ALSO NOTED: Hawking Hi-Gain Mini USB Adapter reviewed; D-Link launches RANGEBOOSTER N 650 series; and much more...

> Laptop Magazine has nothing but praise for the Hawking Hi-Gain Mini USB Adapter HWU54DM. Report

> D-Link has launched its RANGEBOOSTER N 650 series. The figure "650" denotes that devices in the series are 650 percent faster--and that their range is 5 times longer--than 802.11g gear. Report

> Speaking of D-Link: The company is also showing its DIR-450/ DIR-451/ DIR-452 Wireless 3G Mobile Routers. Report

>MetroFi is bringing WiFi to Portland, OR. Report

> A state-sponsored network of WiFi hot spots is about to grow and also could lure travelers into South Dakota's small towns. Report

> i-mate is showing a new pocket PC phone with WiFi. Review

> A trend? Remember that Canadian college where WiFi was banned for health reasons? Other schools, this time in the U.K., follow suit. Report

> Irish-American businessman Daniel Toomey has selected Dublin as a base for his Free-hotspot.com company; he hopes to use it to launch hundreds of hotspots across Europe. Report

> Speaking of Dublin: The Labor Party's spokesperson on communications Tommy Broughan has called for Dublin's city center to be made into a public access wireless broadband zone. Report

> Intel has received clearance for its wireless component of its upcoming "Santa Rosa" platform. Santa Rosa is scheduled for launch in Q2 of next year, and it will include the main chipset "Crestline" and the WiFi link "Kedron," Intel's first 802.11n-capable network chip. Report

> Alcatel will run 802.16e trials in Lebanon. Report

And finally... If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is a digital picture worth?  A timely question, as eStarling offers a WiFi-enabled digital photo frame. Review