Hotzone operator The Cloud is offering early adopters of Windows Vista a three-month free trial of Wi-Fi access.

The Cloud was chosen by Microsoft to promote its new Vista operating systems because of its extensive network coverage in the UK.

Vista users in America are being offered a similar deal with T-Mobile as the operator.

Vista users will be able to access the service from early next week by registering on Microsoft’s UK Vista homepage. No credit card details will be required when users initially register, but these details will be needed if they decide to continue with the service after the trial period.

The Cloud operates 7,500 Wi-Fi sites across the UK. It has indoor hotspots in airports, railway stations and hotels, and outdoor hotzones in six city centres. Its square mile-wide wireless network across the City of London will be operational from the end of March.

Pipex Wireless, the Wireless ISP (WISP), which is a joint venture between Intel and ISP Pipex, is planning its second deployment of WiMax in the UK.

The latest deployment will take place in the city of Warwick. Pipex Wireless will work with National Grid Wireless, Warwick District Council and Intel to set up WiMax connectivity over three sites in the city.

Trials are expected to commence in May or June 2007. Warwick council will be the service’s first customer, using the long-range wireless broadband for leased line services, VoIP and homeworking.

Pipex Wireless hopes to eventually sell the service to domestic customers.

The company first deployed WiMax in Milton Keynes last year. Results from early trials showed speeds of 10Mbps.

If deployment in Warwick is successful, the roll-out of the service will be accelerated to other cities including Manchester. Pipex Wireless is also looking at plans to rollout the technology in a rural area.

However, we can only hope that if anyone has problems with the new Pipex Wireless networks, that they are provided with a better quality of support than existing Pipex broadband customers are given.

The Mobile TV Zone at this autumn’s IBC2007 exhibition in Amsterdam, is being increased in size by 75% to more than 2,500m². The show is the world’s leading broadcasting exhibition.

The decision to devote more space to Mobile TV follows the success of last year’s show and the expansion of the Mobile TV market which is expected to soar from 6 million subscribers in 2007 to over 130 million subscribers in 2010.

The IBC2007 Mobile Zone will showcase the work of applications developers, content providers and technology companies. It will feature the latest developments in mobile TV, 3G services and mobile devices.

The impact of mobile devices on the creation, management and delivery of content will be a major theme of the show.

Visitors to the show will be able to attend free business briefings examining some of the issues and opportunities arising from the expansion of Mobile TV.

The IBC2007 Mobile Zone is being jointly developed and marketed by IBC, IT Europa and BPL. The IBC2007 exhibition will take place from 7th - 11th September 2007 at the RAI, Amsterdam.

Hewlett Packard have released the MediaSmart TV, which is intended to act as an extended Media Center for Windows Vista.

HP’s MediaSmart TV is fitted with 801.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi adaptors and Ethernet ports, allowing it to act as a wireless Media Center Extender for Windows Vista. Movies stored on a PC can be shown in the comfort of a living room without the need for wires.

The TV can access video, audio and photos in a variety of formats including DivX, WMV, MPEG-2, MP3, WMA, JPEG and BMP.

It will stream media directly from the Internet via online services such as Real Rhapsody, CinemaNow, SnapFish and Live365 Radio.

The new MediaSmart TV is available in three sizes - 37 inch, 42inch and 47inch. They use either 6ms or 8ms panels, and feature a 1,200:1 contrast radio and ambient light adjustment.

The MediaSmart TV is available now from around £850.

After the high-profile launch of the Apple iPhone on Monday, Cisco has stepped in with a legal suit for trademark infringement.

Cisco-owned company Linksys already owns the trademark on the iPhone, and has done since the purchase of Infogear in 2000.

Although talks between Apple and Cisco had taken place, and although it was believed a licencing arrangement was close, Steve Jobs announced the iPhone before the talks could reach agreement.

A potential sticking point is that Cisco is believed to have wanted the Apple iPhone to be compatible with Linksys VoIP products, to create interoperability and reduce consumer confusion over the products.

Now that Apple are claiming rights to the name without agreement, Cisco has filed a lawsuit for trademark violation.

According to a Cisco spokesman, Cisco had acted in good faith, and accused Apple of trying to repeatedly acquire the trademark directly and indirectly, not least via front company.

An Apple spokesman is reported as stating the Cisco claim is “silly”, because the trademark does not apply to cell phones.

