04-12-2005, 04:30 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
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Wireless USB Draws Near
http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/peripherals/idf-2005-wireless-usb-demo-038936.php
"At the Intel Developer Forum Japan 2005, a couple companies conducted demonstrations of an interesting new technology � Wireless USB. The fun part about Wireless USB is the transfer rate, with the same maximum 480Mbps speed as USB 2.0. Add to this the fact that existing USB 2.0 products can be converted to Wireless USB products with adapters, and you�re almost ready for obsolete technology."
MacWorld has additional info. Personally, I am hoping this will replace Bluetooth and its non-consumer friendly mix of profiles. I just hope OEMs don't get the idea that we need a really bright annoying flashing LED to let us know that wireless USB is working.
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04-12-2005, 05:02 PM
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Mystic
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,734
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I hope you realise that if this is meant to be a drop-in replacement for wired USB it would mean you need a specific driver for most hardware e.g instead of the Basic Print Profile you will need an Epson or HP driver, and they will not necessarily make one for pocketpc's. Another example is the A2D profile, which hides a huge amount of complexity behind a very simple interface.
I think our illusion of the plug-and-play nirvana of USB is due to the mono-culture of windows desktops. I'm sure many Linux users can attest to the frustration of being able to plug in your web cam, or USB sound card, and it not working. I have nothing against wireless USB, but i would prefer that the current bluetooth implementation continue to mature, as USB did, so bluetooth can continue to deliver on its promise of broad device interoperability.
Surur
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04-12-2005, 05:07 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 484
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Re: Wireless USB Draws Near
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Originally Posted by Ed Hansberry
Personally, I am hoping this will replace Bluetooth and its non-consumer friendly mix of profiles.
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8O Wow, now that's a surprise. - NOT - :roll:
Keep in mind that in place of the "non-consumer friendly mix of profiles" that Bluetooth has, Wireless USB will need the very Pocket PC unfriendly mix of hundreds of megabytes of drivers. There's a very good reason we don't see USB host features on Pocket PCs: no drivers! When Toshiba offered USB host, there was very little you could do with it due to the lack of drivers.
The nice thing about Bluetooth is that there are standards that eliminate the need for device-specific drivers. Of course, there is still a great need for improvement in the implementation of Bluetooth. But the concept of not needing to have a custom driver for every model of printer, GPS receiver, headset, etc. is vastly better for mobile device hosts like Pocket PCs. What good would Wireless USB printing be if the specific printer driver is not on your device when you encounter one? 
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04-12-2005, 05:35 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 40
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just wondering...
Wouldn't it be possible for mobile devices to employ a single set of "profile" drivers for USB devices - sort of like "Bluetooth-over-USB" (I'm thinking of PPPoE-like protocol encapsulation)? In fact, isn't this already offered through a few generic usb "HID-class" drivers?
It does seem like the new wUSB will offer a significant speed boost. Let's remember that many bluetooth devices (i.e. keyboards) STILL have extra software that you need to install on your pocket pc, presumably to provide functionality that isn't offered through the general profile. It seems to me that the only thing "restrictive" about the BT profile system is angry ipaq owners who want to use a wireless headset, but don't have an extensible BT stack.
Bluetooth comes with default profiles. USB comes with default drivers. Both seem to require specialized software for specialized devices (or is every BT device easy to set up in linux)? The key difference would be that entirely new kinds of devices require a manufacturer's update to the BT stack... while new kinds of wUSB devices would just require an extra driver, installed by the user.
Anything that moves extensibility control out of firmware and into the users' hands is good in my books. Isn't that part of bringing the "PC in your pocket" paradigm to life - as opposed to "appliance with fixed BT"?
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04-12-2005, 05:43 PM
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Oracle
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 899
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What's the underlying wireless technology/protocol being used for Wireless USB? For some reason in my mind I had Wireless USB and ultrawideband linked...
Also what about the "Wireless 1394" development I'd heard in the past too, how does it compare?
