Fluke Networks today announced the AirCheck Wi-Fi Tester, a dedicated handheld tool that delivers quick and easy troubleshooting for today’s increasingly complex WiFi networks. Offering simple, intuitive operation, Fluke says the $2000 rugged Wi-Fi tester can be learned and used in minutes by frontline IT professionals, even if they have little previous wireless network experience.

The AirCheck tester provides a single, handheld solution for engineers and technicians looking for fast and effective Wi-Fi network visibility. Users can easily verify and troubleshoot 802.11 a/b/g/n network availability, connectivity, channel utilization and security settings. The AirCheck tester allows users to identify coverage and connectivity problems, find unauthorized or rogue access points (APs), see overloaded networks and channels, detect interference and validate security settings.

Fluke says the new AirCheck tester is quicker, easier to operate and more portable than any other Wi-Fi tool on the market. Booting up in less than three seconds, AirCheck automatically starts discovering networks, access points and channel activity immediately. The tester, which has a five-hour battery life, is suitable for one-handed use and most operations require only one or two key presses. Testing sessions can be saved with the press of a single key, and then downloaded via the USB port to a PC for report generation or archiving with AirCheck Manager software.

Its intuitive interface is built around a 2.8-inch full color LCD screen and a simple menu-based system that can be navigated using just five buttons. AirCheck Manager software, which is supplied with the unit and runs on a host PC, manages all AirCheck profiles and the information collected from multiple AirCheck testers. The AirCheck Wi-Fi Tester will be available in the second quarter and can be purchased from Fluke Networks channel partners worldwide for $1995.00 USD.

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U.S. carriers were quick to react over the weekend with mobile giving programs after the 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Chile early Saturday.

Similar to the tragedy that struck Haiti, the major U.S. carriers mobilized and provisioned short codes for use in mobile giving campaigns to help the victims. Jim Manis, chairman and CEO of the Mobile Giving Foundation (MGF), reported over the weekend that the carriers also eliminated standard rate message charges for relief efforts and continued to process donations for mobile giving campaigns on a 100 percent pass-through basis.

• Verizon Wireless announced it would waive all calling fees for its customers trying to reach loved ones in Chile.
• Sprint will waive text-messaging fees for Sprint, Nextel, Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile USA customers who send mobile donations to short codes associated with organizations participating in the relief and recovery efforts.
• AT&T’s Facebook page has more info on relief efforts on texting donations.

Meanwhile, several non-profits implemented mobile giving campaigns for Chile. Mercy Corps and World Vision, have mobile donation ability to support the Chile relief effort.

As of last week, $42 million was donated through various non-profit organizations to the relief efforts in Haiti, according to MGF.

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Ferry riders on Puget Sound can now use “Vessel Watch” to access real-time location of each ferry. Washington State Ferries spokeswoman Marta Coursey said the new site, was launched Feb. 4 and upgrades a previous version that allowed users only to see approximate locations on a static map, reports the Seattle PI.

“Users can zoom in to see highly detailed information about a vessel’s location, including latitude, longitude and direction,” Coursey told the PI. With ‘next departure time’ to be available “by the end of the month.”

“Users can also move the map to easily view other vessels and routes. We are working right now on providing the next departure time. Though a lot of the work on that particular feature is done, we still have testing to do,” Coursey said.

Mobile users have access to the older version of Vessel Watch. ESRI, the GIS vendor for the Vessel Watch base map, is working on a mobile version. “Our goal is to provide a similar version of VesselWatch to mobile users as soon as we can but we don’t have a delivery date on that feature yet,” Coursey said.

AIS tracks vessel movements in real-time. Near land it works by interrogating a VHF transceiver that incorporates LORAN-C or GPS location information, with a gyrocompass or rate of turn indicators.

All ocean-going vessels and commercial vessels over 65 feet are required to use AIS equipment by the International Maritime Organization. Space-based AIS provides global coverage of maritime activity, re-transmiting GPS coordinates, along with bearing and speed, every few minutes.

Here’s the real-time vessel traffic world-wide posted on MarineTraffic.com, a mashup which was developed and hosted by the University of the Aegean in Greece.

In related news, Amtrak has rolled out wireless Internet access on all 20 of its Acela Express trains between Washington and Boston.

The northeast corridor service will also cover six major stations along the route. The service is free for now, though the railroad says that policy will be reviewed after an introductory period.

AmtrakConnect was deployed on Acela Express by Virginia Beach-based GBS Group and its partner Nomad Digital.

