Bob Brewin

Public access Wi-Fi hot spots have become a key communications alternative in Florida in the wake of Hurricane Charley, with the local franchisee of Panera Bread Co. reporting a 50 per cent increase in traffic for the free Wi-Fi service it offers in 34 outlets in the state.

U.S. city and county governments are embracing Wi-Fi technology to provide high-speed data service to public safety agencies and Internet access to citizens, and now Bernalillo County, N.M., has adopted the technology to support Internet access for judges, lawyers and jurors in its courthouse.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services last week unveiled a 10-year plan to create a new health information infrastructure that will include electronic health records (EHRs) for all Americans and a nationwide network that doctors could use to access those patient EHRs.

Potential security risks posed by Bluetooth wireless technology are prompting some IT managers to rein in use of Bluetooth-equipped mobile phones and PCs.

As official delegations from eight major Western nations began the G8 Summit on Sea Island in Georgia earlier this month, their work was supported by a number of technologies put in place just for the three-day event.

Avaya Inc., Motorola Inc. and Proxim Corp. later this year plan to introduce what they have dubbed the "enterprise phone," which can easily switch voice phone calls from a wireless LAN to a wide-area cellular network.

Two security organizations have issued alerts warning of a flaw in wireless LAN equipment based on the 802.11b Wi-Fi standard that leaves the devices vulnerable to a denial-of-service (DoS) jamming attack.

Potential security risks posed by the Bluetooth wireless technology are prompting some IT managers to rein in use of Bluetooth-equipped mobile phones and PCs on their networks.