HERMISTON, Ore. — Parked alongside his onion fields, Bob Hale can prop open a laptop and read his e-mail or, with just a keystroke, check the moisture of his crops.

As the jack rabbits run by, he can watch CNN on-line, play a video game or turn his irrigation sprinklers on and off, all from the air conditioned comfort of his truck.

While cities around the country are battling over plans to offer free or cheap Internet access, this lonely terrain is served by what is billed as the world's largest hotspot, a wireless cloud that stretches over 700 square miles of landscape so dry and desolate it could have been lifted from a cowboy tune. Full Story...

The Linksys Wi-Fi Finder detects Wireless-G and Wireless-B networks with a simple push of a button. It displays all pertinent information such as the wireless network's name (SSID), signal strength, the channel used, and whether wireless security is enabled or not. The information is displayed on an easy-to-read LCD display and can be set up to look for only open networks, all networks, or a specific named network. Discovered networks are listed in order of signal strength.

The advanced wireless search technology filters out 2.4GHz interference given off by microwave ovens, cordless phones, and Bluetooth devices to provide readouts only on working Wireless-G or -B networks. With the Wi-Fi Finder built into the unit, you no longer need to power on your PC to determine if there's a wireless network connection available.

The City of Corpus Christi has been recognized as having the best broadband-wireless platform to improve citizen satisfaction and quality of life.

Corpus Christi has been using its Wi-Fi network to collect automated meter readings, to allow mobile workers to complete jobs in the field, and to enable police officers and firefighters access to streaming video and important local, state and federal databases.

The Wi-Fi network currently covers 24 square miles of the City, and there are plans to extend it citywide. Anyone with a wi-fi enabled laptop computer can access the Internet for free in areas where the service is available, including Corpus Christi International Airport, the Marina, downtown, and central areas of the City. Full Story...
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The Bullhead City, AZ, library, in addition to other libraries in the Mohave County Library District, offers free Wi-Fi service in the library and in the area surrounding the library.

The Wi-Fi internet service is available at any time to anyone who visits the library, provided they have a computer with a Wi-Fi card, said Verner Hart, network technician at the Bullhead City Library. Full Story...

In its first month of availability, more than 600 users logged on to Kissimmee Utility Authority's free wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) network "hot zone" in downtown Kissimmee.

The network currently covers 1 square mile of downtown, including areas around Kissimmee City Hall, Kissimmee Police Department, Osceola County Courthouse, Community House, Kissimmee Lakefront Park, the Amtrak and Greyhound stations, and many restaurants on Broadway.

The wireless network is projected to expand in 2006 to cover 2 square miles, or 80 percent of downtown.

Bell Canada and Starbucks Coffee Canada announced a new Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) service that will allow Starbucks customers to conveniently access e-mail or the Internet while enjoying their favourite coffee beverage. Company-operated Starbucks coffeehouses across Canada will offer Wi-Fi Internet access beginning with an Ontario rollout this week.

Starbucks and Bell will soon introduce Wi-Fi service at coffeehouses in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Over the next year, the companies plan to bring wireless hotspots to more than 400 Canadian Starbucks locations. The partnership with Starbucks is a continuation of Bell's commitment to build a hotspot network in conjunction with Canadian businesses, coast to coast. Full Story...

ASHEVILLE SC - Downtown Asheville won't disappoint tech-savvy travelers who don't leave home without a laptop.

A network of six wireless antennas, turned the downtown business district into a Wi-Fi or wireless fidelity "hot spot" that offers free access to the Internet.

"The strongest signal will be in the center of downtown, along Haywood, College and Patton Avenue," explained Glen Hughes, the county's information technology co-director. The signal extends as far as the Federal Courthouse, the Montford and Charlotte street exits from Interstate 240 and down Biltmore Avenue, Hughes said.

The county's Wi-Fi network works in the open air and doesn't travel inside buildings where coffeehouses and other businesses may be operating their own wireless networks, he said. Full Story...

Sony's latest coup is a new, ultra-portable series that manages to shrink the overall size and weight of its predecessor while expanding the size of the screen and extending an already impressive battery life. And it's one of the few laptops on the market that can connect to the Internet over a cellphone network without requiring any adapters. Full Story...