certified devices can connect with older Wi-Fi CERTIFIED devices, enabling a vast range of devices already in use to connect with products implementing Wi-Fi Direct from the certification program’s inception. [...] Wi-Fi Direct-certified devices can support Wi-Fi CERTIFIED n technology as well as older forms of Wi-Fi.” The implications of Wi-Fi Direct in both the mobile and non-mobile spaces are pretty exciting. Hit the jump to check out the full press release.

Wi-Fi® Gets Personal: Groundbreaking Wi-Fi Direct™ Launches Today

Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Wi-Fi Direct devices make connections that don’t require a traditional network

AUSTIN, TX, Oct. 25 /PRNewswire/ — Wi-Fi has made an important leap in connecting devices anywhere, anytime – with or without a traditional network available. The Wi-Fi Alliance® today announced that it has begun certifying products capable of making device-to-device connections, designating those products Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Wi-Fi Direct.

With portable content like photos, videos and music taking center stage in the digital consumer experience, Wi-Fi Direct devices meet an important consumer need: directly connecting devices for applications such as content sharing, synching, printing, and gaming anywhere with ease. Current trends demonstrating how people use digital devices highlight the need for this compelling solution:

• Content is portable. In 2010, young Americans carry an average of about 1,100 songs, 50 videos, and 1,200 photos with them on digital devices.(1)
• Wi-Fi connects it all. With 82 million Wi-Fi-enabled portable consumer electronics and 216 million Wi-Fi enabled handsets set to ship this year, and growing at annual rates of 26 percent through 2014, consumers will be able to use Wi-Fi Direct to connect a huge range of digital devices.(2)
• Apps are at the forefront. New applications for portable devices emerge every day, offering compelling new ways to use connected devices. Adoption of apps on portable devices is growing at a 50 percent annual rate.(3)
• Technology is social. In the United States, 64 percent of young people report that Wi-Fi connectivity helps them maintain relationships with their friends. Moreover, young Americans also report they often gather around devices for entertainment, with about 90 percent of people reporting they have gathered around a portable device to look at pictures, videos, or video games.(4)

“We designed Wi-Fi Direct to unleash a wide variety of applications which require device connections, but do not need the Internet or even a traditional network,” said Edgar Figueroa, CEO of the Wi-Fi Alliance. “Wi-Fi Direct empowers users to connect devices – when, where and how they want to, and our certification program delivers products that work well together, regardless of the brand.”

Wi-Fi Direct-certified devices can connect with older Wi-Fi CERTIFIED devices, enabling a vast range of devices already in use to connect with products implementing Wi-Fi Direct from the certification program’s inception. Wi-Fi Direct devices include a push-button set up mechanism, employ the latest WPA2™ security protections, and bring typical Wi-Fi throughput and range. Wi-Fi Direct-certified devices can support Wi-Fi CERTIFIED n technology as well as older forms of Wi-Fi.

“Wi-Fi Direct is a game-changing advance for Wi-Fi technology,” said Victoria Fodale, Senior Analyst at ABI Research. “As people continue to increase the number of devices and the amount of content they carry, Wi-Fi Direct extends an already-compelling technology into an even more useful, convenient solution for all the things people want to do with their devices.”

The first products to be designated Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Wi-Fi Direct, and which form the test suite for the certification program are:

• Atheros XSPAN® Dual-band 802.11n PCIe Mini Card (AR928x)
• Broadcom BCM43224 Dual-Band 802.11n 2×2 MIMO PCIe Half Mini Card
• Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6200
• Ralink MIMObility 802.11n 2×2 PCIe Half Mini Card
• Realtek RTL8192CE-VA4 HM92C00 PCIe mini card

In addition, the Cisco 2106 Wireless LAN Controller and Cisco Aironet 1240 Series Access Points are used in the certification test suite.

More information, including information for consumers and retailers, a list of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Wi-Fi Direct products, the technical specification, white papers, and more, is available at www.wi-fi.org/Wi-Fi_Direct.php.

