Tag: Wi-Fi

Posted on

One blurry in-flight Wi-Fi.

I flew US Airways to Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Monday From Phoenix, Arizona. While boarding the Airbus A321 I noticed the  “Wi-Fi ONBOARD” sign by the door. I hastily took out my phone and snapped a picture. All I got is a blurry picture.

While still on the ground, I can see the “gogoinflight” Wi-Fi network, but it warned me that it is not available until the airplane is at least 10,000 feet in the air.

Anyway, when the airplane is more than 10,000 feet over the ground the I connected to “gogoinflight” Wi-Fi. I opened a web browser and it immediately prompted me to select a pass. There were different passes such as social networking, music, etc.

Anyway, in a relatively long flight I would definitely pay a few dollars to use the in-flight Wi-Fi.

Posted on

Apple Answers Questions Regarding iPhone Location Data.

Apple answers questions regarding iPhone Location Data through its Press Release page. To summarize Apple’s answers:

  • Apple is not tracking anyone.
  • The iPhone is not logging user’s location.
  • It is the database of Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers around user’s current location. Some are located far away from user’s actual locations.
  • This database is used to triangulate the iPhone location when Locations Services is running.
  • The current database is not encrypted, but protected in a different way. Next software update will encrypt the file.
  • Geo-tagged Wi-Fi hotspot and cell-tower data are sent to Apple in an anonymous and encrypted form.
    “Apple cannot identify the source of this data.”
  • The Location Data cache is stored longer than expected due to software bug.

Apple also mentions:

Software Update
Sometime in the next few weeks Apple will release a free iOS software update that:

  • reduces the size of the crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower database cached on the iPhone,
  • ceases backing up this cache, and
  • deletes this cache entirely when Location Services is turned off.

In the next major iOS software release the cache will also be encrypted on the iPhone.

“Next Major iOS Software Release” could mean iOS 5.

Posted on

It begins, Apple iPad Pre-Order.

UPDATE 2:
Add screen recording of the pre-order. California Resident is subject to $8:00 Recycling Fee. I assume some other States have something similar.

UPDATE 1:
Apple is now taking iPad pre-orders.
http://store.apple.com/

When the clock strikes 3:30 in the AM Pacific Time, Apple Store Online went down for maintenance and updates. We all now know that Apple will be taking pre-orders for iPad on March 12th, 2010. Apple has set April 3rd, 1010 as the release date for iPad Wi-Fi only model, with the Wi-Fi+3G version to follow late April.

Get your credit-cards ready.

Posted on

iStumbler is now Snow Leopard Compatible.

After a long wait, one of my favorite utilities is now Snow Leopard Compatible.

Enter iStumbler 0.9.9 on February 16th, 2010.

iStumbler is the leading wireless discovery tool for Mac OS X, providing plugins for finding AirPort networks, Bluetooth devices, Bonjour services and Location information with your Mac.

Release 99 includes a number of bug fixes and enhancements for Mac OS X Snow Leopard.

I really missed this app.

iStumbler is also available for Mac OS X Leopard (10.5), Tiger (10.4), Panther (10.3) and Jaguar (10.2).