PCTel is releasing a package of code developers can use to include 802.1X in their applications: This might seem like a minor note, but it's significant that any software developer creating a program that requires Internet connectivity doesn't have to build an 802.1X stack from scratch, but can license it. (There may be others floating around I'm unaware of.)
With an SDK, as it's called, a software developer doesn't have to build, test, and maintain the code for what is a bit of a moving target for compatibility and standards inside an application that might be focused on other connection issues. For instance, a developer who wanted to release a software package aimed at hotspot users might license a VPN module, an 802.1X module, and other authentication modules, and only need to tie those together and test them as a system instead of maintaining separate codebases for each.
Update: Jim Thompson notes that for companies or projects that can use open-source code--which is a great way to go if your company can cope with those requirements--the Open1x project (Linux) and the derivation for Windows, Wire1x, could be an alternative to PCTel. Open1x doesn't support WPA yet, but the work they've done is quite impressive and ongoing.