WUSB or Wireless USB products just began to ship and WUSB 1.1 is ramping up. Although a mild ramp, as with current transfer rates of 40Mbits/second the 1.1 spec needs to hit at least 500Mbits/second otherwise it’ll never see the light of day.

The 1.1 spec will support band groups at 6 GHz and above, including the 3-4 GHz supported by wireless USB 1.0. It aims to lower power consumption by an undisclosed amount. It also will adopt the techniques of near-field communications for letting two devices identify themselves to each other with a simple contact.

As (source) Gizmodo said: “…realistic or not, we like the ambition.”

Currently the USB Implementers Forum has certified a handful of notebooks and hubs for the 1.0 spec. The WiMedia Alliance is expected to certify the first 1.0 products shortly.

The Who’s Who of technology got together and established USB 3.0. Backward compatibility is covered with the same wired connection and greater speeds, up to 10 times faster than 480Mbps, and will include fiber optics support.

“USB 3.0 is the next logical step for the PC’s most popular wired connectivity,” said Jeff Ravencraft, technology strategist with Intel and president of the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF). “The digital era requires high-speed performance and reliable connectivity to move the enormous amounts of digital content now present in everyday life.

Intel, HP, Microsoft, NEC, NXP Semiconductors and Texas Instruments are the rat-pack for USB 3.0 while the USB-IF (USB Implementers Forum) will act as trade association for the USB 3.0 Specifications.

The full and complete USB 3.0 specifications are expected to be released sometime during the first half of 2008. The mission statement throughout this process is:

The USB 3.0 Promoter Group is committed to preserving the existing USB device class driver infrastructure and investment, look-and-feel and ease-of-use of USB while continuing to expand this great technology’s capabilities.

Source: USB-IF