I've been putting the new Canary Wireless Wi-Fi detector through its paces and it is clearly a big improvement over other Wi-Fi detectors. Still, I think it's just a bit too bulky to find its way into my pocket on a regular basis.

It's quite a bit bigger than it appears here:

A close-Up of the LCD screen:

It does provides a great deal more information than any other detector, like signal strength and SSID. And the device does a nice job of turning itself off to conserve power.

But the size is a sticking point with me. And the LCD screen desperately needs a backlight; and because the LCD is recessed you'll need direct overhead lighting to read the display properly.

Waiting for cellphones to offer Wi-Fi detection
The HP iPAQ provided the first glimpse of a handset that could function as a decent Wi-Fi detector. But we need more handsets to begin supporting Wi-Fi, despite carrier reservations. I was disappointed at CES to find that Blackberry still has no projected date for a Wi-Fi-enabled device. And although the Treo will have an "official" Wi-Fi plug-in later this year, I'm not hearing much enthusiasm from the Palm people regarding embedding the technology. Benq demoed a device at CES, but it wasn't ready for prime time.

So I'll keep waiting and, until then, will occasionally carry along my Canary Wireless.