Techdirt WirelessEasily digestible tech news...Wi-LAN Sues RIM: Two Canadian Firms Duke Out Patent Fight... In East Texas, Of Course- June 20, 2008 Turns out that Canadian patent holders love East Texas just as much as American companies. The news today covers how Canadian wireless patent holder Wi-LAN has now sued RIM in East Texas, concerning patents on mobile handheld devices. RIM is also a Canadian company (and also heavily involved in patent disputes). Isn't it great to see two Canadian firms choosing East Texas as the best place to fight over patents Wi-LAN is a company that we've discussed in the past. It worked on some...http://techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20080620/1324141465.shtml Overly Optimistic: Analysts Predict Cellular Broadband To Surpass Copper Broadband By 2010- June 20, 2008 There's just something about new wireless technologies that seems to make analysts over-estimate their impact. I still remember when people were talking about how GPRS was going to be a real DSL replacement. GPRS, of course, was an incredibly unreliable and ridiculously slow update on GSM wireless technology. Yet, before it was used, there were stories predicting how it would be a wireless revolution. And then people started using it. And pretty much the same thing has happened with each...http://techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20080613/0226451400.shtml On The Criminality Of WiFi Piggybacking...- June 19, 2008 It's been many, many years since we first asked the question of whether or not piggybacking on an open WiFi network was a crime. Since then, we've seen plenty of people arrested, and wide ranging discussions on the ethics of WiFi piggybacking -- with various ethicists noting that simply using an open WiFi network doesn't seem unethical, assuming you don't significantly slow down the connection by uploading or downloading large files. However, we still see people falsely referring to it as...http://techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20080619/0934321457.shtml Court Rules That Your Text Messages Are Private- June 19, 2008 A few months ago, we noted that New York City was demanding text messages sent by some people as part of an investigation. This was just the latest in a long line of requests for text messages, where questions have been raised about whether or not those messages should be considered private. Now, a court in the 9th circuit has said that there's a reasonable expectation of privacy on text messages, and a company revealing them without consent from either the sender or the recipient represents..http://techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20080618/1351231449.shtml Nokia Exec To Developers: Embrace DRM & Digital Locks Because I Say So- June 18, 2008 In recent years, we've seen the entertainment industry suddenly embrace mobile as a platform, incorrectly believing that its more locked-down nature would mean that it wouldn't face the same "threats" (which they should see as opportunities) of file sharing and open networks and services. However, as is always the way, more open systems are catching on and getting more usage, and more closed systems are having trouble getting traction. Rather than embracing that, however, it appears Nokia is..http://techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20080616/0829471420.shtml Santa Fe Ignores WiFi Allergists; Recognizes Setting Up WiFi Isn't A Violation Of The ADA- June 16, 2008 Last month, we noted that a bunch of folks in Santa Fe, New Mexico were claiming not only were they allergic to WiFi, but the city's plan to install WiFi hotspots would be a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Considering that multiple double-blind studies have shown there's no such thing as a WiFi allergy, we figured that those complaining of it should at least be forced to prove that such a thing exists. Indeed, it now appears that Santa Fe has decided to ignore the so-called..http://techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20080613/1023131404.shtml |