WiFi security improved

PC World reports that two key improvements for the security and performance of WiFi devices are scheduled to reach wireless network users this year as businesses and consumers continue to adopt wireless technology in greater numbers.

The report says the WiFi Alliance will certify products for the new 802.11i and 802.11e standards by September. The 802.11i standard is the complete version of the interim WiFi Protected Access standard introduced last year, while 802.11e is a new standard that will improve the quality of wireless networks that transmit voice and video.

The 802.11i standard adds Advanced Encryption Standard technology, which may require businesses and governments to replace some of their networking equipment to support the higher security standard.

Microsoft is planning to add a number of laptop-specific features to the next version of its Windows operating system, reports CNet.

The report says the features will be designed to make portable machines more powerful and easier to use as portable DVD players.

CNet says Microsoft is considering the possibility of a separate user interface that could be accessed instantly for playing movies, music and other media files, without even logging into Windows. Other enhancements include improved support for multiple displays and the ability to create on-demand wireless networks.

Anti-virus technology companies Network Associates and Check Point Software have co-released an automated Internet and desktop security package designed for small businesses.

ZDNet says the Secure-1 system combines one of Check Point`s high-speed security appliances with McAfee`s existing VirusScan ASaP virus protection service.

The companies claim the package will help smaller companies streamline anti-virus security systems and say Secure-1 will help customers stay ahead of emerging threats by automatically updating users` firewalls and anti-virus definitions without requiring any human intervention.

A US trade group has given Congress a status report and wish-list for global competition, saying the electronics industry needs more technology graduates and tougher copyright laws to compete globally and stave off job outsourcing.

PC World says the Electronic Industries Alliance has presented Congress with 40 recommendations designed to keep the US a leader in hi-tech innovation.

The recommendations include six types of initiatives that the tech executives consider necessary to ensure American jobs and global economic dominance, with emphasis on better education.

Intel researchers are working on a number of technologies to help solve some of the world`s pressing problems like finding a parking space, reports ZDNet.

The report says IrisNet, a project under development by Carnegie Mellon University and Intel, is a sensor network designed to provide up-to-date information about the outside world. Cameras hooked into the network off the Oregon coast, for example, relay information about anomalies to remote PCs.

Similarly, wireless, or wired, IrisNet sensors can be placed in a parking lot to monitor available bays. A driver with a cellphone or an Internet-enabled car coming to the airport, for instance, could log on to a Web site and determine which long-term parking lots have the best availability.

ExtremeTech reports that ATI Technologies officially rolled out its next-generation X800 graphics chip at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) in Seattle on Tuesday.

ATI`s new chip will go head to head with a competing GeForce FX 6800 from Nvidia, whose fastest version will not ship until July. ATI president and chief operating officer Dave Orton told WinHEC that the X800 chip ushered in the first generation of the "visual age". The "crown jewel" of the company`s graphics line, the X800 "epitomizes what ATI stands for," Orton said.

Like the GeForce FX 6800, the X800 will form the foundation of a new generation of graphics chips. Eventually, the core technology within the chip will find its way into chips designed for the notebook and workstation markets.

Earlier this year, ATI Technologies was among the chip design companies pledging to deliver 3D graphics to cellphones this year. At the time, Azzedine Boubguira, director of marketing for the handheld group at ATI, said: "People once told us 3-D would never make it in notebooks, and now that`s a major business for us. We think the same will happen in cellphones."