Freescale and Motorola ditch the UWB Forum

by Paul Miller posted Apr 7th 2006 at 7:00PM

This could be a bloody one. After Bluetooth SIG picked the WiMedia Alliance last week for their Bluetooth successor -- and with hopes to end the bickering between WiMedia Alliance and the UWB Forum -- Motorola and Freescale, founding members of the UWB Forum, are splitting off to do their own "Cable Free USB" thing. Apparently the UWB Forum peeps just weren't getting it, and Motorola is betting that the biggest application for all this tech will be a wireless version of USB. They're not shying away from a fight either, stating: "We don't think anything else matters for UWB more than our approach with [Cable Free] USB 2.0. We're showing our hand: the battle for UWB is on. We're pulling out of every effort not related to it." The UWB Forum is still 100 members or so strong, but with heavyweights like Intel and Philips among the WiMedia camp, and Moto doing their own thing, it's going to get ugly pretty soon. We know we just can't wait to buy three different adapters for wireless keyboards, wireless phone syncing, and wireless data storage.

Filed under: Wireless

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Neutral

Bryan @ Apr 7th 2006 7:43PM

UWB's logo wins hands down!!

Neutral

D @ Apr 7th 2006 7:54PM

For now & for what I am doing, I prefer wired. I was hoping UWB would play through quickly. I guess not anymore.

Neutral

JLJ @ Apr 7th 2006 11:13PM

FYI, FreeScale is just a Motorola spinoff company ie FreeScale = Motorola. The biggest visible chnage I could tell is that they changed all the signs on their facilities here in Austin from Motorola to FreeScale.

Neutral

OddManOut @ Apr 7th 2006 11:59PM

Bah...looks like it will be up to our patent/copywrite infringing pals from China to come up with cheap USB dongles that will support all 3 or 6 or 8 or however many 'standards' eventually drop. Nice to know SOMEBODY is looking out for the consummer (mild sarcasm). Now if they'd just hurry up with some HDDVD/BluRay/FMV burners I can go completely gray market and standard agnostic...

Neutral

OddManOut @ Apr 8th 2006 12:00AM

Neutral

mike @ Apr 8th 2006 1:00AM

Huh?

Neutral

wangjiahua @ Oct 28th 2008 1:16AM

Does anyone know where I can buy these types of lighters in the U.S. ?

It's the black one on this website. . . . .
http://www.liangdianup.com/dollarstore_1.htm

Any type of "metal flip top" lighter will do. I am looking for them at
the right price to sell in my dollar store.

Neutral

Frank @ Apr 8th 2006 4:49AM

Eh... ?

Isn't it so that all these standards would be USB 2.0 compatible?
So would it matter which standard I use?

(in case wireless USB would be build-in, it would be another matter of course)

But... the consumers simply won't buy anything untill it's absolutely clear that these standards are inter-compatible. So the manufacturers either have to come to an agreement or they'll need to drop the prices considerably untill anyone buys their hardware.

Neutral

TZK @ Apr 8th 2006 10:00AM

Isnt intel working on wireless USB crap, too?

I think I will stick with BT, anyway.

Neutral

badonkadonk @ Apr 8th 2006 11:09AM

From my recollections, WiMedia is WUSB, but I could be mistaken... One of the standards is pretty much exactly like USB in terms of protocol, but just wireless, the other is completely different. And again, if memory serves then UWB is the USB clone and WUSB is completely different (more drivers for everyone!). I haven't been following this too closely anyhow, I'll just wait for the BT SIG to pick one for BT3.0 and be done with it. Honestly, no competing technology is going to supercede BT unless they take te same approach with standardized profiles. My cellphone shouldn't have to hold drivers for every wireless peripheral I want to attach to :P

And re: Moto / Freescle, Freescale is the spun-off ASIC division of Moto; they are no longer the same company, but certainly they tend to march in lock-step.

Neutral

pepe @ Apr 8th 2006 1:22PM

So I don't get it... are moto and freescale backing OUT of uwb or are they trying to impose a new (and possibly their own) standard on the UWB forum?

Neutral

billu @ May 2nd 2006 5:23AM

UWB and USB are two different things.
WiMedia and UWB forum are two different UWB solution providers.
Wireless USB and Cable free USB are two different protocols.
Wireless USB is a totally different and new 'USB' protocol which will need new drivers etc. and it 'uses' WiMedia's UWB solution.
Cable free USB is the same exisiting USB but just wireless, using UWB Forum's UWB solution.

Neutral

wangjiahua @ Oct 28th 2008 4:41AM

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