Extra Juice for Road WarriorsTired of recharging on the go? Look for this new label.

Wi-Fi is moving into more portable devices, and that means power is at an even greater premium. Battery life will continue to be an issue as power-hungry technologies like VoIP grow in popularity. To address this, the Wi-Fi Alliance has come up with a new label for qualified power-saving Wi-Fi products. Earning Wi-Fi Multimedia Power Save certification requires Wi-Fi network features that save battery power in mobile devices through improved signaling capability and the ability to fine-tune power consumption.

According to a report by Senza Fili Consulting, converged Wi-Fi and cellular devices could be in the hands of up to 55 million subscribers worldwide by 2010. That makes the battery issue all the more pressing. Some Wi-Fi devices, such as the Broadcom AirForce BCM94309CB Dual-Band 802.11a/g PC card and matching access point, have already been certified with the WMM Power Save designation. Expect Wi-Fi-enabled hand-sets to be at the top of the list for new devices that qualify. Check the Wi-Fi Alliance's website atwww.wi-fi.orgto find out which products are certified.