Is Wibree going to rival Bluetooth?

Mobile-phone-maker Nokia announced a new short-range wireless technology, Wibree, in October 2006. With several other formats for short-range wireless already on the market or in development, tech pundits questioned what niche Wibree would fill, or even if there was room for it at all. While the long-term success of Wibree remains to be seen, it does have several advantages over the competition, and it has been positioned as a compliment toBluetoothtechnology rather than as a competitor.

Both Wibree and Bluetooth allow devices to communicate via short-rangeradiosignals. Bluetooth can be used to perform a variety of tasks, including sharing files between aPCand aPDA, downloading an address book into acell phonefrom a PC, and transmitting a signal from aremote controlto atelevision. The Bluetooth radio operates at 2.4 GHz, "hopping" rapidly around different bands close to that frequency to provide security and resistance to interference from other signals (seeHow Bluetooth Worksto learn more). Wibree, it turns out, will use thesame radio frequency as Bluetooth, a major advantage over competitors. Using the same basic mechanism for wireless communication will make it much easier for devices to build in both Wibree and Bluetooth compatibility.

So why is Wibree a compliment to Bluetooth? It performs many of the same functions that Bluetooth does while using farless power. Wibree would allow for the use of wireless technology in many devices that require longbatterylife. People don't want to change the battery in theirwireless keyboardor wireless-enabled watch every week, and with Wibree they wouldn't need to. Wibree chips are also小than Bluetooth chips, which would make it easier to use them in certain applications where space is at a premium.

However, Wibree transmits datamore slowlythan Bluetooth -- up to1 megabit per second, compared to Bluetooth's 3 megabits per second. It's easy to see that Wibree can't go head to head with Bluetooth in applications in which more bandwidth is needed.

Some potential applications of Wibree include:

The future of Wibree is complicated by the fact that existing wireless technologies are still evolving. While Nokia is likely hoping that Wibree will be completely integrated into Bluetooth at some point, developers are working to reduce the power draw of Bluetooth devices. If Bluetooth can work under low power, that pretty much invalidates the need for Wibree.

Specific details on Wibree's power consumption are not yet available -- Nokia's 2006 unveiling was a preliminary announcement, and the full specs won't be released until 2007. Wibree-enabled devices should hit the market in the next few years.

By the way, if you're wondering where they got the name Wibree, Nokia hasn't offered any information, but it could be related to the name of another wireless technology that is in direct competition with Wibree: Zigbee.If you are interested in wibree applications and mobile phones, click here to read about theBlackBerry电话和check out the links on the next page.