[privacy] Nokia develops a new, short-range wireless technology

[<rms () bsf-llc com>]

http://wireless.itworld.com/4984/061003nokiawireless/page_1.html  

Nokia develops a new, short-range wireless technology

IDG News Service 10/3/06

Nancy Gohring, IDG News Service, Dublin Bureau 

Nokia Corp. has developed a new, short-range wireless technology that it
says could improve on some of the shortcomings of Bluetooth.

Called Wibree, the technology aims to be a lot more power-efficient than
Bluetooth, which means it could be used in smaller and less costly devices.
It can also use the same radio and antenna components as Bluetooth, helping
keep costs down further, said Bob Iannucci, head of Nokia's research center,
who unveiled the technology in Helsinki on Tuesday.

The technology could compete with Bluetooth in the workplace as a way to
link keyboards and other peripherals to computers. But it could also have
more interesting applications for consumers, in devices such as wrist
watches, toys and sports equipment.

Because of its low power requirements, it could be used in tiny sensors that
could be worn by a jogger, for example, to collect information about his
heart rate or distance travelled. The sensors could send the information to
a mobile phone via Wibree, which in turn would upload the information to a
Web site where the jogger could compare his performance with that of other
runners or get advice from a trainer. 

Wibree sensors could also be placed in a golf club and used to upload data
to the Internet about a player's swing, again via a mobile phone, where a
golf instructor could offer advice about improving his or her game. 

The technology is being designed to communicate with a phone or other device
within 10 meters, and can transfer data at 10M bps, Nokia said. It can be
implemented in a stand-alone chip or as a dual-mode chip that includes both
Bluetooth and Wibree. More information is at http://www.wibree.com
<http://www.wibree.com/> 

Bluetooth has inherent power limitations because it includes a fixed
packet-size and frequency-hopping technology, Iannucci said. Wibree uses a
different modulation technique that does a better job of avoiding
interference, which helps reduce its power requirements, he said. 

Several companies are working with Nokia to define the Wibree specification,
including Broadcom Corp., Epson Corp. and Nordic Semiconductor ASA, Nokia
said. They hope to submit the technology to a standardization process, which
could help it to gain wider support.

Nokia hopes eventually to license Wibree to manufacturers that wish to use
it.

Wibree isn't the only contender for use in wireless sensors, however. Zigbee
is an ongoing standardization project and has similar characteristics to
Wibree. 

However, because Wibree uses the same radio as Bluetooth, the economics of
deploying it are better, according to Iannucci.

Bluetooth's supporters are working to lower its power consumption and reduce
other drawbacks with the technology.

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