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Live from the Engadget CES Stage: an interview with WiGig's Ali Sadri (update: video embedded)
WiGig has some big news to share last week, when it announced that it would be merging with the WiFi Alliance. We'll be discussing the marriage with the organization's President and Chairman, Ali Sadri, and what it means for the future of both organizations. January 10, 2013 7:00 PM EST Check out our full CES 2013 stage schedule here! Update: video embedded
WiFi Alliance certificate teases Tizen flavored Samsung Galaxy S III
Ever wondered what Samsung's flagship Galaxy S III phone might be like, if it ran another OS? Okay, arguably something along those lines is already under way, but if a curious WiFi Alliance certification entry is to be understood, Tizen might have made its way on to the phone already. The hook here is the product name. The GS III also goes by the less snappy moniker of GT-I9300, and it's the appearance of GT-I9300_TIZEN in the certification list that has got chins wagging. Of course, a stamp from the WiFI Alliance means little out here in the real world, where everything is still looking rather Android, but it doesn't hurt to imagine the Koreans experimenting with idea, and it wouldn't be the first time either.
Wi-Fi Alliance announces first Miracast-certified devices, full compatibility with Intel WiDi
Take note, because there's a new standard in realm of wireless video streaming and it's known as Miracast. Since the initial announcement, some very respectable manufacturers have chosen to support the specification, which includes Broadcom, NVIDIA and Texas Instruments. Now the Wi-Fi Alliance has announced the first round of products to be certified for Miracast, and as an extremely welcome bit of news, all Intel WiDi devices are supported by the latest standard. In addition to PCs, you can expect Miracast certification to be blessed upon devices such as smartphones, tablets, set-top boxes and televisions. In the retail setting, all Miracast-certified devices will carry the more generic "WiFi Certified" badge (shown here), which also covers technologies such as WiFi Direct. You'll find the press release after the break, which includes the initial list of products and components that've already earned their credentials, along with statements of support from manufacturers such as LG, Samsung and Sony. Not to be left out, we also reached out to Qualcomm, which confirmed its support for the standard, along with its expectation to offer some of the very first products certified for Miracast. It seems that Apple's AirPlay now has some rather determined competition, indeed.
WiFi alliance begins Tunneled Direct Link Setup certification, hopes to improve media streaming
You can thank the WiFi alliance for a number of things, and soon you can add TDLS to that list. That's Tunneled Direct Link Setup, if you were wondering, and it's a standard for creating direct links between devices. If this sounds familiar, that's understandable, but TDLS has its own tricks, like working in the background of a network to optimize performance, and it can even work over a WiFi Direct connection. For example two compliant devices can measure the signal strength on the network, and determine if a direct link would be better or not. TDLS also allows devices to communicate at the fastest standard available (802.11b / g / n etc.) even if this is superior to that available on the rest of your hardware. As this is a client-based protocol, you won't need to upgrade your access point either. If this hasn't got implications for better media streaming written all over it, we don't know what has. Especially as the certification is available to TVs, tablets, phones, cameras and gaming devices. There's only a handful of test products sporting the official approval at this time, but with names such as Broadcom, Marvell and Realtek in the mix, it shouldn't be long before it starts finding its way into front rooms and pockets proper.
NVIDIA throws support behind Miracast as wireless display standard
TI may have blazed the trail, but today NVIDIA has announced that it'll support Miracast as an integral part of its Tegra mobile platform. If you'll recall, Miracast is a creation of the Wi-Fi Alliance, which aims to create a new standard for wireless displays by way of a reference specification and certification program. There are few concrete details to share at this point, as the Miracast spec has yet to be ratified, but NVIDIA has already engaged a number of manufacturers in an effort to drum up support for the new standard -- think it's reason enough for the WiDi and AirPlay crowds to worry?
WiFi Direct headed for a revamp: simpler integration, better support
We love WiFi Direct, we do, but there's no denying the standard has failed to take the world by storm. The WiFi Alliance is going back to the drawing board and looking to streamline its system of connecting devices. A new Wi-Fi Direct Services task group was formed last month, charged with building new tools for helping apps and devices work together. The plan is to have what amounts to a complete revamp of the WiFi Direct standard within 12 to 18 months. One of the keys will be exposing the feature more directly to end users. Often it hides in the background, but the alliance is working on a way for apps to advertise their capabilities to each other and consumers. Developers have also struggled with poorly defined hooks that often lead to incompatible products. Will 2013 finally be the year that WiFi Direct takes off? Who can say. Considering the break-neck pace our technological world moves at, something better may have come along by the time the WiFi Alliance gets its act together.
