No surprise here, but the kids from MIT were (presumably) right all along. The three students who were muffled just before presenting their case at Defcon have finally been freed; the now-revoked gag order had prevented them from exposing insecurities in the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority ticket system, but during the same court setting, the MBTA fessed up and admitted that its current system was indeed vulnerable. Of note, it only confessed that its CharlieTicket system was susceptible to fraud, while simply not acknowledging any flaws in the more popular CharlieCard option. Pish posh -- who here believes it doesn't have dutiful employees working up a fix as we speak?

At long last, "you are now free to surf the intarwebz while flying." Okay, so maybe it has been possible in the past, but American Airlines is taking a huge leap forward in the US market today by giving passengers aboard long-haul Boeing 767-200 flights the option to hop online during the trip. The GoGo service, which is being provided by Aircell, will charge customers $12.95 for access to the world wide web, though Reuters points out that VoIP calling is "not available." Delta, US Airways, et al. -- time to get with the program.

[Via Dallas News, thanks Travis]

It's never been a secret that pro-level wireless audio manufacturers are nervous about the Wireless Innovation Alliance's whitespace internet plans, but now that Google's taken the fight to the people directly, various equipment makers are starting to air their concerns publicly -- and with millions of dollars in gear and people's livelihoods on the line, they aren't being shy about it. "We are worried the FCC will buckle and allow white space to be used by personal portable devices seeking wireless services," says Letrasonic's Karl Winkler, as professional wireless audio systems like those used in theaters and rock venues exist in the same frequency spectrum and redesigning them to avoid interference could "cost big productions millions of dollars." That's of course the same concern groups like the NAB had about television broadcasts, but where we can see consumers being willing to put up with some TV static to get cheaper net access, we don't think rock bands and stage performers will be as willing to compromise -- and although Motorola says its geolocation system will prevent any interference, it doesn't sound like the industry is ready to buy it. Of course, all these hysterics are based on nothing more than speculation and rumors, since basically no one's ever seen a whitespace device in use -- maybe if one of the giant companies backing the tech would actually demo some of this vapor, people wouldn't be so nervous about it. Just a suggestion -- albeit one we've been making for months now.

Oh sure, Wireless USB products are out there, but they're pretty far out there. We're talking deep back shelf type stuff. NEC Electronics is hoping to get the cord-free version of the well known peripheral standard into more and more gizmos by cranking out the uPD720171 Wireless USB host controller. The unit was designed with the PCI Express bus interface in mind, and it can also provide laptops with connectivity via the ExpressCard slot. The company claims that the $10 device can handle transfers up to 480Mbps within a range of three meters, but you'll be waiting a little while yet before testing out said claim in a finalized product.

[Via SlashGear]

While much of the world rallies around LTE, Intel's still doing its thang with WiMAX. According to Garth Collier, general manager of WiMax at Intel Asia-Pacific, the outfit is gearing up to "start supporting other markets outside of the US at 2.5GHz and in other spectrum profiles." As it stands, the Centrino 2 chip package supports a version of the technology that uses the 2.5GHz spectrum, and while Mr. Collier didn't specify which WiMAX profile would be added in 2009, deductive reasoning leads us to believe that 2.3GHz (used in South Korea) and 3.5GHz (used in Pakistan) are in the cards. Beyond that, details are few and far between, but we'd expect to hear something a bit more solid at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco.

[Via InfoWorld, image courtesy of CNET]

Whitespace internet has long had heavyweight industry backing from the likes of Dell, Microsoft, and Motorola, and while those companies and several others have been lobbying Congress and the FCC through staidly named groups like the Wireless Innovation Alliance and the White Space Coalition, it looks like Google is sick of the red tape -- it's launching a petition drive aimed squarely at consumers called "Free the Airwaves." Yep, Google's cribbing its whitespace marketing from Pump Up the Volume -- and while that's certainly enough to convince us, we've got a feeling it's not going to sway anyone else's opinion until this semi-vaporware tech is actually demonstrated working outside of an FCC lab. Put up or shut up, El Goog -- or at least play a Descendents song or two.

[Thanks, Zoli]

Look out, cable pundits, your next must-have gadget has arrived. Kensington's Wireless USB Docking Station is pretty straightforward -- you simply plug in up to five USB devices along with your external monitor in order to access all of those gizmos sans cabling from your Wireless USB-enabled machine. Sure, the range is capped at 15-feet, but never having to plug in that printer / scanner / external HDD / USB-powered fan again when setting up your work lappie at home will be a huge relief. Look for this one to ship soon for $229.99.

