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New Sony Tech

Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 2:00 am
by quantus
UWB-based TransferJet: the latest go-it-alone technology from Sony

The subtitle is a bit derisive, but in this case, I think Sony is being smart. They're right that the metaphor of placing something on top of something else and expecting them to be able to talk is a powerful one. Combine that with inductive battery charging technology and you've got a winner I think. Both charge/power your device while it's transmitting data and you've two common cabling annoyance at once! Hell, if Sony was smart, they'd patent the idea of combining these technologies and integrating them into a coffee table or counter top.

Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 2:31 am
by Jonathan
Sony, smart? Nah. WUSB will eat this for breakfast. Range is pretty damn convenient, and everything will be compatible with it.

Wireless compared to wired looks pretty nice, but when compared to the alternative this is a nonstarter.

Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 2:56 am
by quantus
For some applications, range is useful, but I really don't think so in this case. Usability wise, simple metaphors are much better than cramming more buttons and menus into a device.

Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 6:16 am
by Jonathan
?
It's the same technology. Calling it TransferJet doesn't make it magically user friendly. The only difference is the signal strength, but I haven't seen anybody claiming that the power to send WUSB signals is too high for some usage models.

Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 8:43 am
by quantus
Agreed, it is similar. How much power does it take to do wireless USB? What are they using it for now? If it is an insignificant amount of power, then I agree with you, but I have a feeling that it won't be too insignificant when transmitting 10 feet or so.