It's starting to look pretty tough for UWB -- WiQuest totally shut down yesterday, and now Intel's decided to abandon its UWB dev efforts. The company says that it'll be easier and cheaper to buy off-the-shelf UWB chips instead of continuing its own five-year-old engineering efforts, but those shelves aren't exactly overflowing, and the lack of enthusiasm for this tech in the marketplace suggests this trickle of bad news could turn into a flood -- we'll see how things shake out.

[Via Phonescoop]

Let's be honest -- Wireless USB has never been much more than an afterthought. Sure, we've seen it pop up on a few laptops and USB hard drives, but it's never grabbed hold the way that, say, Bluetooth or WiFi has. On top of that, the underlying technology behind WUSB (that'd be Ultra-Wideband, or UWB) has yet to find favor in the market, with the surging WHDI stealing most of the limelight in the wireless HD arena. At any rate, one of the (only) companies keeping Wireless USB alive has kicked the bucket, as startup WiQuest officially shut its doors after being unable to concoct a "one-chip solution that was capable of delivering the upper-band support necessary for worldwide acceptance." Granted, Wireless USB isn't quite six feet under, but it's safe to say one foot is planted in the proverbial grave.

[Via jkOnTheRun]

We knew Hitachi's Ultra Thin HDTV family would boast ultra-wideband technology, and while little was said about this aspect during CES, we've now learned that Tzero will be responsible for handling the aforementioned UWB duties. As expected, the UT HDTVs will "be able to receive high-definition video wirelessly from any HDMI equipped audio / video component," as Tzero promises that users will see transmission speeds of up to 480Mbps. Interestingly, we're told that the UWB-equipped sets are available in Japan right now, but only time will tell if those luscious wireless abilities will make the trip stateside in Q2.

Thales -- the French aerospace company that brought us MILTRAK -- has rolled out yet another impressive development, this time aiding firefighters, cops and armed forces in tracking objects / people while indoors. Its Indoor Positioning System (IPS) is essentially "an indoor form of satellite navigation," and while we've heard of similar, this iteration is based around ultra-wideband. Notably, the company implied that it hoped to bring the technology to police forces and military platoons in the future, and if things go smoothly, consumers could actually see it used in GPS-enabled mobiles in order to provide navigation services in more places. Unfortunately, it seems as though Thales is still working on completing the new system, so we wouldn't get all hopeful for a commercial release anytime soon.

Though it did take a bit longer than the six months Ofcom's chief technologist, Professor William Webb was hoping for, ultra-wideband has finally been given the green light in the UK. New legislation will mean that "UK users will not need a license to use UWB devices when they hit shelves in the future," and Ofcom's Chief Executive Ed Richards was quoted as saying that "where possible, we want to remove restrictions on the use of spectrum to allow the market to develop new and innovative services, such as UWB, for the benefit of consumers." So there you have it (UK-based) folks, just a few more days (August 13th, to be precise) before UWB usage is fair game on your side of the pond.

[Via The Register]

Hot on the heels of several other wireless USB hubs, D-Link is making sure it joins the party with time to spare as it unveils the DUB-9240 kit. The two-piece assemblage consists of the DUB-1210 wireless USB adapter and the DUB-2240 four-port wireless USB hub, and together they enable your machine to connect to USB peripherals sans wires. The unit promises to function within a 30-foot range, and operates on a frequency range of 3.4GHz to 4.5GHz in order to not interfere with any surrounding WiFi signals. Additionally, up to three more DUB-2240s can be connected to the first for a wireless USB overload blowout, and you'll have plenty of time to dream up such a setup while waiting for these to ship in Q4 for $119.99 apiece, or $219.99 for the pair.

[Thanks, Allen]

In yet another sensational shot heard 'round the wireless world, Alereon is claiming to have developed the "first ultrawideband solution able to meet all regulatory requirements worldwide for applications based on Wireless USB, Bluetooth and WiMedia." The AL5100 RF transceiver comes in as the "only" one of its kind capable of transmitting and receiving all 14 bands of the WiMedia ultrawideband spectrum, and the AL5000 chipset was designed to span frequencies from 3.1- to 10.6GHz in order to provide consumers in Japan and Korea with more channel allocation than competing options. Of course, the firm is pushing the product as an end-all solution to developing wirelessly-enabled products that will operate and pass regulations around the globe, and while it wasn't mentioned when these would go mainstream, sample boards should go out for "evaluation" next quarter.

[Via Physorg]

While Tzero has been at the forefront of ultra wideband technology for some time, the firm is upping the stakes even higher with its WiMedia-based TZC7200 ZeroWire chipset. The UWB semiconductor solution was designed to deliver "real-time high-definition video" either wirelessly or over cabling, and can even open new doors for "distributing entertainment content throughout the entire home using existing coax." Reportedly, this device can pipe multiple streams of HD video through your average cable network at the tune of 480Mbps, and it boasts application integration including IP, UDP, TCP/IP, multicast, and unicast. Notably, ZeroWire is "comprised of both a Radio Frequency IC (RFIC) as well as a baseband and media access control system-on-chip," and while the chipset is listed is being available immediately, you'll need to contact Tzero yourself to fetch the pricing details.

