Intel Announces All-In-One WiFi Radio Package

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.computerworld.com/mobiletopics/mobile/story/0,10801,102591,00.html?source=NLT_AM&nid=102591' target='_blank'>http://www.computerworld.com/mobile...T_AM&nid=102591</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Researchers at Intel Corp. have figured out how to integrate into a compact package all the elements needed to connect to wireless LANs, the company is expected to announce today at the VLSI Circuits Symposium in Japan...The device currently supports 802.11a/b/g, but it should have enough bandwidth to also support the forthcoming 802.11n standard, High said. Intel believes the integrated design will help customers build cheaper and more power-efficient devices, he said."</i><br /><br />As I'm a happy Belkin Pre-N user, this is good news -- 802.11n's amazing bandwidth will be really quite useful for PDAs, so if Intel has the technology ready when 802.11n is officially approved, we might see WM2005 802.11n devices sometime next year. Is it too early to start dreaming of a 802.11abgn+UMTS/EVDO Pocket PC? Yeah, I guess, but I can still dream. ;)

[Tierran]

Pre-N and N-ready are meannigless terms as the n protocol hadn't been decided as of last week from what I've heard. Pre-N is just what it sounds like...before N. ;) Its just marketing.

[Janak Parekh]

Pre-N and N-ready are meannigless terms as the n protocol hadn't been decided as of last week from what I've heard. Pre-N is just what it sounds like...before N. ;) Its just marketing.
Right, but it looks like Intel is building a solution that will have the processing power capable of harnessing a MIMO solution in a single chip, which would be pretty darn cool. Whether or not it debuts with official IEEE 802.11n support has yet to be seen.

--janak

[flyashi]

Is it too early to start dreaming of a 802.11abgn+UMTS/EVDO Pocket PC? Yeah, I guess, but I can still dream. ;)

You forgot bluetooth :wink: Of course, who needs that? Well, most cellphones don't have the processing / battery power to support WiFi. I don't know much about UMTS/EVDO, but BlueTooth and wifi can peacefully coexist in the air, and should do so on a chip, too.