Amtrak aggregates mobile-broadband signals from AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile to provide service on trains. Amtrak’s filter also blocked the Hulu and YouTube sites and even removed embedded video clips and some interactive ads.

Related Dailywireless stories include How to Create Transit Applications, Dubai WiMAXes Metro Train, Microsoft’s Streetside: Indoors via Stills & Video, Global Ship Tracking via Microsat, Shipboard AIS Gets a Satellite Swarm, LORAN-C To Be Shut Down, and BBC Tracks a Container,

Applications, GPS, iPhone, Location Services, Public Service, Space & Satellites, Transit Connectivity | No Comments »

The world’s largest computer exhibition, Cebit (wikipedia), runs March 2 to March 6, in Hanover Germany.

It’s a big deal for computer professionals, although the number of companies appearing this year has dropped to 4,157, compared to about 4,292 last year, down 26% from 2008. Cebit is now focusing more on enterprise IT, says ComputerWorld.

Still, there will likely be enough new gadgets to keep everyone amused.

• The Archos 7 (above), a scaled up version of the Archos 5, runs a custom UI on top of the Android OS. The Archos Phone Tablet will use a 1 GHz ARM Cortex on Android with a 4.3 inch screen. An Archos 9, with an Intel Atom processor, could dump Windows7 for the Chromium OS, says SlashGear.
• Acer was the first to offer up an Android netbook and may do the same with Chrome OS. Chrome OS for netbooks hasn’t been officially unveiled yet but Acer is so confident about tis success that Jim Wong, president of the Acer IT Products division, thinks they’ll be able to sell over one million Chrome OS netbooks this year.
• Asus will show three new netbooks at CeBIT, the Eee PC 1018P, 1016P and 1015P. They’re not convinced tablets will be a significant market. Garmin-Asus smartphones include the Nuvifone M10 (Windows) and the Nuvifone A50 (Android). It comes pre-loaded with Garmin turn-by-turn navigation — no need to download them over the network.
• MSI plans to showcase about 30 notebook models as well as an e-book reader. Their GT660 gaming laptop, and the company’s CR720 and CR620, feature Intel Core i5 CPUs.
• Mio Moov V780, a Personal Navigation Device, features a 7-inch screen, digital TV receiver, HD Movie player, Wi-Fi connectivity, email, web browser (including Flash), YouTube viewer and optional keyboard.

• Nokia’s Ovi Maps are now free and work off-line, compared to Google’s Navigation which requires an internet connection. Most states are between 50 and 100 megs. Symbian 3 and 4 are expected in the first and second half of the year respectively. The Moorestown-powered LG GW990 will be one of the first MeeGo phones.
• Netbooks, laptops and computers with 3D support will be on display from several vendors. MSI has a 3D all-in-one and plans to show its first notebook with 3D technology. It features a 15.6-inch, 120Hz 3D screen with glasses required to see the 3D effect.
• Google will show off its Street View technology which hasn’t been launched in Germany because of privacy concerns. The company will give an update on how the privacy discussions are progressing. Google’s Nelson Mattos, who is in charge of product management and engineering in Europe, Middle East and Africa, will be speaking on the evolution of an open, social, mobile and transparent Web.
• Amazon Web Service is using Cebit to up its European presence. Amazon is facing stiffer competition in Europe from a growing number of telecom operators that are looking to offer Web services, according to Milind Govekar, research vice president at Gartner. It will also look to forge closer relationships with large software vendors, a move that could also help it get more users in Europe, Govekar said.

Intel is expected to release a faster version of its “Pine Trail” Atom processor on Monday. The N470 ‘Pine Trail’ processor integrates graphics and bumps speed to 1.83GHz. Intel is reportedly on track to deliver a new “Moorestown” Atom chip targeted at high-end smartphones and mobile Internet devices by midyear. MeeGo and Windows 7 Mobile will likely be running on Smartphones by the end of this year.

Engadget has more Cebit news.

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Engadget says the new iLet Mini HAL will cost only $199 and start shipping next week.

The HAL uses Android 1.6 as its OS and has WiFi b/g, Ethernet and optional 3G through a USB dongle. It also supports ePub, TXT and HTML eBooks, AVI video, MP3 audio and JPG images as well as Word, Excel and Powerpoint files.

