Nine technology companies — including Kodak, Motorola, Hewlett Packard, Philips and Samsung — have formed the WiMedia Alliance, a not-for-profit open industry forum, to develop and adopt standards-based specifications for connecting personal area, wireless multimedia devices.
One of the alliance’s goals is to establish a certification program to accelerate widespread consumer adoption of “wire-free” imaging and multimedia solutions. Initial Alliance activity will be based on the high data-rate IEEE 802.15.3 draft standard with amendments and enhancements planned for future wireless systems such as ultra-wideband (UWB). IEEE 802.15.x is a standard for wireless personal area networking (PAN). The new standard is adapted from portions of the Bluetooth wireless specification.
The WiMedia brand mark will certify the interoperability of multimedia devices that use personal area wireless technologies. The brand will also let consumers know which personal devices are WiMedia-compatible and interoperable in a consumer electronics-based networked environment. The Alliance will manage the WiMedia brand and license its use to organizations whose products pass certification tests.
High-speed, low-power WiMedia-compliant solutions will enable a new generation of untethered, interoperable consumer appliance, imaging, and multimedia devices, ultimately bringing greater benefits to the end-user, according to John Barr, director of Standards Realization for Motorola and acting president of the WiMedia Alliance. They will also provide an easy-to-use consumer experience whether at home, office or at a retail kiosk.
The WiMedia Alliance’s founding member companies are Appairent Technologies Inc.; Eastman Kodak Company; HP; Motorola Inc.; Royal Philips Electronics; Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.; Sharp Laboratories of America Inc.; Time Domain Corporation; and XtremeSpectrum Inc.
Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Read our affiliate link policy for more details.