WiFi alliance begins hardware testing on Passpoint cell-to-hotspot roaming program
It was over a year ago now that we heard about the WiFi Alliance's intention to certify hotspots and simplify the potential for mobile handovers. Now, it's just announced hardware testing of its WiFi-CERTIFIED Passpoint program, which promises to let phones and mobile devices automatically discover and connect to compatible networks. The specification used is the result of cooperation between service providers and equipment manufacturers, with the aim of creating an industry-wide solution for shared WiFi access and roaming agreements. Already hardware from the likes of Cisco, Intel, MediaTek and Qualcomm has received Passpoint certification, leaving the ball in the court of service providers, once testing is complete.
TI cuts the cables, backs Miracast as wireless video standard for OMAP platform
It wasn't but a few days ago that the Wi-Fi Alliance announced its certification program for the Miracast wireless display specification. Now, TI has thrown its weight behind the technology with the announcement that future versions of its OMAP processor and WiLink connectivity chip will adhere to Miracast standards. As you'll recall, the Miracast certification program has yet to go into effect -- that'll happen later this summer -- which means for the time being, it's still too early to refer to TI's solution as "Wi-Fi Certified Miracast." Nonetheless, the company's already showing its compatible wares this week at Computex, which currently includes the OMAP 4470 / WiLink 7.0 combo. Naturally, TI also intends to ensure Miracast support as part of its upcoming OMAP 5 / WiLink 8.0 platform. As if you needed yet another reason to be excited for that one. To learn more, you'll find the full PR after the break.
Wi-Fi Alliance announces Miracast wireless display certification program
The ability to transmit audio-visual content over WiFi is poised to launch a bit of a cable-free revolution in the living room, but before that happens, the Wi-Fi Alliance hopes that manufacturers will rally behind its standard set of technologies known as Miracast -- in the process, burying WiDi and giving AirPlay a run for its money. While the certification program itself has yet to be finalized, it's said to launch later this year and will bless all compatible devices with the "Wi-Fi Certified Miracast" mark. Everything from televisions and set-top boxes, to notebooks, smartphones and tablets will be eligible for certification, which means that we may begin to see the seal in a hell of a lot more places. The PR itself provides scant additional details, but if you're so inclined, feel free to hop the break.
WiFi certification fuels speculation of Samsung Galaxy Note successor (updated)
The Samsung Galaxy Note is just now working its way to the States, but a recent certification by the WiFi Alliance is already stoking the flames of its replacement. Known only as the GT-N8000, it's thought this device may be the eventual replacement for the GT-N7000. Of course, this isn't the only plausible explanation, as the new model number may hint at yet another new family of devices. There's credence to this flow of logic, too, as the Galaxy S II (i9100) was the spiritual decedent of the original Galaxy S (i9000). Whether your preferred method of divination involves tea leaves, crystal balls or Cleverbot, one thing is certain about this new Sammy -- it's gonna be 1,000 more, y'all. Update: Apologies for the crossed wires, as we reported last night, the Samsung GT-N8013 also recently hit the FCC, and is presumably a variation of the GT-N8000.
WiFi Direct and DLNA get friendly, make streaming media a little bit easier
DLNA and WiFi Direct are both pretty sweet technologies on their own but, together, they offer the promise of simple, wireless media streaming without the need for that pesky router middleman. The Digital Living Network Alliance has officially incorporated WiFi Direct into its interoperability guidelines, which means you could soon be streaming movies and music between devices (like your laptop and smartphone) without connecting to a home (or public) network. And don't forget, only one part of the equation needs to be WiFi Direct certified -- so don't worry that your aging computer doesn't support it, as long as your smartphone does you're golden. Check out the PR after the break.
