New Gadgets For The Wireless Workplace - Forbes.com

New Gadgets For The Wireless Workplace - Forbes.com Wireless networks are everywhere, whether you're talking about cellular, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth--and increasingly, they are being adopted by employers for use in the workplace.
But for all their pervasiveness, these networks are totally useless without the right hardware. Wireless protocols may be getting faster, stronger and more common, but what use are they if you don't have the right card in your laptop or your phone can't handle data?

Fortunately, hardware vendors have been aggressively cranking out new gadgets to exploit advanced wireless networks.

New laptops come equipped with chips like Intel's (nasdaq: INTC - news - people ) Centrino, allowing them to access Wi-Fi networks without any extra hardware. Phones from vendors including Nokia (nyse: NOK - news - people ), PalmOne (nasdaq: PLMO - news - people ) and Research In Motion (nasdaq: RIMM - news - people ) provide access to e-mail and the functionality of a personal digital assistant. And handheld or tablet computers from companies like Dell (nasdaq: DELL - news - people ) offer a variety of ways to communicate wirelessly, whether it's Wi-Fi or the short-range Bluetooth standard. Click Here!