New Wi-Fi standard takes on Bluetooth
Allows for P2P access, ships in 2010
The Wi-Fi Alliance has dropped details about a new Wi-Fi specification which is to take Bluetooth head-on.
Called Wi-Fi Direct, the standard allows for peer-to-peer connection between devices even if there's no Wi-Fi router present.
"Wi-Fi users worldwide will benefit from a single-technology solution to transfer content and share applications quickly and easily among devices, even when a Wi-Fi access point isn't available," explained Edgar Figueroa, Executive Director for the Wi-Fi Alliance, about the new spec which is said to ship sometime in 2010.
Easy to use
Wi-Fi Direct will allow connection between numerous things, like PCs, printers, phone handsets and cameras.
Speaking to the BBC, Wi-Fi Alliance's Marketing Director, Kelly Davis-Felner: "This is going to be a quick and convenient way to use Wi-Fi in future to print, synch, share and display.
"The consumer is going to experience this as a very easy-to-use mechanism that will be quite seamless."
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When launched, Wi-Fi Direct will be up against the likes of Bluetooth, which allows the exchange of data between devices within a short distance.
Wi-Fi Direct adds speed to this equation, with mooted transfer times of up to 250Mbps. Bluetooth currently tops out at 11Mbps.
Let the connectivity battle commence!
Via BBC
Marc Chacksfield is the Editor In Chief, Shortlist.com at DC Thomson. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.