This posting focuses on low-power wireless technologies that
enable communication between devices that are located within a
few feet of each other. This can apply to both voice
communications as well as data communication. This whole area is
becoming quite complex with a whole raft of standards being
worked on – ULB, UWB, Wibree, Zigbee etc. This may seem rather
strange bearing in mind the wide-scale use of the key wireless
technology in this space – Bluetooth. We are all familiar with
Bluetooth as it is now as ubiquitous in use as Wi-Fi but it has
had a chequered history by any standard and this has negatively
affected its take-up across many market sectors. Bluetooth first
saw the light of day as an ‘invention’ by Ericsson in Sweden
back in 1994 and was intended as a wireless standard for use as
a low-power inter-’gadget’ communication mechanism (Ericsson
actually closed the Bluetooth division in 2004). This initially
meant hands-free ear pieces for use with mobile phones. This is
actually quite a demanding