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Oct. 29, 2008

In case you've forgotten, Wi-Fi technology was originally developed in early 1999 as a way to wirelessly connect laptop computers to the Internet.

Hard to believe that this is almost 10 years ago, but it is. And the technology is getting even more popular with every year that goes by.

It’s a sign of the technology’s maturity that it is in more than five thousand different products today that cover an even wider range of devices and mobile applications of all kinds.

Since March 2000, the Wi-Fi Alliance said it has certified a little over five thousand Wi-Fi products that include laptops, portable entertainment devices, cameras, televisions, Palm Pilots and mobile phones.

The Alliance also added that about 1,150 such products have been certified since September of last year, with most of those using the high-speed 802.11n draft 2.0 specification.

There are also some analysts that think a new draft specification could be in the works. At least one expects it to be early next year.

The number of mobile phones using Wi-Fi grew by almost 34 percent in the first three quarters of 2008, compared to the same period in 2007.

Edgar Figueroa, executive director of the Wi-Fi Alliance said “this milestone says a lot of the overall confidence people have in the Wi-Fi Certified seal of approval and the commitment of our member companies in delivering the best user experience with Wi-Fi products."

He added “our certification programs have evolved rapidly for both consumer and enterprise needs, and the rate at which we certify new Wi-Fi products continues to accelerate more and more.”

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    This article was featured on Business 5.0 and on Tech Blog.

Source: The Wi-Fi Alliance.