Get Ready for a New Wi-Fi Standard

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Complaining about Wi-Fi reliability, or lack thereof, is a national pastime. But at some point in the next year or so, we may need to stop complaining. That's because the current standard, 802.11n, will soon be replaced by a new version with the unprepossessing moniker of 802.11ac. According to PCWorld's Michael Brown, who wrote "Fifth-Generation Wi-Fi Is Coming: Are You Ready for 802.11ac?" the latest improvement to the Wi-Fi standard should be ratified by late this year or early 2013. If you're not satisfied with your current 802.11n setup, you'll want to explore this higher-throughput upgrade--though it will require new hardware, of course. It's a good thing routers are relatively cheap. --Editorial Director Steve Fox Top Stories Fifth-Generation Wi-Fi Is Coming: Are You Ready for 802.11ac? We're on the verge of the biggest change in wireless networking since 2007. Fifth-generation Wi-Fi technology promises to deliver faster-than-cable speed--without the cables. 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This first attempt to move beyond the operating system's DOS roots introduced many features we recognize in Windows today. Why "Ultrabook" Doesn't Mean Much Intel's requirements for Ultrabooks aren't in line with what consumers expect, and it's going to turn the label into a meaningless buzzword. Friends Don't Let Friends Buy Cheap Android Phones Not everything that's free is good. When it comes to Android phones, free can be a bad thing. For the latest reports, visit our News page . PCW Business Center Clock Is Ticking on XP--Time to Start OS Migration Windows XP served businesses well, but now is the time to plan your move to a newer OS. Visit the PCW Business Center. Blogs Google Glasses All Hype or Reality? Defying the critics, consumers remain optimistic and hopeful that Google augmented reality glasses are coming soon. Vista Support No More: Where to Go for Help Microsoft may be ending person-to-person support for Vista, but that doesn't mean Vista users are in the dark. Google+ Gets a Complete Overhaul The new interface improves on the photo and video experiences and there's also a new hangouts page among other changes. For the latest news and opinion, visit our Blogs page . Reviews Can Your Software Live in the Cloud? Services such as CloudOn, Nivio, and OnLive are bringing full-blown Office apps--and in some cases, Windows itself--to iPads and other mobile devices by running the programs on cloud servers. Some are even free, for now. Top 10 Smartphones with Physical Keyboards These 10 smartphones have physical keyboards for serious typing sessions. Compare prices on phones. For more reviews, visit PCWorld.com. How-To Save a Wet Gadget, Salvage a Laptop Hard Disk The Bheestie Bag promises to dry out a wet phone, camera, or other gadget; plus, learn how to give an old laptop hard drive new life. How to Root Your Verizon Galaxy Nexus Rooting an Android smartphone is not for the faint of heart. Follow our simple guide to better understand how to root your Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone. For more tips, visit PCWorld.com. Downloads Holdkey Free keyboard utility makes it easier to enter extended and nonstandard characters. For more free and trial software, visit PCWorld.com. PC World Community Friend's Gaming Computer Join the discussion. Visit the PC World Community PCWorld on your iPad! PCWorldDaily gives you the best from our experts each day. Download from the App Store - Free! Advertisement Lenovo ThinkPads & IdeaPads Click thru to shop the bestselling ThinkPads & IdeaPads! 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Share: LG Viper: First Impressions of Sprint's New LTE Phone The LG Viper has a stylish, eco design and a wallet-friendly price, but you might not be able to utilize its 4G LTE speeds any time soon. Share: Make Search Engines Love Your Site With This SEO Software It's not enough to have a great product or service anymore. You also need a great website and to get noticed by search engines. We look at software that shows you the ins and outs of the almighty SEO. Share: Dell Latitude XT3 Review: This Convertible PC Is All Business The pricey and heavy XT3 rugged laptop fits best in select corporate markets. Share: Downloads: Editor's Collection Free and Cheap Software for Benchmarking like a ProWhether you're a power user or a novice, there has never been a better time to learn about benchmarking. 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