If the marketing department behind the Wi-max standard (definition) got into politics, they could probably elect a lamp to office within weeks. The standard isn't ratified, there is no truly sanctioned hardware on the market (and won't be for years), yet somehow the name is constantly in the spotlight even when it shouldn't be. This week's example is the launch (by the people who brought you the XO Communications bankruptcy) of Clearwire's wireless broadband service; an OFDM based system that many outlets are confusing with Wimax. Some analysts believe Wimax - which is a promising technology - won't appear until 2006 or even 2009. Many hardware vendors are riding on the excitement surrounding the name to sell product, promising firmware upgradability for a standard that is still years away.