It’s not the first time Apple - now renamed Apple Inc, from Apple Computers Inc - has run foul of trademark issues.

Previously they contested a trademark dispute with the Beatles’ Apple Records label - and the ensuing court case, heard in the UK, ruled in favour of Apple being able to use the name because of the clear disparity in products would not cause confusion.

While the difference between a VoIP phone and cell phone is enough to allow Apple to use the trademark will now be left to the US courts to decide.

However, this may only be the start of Apple’s battles.

Apple have claimed that the Apple iPhone is a revolutionary new touchscreen phone - but LG recently launched the LG KE850, a slimline touchscreen phone which has a remarkably similar design.

The LG KE850 has already won a Product Design Award for 2007 from the International Design Forum.

We’ve already seen RIM - the maker of the iconic Blackberry - take Samsung to court over similar design and potential brand confusion.

It remains to be seen if any legal action, justified or not, may follow over this issue, and leave Apple embroiled in legal cases around it’s biggest new product for years.

It’s official - the long-rumoured Apple iPhone will be launched this year.

And it’s not simply a phone, but a widescreen iPod, mobile phone and mobile internet device all in one.

Steve Jobs provided the first tour of the “internet multimedia device” at MacWorld Expo, hailing that Apple had “reinvented the phone”.

It has no buttons - everything is touchscreen.

It even appears that Cisco have allowed Apple rights to call the new device iPhone, even though Cisco owns the actual trademark on the name.

During a presentation lasting over an hour, Steve Jobs gave a thorough demonstration of the services associated with the phone.

The wireless internet is part is key to the iPhone, and uses a tabbed version of the Safari browser to surf the internet.

Additionally, Yahoo founder Jerry Yang, and Google CEO Eric Schmidt, were brought on stage by Steve Jobs to demonstrate how technologies from both companies have been integrated - not least Google Maps and Yahoo Mail.

The iPhone also provides a respectable 4-8GB of Flash memory for photos and video.

Cingular are also providing exclusive support for the iPhone, and use of it will probably require a subscription to AT&T.

The iPhone was announced to ship in US in June, in Europe in the fourth quarter and in Asia in 2008.

Overall information is currently sketchly as journalists frantically write down the detailed specifications and demonstrated services from the Steve Jobs presentation.

However, so far Gizmodo has presented some of the best overall coverage - with plenty of appetite-whetting images.

Of all the tech gadgets ever launched, the iPhone is not simply one of the most eagerly awaited - but quite possibly the most significant release for years.

UPDATE: The official iPhone page at Apple.

Channel 4, in an agreement with Wi-Fi provider The Cloud, is launching a two-month trial offering free content to Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) users. The new service will allow 4Radio podcasts to be downloaded to PSP games consoles.

Programmes will be designed specifically for PSP owners including news programmes, content from SlashMusic and updates on Celebrity Big Brother.

The Cloud has connections at 7,500 public hotspots throughout the UK. When PSP users open the internet browser within range of a hotspot they will automatically be pointed to a page designed for them.

The innovative service, providing 4Radio’s content on-demand while on the go, will allow Channel 4 Radio to target listeners who don’t have time to tune in before they leave the house.

Autonet Mobile has announced a new wireless service for vehicles, which provides in-car interet connectivity via WiFi Hotspot technology in the USA. The company plans to launch the technology at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on January 8.

Autonet Mobile will offer the service - the first always-on broadband Internet service for cars - through leading car rental company, Avis Rent-A-Car System. It is expected that Autonet will provide a rolling Wi-Fi hot spot to Avis customers by the end of the first quarter.

Under the expected agreement, Avis will provide motorists with a device that plugs into a car’s power supply and delivers a high-speed Internet connection for laptops and other WiFi-enabled electronic devices for $10.95 a day. The device utilises the 3G cellular network and will work across 95% of the USA.

The service will initially be focused on business travellers, but it is expected that it will be extended to families travelling with children. The service is intended for use by passengers, not drivers, as operating the WiFi hotspot technology while driving would be unsafe and would contravene traffic regulations. Avis will require renters to agree not to hold it liable for accidents resulting from irresponsible use.

Although the idea of driving and using the internet may initially raise initial horrorof distracted drivers, there are surely plenty of applications where this is going to be useful. For example, a number of cars already have GPS systems installed in them, and always-on broadband is likely to expand on the services available for drivers.