The Apple MacBook wireless device driver is clear from any weaknesses.

This is what has been proven, contrary to the sensational claim made by two security specialists back at the August Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas. There, they demonstrated how to "hack" an Apple MacBook wirelessly. But as it later on turned out, the demonstrators did not use the native MacBook wireless driver.

While hacker demonstrators David Maynor and John Ellch of SecureWorks did not outright say that the vulnerability was a Mac problem per se, but rather was a weakness with wireless device drivers in general, they did not, however, clarify that they were using a third party wireless device driver in their demonstration. Because of this, it sent alarm bells ringing off, particularly from the upset Apple party.

In response, SecureWorks released a statement through its website, saying that "This video presentation at Black Hat demonstrates vulnerabilities found in wireless device drivers. Although an Apple MacBook was used as the demo platform, it was exploited through a third-party wireless device driver - not the original wireless device driver that ships with the MacBook. As part of a responsible disclosure policy, we are not disclosing the name of the third-party wireless device driver until a patch is available."

So obviously, the demonstrators really had nothing bad to say about the MacBook's native wireless device driver. But then again, they probably thought it would make for a great dramatic effect to bring in the brand of Apple.

While demonstrations such as these may offer benefits in terms of promoting and providing further securities against hacking, it is best for the security experts to stick with real-life scenarios rather than exploiting a particular brand to jump up publicity, without even offering a caveat that the brand is being used for demonstration purposes only, and not to identify it as one of the problems they are discussing. It is not only some form of cheapshot, but it can also prove to be very detrimental not only for the exploited brand's image, but also to the security expert company who may be inviting legal action because of their negligence.

In a recent filing by Tony Fadell (iPod Division senior VP), Stanley Ng (iPod product line director), and Jeff Robbin (iTunes software chief), they illustrate the possibility of having built-in wireless capabilities in iPods which allow users to sync and manage their music players even if there's no computer present.

Unlike before where you need to connect your iPod to a computer to update songs, pictures, and videos via USB, this wireless technology will let you sync your iPod with any device that supports wireless transfer, so long as you are within a docking station that allows for wireless communication.

A wireless router can create a network wherein your iPods can be updated and synchronized with any media player (allowing you to copy songs, videos, and images). We should keep in mind however, that even though it's a wireless network, it's still limited because the systems that run in such networks are localized.

According to Apple, they would first have to make sure that this wireless technology for iPods would not interfere with their Digital Rights Management scheme. Meaning, your iPod would still not be able to connect or sync with a computer and access the media library if it's not authorized to do so.

Apple's new Mac Pro will have a new AirPort card. For those who aren't familiar with it, the AirPort is a wireless networking card. There's already been an AirPort and an AirPort Extreme. The new card is the "AirPort Express."

Dang it! I keep typing "Airport" instead of "AirPort" ... what the heck is up with naming GadGets and ProgRams with CaPital LetTers StuCk in the MidDle of words! Anyway, back to the AirPort Express.

What will this mean for Apple users?
Apple has chosen to go with Broadcom's 802.11a/g BCM4311 chip for the new AirPort Express. This might be a sign that Apple's gearing up to start supporting the 802.11a WiFi standard. You see, 802.11a operates at around 5GHz, and some people report that the WWDC had a 5.8GHz network up during the keynote. But not everybody likes the faster 802.11a because even though 802.11a is faster, it's not compatible with the already popular 802.11b and 802.11g.

Will Apple use the faster 802.11n?
Not yet. The IEEE (the global Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) has scheduled the 802.11n WiFi standard to come out sometime in the middle of 2007. While many believe that Apple will be among the first to try it out, you all just have to learn to wait.

If 802.11a is faster, why doesn't everyone want Apple to fully switch to it?
Both b and g work at 2.4GHz, and this is also the frequency of many cordless phones, so you interference messing up your WiFi. The 802.11a works at around 5GHz so there's no problem with interference, and it also sends and receives more data (usually five times faster than 802.11b).

So if 802.11a is faster, shouldn't it be common sense to adopt it? Not really. For those who are not familiar with the ways of WiFi communication, 802.11b was the standard before 802.11a and 802.11g (we know; it's weird that the version after "b" is called "a," but that's how they did it). The 802.11a is not backwards compatible with the already popular 802.11b, although a lot of new technology has come out that smoothes over the compatibility problems.

The new AirPort Express has Broadcom's 802.11a/g BCM4311 chip, and 802.11g is backwards compatible with the existing 802.11b/g setup that many people have.

Despite the size of EyeTV (about as big as a lighter), this little baby does big things. EyeTV, from Elgato Systems, is highly-acclaimed and is considered the world leader in digital TV recording and High Definition TV for the Mac.

EyeTV DTT (Digital Terrestrial Television) fits well in the USB slot of iMac to receive digital TV, which then can be recorded to the hard drive. It has a an electronic program guide that provides real time information - including title, rating, genre, starting time and duration, which enables use without a fuss. It enables Mac users to watch and record unencrypted, high-quality DTT wherever free-to-air DTT channels are offered.

EyeTV's size is extremely compact and does not require an external power supply. A perfect for home use and travel so you can experience exceptional video and audio quality on non-encrypted DTT wherever (even remotely), whenever.

Presenting the Hi-Gain Wireless-108G MIMO Router (or HWRGM1A as others call it). Either way its name is quite a mouthful, but maybe it's something you'll have to learn to remember - we feel that the device is so good it's name will be on everyone's lips soon!