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In a press release today, JetBlue and ViaSat announced a partnership that will bring inflight broadband to JetBlue’s fleet of airplanes. As the press release reads:

ViaSat and JetBlue have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the provision of in-flight broadband access and other services for customers on JetBlue’s fleet of more than 160 aircraft using ViaSat advanced Ka-band satellites.  Under the arrangement, ViaSat will provide Ka-band antenna components and SurfBeam®2 modems for installation on the airline’s EMBRAER E190 and Airbus A320 aircraft types along with two-way transmission bandwidth services using the WildBlue-1 and high-capacity ViaSat-1 satellites. JetBlue subsidiary, LiveTV LLC, will manage the integration of the ViaSat broadband and related components onboard the aircraft as well as providing the Wi-Fi enabled services into the overall cabin experience.

Live TV, combined with the Internet at 32,000 feet will definitely help improve the “overall cabin experience.” The deal isn’t set in stone however: “JetBlue and ViaSat have completed the non-binding MOU with the intent of signing a definitive agreement before the end of this calendar year.” Hopefully, the two companies can ink something more permanent soon and add Wi-Fi to the list of JetBlue inflight amenities.

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Kind of… Cablevision and Time Warner are spending $10 million to provide WiFi service to over 30 parks in NYC as part of a deal to renew the cable companies’ cable TV franchises. Here is the catch though: internet use over Wi-Fi is free, but it’s limited to up to (3) 10 minute sessions a month, a total of 30 minutes of usage a person. If you want to get your SlingBox on after that, it’s going to cost $0.99/day to access the internet. Not an exorbitant amount of money, but definitely not quite free, either.

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Chatter on the forums suggests that the latest update hitting the DROID X has not fixed the WiFi connectivity problem many users were reporting. Affected DROID X owners report that their handsets have difficulty connecting to a WiFi router and poor network performance once a connection has been established. Several users report that changing the encryption from AES to TKIP has alleviated the problem, while others note that changing your router to 802.11g instead of 802.11n has decreased the number of network disconnects. Anyone with a DROID X currently experiencing this problem?

Thanks, Goreja!

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There is a fairly extensive support thread over at Google — that stretches from January of this year all the way to the present — that details issues some Nexus One owners are having with Wi-Fi connections. The bug reports all read like this: your N1 connects to a wireless network; you put the phone down and the display eventually goes to sleep; while the screen is off the N1 is still technically connected to the wireless router but no data is passing through the device; the device sees itself as having a connection to Wi-Fi so it does not revert to cellular data; no email, Facebook, Twitter, etc. updating/data is flowing in the background. The thread reports that the only way to remedy this issue is to flick Wi-Fi off then on every time you turn the screen on, or to turn Wi-Fi off completely. The thread reports that the glitch happens primarily on AT&T model Nexus Ones and later models of the T-Mobile N1s. The group of affected users have seemingly flushed out the Google suggestion that it is a specific type of router causing the issue, and no specific Android firmware can be pegged as the culprit. We want to hear from you AT&T and T-Mobile Sexy Nexy owners. Are you seeing this issue?

UPDATE: Apparently an update to remedy this issue has been pushed into the AOSP repository, have a look for yourself. Thanks to Howard for passing this along.

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Cisco’s annual networking conference, Cisco Live!, is in full swing and the networking giant is unveiling the initial details on several upcoming video-oriented products. For consumer video camera buffs, Cisco is working on a Wi-Fi-enabled version of its popular Flip Video camera. Details are sparse but senior vice president of emerging technologies, Marthin De Beer, did hint that the portable camera may launch in time for the holidays. Cisco is also developing an enterprise-level video transcoding service, called the Media Experience Engine, that would allow companies to internally distribute video to a variety of platforms on the fly. Last but not least, Cisco is planning to release an iOS 4 video client for the Apple iPhone and is exploring opportunities to integrate its technologies into Apple’s FaceTime video conferencing tool.

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Thanks to a partnership with Bell, Starbucks Canada has announced that it will be joining its American brethren in offering free Wi-Fi to all customers come July 1st. A one-click login system means that passwords and users names are not required. Anyone planning to waste away Canada Day holed up in a Starbucks with an iPad and Frappuccino in hand?