Now's your chance to cast your ballot for the 2006 Wireless Device or Technology of the Year! Our Engadget Awards nominees are listed below, and you've got until 11.59PM EST on Sunday, April 15th to file your vote. You can only vote once, so make it count, and may the best tech win! The nominees: 802.11n (draft 1.06), HSDPA, Nabaztag/tag WiFi rabbit, Microsoft Zune, and Ultrawideband wireless USB.

Looks like CES 2007 is the place to be for wireless HDMI, as now we've seen offerings from AMIMON, Philips, and Tzero showcasing the ability to stream beautiful 1080p HD sans wires, and now Asus is joining the fold. Apparently basing its self-branded product line on technologies from Tzero and Analog Devices, the admittedly vague press release simply informs us that the company will be fighting tooth and nail in the wireless HDMI over UWB arena, and notes that we'll be seeing "accessory devices and embedded designs that dramatically simplify connections between home audio and video electronic components." Per usual, Asus' box will accept component, composite, S-Video, and HDMI (HDCP-compliant) signals, and the video is then compressed using Analog Devices' ADV202 JPEG2000 video codec, where it's then combined with audio, packetized and encrypted, and transmitted via the Tzero MAC and PHY chip. So until we can mosey on over to see some of this stuff in action, we'll just have to take Asus' word for it, as the company withheld information regarding model numbers, prices, and release dates for the time being.

While we Americans are probably taking for granted the legal status of ultrawideband technology while we grumble over the RIAA, MPAA, and host of other pesky agencies, the folks in Europe still haven't had a taste of UWB in their own homeland. That tidbit is getting set to change, however, as a recent meeting of the Radio Spectrum Committee reversed the decision to keep the technology illegal in the UK. Ofcom's chief technologist, Professor William Webb, was "delighted" at the approval, and he expects the decision to accept UWB across all European states will be made "within the next six months." But don't think the RSC is going to let those waves run loose, as Ofcom noted that the UK would impose "even tighter restrictions" than ones currently in place elsewhere to ensure no complications or interference during the rollout. Although the formal decision hasn't exactly been announced, all signs are pointing to a green light in the near future, and we suspect companies in the UWB game are already gearing up that 220-volt gear in anticipation.

[Via Slashdot]

So we snagged our lucky selves a Belkin Cable-Free USB Hub, one of the first ever wireless USB devices, as well as one of the first consumer Ultrawideband products. Luckily for us there wasn't a lot to test, but we can tell you this: the hub is small, the dongle is massive, and the speed and range aren't quite what they're cracked up to be. Click on for the usual unboxing, a load of high res product shots, shots and details on setup and performance.

It's kind of hard to believe it's been nigh a year since we caught a glimpse at Belkin's (and the world's) first Ultrawideband product, the Cable-Free USB Hub. And yet here we are, rapidly approaching Christmas, and the kit and dongle are finally ready to go for $200 for a "mid-December" release (meaning retail rollout ASAP). They're claiming up to 480mbps as far as 30 feet away is how it'll perform (we'll see about that), with just PC support out of the gate.

Looks like Fujitsu's not the only company showing off products that you're not likely to get your mitts on anytime soon, with HP recently unveiling its vision of personal computing in the year 2016. The centerpiece of the lineup is this wouldn't-be-caught-dead-wearing watch seen here which, if HP has its way, could someday come loaded with a holographic display and Ultra Wide Band (UWB) connectivity. That'll let the watch communicate with the array of other equally shiny devices HP's showing off -- including laptops and tablet PCs -- that rely entirely on network storage, as well a so-called "smart shelf" which can be used to recharge the watch and display information on a huge screen atop it. Other non-working prototypes include a smart coffee table with built-in interactive displays and slots for a tablet PC, rollable multi-purpose display mats, and a digital wallet that'll keep track of your online transactions. Of course, HP then went on to show off some of its current products at the same event, successfully dampening whatever enthusiasm there might have been for Pocket PC phones and GPS devices. More pics after the break.

[Via Slashgear]

Although coax isn't the freshest medium on the block, there's still a good bit of potential yet to be realized in your household cable wiring. The 1394 Trade Association has teamed up with the High Definition Audio-Video Network Alliance (aka HANA) in hopes of networking the electronics in your crib by tapping into the copious amount of cable you've probably already got installed. While turning all of your home entertainment devices into one big happy family has been a long-standing fantasy, these two organizations are hoping to bring the ideas to complete fruition via ultrawideband technology (UWB). Plans are to leverage the bandwidth in your home's coaxial cable to network HDTVs, PVRs, set-top boxes, HTPCs, NAS drives, DVD players, and whatever else you can throw in the mix by using hardware and software developed by PulseLink (which we've already seen in action), Freescale Semiconductor, and Samsung Electronics. The technology will reportedly play nice with your legacy programming, meet the current FCC mandates, and even support IP. As expected, 1394 over coax via UWB will support DRM, so even though content guardians of the world can rest easy, we could potentially endure a bit of headache in the "seamless networking" that we're led to expect. This promising application will supposedly feature "real-time QoS [quality of service]" and raw data rates "exceeding 1Gbps," which combined with its long list of attributes, sounds like a match made in heaven for those looking to network their currently disconnected entertainment devices. But until we see hard pricing and implementations beyond a trade show setup (i.e. some industry support), we'll continue to keep our fingers patiently crossed, and our coax patiently un-networked.