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04-12-2005, 06:06 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 23
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I wonder if the USB Implementers Forum (www.usb.org) is involved in defining the spec for wireless USB. If every vendor uses there own proprietary wireless technology for there product, devices from different manufactures will not communicate. Wireless USB is where Bluetooth was 5 years ago. As posted before vendors of hardware would have to start creating drivers for cell phones and PDA�s so there product can interface with them. I wonder if there will be an option to install the driver from the peripheral to the host because most cell phones do not have method to install drivers. A lot still needs to be defined. The Bluetooth spec was designed from the bottom up not to use drivers, BT uses universal profiles that every vendor complies to. I do not see Wireless USB in my life in the next 5 years..
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04-12-2005, 06:08 PM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 545
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Re: Wireless USB Draws Near
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Originally Posted by daS
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Ed Hansberry
Personally, I am hoping this will replace Bluetooth and its non-consumer friendly mix of profiles.
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8O Wow, now that's a surprise. - NOT - :roll:
Keep in mind that in place of the "non-consumer friendly mix of profiles" that Bluetooth has, Wireless USB will need the very Pocket PC unfriendly mix of hundreds of megabytes of drivers. There's a very good reason we don't see USB host features on Pocket PCs: no drivers! When Toshiba offered USB host, there was very little you could do with it due to the lack of drivers.
The nice thing about Bluetooth is that there are standards that eliminate the need for device-specific drivers. Of course, there is still a great need for improvement in the implementation of Bluetooth. But the concept of not needing to have a custom driver for every model of printer, GPS receiver, headset, etc. is vastly better for mobile device hosts like Pocket PCs. What good would Wireless USB printing be if the specific printer driver is not on your device when you encounter one? |
Well, yes and no. Keyboards worked out of the box. Mice and Hard Drives both worked with a hack. Keyspan released a USB-Serial cable that has a honest to god driver for PocketPC. So I would not say there are no drivers. There are some, but I agree, there can in no way be support for everything that our desktops support.
I personally see no use for Wireless USB once Bluetooth un-kludges itself. I have had good luck recently and been able to get Bluetooth to work on both my work Thinkpad and my Powerbook as well as my Pocket PC. I don't have a Bluetooth printer, yet, but I plan on getting one for my office at some point(not a priority...gotta get Mac OS X Tiger first!  ).
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04-12-2005, 06:11 PM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 545
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Fred44
I wonder if the USB Implementers Forum ( www.usb.org) is involved in defining the spec for wireless USB. If every vendor uses there own proprietary wireless technology for there product, devices from different manufactures will not communicate. Wireless USB is where Bluetooth was 5 years ago. As posted before vendors of hardware would have to start creating drivers for cell phones and PDA�s so there product can interface with them. I wonder if there will be an option to install the driver from the peripheral to the host because most cell phones do not have method to install drivers. A lot still needs to be defined. The Bluetooth spec was designed from the bottom up not to use drivers, BT uses universal profiles that every vendor complies to. I do not see Wireless USB in my life in the next 5 years.. |
Most cellphone just embed a USB-Serial chip somewhere(in the phone or the cable) or do develop their own protocol. I saw a Motorola phone with a mini b USB connector on the bottom. That's outstanding because if they don't include it, one can just hit up any office supply store that carries computer products and get one of these or get one off e-bay for a penny (plus 8 bucks shipping....).
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04-12-2005, 06:19 PM
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Mystic
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,734
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by gorkon280
I saw a Motorola phone with a mini b USB connector on the bottom. That's outstanding because if they don't include it, one can just hit up any office supply store that carries computer products and get one of these or get one off e-bay for a penny (plus 8 bucks shipping....).
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Useless (accept for charging) however to synchronise your contacts without the driver CD.
Surur
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04-12-2005, 06:37 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 23
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Fred44
I wonder if there will be an option to install the driver from the peripheral to the host because most cell phones do not have method to install drivers.
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by gorkon280
Most cellphone just embed a USB-Serial chip somewhere (in the phone or the cable) or do develop their own protocol.
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If you go out and buy a wireless USB headset to interface with your Mot phone are you saying that you should connect a wired USB cable to the phone from a PC to install the driver for the headset? Consumers will never do that. That�s way to much work.
If you have a Mot phone with Bluetooth today and bought any wireless Bluetooth headset you can press a button on the headset and it pairs with the phone and then works all the time never needing drivers.
If Wireless USB moves to a profile based interface things might work but why wait for that use Bluetooth today.
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