Apple may be looking to incorporate support for 802.11ac Wi-Fi specification into the company’s products this year, according to a report from AppleInsider. The new standard offers three times the speed of the 802.11n standard, capable of achieving speeds of over 1 Gigabit per second. The Cupertino-based company is expected to “rapidly deploy support” of the new standard into AirPort base stations, Time Capsules, the Apple TV, notebooks and possibly mobile devices, according to the report. Even though the official standard has yet to be finalized, multiple suppliers have already announced chipsets supporting it — one of those is key Apple component maker Broadcom, which announced chips supporting the standard earlier this month at the Consumer Electronics Show. In addition to faster speeds, 802.11ac promises better networking range, improved reliability and more power efficient chips due to advances in reducing chip size and enhanced power management.

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Flying home for the holidays and navigating through crowded airports — or facing flight delays, as is often the case — may be a hair less dreadful this year. Skype announced recently that it is sponsoring free Wi-Fi in more than 60 U.S. airports from December 21st until December 27th. To activate the service, simply follow these directions:

1. Sign in to Skype.
2. Go to Tools > Options… > Skype WiFi Access.
3. Tick Enable Skype WiFi Access.
4. Connect to a WiFi public hotspot.
5. In the Skype menu bar, click Tools > Skype WiFi Access.
6. Follow the instructions on the screen to select and join a compatible public WiFi network.

Skype’s full press release, which includes a list of every airport where free Wi-Fi will be available, follows after the break.

Make Meaningful Connections on the Go this Holiday Season with Skype

Skype Offers free WiFi to Travelers in over 60 U.S. Airports December 21st thru December 27th

PALO ALTO, CA – DECEMBER 19, 2011 - Skype encourages people everywhere to stay in touch with friends and family near and far, even while on the go. To make this easier, Skype is offering free WiFi in select airports across the U.S. from December 21st thru December 27th to help travelers stay connected even while they are on the road.

“The holidays are all about connecting with those that you love” says Linda Summers, Skype Marketing. “Skype is helping people maintain these meaningful connections this holiday season from wherever they may be. A voice or video call via Skype when you can’t be together for the holidays is the next best thing to being there.”

Travelers passing through or delayed in over 60 airports across the country will be able to log-on to Skype Wi-Fi and connect with a loved one via a video or voice call for free. Skype WiFi is available to travelers on PCs, Macs and iPhones.

Skype WiFi is a great way for people to browse the internet at over one million public WiFi hotspots around the world. You can use Skype Credit as payment so there is no need to buy a day-pass from another service provider. If you’ve downloaded Skype on your computer or iOS device Skype WiFi is easy to use:

1. Sign in to Skype.
2. Go to Tools > Options… > Skype WiFi Access.
3. Tick Enable Skype WiFi Access.
4. Connect to a WiFi public hotspot.
5. In the Skype menu bar, click Tools > Skype WiFi Access.
6. Follow the instructions on the screen to select and join a compatible public WiFi network.

From December 21st thru December 27th free Skype WiFi will be available in the following airports:
ALB - Albany International Airport
ASE - Aspen-Pitkin County Airport
ATL - Atlanta International Airport
AUS - Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
AZO - Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport
BIL - Billings Logan International Airport
BHM - Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport
BNA - Nashville International Airport
BOS - Boston International Airport
BUF - Buffalo Niagara International Airport
BUR - Bob Hope Airport Burbank
BWI - Baltimore/Washington International Airport
CWA - Central Wisconsin Airport
DEN - Denver Int’l Airport – Concourse B Mezzanine
DRO - Durango La Plata County Airport
DSM - Des Moines International Airport
DTW - Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
ELP - El Paso International Airport
EWR - Newark Liberty International Airport
GEG - Spokane Airport
GRR - Gerald R. Ford International Airport
GSO - Piedmont Triad International Airport
HOU - Houston William P Hobby Airport
IAH - George Bush Intercontinental/Houston Airport
IND - Indianapolis International Airport
JAC - Jackson Hole Airport
JFK - John F. Kennedy International Airport
JNU - Juneau International Airport
LGA - LaGuardia International Airport – Central Terminal
MBS - MBS International Airport Terminal 1
MDW - Chicago Midway Airport
MEM - Memphis International Airport
MIA - Miami International Airport
MKE - General Mitchell International Airport (Milwaukee)
MRY - Monterey Peninsula Airport
MSP - Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport – Lindbergh Terminal
OKC - Oklahoma City Will Rogers World Airport
OMA - Eppley Airfield Omaha Int’l Airport
ORD - Chicago O’Hare International Airport
ORF - Norfolk International Airport
PHF - Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport
PVD - T F Green International Airport
PWM - Portland International Airport
SBN - South Bend Regional Airport
SCF - Scottsdale Airport
SDF - Louisville International Airport
SFO - San Francisco International Airport
SMF - Sacramento International Airport
STL - Lambert St. Louis International Airport
SWF - Stewart International Airport
TOL - Toledo Express Airport
TVC - Traverse City/Cherry Capital Airport

It looks as though software developer James Laird has opened Pandora’s box for Apple’s AirPlay music streaming system. Frustrated by the fact that an AirPort Express emulator did not exist, Laird began to look for a solution that would allow him to stream iTunes music without the use of AirPlay. “I was disappointed to find that Apple used a public-key crypto scheme, and there’s a private key hiding inside the ApEx [Airport Extreme],” wrote Laird. “So I took it apart (I still have scars from opening the glued case!), dumped the ROM, and reverse engineered the keys out of it.” Laird has published the private key in an open source software project dubbed ShairPort (clever). The software, which is built in Perl and C, will allow users to stream iTunes content to hardware and software designed to talk to ShairPort. Apple has opened up its AirPlay system to third-parties in recent months, but this blows the doors wide open for all those looking to circumvent that red tape-filled process.