This little wonder lets you access any site and download music, videos or any other media wirelessly, and fast too (at 108Mbps). Plus it has AMP Technology too - beat that.

But it's not just about speed: the HWRGM1A amplifies the MIMO wireless signals and makes sure they reach greater distances wherever it's used. And hey - it's got WPA encryption, too, to guarantee privacy.

The only downside's that it's designed solely for Macs. Another reason to consider switching, perhaps?

Hawking Technologies is now shipping the HWRGM1A in several regions. If despite its clunky name you find you've got the hots for one of these, check to see if your neighborhood electronics store stocks it.

Ever heard that phrase untapped resources? That's what you ought to find when trying to avoid too much interference when you're in the airport. For this task we shall enlist the help of a clever device called the iStumbler.

iStumbler is the leading wireless discovery tool for Mac OS X, providing plugins for finding AirPort networks, Bluetooth devices and Bonjour services with your Mac. Release 96 updates the Bluetooth plugin to support device inquiry under Mac OS 10.4 (Tiger), allowing you to monitor all discoverable bluetooth devices, and integrate the Growl framework for notifications.

As you can see, channel six is overrun with base stations on their default channel while there was an entire spectrum left entirely unused. What you can do is set your channel to that unused spectrum, say three and restart the base station and you can go from this...

...to this.

So take the road less travelled with iStumbler to maximize the potential of your AirPort.

Download: [iStumbler 96]

I must admit that I was quite surprised when I found out about the case of a young man in Vancouver Washington who has been charged with "theft of services" (a charge used to prosecute people who steal cable, or commit a similar offense) for using the free WiFi emanating from a local coffee shop and then carted off to jail.

This poor kid was actually outside of the store in question sitting in his truck with his laptop, happily and repeatedly using the WiFi that he thought was free; after all it was advertised as such. However, where this guy went wrong was disobeying a direct order from the police. 

I am guilty of doing this myself. Admittedly, I did not use the WiFi at the business for three months on and off, but I did use it a lot. Since the WiFi was advertised as a free service, I figured that I or anyone else could use it whenever the establishment was open for business, as long as I didn't do anything illegal with it.
         
I was aware of people being prosecuted for stealing WiFi from their neighbors without their consent, but I always thought that the "free" WiFi coming from many stores was actually free...apparently it's not! There are limits to free WiFi and it doesn't hurt to buy something from the store that hosts the WiFi service once in a while!

Since the kid was only 20 years old and appeared to be no threat to the business or its customers, it would seem reasonable for the proprietor of the store to go outside and talk to the guy before he called the cops, but nowadays I guess that's asking a lot.

While three months is a long time to sit outside of a store (on and off) and leach off their WiFi, a jail sentence does not seem like the best response to the situation. In the end he was still charged with theft of services even though it seems he should have been charged with something related to his decision to ignore the police officer that told him to stop instead.

After reading this I am sure that many people will think twice the next time they click connect after searching for nearby WiFi signals! After all, free WiFi is not worth getting a record and a jail sentence!

After nearly a year of unstable, flaky releases KisMAC has a stable version 0.21a. This new version is not only stable but comes with some new features as well.

• passive AirPort Extreme mode (except for MacBookPro and newest Mac Minis)
• KisMAC is now a Universal binary
• IP-Addressen of Clients will be shown
• Extenended configuration capabilities
• Growl integration
• Google Earth export
• Advanced search options
• Reworked Atheros integration

For those who don't know what KisMAC, is it's a stumbler application that can put your card into monitor mode. It supports multiple third-party PCMCIA and PCCards and, naturally, Airport cards.

Early last year rumors surfaced about Apple possibly expanding the iPod family further by adding a model that incorporated Bluetooth technology.

Now, these same rumors have now came back into focus. This is because of a UK retailer who was recently quoted as saying, 'Over the weekend, Apple has been adding the finishing touches'.

Is Apple merely days away from officially revealing a Bluetooth iPod?


A Bluetooth-capable iPod could take advantage of existing wireless headphone products, broadcasting your music very easily through car stereos or even potentially, streaming video. This could be Apple's first stab at a product that uses the new ultrawideband Bluetooth standard we talked about here.

You can find a link to the full article just below.

New iPod accessory maker Audition Products will attempt to get a chunk of the $1 billion iPod accessory market with its wireless headphone kit for Apple Computer's iPod nano digital music players. The kit is said to be based on  Aura Communicatino's "Liberty Link" technology, which uses magnetic induction to establish a digital radio link between an iPod nano base transmitter and the headphone. "The technology is similar to RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), but is capable of creating a communications bubble with a range of 4-5 feet that completely surrounds the user."  Don't be so sad about the limited range transmission, as it also means longer battery life and lower accessory costs.

Some of you may be wondering if Liberty Link has looked into privacy and quality issues. They definitely did. Privacy is ensured by pairing each headphone and base with an automatically generated code, pretty much the same with Bluetooth. Liberty Link technology is also said to outmatch the audio quality of Bluetooth, as it does not suffer from pops or fades like traditional RF signals. Functionality-wise, the headphone and the base are reportedly powered by rechargeable Lithium Ion Polymer cells that guarantee about 10 hours of uninterrupted playback.

The market for wireless headphone is little to nil, but that's only because consumers have not yet found the product that is worth their money. Audition Products wireless headphone kit is said to retail between $79 and $99, which will include the base transmitter, headphone and charger. Wireless freedom doesn't come cheaper.