TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Bluetooth Adopts New Radio Technology

Bluetooth Adopts New Radio Technology

Monty Solomon (monty@roscom.com)
Tue, 28 Mar 2006 23:24:56 -0500

By PETER SVENSSON AP Technology Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- The Bluetooth wireless standard used in cell phones
and other small devices will take a leap in transmission speed,
broadening its scope to enable high-definition video and files for
digital music players like the iPod.

The industry group behind Bluetooth said Tuesday that it would boost
transfer speeds in the next few years by incorporating a new radio
technology, known as ultra-wideband, or UWB.

Currently, Bluetooth works only for low-speed uses like headsets and
wireless keyboards. UWB, which has yet to appear in consumer devices,
enables wireless transmissions at speeds equivalent to USB or FireWire
cables at distances up to 10 feet.

The first products with high-speed Bluetooth may show up late next
year, with wider availability in 2008, said Michael Foley, executive
director of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group.

UWB is developed by another industry group, the WiMedia Alliance,
which includes Intel Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co. and Microsoft Corp.

Its linkup with Bluetooth will provide a way for devices with UWB
hardware to identify each other and communicate. For instance, a phone
with Bluetooth can recognize a headset and know that it receives and
sends audio data.

- http://www.quote.com/home/news/story.asp?story=57084656

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