Features:

• CPU: 600MHz VIA ARM with Freescale MX Integration
• 7″ TFT LCD touch screen with resolution: 800*480
• Supports MP3/Audio,AVI, Motion JPEG/Video, Word docs, Excel, Powerpoint, Youtube, games, and several eBook formats; ePub, text, and html
• RAM: 128MB DDR2
• 2GB NAND FLASH, Supports to 32GB Flash or 250GB USB
• Ethernet 10/100M, WIFI:802.11B/G, 3G USB optional
• Ports: SD card (support up to 32G HCSD), USB x 2, Stereo Audio out, Microphone in

Apple’s iPad costs between $500 to $830 and has not yet shipped. You can get 3G for $29.99/month with no contract. It lacks USB, SD Card, camera, Flash support or free navigation apps.

Android tablets may offer more hardware features at less cost:

• Archos 5 Internet Table. Features a 4.8 inch, 800 x 480 pixel resistive touchscreen display, 32GB of storage, an 800MHz ARM Cortex-A8 CPU, 256MB of RAM, 802/11b/g/n WiFi, a USB port, and runs Android 1.6 plus some custom Archos software. Amazon has them now for under $300.
• Dell’s Mini 5; Dell says there will be “a family of tablets” which will “scale up to a variety of sizes.” Android will be in all of them. Dell will bundle “inexpensive data plans” with the new devices and is apparently working with AT&T on the Mini 5. No release date, though.
• Viewsonic VTablet 101. This Android-powered and keyboard-free device features a 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor and NVIDIA Tegra graphics powering an 8.9-inch, 1024 x 800 touchscreen display. There’s 4GB of storage, WiFi, and Bluetooth, and once Google and Adobe bring Flash support to the Android operating system, it should be able to play HD Flash video from the web as well. Under $500. No ship date, though.
• JooJoo’s $500 12 inch capacitive touch screen tablet has been delayed until March 25.

Gartner expects Android to grab the No. 2 spot by 2012, with an accumulated sales total of 525 million smartphones. They expect Symbian to be number one, with 196.5 million sold, 37.4% share; Android number two, with 94.5 million sold, 18% share; BlackBerry 3rd, 73 million sold, 13.9%; iPhone 4th, 71.5 million sold; 13.6% share; Windows Mobile 5th, 47.7 million sold, 9% share; and Maemo 6th, 23.5 million sold, 4.5% share. Others include Linux (generally), 11 million, 2.1% share; and WebOS (from Palm) 7.6 million sold, 1.4% share.

A $500 tablet is a niche. Mass-market advertising (and publishers) will require cheap color devices. To sell 100 million devices, prices must drop. Give me $199.

Android, Chips, Corporate News, E-books, EV-DO/HSDPA, Gadgets, iPhone, Open Source, Tablets | No Comments »

In December 2009, TeliaSonera launched the world’s first LTE networks in Norway and Sweden and an estimated 17 operators are expected to follow in its footsteps in 2010.

A reported 130 cellular operators around the world expect to move to Long Term Evolution (LTE).

But how?

3G Americas, a wireless industry trade association representing the GSM family of technologies including LTE, today announced that it has published an informational white paper titled, GSM-UMTS Network Migration to LTE (pdf), that examines key steps for introducing LTE technology into existing GSM-UMTS networks.

“This white paper reveals solutions that facilitate a smooth migration for network operators as they deploy LTE,” stated Chris Pearson, president of 3G Americas. “3GPP has clearly defined the technology standards in Release 9 and Release 10, and this paper explores the implementation of these standards on 3GPP networks.”

Related Dailywireless articles include; MWC 2010: Really, Really Big Show, LTE: Roaming Three Bands, Verizon Calls on LTE, LTE Marketing Ramps Up, Sweden Tests LTE, Verizon LTE: 30 US Markets by 2010, T-Mobile: Faster HSPA Now, Samsung: Handsets. Get Your 4G Handsets., MetroPCS Goes LTE: It’s a Free For All, Verizon Updates 700MHz LTE Specs, Voice over LTE Gets a Spec: VoLGA, Nordic-based Telenor Rejects Ericsson & Nokia Gear, Solutions Promoted for Voice over LTE, Finland Completes 4G Auction, Kineto Wireless: Two Fer Voice over LTE, One Voice: New Voice Standard for LTE, LTE-Advanced Submitted to ITU, Mobile Supercomputing , China Mobile: TD-SCDMA to Penetrate 70% of Country, Huawei: Clear Sailing on WiMAX?, and Mobile World Congress: HSPA, WiMAX & LTE Faceoff, Clearwire in Portland, Clearwire’s Launch Party in Portland, WiMAX Speed Test in Portland – 10 Mbps, Clear Launches Mobile WiMAX in Las Vegas, Atlanta Gets Mobile WiMAX, Xohm Marks the Spot

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