Earlier this year chip maker Qualcomm announced plans to acquire Atheros Communications. Now it’s official. The $3.1 billion acquisition is complete and Atheros is now a subsidiary of Qualcomm. Qualcomm is already one of the top chip designers for cellphones, offering speedy smartphone processors and wireless communications. But Atheros has had a broader focus, producing chips for phones, tablets, notebooks,…

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Bluetooth is a wireless technology that lets you connect devices over short distances. For instance, you can use Bluetooth to connect a headset to your phone without wires, or link a wireless mouse to a computer. You can also transmit other forms of data, such as sharing an internet connection between two devices. The problem is that Bluetooth, like WiFi,…

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As expected, Starbucks is now making it easier to access free WiFi at all of its coffee shops in the US. The company has been offering free WiFi for a few years now, but until today you had to register for an AT&T account to use the service — which kind of slows down the process of getting online for…

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Best Buy already offers a number of phones and laptop computers that are bundled with mobile broadband plans from Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, and AT&T. Now it looks like Best Buy is preparing to offer its own wireless plan, allowing users to get online for prices ranging from $40 to $60 per month. Honestly, the plans look like they’re pretty much…

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[/caption] Did anybody order a next-generation Toshiba netbook with 3G wireless and GPS capabilities? Because it looks like you’re about to get one. Sure, it might not actually ship in time for the holiday season, but the FCC has published documents related to an upcoming Toshiba NB300 mini-laptop and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s introduced early next year. The…

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Novatel Wireless has filed documents with the FCC demonstrating a new laptop module that supports both WiFi and 3G wireless connections. Typically you need two separate modules for these different features, but by combining a 3G modem with an 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi module PC makers may be able to cut down on size and price. The module is currently designed for…

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If you’ve got a Bluetooth enabled netbook, you can plug in a number of wireless devices including keyboards, mice, headphones, and whatnot. But that means futzing with Bluetooth software to configure everything correctly, and that can be a real hassle sometimes. While wireless USB is expected to shake things up any day now, Logitech has another alternative, a Unifying Receiver,…

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Asus is set to roll out its new Eee PC 1005HA netbook soon.  And the drivers and a handful of software utilities are already available on the Asus support site. Several members of the EeeUser Forums report that the wireless driver for the Eee PC 1005HAB can be installed on the Asus Eee PC 1000HE and that it improves the…

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Verizon has confirmed rumors that the company is working with netbook makers to offer mini-laptops in the company’s retail stores. While Verizon won’t talk about the pricing (the rumors say that Verizon will subsidize the up-front cost of netbooks, possibly offering them for $99 or free when you sign up for a long term service plan), a Verizon representative did…

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The Sony Vaio P costs too much. Sure, it’s got excellent build quality, a good keyboard, and an 8 inch display with a ridiculously high 1600 x 768 pixel resolution. But it’s hard to justify paying $899 and up for a device with an Intel Atom processor when you can buy a netbook with similar specs for under $500. But…

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I’ve never felt the need to pay $30 to $60 a month for 3G connectivity. I live in a major metropolitan area and when I want to work away from the house, I can usually find a coffee shop, library, or other establishment with free WiFi access. But I just booked my tickets to Las Vegas for the CES convention…

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It’s not hard to find a wireless carrier in Europe or Asia that’s offering cheap or free netbooks to customers who sign a one or two year service contract. In the US you can find plenty of carriers who offer these kinds of deals on cellphones, but it’s a bit tougher to find a telecom that will subsidize laptop or…

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