Sprint's XOHM WiMAX network is finally due out this month in the launch market of Baltimore, with Chicago and DC to follow, and the company is already working on the next phase of the rollout, which will bring the high-speed wireless service to Boston, Philadelphia, and Dallas-Fort Worth. Sprint says it's already started installing WiMAX equipment in those three cities and that it's a "month ahead of schedule," but given the delays getting XOHM up and running in Baltimore, we're not exactly certain the "schedule" really matters. Still, it's good to hear that XOHM is growing up -- now launch, already.

We knew it was coming, but Philadelphia's citywide WiFi is now officially being turned off, and Earthlink is planning on pulling down all of its access points. Like basically every other municipal WiFi project, it seems like the cost of keeping the system going outweighed the benefits, and Earthlink couldn't find a buyer willing to take things over. Current Earthlink customers will get 30 more days of service, until June 12, and then it's lights bytes out. Here's hoping Philly coffee shops are ready for an influx of urban warriors.

[Via Philebrity, thanks Andy R.]

It'd be absolutely spectacular to actually see one of these admittedly ambitious municipal WiFi projects actually work out every now and then, but instead, we're seeing the nails start to sink into yet another citywide WiFi coffin. This go 'round, the network blanketing most of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is on the verge of sending out its last signals unless the city can devise a plan in short order to take it over from EarthLink, who unsurprisingly wants out on the double. Unfortunately, we don't have a great feeling about the system's future -- history has a way of forecasting, you know?

[Via CNET, image courtesy of Stippling]

If we ran the world Philadelphia, it's highly unlikely that we'd camp out in the dismal rain for an iPhone like all those "normal citizens," but we've got to give props to John F. Street for roughin' like the rest of us. Apparently, Mr. Street set up shop earlier this morning and made up his mind to brave the inclement weather in order to be one of the first to snag an iPhone. Currently, he's waiting patiently along Ranstead St. at 16th St. in Center City to be third in line to purchase an iPhone from the AT&T store, and while we're sure such an influential character could have just paid someone off to do the waiting for him, the reward will be that much sweeter when 6:01PM rolls around.

Update: Looks like the media descended on the mayor and the dude took off about an hour ago! Looks like someone else has his spot in line (now word on whether he's waiting for the mayor), but we'll have an update in our lineblog shortly.

Dutch Umbrella -- a startup focusing its efforts in and around the city of brotherly love -- is looking to take the idea of courtesy umbrella rentals to a new level by incorporating RFID tags and marketers. Currently, the firm has landed eight partners that will toss logos on the stark white umbrellas and utilize the tantalizing tracking information that gets recorded each time a rainy day encourages patrons to grab some cover. Merchants are required to pony up $100 per month in order to receive the marketing intelligence, and can then use it to determine where umbrella carriers go once the downpour begins in order to better position future ads. Unfortunately, we tend to hear that It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but there's probably not much truth to that.

[Via DailyWireless]

While there's certainly smart enough wheelchairs to get you around town without mauling a lamppost or taking out a crowd of bystanders, a Pennsylvania-based team has developed a system to get wheelchair-bound individuals in and out of their cars a lot easier. Engineers at Lehigh and Carnegie Mellon have partnered with robotic startup Freedom Sciences LLC and Freedom Lift Corporation to unveil the Automatic Transport and Retrieval System, which will supposedly "enable wheelchair users to drive while sitting in standard automobile seats that meet federal safety regulations." Currently, motorists are forced to use cumbersome, bolt-in attachments that typically require heavy modifications to the car in order to operate; the ATRS system, however, uses remote controls, wireless technologies, and "lasers" to assist drivers into a standard seat, roll their wheelchair "autonomously" to the loading dock, and close up the rear door, all while parked in the driver's seat. Sensational as it may sound, the system doesn't come cheap (nor with a wheelchair), and will cost handicapped individuals (or insurance companies) between "$15,000 and $20,000" when it goes on sale next spring.

Following unanimous approval by city council, the only remaining impediment between the City of Brotherly Love and ubiquitous wireless Internet access is a signature from Mayor John Street that, given his stance on the project, seems to be just a formality. Once Street gives the go-ahead, Earthlink will begin deploying its 15-square-mile test network in parts of North and South Philly, after which point the company will have the option of backing out should they be unhappy with the results of the trial. Assuming that all goes well, the city's entire 135-square-miles should be covered by glorious, data-rich signal sometime in the third quarter of 2007, which is when Earthlink and other ISPs will begin offering $20-a-month access with 50% discounts for low-income households. Besides creating a more attractive destination for businesses and tourists, the citywide network may also help convince U.S. Olympic Committee officials to choose Philadelphia as the country's representative to battle it out with other international cities seeking to host the 2016 Games.

[Via The Wireless Report]