Stories by Peter Judge

New Androids march into view

New vendors are lining up to deliver an Android phone in 2009, while Google is planning an update to the software -- and gave around 18000 of the first-generation phones to its staff as a Christmas present.

Analyst: WiMax market will decline in 2009

The market for WiMax is predicted to decline in 2009, as mobile WiMax is hit both by the economic squeeze and competition from the LTE standard for 4G networks, according to an analyst report.

IEEE to set up patent pools to simplify standards adoption

New technologies could be developed into products more quickly and cheaply if new "patent pool" licensing programs set up by the IEEE Standards Association are a success.

Meru looks to make Wi-Fi as reliable as Ethernet

On Monday, Meru Networks announced virtual ports, a technology designed to make Wi-Fi networks as reliable as wired Ethernet. IDG News Service interviewed the CEO of Meru, Ihab Abu-Hakima, on a visit to London.

Huawei to launch Android and Symbian smartphones next year

Chinese network company Huawei Technologies is planning to launch smartphones based on the Android and Symbian operating systems in the first half of 2009, according to James Chen, director of marketing for the company's terminals division. It will also launch a new embedded 3G module at the GSMA Mobile Asia Congress this month, he said.

IEEE considers Gigabit Wi-Fi

The IEEE is considering two possible technologies which could take Wi-Fi to Gigabit speeds by 2012 - even though the standards body won't finally publish the 802.11n fast Wi-Fi specification until November 2009.

Ruckus takes its WLANs higher

Ruckus, which makes WLAN switches for small-to-medium businesses, has delivered a larger switch and upgraded its management software, to handle large sites with multiple buildings - entering the territory delivered of rivals such as Cisco and Aruba.

IEEE standardizes fast Wi-Fi roaming

The IEEE has completed 802.11r, a standard that lets Wi-Fi devices roam quickly between access points, improving the performance of VoIP on enterprise LANs.

Femtos and the 4G world

Femtocells were developed to aid 3G networks, but their real impact may be much greater on the successors: the 4G networks, WiMax and LTE.

IPhone 2.0 gets open source email

Funambol has delivered an open source email client for the new iPhone, and has won new funding for its bid to offer a free alternative to the Blackberry.

How important is the 3GPP femto standard?

Last week's announcement of a standard for femto cells took a lot of people by surprise. How did it happen so fast, and how important will it be? And are there other issues that might cause problems in future?

Femto cells get a surprise standard

Operators and vendors have agreed a standard which could speed up the arrival of femtocells -- the indoor base stations which are designed to improve coverage of 3G networks indoors by piggy-backing on home and office broadband.

Barts Hospital adopts co-operative Wi-Fi

Hospitals have been one of the main users of Wi-Fi networks, so far. Driven by a mobile workforce and an environment where cellular devices are usually forbidden, they have accepted centralised Wi-Fi switches before many other markets. Now a London hospital has installed a wireless network which claims to do away with the need for those centralised switches.

Low energy Bluetooth breaks cover

Bluetooth's low-power variant could be everywhere starting next year, and other low-power networking options had better watch out, say the new standard's backers.

WLAN overcomes despair in the T5 departure lounge

London's Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 is in many ways a controversial building. However, there's no denying the grandiose scale of the £4.3 billion project. Britain's largest free-standing building, it contains a mega-shopping complex, an advanced baggage handling system... and a nifty wireless LAN.