Coming to a Dictionary Near You: Wi-Fi
Monday, October 10, 2005 at 8:16PM 
Earlier this month Merriam-Webster officially added nearly 100 words to its Eleventh Edition Collegiate Dictionary. An important entry is Wi-Fi.
Wi-Fi (certification mark) —used to certify the interoperability of wireless computer networking devicesThe dictionary definition above really doesn't tell much about this important word. When talking about Wi-Fi (short for Wireless-Fidelity), people are referring to the most popular kind of wireless networking. Wi-Fi uses radio waves to communicate, so Wi-Fi signals can go through walls and floors. Wi-Fi networks have access points, like a Linksys Wireless Router or an Apple Airport Extreme. Wi-Fi enabled devices can usually access the network from a few hundred feet away. The area around an access point where you can receive a signal is called a hotspot. Many coffee shops and bookstores offer free hotspots to their customers. Before the trademark of Wi-Fi was set, this method of wireless networking was called by its much more formal name, IEEE 802.11. Still curious about what Wi-Fi is? Then read a couple dozen definitions from Google.
Many handhelds feature built-in Wi-Fi. There are also add-on expansion cards that add Wi-Fi to Palm and Windows Mobile devices. With a Wi-Fi enabled handheld, you can browse the internet, send and receive email, and access file servers wirelessly. Handhelds can even synchronize using Wi-Fi. Unfortunately, Wi-Fi adds to the price of a handheld and quickly drains batteries when activated.
It doesn't appear that Bluetooth was added to Merriam-Webster's dictionary. Bluetooth is another kind of wireless networking. Bluetooth has a much shorter range, uses less power, and is slower than Wi-Fi. Some fancy handhelds have both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, like my Palm LifeDrive. It's important to note that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are not compatible with each other. Read pages 5 and 6 of the Southeast Initiatives Regional Technology in Education Consortium's NewsWire: Using Handheld Technologies in Schools for an overview of wireless networking.
Wi-Fi was added to the Collegiate Dictionary along with other entries like brain freeze, chick flick, and hazmat. These concepts are probably not as complicated to understand as wireless networking, however.
Reader Comments (3)
I do wonder how many people actually look up words in paper dictionaries anymore...
It is GREAT that we can change the quick launch buttons on the Palms... I have changed a lot of my buttons to things I use more frequently (i.e. "Contacts" now launches Noah Lite Dictionary; "Music" now launches Note Pad for quick note-jotting; The HotSync button now launches DocsToGo.) It's always nice to have technology that is customized and personal.
Marc, that is a wonderful tip. Mike and I will have to include in an episode of Soft Reset sometime!