P.S. Are we the only ones that find it odd that Starbucks would take the time to mention that its free Wi-Fi is perfect for people who are unemployed?

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Announced earlier today after months of speculation, Hulu Plus has finally become official. For $9.99 per month, subscribers will be able to watch their favorite shows — including those from seasons past — on a multitude of internet-connected devices. Mobile devices are a go, with iOS devices including the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad, and iPod touch (3rd generation) being the main attraction at this point in time. The best part as far as mobile is concerned is that streaming will work on both Wi-Fi and 3G networks. Several internet-connected HDTVs and Blu-ray players from Samsung already have support for the streaming service, and later on in the year, both Sony and Vizio will introduce support in some of their sets ad Blu-ray players. The PlayStation 3 will support the service “soon”, while the Xbox 360 will play nice come 2011. Hulu Plus will officially launch is July, but if you’re lucky you might just be able snag a preview invite.

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The good folks at Sonos just stopped by our office to give us a preview of their brand new Controller application for the Apple iPad, and boy is it sexy. If you’re a Sonos fan (you know we are) and you have an iPad, this will be a no-brainer when it’s released within the next two months in the App Store for free. For starters, just by taking advantage of the extra screen real estate, the software guys at Sonos have masterfully developed a three column view that just looks incredibly slick and functions even better. We’re talking a completely new spin on the Sonos remote control experience, and we can easily see these things taking over living rooms, kitchen tables, and practically anywhere else music is listened to.

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Last week, the French National Commission on Computing and Liberty announced that Wi-Fi data sniffed and collected by Google Inc.’s Street View cyborg car contained “fragments” of personal information. This week, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Connecticut Attorney General, Richard Blumenthal, “will seek additional information from Google and determine whether laws may have been broken.” The paper goes onto write, “As many as 30 U.S. states could join forces to look into how Google Inc.’s Street View vehicles came to collect Internet user’s personal data from unsecured wireless networks.” Blumenthal, who is a candidate to replace the retiring Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), did not say whether charges would be filed, but rather explained that he wanted a “comprehensive explanation of how this unauthorized data collection happened, why the information was kept if collection was inadvertent, and what action will prevent a recurrence.”Read

Just like their non-digital counterparts, eBook readers may not be the most exciting product in the world, but there’s good news this morning for anyone who loves the smell of newly printed downloaded eBooks. Barnes & Noble, the retailer behind the Nook, has not only dropped the price of the Nook to $199.99, but it also announced a new Wi-Fi only model which retails for $149.99. Apart from a lack of 3G, the only difference between the two models is that the Wi-Fi model has a white back (as opposed to black) and weighs half an ounce less.

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According to their latest tweet, Starbucks will be opening up their Wi-Fi to everyone. No registration and it’s 100% free. Not bad, Seattle, not bad.

We’re very excited to announce that coming July 1st: Free. 1 click. No registration WIFI at all US locations! :-)

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It certainly seems that way. All across the interwebz, proud new EVO owners are saying they’re having a horrible time when it comes to Wi-Fi signal strength. Some users claim to only have 1 bar of signal regardless of their proximity to a router, while others say that you need only be a few feet from a router to have the signal bottom out. It is not clear whether or not the issue is hardware or software related, although it appears that transmission speeds via Wi-Fi are relatively good when in range of a router. We’ve reached out to Sprint for comment, but so far all we’ve been told is that they’ll have their team investigate the matter and get back to us. In the meantime, how has your EVO been fairing in the Wi-Fi department?

Thanks, TJ!

Read [HTC] Read [Android Central]

In a response to a Request for Proposal from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), Cablevision announced today that it has submitted a bid to bring its Optimum Wi-Fi to Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North trains on Long Island as well as in Westchester and Southern Connecticut. Access to the network will be free for Optimum Online customers, while everyone else will be able to make use of the service for “reasonable rates.” Cablevision currently has Optimum Wi-Fi hotspots in some 200 MTA stations, and says it is committed to having the hotspots up and running within 12 months and will build and maintain them on its own dime. Anyone hoping this proposal is accepted, especially in light of today’s unlimited-data-plan-killing announcement from AT&T? Let us know after hitting the jump to check out the press release. You know, if you’re into that sort of thing.

