The evolution of Wi-Fi

Did you know other names considered for "Wi-Fi" included FlankSpeed and DragonFly? Another curious fact: there are an estimated 10 billion wireless devices in use -- outnumbering the world’s population of 7 billion. D-Link has created an infographic filled with interesting facts about wireless technology. Coming from a company widely known for creating networking gear, it just seems fitting.

Among other highlights in the graph below: a wireless tech timeline, the future of Wi-Fi, and a visual breakdown of the latest WiFi standard, 802.11ac.

Source

Google knows every single Android user's WiFi password

New privacy issues have come to light surrounding Google's Android mobile OS. Experts on the matter are claiming that back up tools in the operating system make it so that a copy of every person's WiFi password (or the password of other networks you log onto) is being stored on Google's servers. Unfortunately, this might mean that Google could be legally forced to hand over the data at the government's request for one reason or another.

In Android 4.2, the back up service under Settings, lists WiFi passwords as part of the data that will be included, where as earlier versions of the OS did not specifically mention that. Although the feature can be turned off, users lose other, helpful functionality like bookmarks etc.

The main problem here is beyond the fact that Google is storing the passwords. The company is storing them in such a way that means it can read the passwords if it wants to. This is clear to see by the way new Android devices can suck in old passwords, login data and device settings from Google servers, once you have setup your Gmail address and new password.

Obviously, this functionality has its up sides, we can easily manage passwords for several devices and services this way, but it certainly leaves the networks we use in a much less secure state than we may have originally thought. Although this isn't shocking in the least, it is surprising that Google would leave these passwords in a readable form as well as opening itself up for an almost guaranteed public back lash if the government ever does strong arm them for that data.

Skype offers free Wi-Fi in airports, but not for Android

In a display of Skype's holiday spirit, the company will be gifting travelers with one hour of free Wi-Fi access at over 50 major airports across the United States. The offer will begin on Dec 21 and last until Dec 27.

In order to take advantage of this offer, travelers must have a device capable of utilizing Skype Wi-Fi, a protocol found in newer versions of Skype that is being used to authenticate against hotspots around the country, not just at airports. To make sure you can enjoy free Wi-Fi this holiday season, simply install the latest version of Skype on your Windows, Mac OS or iPhone OS device.

Did you notice that Android was missing from that list? While this is a great offer for most devices, it looks as though Android users will be left out in the cold. Although Skype exists for Android, the app currently found in the Android Market is said to not support Skype Wi-Fi. That means a plethora of phones are tablets will not be able to nab free Wi-Fi at airports this year. The Skype Blog goes out of its way to explicitly name Windows, Mac OS and iOS devices without mentioning Android anywhere. Combine this with the fact a new version of the Android Skype app was released about a week ago and it quickly sounds like Android support will not be added any time soon.

Now owned by Microsoft, Skype has some deep pockets to reach into. This campaign sounds like a very effective way to get people installing the software on their portable devices although millions of Android users will be left disappointed.

Google rolled out a similar but more exhaustive campaign last year, offering free wireless Internet at participating airlines and on planes (where applicable). The offer lasted for about six weeks and hit about the same number of locations.