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The laptops, which were conceived and developed by the MIT Media Lab, feature wireless network access and a hand crank, will run on an open-source OS, most likely Linux. It's expected that a million of these devices will be shipped by the end of the year to countries including Brazil, Thailand, Egypt, and Nigeria.

A while back there was criticism by a number of industry types, most notably from Intel Chairman Craig Barrett, that the laptops are limited and that people want something with the full functionality of a PC. Obviously, it would be wonderful to be able to provide devices with all the bells and whistles, but many governments can't afford to purchase high-priced computers, so this initiative is targeted toward them. At this point, it's better to do something than it is to sit back and do nothing.

What makes this story so cool is that Riviera Beach is paying for all of this mostly from seized drug money. City officials say this type of funding has freed up other money that will enable the development of a wireless network for residents. So take that, drug runners! Crime DOES pay, at least for citywide wireless networks!

The timing certainly is right with research indicating that over 41 percent of a recent survey's responders stating they would consider purchasing mobile TV service. Of course, it all boils down to price as well as content choices, but when you've got these big names promoting mobile TV, the marketing muscle is definitely there.

Obviously, WiMax supporters want to make sure their products do what they're supposed to do, but they may eventually have to be deployed overseas to prove their worth before finally finding a place in the U.S. Of course, the pending field trials will certainly tell a huge part of the story.

As of now, most of the WiFi access in and around the area is limited to the standard coffee shops and other establishments, but the state is seeing more agreements between cities that will allow users to log on from either their own home area or someplace nearby, all for one fee.

It kind of warms the heart when the Cheeseheads are now joining the wireless revolution, doesn't it?

In any case, it looks like the long-in-the-works Rhode Island Wireless Innovation Networks (RI-WINs) initiative may finally get underway in the form of a pilot phase next month. According to officials, the network will be aimed at govermental employees, especially first responders, as well as private companies who employ a number of mobile workers. Example applications include dash cameras to report information back to agency headquarters, real-time access to law enforcement databases, distance learning, and home health care monitoring.

What excites those involved with the project is that because Rhode Island is so small, it really can be classified as a statewide municipal wireless network. In addition, operating costs are projected to be around $5 million a year for the whole state, and annual revenue is projected to be over $6 million, to be gained through access fees from private users.

This certainly seems like a win-win for the Rhode Island. Obviously, the pilot program will tell us a lot more about usage and access, but the wireless signs seem to be pointing up for the Ocean State.

Earlier last year, it looked like the SIG and UWB supporters were looking for ways to join the technologies together for various applications, and things seemed to point to something of substance was going to occur sometime this year. The SIG says it is currently studying how UWB and Bluetooth can co-exist, especially in power consumption and mobile devices.

With the various UWB spec groups now going off in different directions, it'll be interesting to see if one of them will strike an agreement with the SIG or the Bluetooth group will look to play every hand possible and work with all of them.

Of course, standards won't necessarily make everything work the way it should, so some are calling for greater analysis to measure what technologies work and what needs to be clarified or even abandoned if the outcomes don't measure up to the expectations.

According to the agreement, Motorola will install network equipment from their suppliers, as well as their own products, on city light poles to form a wireless mesh to allow access from just about anywhere within a given location.

Obviously, this is a big deal because EarthLink can certainly submit proposals for future projects knowing that they have a powerhouse like Motorola behind them so that equipment questions can be answered quickly. Of course, there may be more agreements like this coming down the pike to give competitors a chance, so we'll see what happens.

The story also mentions that the network will succeed because nearly 9 in 10 Taipei households have at least one PC and over a third of the population is familiar with wireless Internet service. As a result, there's no need for a large learning curve and users will be able to take immediate advantage of the network. As with many U.S. citywide networks, there has been pushback from the phone companies who have lobbied city and state governments to keep these initiatives from getting off the ground. But just like anywhere else, the demand is just too great to keep down.

As we well know, the big cities are enlisting big companies to build citywide networks, and with their combined economical and technological power, it's pretty much a given that these small collectives would be pushed aside. However, the point is that these massive citywide projects wouldn't have even gotten off the ground without groups like NYCwireless or Seattle Wireless making it possible for friends and neighbors to get wireless access from each other and having the concept grow from there.

The winning bidder will get a 10-year contract to wire the subway platforms, but all bidders had to detail how they would expand the network in their proposals. A key component of the contract is that the winner must let other carriers use the network.

As with most initiatives of this type where broadband wireless access is made available to a large population base, economic development is the most commonly cited reason as to why these projects are undertaken.

It seems like a nice idea, but what about the rest of Boston. Where will these people and businesses be able to access a broader network? The initiative does have some expansion plans, but may not be enough to cover the entire city. We'll have to keep tabs on this project to see how it will address the other parts of Boston.

Of course, there are concerns by privacy groups, as well as some mobile carriers, as to how these type of advertising programs can be carried out without causing serious disruption to users. Will consumers have to spend a great deal of time having to go to websites of all types of marketers to place themselves on Do Not Call-type lists? It can become an overwhelming task, especially if you rely on your cellphone as your primary means of communication. Advertisers, content providers, and wireless carriers will have to tread lightly here and come up with strategies to make sure that these programs are limited in scope and delivered only to those people who want to receive these messages.

As has one CEO has indicated by the title of this post, this type of personal mobile marketing has been designed to wash away the concept of consumers that switch away from television commercials. But again, this is personal--the messages are delivered to you alone, and that can cause quite a stir if this isn't done right.