It pays to be wary when using wireless services in coffee shops, airports and hotels. They are almost always not encrypted, which means anyone else on the network who is equipped with available software can easily read your transmissions.
When there is a form of encrpyption, it’s usually a Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) system that is easily broken.
The editors of Business Week say you should not connect to just any public Wi-Fi network, and never connect to “ad hoc” or “peer-to-peer” wireless networks. Be sure not to send private information over a network that doesn’t use a secure site.
Look for wireless networks that use Wi-Fi Protected Access.
iPhone G3 saves money?
In tight economic times, some people are buying a more expensive mobile phone in order to save money.
Here’s why it works, according to the media measurement firm com.Score Inc. It’s like the “Swiss Army knife” device. It offers a phone, a music player, a camera and a way to connect to high-speed Internet service.
Ownership of the iPhone increased by 48 percent from June through August of last year in households earning $50,000 or less. Those households include many retired women and young people. The increase was in spite of the fact that there was a slight decline in the number of such households during the same period.
Sales of the iPhone grew only 21 percent among households earning more.