| People spend most of their working hours on | | | | establishing a purely wireless network, especially if |
| computers, then go home to their pcs and spend | | | | you use an old operating system such as |
| more time mucking around on them. Laptops | | | | Windows 95 or 98. But the potential benefits far |
| have become more affordable to the average | | | | outweigh the potential problems. |
| Joe. It's not unusual to see people in coffee shops, | | | | A step further along the road of convenience is |
| sipping a latte' and typing furiously away. As our | | | | the Apple iPhone. Instead of lugging a laptop |
| lives become more hectic, we constantly seek | | | | around with you, all you need to stay connected |
| convenience, which, ironically, tends to increase | | | | is your phone. Apple's iPhone enables you to keep |
| the pace. With the birth of wireless networks we | | | | up to date with news from Digg and follow your |
| finally have the means to work everywhere, and | | | | favourite blogs. You can browse through an |
| no one has an excuse for being out of the loop. | | | | assortment of web apps and can store one on |
| Good news for workaholics; bad news for all | | | | each of your nine home screen pages. The iPhone |
| those who work for them. | | | | even has capacity to show movies and TV |
| Wireless networks, or WiFi, function in much the | | | | programmes. If you don't have the time to read, |
| same way as two-way radios. A wireless adapter | | | | simply download an audio book and work your |
| converts data into radio signals, which are | | | | way through the most current best sellers. |
| transmitted via an antenna to a wireless router. | | | | Rumours of a Gphone, Google's answer to the |
| The router decodes the signal and uses a wired | | | | iPhone, have been around for over a year. The |
| Ethernet connection to send the data to the | | | | Gphone will allegedly allow users access to Google |
| Internet. The process is simply reversed when | | | | search maps, gmail, and Blogger, and that's just |
| data is sent back to the computer. | | | | the beginning. Concrete information about the |
| Having wireless adapters on your pcs and laptops | | | | Google Phone is virtually impossible to come by, |
| is all good and well, but they're useless without | | | | and Google remains curiously tight-lipped about the |
| WiFi hotspots. When you're in a hotspot your | | | | whole matter. This suits gossip mongers just fine |
| computer just needs to be switched on with the | | | | as they continue to speculate about the phone's |
| wireless connection enabled, for it to locate a | | | | release, competition between Google and Apple, |
| network, which you can then connect to. Some | | | | and the myriad of features that the Gphone is |
| cities are working to create hotspots that span | | | | bound to have. |
| the entire municipality, so that residents can have | | | | Wireless networks are not the way of the future; |
| easy, reliable and inexpensive Internet access | | | | they are firmly established in the here and now. |
| wherever they go. Hotspots are completely | | | | Science fiction writers of long ago dreamt of a |
| inconspicuous; the only way you'll know that | | | | future where technological devices communicated |
| you're in one is if you spot the signs advertising | | | | with each other and effortlessly exchanged |
| their presence. | | | | information. We live in an age where that dream |
| Hybrid wireless networks offer the best of both | | | | is a reality. Bluetooth, wireless networks and |
| worlds. Hybrid networks make it possible to | | | | computer/phone hybrids such as the iPhone have |
| connect your pc to a wired network and establish | | | | made our lives significantly easier and that, in the |
| a second, wireless connection to your laptop. The | | | | words of Ron Weasely, is "wicked". |
| process is a little more complicated than | | | | |