Bristol extends pilot Wi-Fi network: The network currently covers three square km. Cityspace will expand this to business districts, “disadvantaged” neighborhoods, and along transportation routes. The current network sees 15,000 users a month. (I’m always a bit dubious about whether in citations like this that the uniqueness extends to 15,000 sessions or 15,000 users.) Video surveillance is, of course, part of what will be rolled out, including nomadic cameras that can be moved about.

BT will build out …

Some ISPs think it’s better to share and share alike: Remember the kerfuffle a few months ago when Fon was announced, and said that part of its business model relied on people sharing a broadband connection—typically wireline—over Wi-Fi for allcomers to use? And recall that they had a short list of ISPs that supported the practice at the time, and created a bit of confusion by including Speakeasy, a Seattle-based broadband company that I use for DSL at home and work, in that list.

The confusion made sense in retrospect. Speakeasy is one of the few ISPs that allows any subscriber …

T-Mobile is no longer the only cell phone provider to offer the well-received BlackBerry
Pearl. This week, Cingular, the nation’s largest cell network, added the Pearl to its lineup of smartphones.

The Pearl takes its name from its on-board control system. “The little navigation button in the middle lights up like a pearl,” said Cingular spokesperson John Kampfe, who called attention to several other features beyond the phone’s pretty design.

For example, the Pearl can manage up to 10 e-mail accounts and notify users …

WASHINGTON — A highly engaged United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments today in a case that could have wide implications for the future of the country’s patent system.At issue is the standard currently used to determine if a patent should be issued if the invention is obvious to those with knowledge of the skills involved, particularly patents that combine two known elements.Under that standard, a company seeking to invalidate a patent based on its obviousness must show some prior proof of “teaching, suggestion or motivation” existed to prove the invention is obvious.In the case before …

Houston moves forward with two finalists: The city will consider EarthLink and a firm with local ties, Convergent Broadband; there hasn’t been a formal announcement yet. The network would span 600 square miles, and although this article it’s “expected to be the biggest in the country once it’s completed in 2008,” that involves a tense rarely found in English (or even Icelandic). By 2008, there will likely be dozens of networks worldwide that span more than 600 square miles using a variety of …