Nokia today took the wraps off of Wibree, a new short-range wireless system  that acts like Bluetooth but promises to go well beyond mobile phones and PC peripherals to find its way into smart watches, remote control toys, and even sensors for sports equipment.
The new radio technology was developed by the Nokia Research Center as an initiative designed to enhance connectivity for small-scale devices.
Because Wibree consumes a fraction of the power of Bluetooth and other wireless systems, said Jani Tierala, business development manager for the research center, it could bring about a new wave of smaller and less expensive smart hardware .
One or Both
Wibree can be used as a stand-alone wireless chip for specialized products such as watches, or as a Bluetooth-Wibree dual-purpose chip for multipurpose communications links. Wibree has the same range (about 30 feet) and data transmission rate (1 Mbps) as Bluetooth, and uses the same radio frequency.
The primary difference from Bluetooth is that Wibree is optimized for smaller devices that consume very little power, said Tierala. "It uses power based on the size of the data packet being sent, whereas Bluetooth uses only a fixed packet size," said Tierala.
The new technology is not meant to handle data-intensive applications such as voice communications or digital music and video, which are best left to Bluetooth, he added.
Tierala envisions Wibree sensors that could provide feedback on the heart rate, blood pressure, or distance covered by a runner. In addition, Tierala said, Wibree could be used for interactive toys as well as new wireless keyboards and mice.
Open Approach
The world's leading mobile phone manufacturer is planning to release the technical specs for Wibree to chip manufacturers, device makers, and standards groups in an effort to get a movement up and running quickly. "We are creating a Wibree ecosystem, with a number of organizations working on the specification," said Tierala.
Broadcom, Epson, and Nordic Semiconductor will create Wibree chips. Meanwhile, Suunto and Taiyo Yuden will be working on interoperability specifications for the new technology.
The final specs of Wibree are expected during second quarter of 2007, Tierala said, with the commercial release of Wibree chips to follow shortly thereafter.
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