CABLEVISION SUBMITS PROPOSAL TO MTA TO PROVIDE OPTIMUM WIFI ON LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD AND METRO NORTH TRAINS

Company Would Extend The Nation’s Largest And Most Advanced WiFi Network To Entire MTA Rail System Within 12 Months Of Selection

BETHPAGE, NY, June 2, 2010 – Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE: CVC) today submitted a proposal to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to extend the Optimum WiFi network onto Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North trains within 12 months of selection at no cost to the MTA, providing wireless Internet access to travelers while in transit, in addition to the access that is already available on the train platforms and in parking lots at nearly 200 MTA commuter rail stations. The submission was in response to a formal Request For Proposals issued by the MTA. Optimum WiFi is already the nation’s largest and most advanced WiFi network, based on geographic coverage, providing fast and reliable wireless Internet access across Cablevision’s service area through tens of thousands of access points focused on high- traffic and commercial locations, downtown areas, parks and large indoor facilities including Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, Long Island MacArthur Airport and regional shopping centers like the Bergen Town Center.

“Access to the Internet on MTA trains will transform the riding experience, and we believe Cablevision is uniquely positioned to deliver this enhancement through the extension of Optimum WiFi – already the nation’s largest and most advanced WiFi network – onto the rails,” said John Bickham, Cablevision’s president of cable and communications. “As a New York-based company already providing popular WiFi access at nearly 200 MTA commuter rail stations we propose to deploy wireless Internet access across the entire MTA system within 12 months of selection, at no cost to the Transportation Authority or taxpayers.”

Under Cablevision’s proposal, submitted to the MTA today, the company would provide unlimited free access to its Optimum Online high-speed Internet customers and would provide a reasonable access option for non-customers. Cablevision would assume all costs associated with extending its Optimum WiFi network onto the trains and would also create a separate, private and secure, WiFi network exclusively for MTA use.

Cablevision customers today are accessing the Internet over Optimum WiFi more than 3 million times a month, at speeds of up to 3 megabits-per-second downstream and 1.5 Mbps upstream – significantly faster than 3G cellular networks that are increasingly overburdened by the exploding demands for data services by consumers using mobile Internet-enabled devices like the iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry and notebook computers.

One of the key advantages of the Cablevision proposal to the MTA is that it provides for trackside WiFi backhaul – connected to Cablevision’s fiber optic wired network – as opposed to cellular transmission, ensuring network availability and sufficient bandwidth for riders. Trackside WiFi backhaul can support more than triple the number of simultaneous users and data capacity than a cellular-only option, promoting customer satisfaction by delivering a positive experience.

There’s not too much to say about this one. Apple fired off a press release a little earlier stating that since the iPad launch on April 3rd, they have sold over 2,000,000 devices. That’s in only 59 days — pretty amazing. The sales figures include both Wi-Fi and 3G models as well as the recent international launch of the “magical” unit. Full press release is after the break!

CUPERTINO, Calif., May 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple® today announced that iPad™ sales have topped two million in less than 60 days since its launch on April 3. Apple began shipping iPad in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK this past weekend. iPad will be available in nine more countries in July and additional countries later this year.

“Customers around the world are experiencing the magic of iPad, and seem to be loving it as much as we do,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We appreciate their patience, and are working hard to build enough iPads for everyone.”

iPad allows users to connect with their apps, content and the Internet in a more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before. Users can browse the web, read and send email, enjoy and share photos, watch HD videos, listen to music, play games, read ebooks and much more, all using iPad’s revolutionary Multi-Touch™ user interface. iPad is 0.5 inches thin and weighs just 1.5 pounds-thinner and lighter than any laptop or netbook-and delivers up to 10 hours of battery life.*

Developers have created over 5,000 exciting new apps for iPad that take advantage of its Multi-Touch user interface, large screen and high-quality graphics. iPad will run almost all of the more than 200,000 apps on the App Store, including apps already purchased for your iPhone® or iPod touch®.

*Battery life depends on device settings, usage and other factors. Actual results vary.