We've already got the controller specs, now we just need the full-on protocol specs. Speaking at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference in Los Angeles, USB-IF president Jeff Ravencraft reportedly stated that he expects the "final specifications to be made public on November 17," and given that said day will mark the opening of the SuperSpeed USB Developers Conference in San Jose, we'd say it all jibes pretty well. Now, how many months will we have to wait before manufacturers can actually get the hasty new ports into machines?

Just in time for CEDIA, IOGEAR's Wireless USB to VGA Kit has received passing marks from the USB Implementer's Forum, so you can rest assured that the $230 kit will play nicely with any other USB gear you have now or may get in the future. You can expect to see the wireless duo on shelves in October, so Windows XP and Vista users with a free USB port can cut the cord, clean up the rat's nest of cabling and start beaming 720p signals around the living room or conference room -- just mind the 30-foot limit. Full release after the break.

Wireless VGA? Been there, done that. Wireless USB to VGA? Hello, IOGEAR. Said outfit has just revealed the world's first Wireless USB to VGA kit that enables users to extend or clone their desktop to another monitor sans wires. Certified by the USB-IF, this unit enables any machine with a spare USB port to stream video to a TV or projector with resolutions as high as 720p. So long as your USB dongle is plugged into your machine and the VGA adapter is connected to a display, you'll be good to go within a 30-foot radius. According to IOGEAR, the product is only compatible with Windows XP 32-bit or Vista 32- / 64-bit, but those with no qualms about that can grab one next month for $229.95. Full release after the jump.

Update: IOGEAR pinged us to say that it's still waiting on USB-IF approval, though that should hopefully go down soon.

Oh sure, Wireless USB products are out there, but they're pretty far out there. We're talking deep back shelf type stuff. NEC Electronics is hoping to get the cord-free version of the well known peripheral standard into more and more gizmos by cranking out the uPD720171 Wireless USB host controller. The unit was designed with the PCI Express bus interface in mind, and it can also provide laptops with connectivity via the ExpressCard slot. The company claims that the $10 device can handle transfers up to 480Mbps within a range of three meters, but you'll be waiting a little while yet before testing out said claim in a finalized product.

[Via SlashGear]

Just last week, Intel gave AMD, NVIDIA and a whole host of friends what they had been clamoring for: 90% complete USB 3.0 controller specifications. Now, the cool cats over at MaximumPC have churned out an encyclopedic writeup that details USB SuperSpeed remarkably well. The highlights include assurance that USB 3.0 will be backwards-compatible with USB 2.0 and that it'll provide transfer rates up to ten times more than USB 2.0's 480Mbps limit (that's 4.8Gbps). Furthermore, we're told that uploads and downloads are kept on separate lanes, the cables are thicker, it will charge more devices more quickly, and it will be much more mindful of energy waste. Go on and get yourself completely schooled in the read link below.

Just over eight months after the USB Implementers Forum completed the micro-USB specification, the Open Mobile Terminal Platform (OMTP) has recommended that the protocol be accepted as a universal standard for charging and syncing mobile devices. Reportedly, the "OMTP's paper recommends that the micro-USB standard" be adopted across the mobile industry in order to "streamline the whole value chain and provide end users with a larger choice of the most popular peripherals." Still, we're not told when handset manufacturers will start offering up the new port en masse, but at least we're makin' progress, eh?

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 you may be a tad more interested in concepts such as wireless USB or micro-USB implementations, the USB Implementers Forum is kicking out yet another (low key) improvement to the universal serial bus. The crew has now announced the availability of the Battery Charging Revision 1.0 specification, which defines "a standard way for portable devices to draw current from wall chargers or PCs," and furthermore, "allows PCs and hubs to provide increased levels of current in order to shorten the charging time of connected devices." Of course, the task force made sure safety concerns were adequately addressed, as the protocol also defines a mechanism for connected peripherals to detect what type of power source it's mated with and draw an appropriate amount of energy from said host. No word on when nor how the new spec plans on hitting the market, but there's plenty of emergency powering alternatives to snap up in the meantime.

[Via TGDaily]

The competition in the oh-so-lucrative medical field is most certainly heating up as a plethora of physicians are moving from paper charting to electronic documentation, but now we're seeing a battle brewing solely in the connectivity realm. Following Bluetooth SIG's Medical Device Profile, the USB-IF is concocting a working group to "improve healthcare technology" and make the adoption of USB more widespread in the wellness arena. Essentially, the team's initial goal "is to define a USB Personal Healthcare Device Class specification," after which it hopes to implement USB onto devices such as "blood pressure cuffs and exercise watches." Aside from allowing doctors to more easily track and archive changes in a patients history, the added USB connectivity in the hospital ward will purportedly "facilitate the communication between patient and doctor," as home-based clients could easily send their readings directly to a doctor's inbox thanks to the digital interface. Notably, the USB-IF is claiming that the new Personal Healthcare Device Class "should be available for use in devices near the end of 2007," so you better get to training granny on the ways USB -- STAT!

[Via EverythingUSB]

Just when you think another protocol change couldn't possibly surface and force you to purchase more adapters in order to operate your gadgets, it does. Sure enough, the USB Implementers Forum has recently announced that we loyal consumers will all be shelling out a few extra bucks as new mobile handsets, PDAs, and digital cameras adopt a new, smaller "micro-USB" adapter for syncing / charging. As the RAZRs of the world get thinner and thinner, so too must the port with which we charge it. While there's no apparent size specification just yet, all we know is that it'll be smaller than the current implementation, and inevitably require additional purchases in order to use. Additionally, the USB-IF stated the new standard would support USB On-The-Go, and will feature a "stainless steel shell" to reportedly yield "more than 10,000 insertion cycles" before your charging port is rendered completely inutile. No word on when to expect the ultra-diminutive port to start showing up on handsets, but look for it on the first mobile barely thicker than a credit card.

[Via Mobileburn]

You heard right, it's finally here. After questioning Bluetooth's ability to compete with it, and seeing numerous (unsurprising) delays, the USB Implementers Forum announced today the "availability of the Certified Wireless USB Compliance and Certification Program." If you're a bit stumped as to why we've already seen a few untethered USB devices floating about, the logic follows the same taken by 802.11n draft-spec adopters, and this QA procedure will "assure" consumers of its functionality, give suppliers a solid set of guidelines, and allow manufacturers to slap that coveted seal of approval on the box. More good news came when the previously claimed speeds -- 480Mbps at 3 meters and 110Mbps at 10 meters -- were confirmed as realizable. Initially, wireless USB compliance testing will be hosted at Intel's "Wireless USB Platform Integration Lab," with more branches to open in 2007. In times where delays and setbacks are far and away more common than getting things out the door, it's refreshing to see at least one wireless agenda reach completion.

[Via WiFi Planet]