[Via Electronista]

This one's a bit morbid, but the technology behind it all is actually quite interesting. Japan's own Nichiryoku has evidently created a unique urn retrieval system that enables family members with deceased loved ones to return to a reverent storage facility, swipe an RFID card, and watch their late mother / father / etc. emerge from the underground for viewing. Aside from saving space and money, this also provides mourning kin with a sense of security, as we're told that the urns are kept where even minor acts of God won't disturb them. Check out a demonstrative video just after the break.

[Via CScout]

We've never really had anything bad to say about our Bluetooth mouse experience (this week, at least), but Ozmo thinks it can do better. The company has built an optical mouse that connects over low-power WiFI Personal Area Network (PAN) technology. Ozmo has special drivers for the PC to allow it to do concurrent WLAN and WPAN connections, and is compatible with 802.11g and 802.11a. They're also fighting Bluetooth on the audio front with a headset, where we think they might find a more welcome reception -- especially when they get some good stereo headphones on the market. Intel and Ozmo just recently trotted out this WiFI PAN tech a couple of months ago, and what we have here are reference designs for use by OEMs, so no word on commercial availability just yet.

[Via I4U]

We promised you a review, and it's a review we're delivering. We tested out Sprint's AIRAVE femtocell to see if it really would improve service in a Sprint dead zone, and sure enough, the thing was pretty close to magical. Head on over to the Mobile side for the full spill.

Wait, wait. Something that was promised for next year is arriving... this year? Be still our hearts! Chrysler will reportedly offer up its in-car EV-DO solution (dubbed Uconnect Web) starting on August 25th, and owners of 2009 Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles (along with a few "earlier models") will be able to have the $499 box retrofitted into their rides. Apparently the auto maker isn't planning to install the units directly at the factory, so those who want it will be forced to pay an additional $35 to $50 installation charge, a $35 activation fee and a $29 monthly subscription fee. The service is said to provide download speeds between 400Kbps and 800Kbps with uploads hovering around 400Kbps, and provider Autonet Mobile has promised that you'll "never lose the connection." That's a pretty bold claim -- thankfully we'll be able to test it out in just a few weeks.

[Via CrunchGear, image courtesy of Flickr]

Sprint's AIRAVE signal booster isn't officially on sale nationwide just yet (August 17th, for those curious), but for those anxious to pull the trigger (or merely mulling the decision), we've got a few hands-on shots to whet your appetite. So, where are they? Why, over at Engadget Mobile, that's where! Keep an eye out for a review to pop shortly.

Samsung already loosed a 3-channel Bluetooth speaker earlier this year, but apparently, one just isn't enough. The company has now introduced its YA-SBR510 over in South Korea, which streams audio from BT-enabled players and includes a 3.5-millimeter auxiliary jack for hooking up just about everything else. A tad pricey at €150 ($222), but it's a total bargain should it come bundled with that oh-so-furry rug. Sammy, care to comment?

Defcon already delivered by exposing California's FasTrak toll system for the security hole that it is, but that's not nearly all that's emerging from the Las Vegas exploitation conference. For starters, a plethora of medical device security researchers have purportedly figured out a way to wirelessly control pacemakers, theoretically allowing those with the proper equipment to "induce the test mode, drain the device battery and turn off therapies." Of course, it's not (quite) as simple as just buzzing a remote and putting someone six feet under, but it's a threat worth paying attention to. In related news, a trio of MIT students who were scheduled to give a speech on how to hack CharlieCards to get free rides on Boston's T subway were stifled by a temporary restraining order that the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority snagged just before the expo. Don't lie, you're intrigued -- hit up the links below for all the nitty-gritty.

Update: MIT published the Defcon presentation in a PDF.

Read - Pacemaker hack
Read - Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority sues MIT hackers
Read - Restraining order on said hackers

Motorola is claiming success in the latest round of FCC white space device testing, countering Microsoft's numerous failed attempts. "It worked as well as we said it would," said Motorola's Steve Sharkey. So there. Motorola's device is mostly based on its geolocation capabilities, which in addition to its "sensing" tech allow it to know where which spectrum is being used by digital TV in that particular area and avoid it proactively. Sharkey calls the tech "absolute, solid protection," which should make members of the white space coalition happy -- though we haven't heard positive word from Philips, Adaptrum and InfoComm yet, who were also testing devices alongside Motorola, but aren't using the geolocation technology. That, and the FCC has the final word on all of this, so we'll just have to wait for that word from on high before we start riotous, interference free partying in the streets.

[Via dailywireless.org]