Samsung's new Galaxy Tab 10.1 hits the FCC with GT-P7510 moniker
Yes, this is Samsung's latest 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab alright, not to be mistaken with its thicker 10.1v sibling that's gradually rolling out across Europe and Australia. How can you tell? Well, the older Honeycomb tablet bears the GT-P7100 codename, whereas this FCC filing and a Wi-Fi Alliance certificate show off the GT-P7510 moniker for this WiFi-only 10.1. Oh, and the drawing of the backside -- pictured after the break -- is a dead giveaway, of course. What remains unknown is the mysterious 1GHz dual-core CPU inside this razor-thin slate, but given the release of this FCC application, it probably won't be long before all is revealed.
Wi-Fi Alliance launches hotspot certification program, aims to ease cell-to-WiFi handoff woes
If you've been paying even a slight bit of attention to carriers over the past year and change, you'd know that a number of 'em are resorting to citywide WiFi networks in order to relieve some of the stress being placed on their 3G networks. It's definitely a viable solution for a problem that requires oodles to time (and far too many signatures) to plant new cell sites, but there's a looming issue: compatibility. Naturally, the Wi-Fi Alliance is all over it, today launching an initiative to transform the user experience in hotspots. The Wi-Fi Certified hotspot testbed will address authentication and provision of service for public WiFi networks, essentially acting to "facilitate the seamless handoff of cellular traffic from smartphones, tablets and other portable electronics to WiFi, helping service providers manage demands on constrained licensed spectrum." We're told that the program will allow devices to "discover and automatically choose networks based upon user preferences, operator policies and network optimization," and in many cases, they'll be automatically granted access to the network based upon credential mechanisms, such as SIM cards. Hard to say what this will mean for limits and structuring, but we're bound to find out more as the 1H 2012 target launch date draws nearer. Full release is after the break, per usual.
WiFi Direct helps you kill space chickens without an access point (hands-on)
The urge to kill a chicken is surprisingly strong when operating in the dead space between sleep deprivation and a caffeinated buzz of hyper alertness. The fact that the beast is giant and in space makes it downright compulsive especially when given the opportunity to team up in combat with Max Planck over an 802.11n WiFi Direct connection... without an access point and without any lag. This isn't your father's Bluetooth connection, son. See the carnage go down after the break.
Dell's 7-inch (or 10-inch) Android tablet gets WiFi certification?
Remember how Dell's supposed to be introducing a 7-inch Tegra 2-powered Android tablet, like, right now, possibly followed by a 10-inch model in a few months? Well, we're not saying that's what's going on here, but consider the facts: the original 5-inch Streak has a model code of M01M, and a new device with code M02M just popped up in the Wi-Fi Alliance's certification database identified as a "Mobile Internet Device" in the Smartphone category. Yes, 7 inches is a bit large for a "smartphone," but the Alliance doesn't have a great category for these tweeners that support cellular data (and like the European Galaxy Tab, some of them really are smartphones anyway). PocketNow suggests that we could also be looking at the Streak 2, which is possible -- but considering the groundswell of rumors we've been hearing about a slightly larger tablet in the pipeline, that's where our money lies. That holds especially true considering how close we are to CES, which promises to be a veritable tablet-fest this year -- but regardless, we bet the truth comes out within the next couple weeks.
HomePlug Powerline Alliance and Wi-Fi Alliance align, hope for wireless home nirvana
Ah, now we're talking. Over the years, HomePlug and wireless HD / HDMI haven't exactly "taken off." Routing internet signals over a home's power network has been hampered by subpar transmission rates, and using wireless in the home for anything other than basic web duties has shown to be either too costly or too much hassle. Now, however, the HomePlug Powerline Alliance and the Wi-Fi Alliance have seen the light, and they're joining hands in order to jointly push their technologies to homeowners. Focused primarily on " facilitating interoperability of smart grid applications," these organizations are fixing to enable SEP 2.0 applications to operate across a diverse mix of wireless and wired networks, and hopefully they'll reach out to product manufacturers while they're at it. Here's hoping they'll be able to nail it -- the demand is certainly there, but the execution thus far has been downright depressing.
