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The Week in Review: Getting unwired

Intel, Marriott and the government all made wireless headlines, while Opera refused to perform for Windows and MPs woke up in the 21st century
Written by ZDNet UK, Contributor
Antennae were much in the spotlight this week, with everyone keen to cash in on one of the few relatively bright spots in the current PC industry -- wireless networking. Marriott, for example, said it would team up with Intel to offer high-speed wireless Internet access in more than 400 of its hotels by spring. It wouldn't have anything to do with Intel's Centrino launch, would it?
Marriott to double Wi-Fi coverage But the big question is, will the Marriott's service be as cheap as that offered by the Internet Exchange?
New Wi-Fi network undercuts rivals Let's hope this one works. After the failed 28GHz wireless broadband auctions (yes, we're currently on the third attempt and counting), the government has switched its attention to the 3.4GHz part of the spectrum. And what a start, with the information leaking out on the Radiocommunications Agency Web site the day before the DTI is due to announce the details.
3.4GHz auction: All systems go It had to happen sooner or later, as mobile phones get more powerful: A security vulnerability has been found on one of Nokia's most popular mobile phones which could allow a denial-of-service attack.
Mobile phone vulnerable to DoS attack If you get fed up with the 21st century and want to move back into the 19th century, said MP Richard Allan collecting his Internet Hero awards at the ISPAs last week, then engage in politics. MPs, it seems, are not the most switched on people when it comes to technology. However, it looks like someone might just have turned the light on.
MPs register broadband concerns New software allows administrators to set up a Linux server running applications such as Word and Outlook, which can be made accessible to large numbers of Linux or Unix users without needing any special client software. Availability for Windows and Mac clients is also on the way. Another obstacle standing in the way of complete dependency on Microsoft products?
MS Office comes to Linux servers Actually, Microsoft reminded the world that it is its own biggest competitor this week. The company launched a programme to convince users to switch to Windows XP -- not from Mac or Linux, but from Windows 2000.
Microsoft promotes XP switching Opera, at least, deserves respect for not beating about the bush in its explanation of why it will never port to Microsoft's smartphone platform.
Opera refuses to perform on Microsoft smartphone And here's one to watch. The retired engineer concerned has already settled claims with Certicom and a credit card processing company. If RSA and Verisign fall too, the price of securely accessing those servers could well be hit.
SSL 'inventor' sues VeriSign and RSA It may take 10 years, but disposable satellite transmitters, inexpensive medical testing equipment and sensors for automatically tracking inventory or traffic patterns are on the way. These technologies, or at least the ideas behind them, were on display at Nanotech 2003.
Magnificent MEMS and the micro-machines
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