[Via MacRumors]

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Some of you may be familiar with the mobile accessory company Powermat. The New York City based accessory manufacturer creates a line of cell phone battery covers and battery packs that aim to simplify and add greater convenience to your mobile life. We stopped by the company’s booth at Mobile World Congress and got a glimpse at where the company is now, where they hope to be, and what’s next. Spoiler: if Powermat has its way, you’ll be seeing and hearing a lot more about them in the future.

Powermat first came to market around 16 months ago with an innovative, but bulky, line of cases for the iPhone, the iPod touch, the Nintendo DS, and a handful of BlackBerrys. With the case attached to your mobile device, you can place the handset on Powermat’s power mat charging-base and enjoy a cordless charge. Pick up the device, it stops charging. Put it down, it starts charging again. Fast forward to today: the cases have slimmed down, the mat has been sexified, new mobile power accessories have been announced,  and the company is looking to expand its position in the smartphone market place and take its proprietary technology beyond the mat. Hit the jump to read about how Powermat wants to keep you powered on, sans cord.

The technology used in the Powermat’s charging systems is magnetic induction, which, since it doesn’t generate much heat, lends itself to a host of other uses. Where might you see Powermat down the road? In the airport, car, and kitchen for starters. The company has already inked a deal with Arconas — maker of airport seating — to include Powermat charging surfaces in a new line of seats. The seats will be rolling out in 150 airports worldwide and will also feature — for those of you who are currently inductively challenged — standard AC outlets. The company has also forged a partnership with U.S. based car manufacturer General Motors. The center console of the electric Chevy Volt will be Powermat capable (death to car chargers!) and GM has plans to expand the feature to additional model families.

The kitchen piece is really interesting. When we asked Scott Eisenstein, VP of Communications for Powermat, why his company was trying to maneuver its way into our kitchens the response sort of shocked us. “We’re woking with Haier to create Powermat enabled appliances. Picture taking your blender out of the cabinet, putting it down on the counter, and it just works… anywhere. You don’t need to be near an outlet.” The company has said it can make any typical counter surface (aside from metal) a giant Powermat. The company can do this from under the surface — even through granite — without making any cuts, slices, or holes in your kitchen-top.  “Since it’s magnetic induction, the appliances are extremely water tolerant, making them safer,” continued Eisenstein. “We could even get to the point where a Powermat-enabled electric appliance is dishwasher safe.” It’s definitely a new and interesting direction for the company.

Beth Harrison Meyer, the company’s VP of Global Marketing, told us that PM is currently working with smartphone OEMs and we should see a device shipping from factories, Powermat ready, before the close of 2012. Meyer also noted that PM is working with notebook OEMs to get the technology integrated into laptop batteries for drop and go charging — again, direct from the factory.

Powermat has some really cool, and really functional charging technology; we definitely got way more than we bargained for after wandering into the Powermat booth. The company has over three million Powermat systems in-market and is growing globally. What do you think? Do you see wireless charging in your future?

There you have it folks — done and done. The Apple Store is back up, new gear is live and credit card portals are wide open. Keeping things nice and simple, Apple has taken one of its two standard routes and simply tossed out a bunch of refreshes sans-hullabaloo. Here it is, now buy it. So what have we got?

iMac:

• $1199 (only 20″ model) – 2.66 GHz, 2GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, 320GB HD
• $1499 (24″) – 2.66 GHz, 4GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, 640GB HD
• $1799 (24″) – 2.93 GHz, 4GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GT 120, 640GB HD
• $2199 (24″) – 3.06 GHz, 4GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GT 130, 1TB HD

Mac Mini:

• $599 – 2.0GHz, 1GB 1066 MHz DDRS SDRAM, GeForce 9400M, 120GB HD, 8x SuperDrive, Mini DisplayPort, mini-DVI, 5 USB Ports, FireWire 800 Port
• $799 – 2.0GHz, 2GB 1066 MHz DDRS SDRAM, GeForce 9400M, 320GB HD, 8x SuperDrive, Mini DisplayPort, mini-DVI, 5 USB Ports, FireWire 800 Port

Mac Pro:

• $2499 – 2.66GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 3500 processor, 3GB of RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GT 120, 640GB HD
• $3299 – Dual 2.26GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 5500 processors, 6GB of RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GT 120, 640GB HD

Apple definitely gave its desktop lineup a bit of an adrenaline shot, though it really didn’t come through with anything too Earth-shattering. What do you guys think? On a completely overshadowed note, Apple is now offering a 1TB Time Capsule for $500 (500GB for $299) and the AirPort Extreme Base Station, now capable of running two networks simultaneously, will run you $179 (old model is going for $159).

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