Wilkes-Barres signs Frontier: The large landline telecom will install Wi-Fi throughout the city. The city recently dumped one provider that had won bidding after that provider during negotiation said the city would have to provide a $1.25m loan guarantee. [link via MuniWireless]
Wi-Fi payphones in Russia: While Verizon once planned to put Wi-Fi on hundreds of payphones in New York (for reasons that we still never figured out), Comstar and Moscow City Telephone Network will install Wi-Fi on 200 "coin-box" payphones in the capital. The Wi-Fi will be added in busy venues, like trains stations, airports, and hotels, as opposed to just out on the street in Verizon's version. [link via Geeksugar]
The Blackberry produces a bit of buzz: The Wall Street Journal reports on the speaker hum produced by Blackberrys and other devices. RIM's co-CEO has to turn his device off when he gives speeches. My GSM Sony Ericsson phone, when placed within a couple feet of a 900 MHz baby monitor produces a pattern that goes "bit buh buh buh buh buh buh bzzt bzzt' a few times every 30 or 60 minutes.