CES 2009

Intel's WiFi PAN management interface at the CES 2009 demo.

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CBS Interactive)

I love my hotel room in Las Vegas. Great view! Very fast Internet access. However, the hotel controls and charges for access to the Internet by IP address. This means I have to keep my iPhone from getting connected unless I want to pay for another connection plan, in addition to the one used for my laptop.

This, however, is going to change next CES thanks to a new Wi-Fi technology that Intel announced this year.

It's called My WiFi and it is a wireless driver and software update to Intel's Centrino 2 processor-based laptops. This software allows the computer's built-in wireless networking chip to create a separate Wi-Fi personal Area Network (PAN). This network allows up to eight other Wi-Fi Certified wireless clients to connect to it, while the computer is still connected to a separate access point, the way any computer with built-in wireless networking does now.

This dual-interface is possible thanks to Intel's 5100 Wi-Fi and Intel's 5300 Wi-Fi Link adapters that can manage both Wireless LAN and Wi-Fi PAN connections at the same time.

The PAN has its own HDCP server and supports Windows' Internet Connection Sharing, meaning that if my laptop is connected to the Internet through the hotel's service, it can share that connection wirelessly with eight other Wi-Fi clients without the knowledge of the hotel.

Sharing the Internet (whether you want to be sneaky as in my above example or not) is, of course, not the only offering of My WiFi. The technology enables users to simultaneously connect their laptops to multiple other peripheral devices, such as printers, photo frames, and cameras without a need for an access point or a wireless router.

Current Wi-Fi laptops can also do this by putting the wireless adapter in ad-hoc mode, but that is very limited. An ad-hoc connection allows a laptop to connect to one wireless device at a time and no access to an access point or wireless router at the same time.

Intel's My WiFi technology supports multiple types of security protocols, including WEP, WPA, and WPA2. It also supports Wi-Fi Protected Setup, a technology that lets you add wireless clients to a network quickly without having to manually entering the encryption key.

The deployment of My WiFi depends on vendors, but you can expect to find this as a free update to any laptop computer that run Intel's Centrino 2 processor by the second quarter of this year.

In the meantime, you can also do this a little less conveniently with an add-in travel router such as the Windy31.

The Wi-Fi interface of Apple's iPhone.

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CBS Interactive)

Despite the economic downturn, the Wi-Fi section of the high-tech industry has been doing well.

According to In-Stat and Wi-Fi Alliance, the groups that certify wireless networking devices to ensure their interoperability, Wi-Fi chipsets were sold in a total of 387 million units in 2008, a 26 percent increase from 2007.

This was thanks to the demand by both consumers and businesses for a wide range of Wi-Fi-enabled devices. Almost all new mobile computers now have build-in Wi-Fi and so do most smartphones. The Wi-Fi implementation has branched out to other devices too, such as game consoles or media players. By now, it's clear that Wi-Fi has become an essential technology.

However, the increase of Wi-Fi chipset sales varies by category:

• Cellular Wi-Fi phones: 56 million units shipped (up 52 percent)
• Stationary consumer electronic devices (gaming consoles, digital televisions, set-top boxes, printers): 48 million units shipped (up 51 percent)
• Portable consumer electronic devices (handheld games, cameras, portable music players): 71 million units shipped (up 33 percent)
• Notebook PCs, mini notebooks, ultramobile devices, mobile Internet devices: 144 million units shipped (up 23 percent)

The companies predict that in 2009 the demand for Wi-Fi chipsets will continue to rise in cellular Wi-Fi handsets, portable consumer electronics, home networking, and mobile PCs. Like notebooks, all handheld gaming devices ship in 2009 will have Wi-Fi.

Last year also marks the proliferation of the 802.11n or Draft N wireless networking chipset. So far Wi-Fi Alliance has certified more than 500 consumer products for advanced Wi-Fi performance. More than half of the mobile computers shipped in 2008 support this advanced generation of Wi-Fi.

The DSC-G3 includes an embedded Web browser.

(Credit: Sony Electronics)

Wi-Fi-enabled cameras have been around for several years, but arguably never took off because they never hit on the right combination of performance and capabilities; at various points we've seen powerful Wi-Fi but subpar photo quality, good cameras but with limited Wi-Fi capabilities, or simply middling all around. Now Sony's giving it a shot with the Cyber-Shot DSC-G3, and it looks like the company may at least get the feature side of the equation right.

The 10-megapixel, 4X zoom G3 includes 4GB of storage and a 210ppi 3.5-inch touch-screen display with Wi-Fi connectivity that allows you to wirelessly upload photos and video and deliver e-mail notifications. Unlike other implementations, the G3 gives you the tools to navigate and connect to networks, for instance, behind the terms-of-service agreement screens on public and hotel hot spots, via an embedded Web browser. The combination of organization tools and sophisticated and selective upload greatly expands the usefulness of both aspects of the camera. It includes free AT&T Wi-Fi access to Sony's Easy Upload Home Page until January 31, 2012.

Of course, like the others, this model may turn out to have performance or photo-quality flaws. And some may find $499 a bit pricey. But hope springs eternal. We'll find out when we get it in; that should be soon, since it's shipping now.

The IS9181 will be available this spring for $199.95.

(Credit: VTech)

In an interesting move, VTech, the makers of wireless home phones, has entered the home-audio fray with the IS9181, a Wi-Fi-enabled Internet radio receiver that will cost $199.95 when it's released this spring.

VTech claims the "competitively priced music hub delivers higher sound quality than other similarly priced music devices" and it allows you to play not only Internet radio selections but also to stream your music library stored on your computer (the IS9181 is compatible with both Windows PCs and Macs). There's also the requisite line input so you can connect any digital audio player.

At launch, VTech will be hosting a comprehensive guide to the thousands of Internet stations worldwide on its Web site, www.vtechphones.com. The press release notes that, "Once a desired station is located using the guide, users can push their favorite stations directly to the IS9181 for one-touch access."

Stations can be programmed into presets and the unit ships with a remote. Interestingly, the IS9181 can be made portable by popping in six AA batteries, which means you can take the device outside so long as you remain within range of a Wi-Fi signal. We're not sure how long those batteries will last, but Wi-Fi devices tend to gobble power, so we recommend getting rechargeables for this guy.

All in all, the IS9181 looks pretty good on paper. Now we just have to hear how it sounds.

Here's a rundown of the full spec list:

*802.11 digital Wi-Fi technology, providing superior range and streaming rates

*Internet radio streaming from 11,000 stations or ability to search for any stations that stream online

*Internet radio stations search from VTech's site or on the device itself

*Preset favorites online

*PC- or Mac-stored MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV, Real music file playing

*Connect an MP3 player or any audio device directly to the radio using the provided cord

*Connect the IS9181 (via RCA connections) to other audio systems for streaming access

*Internal 2.1 speakers

*Weather and horoscope text updates based on zip code

*Remote included

*Large full-color display

*AC Power Adapter

*Battery-operated option (requires six AA batteries, not included)