Wi-Fi On The Move???
by Gary Woods

If you travel much and take your laptop with you, you've probably encountered Broadband Internet connections in the room. What I've usually seen is a bulky gray Ethernet cable that you have to drag half way across the room to get close to the place you actually want to work. This cable is attached to a big hunk of metal that I guess is to keep you from wandering off with their precious little cable.

To make your computing experience a whole lot cooler Apple has come up with the Apple AirPort Express, a new $129 802.11g mobile Wi-Fi base station that offers what may be the most efficient design yet for roaming wirelessly.

The AirPort Express, for the Mac and the PC, weighs 6.7 ounces. It plugs directly into the wall, eliminating the need to tote a power brick, which other mobile Wi-Fi routers require.

Although Apple initially positioned the AirPort Express as "the world's first 802.11g mobile base station," DLink and APC have offered similar small routers. But Apple's base station is an all-in-one design.

The company's non-mobile version of the AirPort is noted for easy setup for a wireless network; the new mobile version comes with the same software. "This is the first time with AirPort that we've offered PC setup software that's exactly the same as the Mac setup software," says Apple VP Greg Jozwiak.

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