Sunday, October 5, 2003 Oops, Dave Barry Does It Again Bravo Dave, keep up the good work. agdv writes "After the success of his first article providing the phone number of the American Teleservices Association, and the ensuing reaction by said ... [Slashdot] 10:36:55 AM    comment [] Wi-Fi in Cell Phones Coming Soon There was a discussion of integrating Wi-Fi into cell phones at the Communications Design Conference: Some analysts think we'll see the devices in production by the middle of next year. A lot will have to be worked out before a combined cellular/Wi-Fi voice service can be aptly offered. The only way that will happen is if the cell carriers can figure out a way to control the air time that their customers spend on the Wi-Fi networks to ensure that they continue to make money. There's a company here in Seattle called Bridgeport aiming to solve that problem for cell operators. A cell carrier would put Bridgeport's box in its mobile switching center. If a customer is within range of a Wi-Fi network, the call is routed to the carrier's mobile switching center like a regular cellular call. That way the carrier can track the usage on the Wi-Fi network and charge customers. It's not an ideal setup, but I think carriers are going to require something like this so they can control and charge their customers for using voice on Wi-Fi networks. This story in EETimes also covers the discussion of Wi-Fi and cellular from the conference: But the reporter also talked to Craig Barratt of Atheros about smart antennas. It sounds like there's a lot of work going on with smart antennas and Wi-Fi but a TI technical guy noted that his tests so far showed that smart antennas don't do much for Wi-Fi.... [802.11b Networking News] 10:31:22 AM    comment [] It's Time to Think About Your .Mac Account Ok, ok, it's on my list of stuff to do this week. This is my second reminder. It's renewal time for many .Mac members. If you're one of them, check your account to make sure it's set up the way you want. [O'Reilly MacDevCenter.com] 10:28:34 AM    comment [] Broadband: Pick Cheap or Speedy The article is missing the option for both speed and a fair price. Of course they don't address the issue of the last mile connectivity. The rivalry between DSL providers and cable companies for broadband dominance is taking on a new flavor. Increasingly, cable firms are touting high speeds, while DSL services tempt with low rates. By Staci D. Kramer. [Wired News] 10:23:31 AM    comment []