MANY KNOW ABOUT the USB ports on their computers – those little rectangular holes we use when we need to connect our printers, external hard drives and mouses to our PCs. <\/p>\n
The next step is to get rid of the wires and let the devices communicate wirelessly with our PCs. <\/p>\n
Though the technology underlying Wireless USB already exists, products based on the technology are few and far between. <\/p>\n
However, as the technology evolves, it should start becoming adopted more widely. <\/p>\n
Wireless USB will enable users to connect devices to their PCs at the same speed as the current – wired – USB technology. It should be possible to take a portable media player, such as a future iPod, and allow it to synchronise with your PC without having to plug it in. <\/p>\n
The same applies for digital cameras, which will be able to send pictures to a computer wirelessly. <\/p>\n
That's already possible with some cameras that have built-in WiFi, but Wireless USB will run at 480Mbps while WiFi only transmits data at 54Mbps. With the size of images increasing dramatically, that extra bandwidth is vital. <\/p>\n
The same Wireless USB technology could be used to print directly from a camera or to link a digital video camera to a TV. <\/p>\n
This technology is already starting to appear in some notebook computers and expect it to start appearing in SA sometime this year. <\/p>\n
Fortunately, ordinary USB will still be around for a long time, so there's no need to worry about replacing your devices yet.<\/p>\n