The possibility of a gadget world without wires took a big step forward Thursday when 14 of the biggest names in consumer electronics said they would work with Sony on its short-range, high-speed "TransferJet" wireless data system.
Sony and companies, which include Samsung, Panasonic, Toshiba, Kodak and Canon, formed the TransferJet Consortium. The group is dedicated to hammering out the technical specifications required before products featuring the technology can be brought to market.
TransferJet is a Sony-developed wireless system that can send data at speeds of up to 375M bps (bits per second) over distances of around 3 centimeters. It's designed to replace the cables that are typically needed to connect gadgets and its speed rivals that of USB2.0 and Firewire, the two dominant cable-based systems in use today.
Sony first demonstrated the system at January's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. A digital camera equipped with Transfer Jet was placed onto a modified version of Sony's photo reader box that also packed the technology. Once the photo reader detected the camera it automatically transferred the 45 images in the camera memory in a few seconds. The images were relatively small VGA resolution -- higher quality pictures will take slightly longer to transfer.
Another demonstration involved streaming video from a digital video camera to a reader that was hooked-up to a television.
Sony hopes to put products incorporating TransferJet on sale sometime in 2009, said Junko Sato, a spokeswoman for Sony in Tokyo.
Technically, the system works in the 4.5GHz frequency range and is similar to but different from ultra wideband systems. It operates at a low power so shouldn't interfere with other systems and in many countries won't require complex licensing. The risk of data theft is said to be low because of the short range but it's possible to restrict the devices that can make TransferJet connections.
In addition to Sony the other consortium members are: Canon, Eastman Kodak, Hitachi, JVC, Japanese telecom carrier KDDI, Kenwood, Panasonic, Nikon, Olympus, Pioneer, Samsung, Seiko Epson, Sony Ericsson and Toshiba. In addition to working on the technical specifications the consortium will also ensure interoperability between gadgets using the technology and promote it.
Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services. Zones provide focussed content from Computerworld and leading technology partners.
Discover how SOA can create smarter outcomes for your business.
Attend and learn:
- How SOA is helping leading companies to become more agile
- Where you should be applying SOA processes in your company
- The top SOA implementation mistakes to avoid
Click here for more information.
- +
Computerworld Live Podcast #97: The Future of Enterprise Networking 25/07/2008 09:45:36
This week CW Live chats with Mark Thompson, global sales and marketing manager for HP ProCurve, on the future of the enterprise networking. Mark discusses the trends we can expect to see in the near future and how the right infrastructure can ensure your enterprise network is secure. - +
Computerworld Live Podcast #96: Security at the Edge 11/06/2008 09:22:22
CW Live speaks with Amol Mitra, HP ProCurve Director of Marketing for Asia Pacific and Japan. Today's topic: how enterprises are starting to shift away from simply controlling security via server logins, firewalls and moving to more adaptive security frameworks. - +
Data Management Edition #10: Multi-Petascale Systems 02/05/2008 09:12:33
This week we look at sustainability and the development of multicore technologies to build multi-petascale systems. - +
IT Security Edition #11: How to poison the Storm botnet 01/05/2008 08:51:55
This week CW Live presents a case study on how to poison the notorious Storm botnet . Plus we take a look at Cisco's plans for Ironport. - +
IT Security Edition #10: Cyber-battles fought and won 24/04/2008 11:09:47
Vendors bow to end user pressure to improve product security, and we take a look at the latest concepts shaping the cyber-battlefield of the future.
AARNet Helps to Advance Indigenous Health 2008-12-02 12:44:00+11
Orbis selects Telstra International as its data centre partner for the UK, Europe and Middle East Region 2008-12-02 11:23:00+11
ComOps Deploys Corporate Performance Reporting Solution For Healthcare Test Manufacturer 2008-12-02 10:09:00+11
Mornington Peninsula Shire implements Objective to manage knowledge and deliver service excellence 2008-12-02 09:56:00+11
Virtual magic: HR specialist throws out 40 servers, adds 8TB SAN and saves $100,000 for disaster recovery 2008-12-01 15:28:00+11
IT Service Management Needs and Adoption Trends: An Analysis of a Global Survey of IT Executives
IT executives face the need to improve service delivery with limited resource increases. Two common strategies for achieving this are network and systems management tools and datacenter consolidation. Read on to disocover how you can make a strong business case for IT Consolidation.
Buying Guides