Wi-Fi Direct certification begins today, device-to-device transmission starting soon
So, Bluetooth -- last fall didn't end up being as frightful as you had probably imagined, but this fall is bound to be different. Or so the Wi-Fi Alliance says. If you'll recall, Wi-Fi Direct promised to do what Bluetooth had been doing for years, but with far less fuss and on a protocol that's much more widespread. A solid year has come and gone, and we've heard nary a word from any company who plans on implementing it. Thankfully for us all, that changes today. Starting in mere moments, Wi-Fi Direct devices will begin the certification process, and while we couldn't extract exact product details or a release time frame for future wares on a media call regarding the announcement, we did get the impression that at least a few partners were trying to get Wi-Fi Direct wares onto shelves before Christmas. As for functionality, the claims are fairly impressive. In order to make a direct device-to-device connection over WiFi, just one of the two need to be Wi-Fi Direct certified. In other words, a Wi-Fi Direct printer can recognize and interface with your Latitude D410 laptop from 1999, as all Wi-Fi Direct certified devices have to be able to control the one-to-one relationship. The goal here is pretty simple -- it's to create a protected connection between two devices over WiFi with as little hassle as possible. Think Bluetooth, but using WiFi. We also learned that "most" products certified will also support "one-to-many" connections, enabling a Wi-Fi Direct laptop to be in contact with a printer, connected HDTV and a tablet simultaneously, with no router in-between at any point. We should also point out that while 802.11a/g/n is supported over 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, there's no requirement for Wi-Fi Direct products to support 802.11b, so legacy users may want to pay attention to that quirk. There's also no new hardware requirements here, so in theory, any existing WiFi chipset could be upgraded via firmware to handle Wi-Fi Direct -- whether or not that'll happen on a large scale was a question the Wi-Fi Alliance couldn't answer for us. Finally, they noted that the app ecosystem is likely to make this whole rollout a lot more interesting, particularly considering that Direct is simply a pipe that software can dictate as it sees fit. We'll be keeping a close eye on the developments here; we've waited way too long for this to blossom, but we're pretty jazzed about the possibilities. Head on past the break for a video overview of how Wi-Fi Direct works.
Motorola's mysterious Olympus MB860 gets certified for Bluetooth, UPnP and dual-band WiFi
What is the Motorola MB860? It's hard to say for sure, but it could be one of the infamous Tegra 2 tablets that Motorola's been allegedly working on. Ameblo recently discovered that the MB860 had been certified for Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi, and then noticed that the UPnP Forum had attached a curious codename -- Olympus -- to the device. This is where things get fairly fuzzy, but Android and Me recently reported that the Olympus was one of two Motorola tablets in testing -- though it may not be the Stingray, as that supposed 10-inch device has an alphanumeric designation of its own: MZ600. For those of you inspired to go sluthing on your own, we've got a couple final notes. First, the Bluetooth SIG has already changed its MB860 filing to read BT0001, according to Google's cache. Second, though the WiFi interoperability certificate above reads "smartphone," that's not necessarily true -- according to the Wi-Fi Alliance, Samsung's Galaxy Tab is a "phone" as well.
Wi-Fi Alliance touts first ten 802.11n-certified mobiles, some likely headed to Sprint / Verizon
Bona fide 802.11n took long enough to get here, but now it's just a matter of time before it becomes all-too-familiar on everyday smartphones. We've already seen a handful of 802.11n smartphones hit from LG and Samsung, but here at CTIA the Wi-Fi Alliance has come out swinging with an announcement touting the debut of ten WiFi n-certified handsets. Granted, the release is focused more on the blossoming of 802.11n as a whole rather than specific details about those ten mysterious phones, but a separate report from PC Magazine notes that those that have already passed through the FCC are all packing CDMA radios. Put two and two together, and you start to realize that Sprint and Verizon may soon be trumpeting the carriage of some of the planet's first 802.11n phones. But hey -- who needs WiFi when you've got WiMAX, right Dan?
LG Arena Max gets WiFi certification, sounds way more extreme than Arena
LG's Arena was one of the more important non-smartphone handsets of 2009, if for no other reason than the fact that it introduced the world to LG's latest standard user experience, S-Class. Of course, it was introduced all the way back in February -- a lifetime by mobile standards -- which means that it's about time to re-up with a shiny replacement. It sounds like that might come in the form of an "Arena Max" model, thanks to a fresh certification in the Wi-Fi Alliance's database pointing to an LU9400 model going by that name. Specs are anyone's guess at this point, but we can probably expect a big, stonking camera, a full-touch UI, and -- you guessed it -- WiFi.
