USB ports are practical. They can be used to connect a keyboard, printer or digital camera to a PC in seconds flat. The major drawback is the various cables that end up cluttering your workstation.
The good news: A new wireless technology may soon be ready to provide some relief in this area.
It is known as Wireless USB, or WUSB for short. The first devices using the technology were presented last month at the CeBIT computer fair. Even so, most consumers may not find it worthwhile to make the switch just yet.
“Users nowadays must often connect a whole gaggle of devices via USB — and the new technology makes this possible without the cable jungle,” said Mike Lange from hardware maker D-Link.
His company used the CeBIT electronics fair to present new WUSB adapter that will be hitting stores in the fall for around US$100.
The DUB-9240 consists of a receiver for the PC and a transmitter that can connect to up to four USB devices.
“It is intended for a home workstation or small office,” Lange said.
Hardware maker Belkin has announced a similar device.
The benefit in comparison to other wireless standards like Bluetooth is the greater bandwidth, said Manfred Breul from the Berlin-based industry association BITKOM.
WUSB achieves speeds of up to 480 MB per second, while Bluetooth climbs no higher than 2 MB per second.
The new wireless technology also uses less electricity than WLAN.
The higher speed connections are noticeable, particularly when large data volumes are being moved, Lange said.
“WUSB allows for videos to be moved wirelessly from Camcorders to the PC,” Bruel said.
It also makes it easier to move music and photos from an external hard drive.
“For the majority of consumers, this just isn’t ready yet — the technology is still in the early stages of getting its footing,” said Dusan Zivadinovic from Hanover-based c’t magazine.
WUSB also has a relatively short broadcast radius, severely limiting its applicability.
“You can’t network the entire apartment using it. It can’t get through things like thick walls,” Zivadinovic said.
The wireless technology is also relatively expensive compared with USB cable solutions, though D-link spokesman Lange said prices are likely to drop by early next year as additional makers bring products to the market.
“All the same, it will only start being really of interest to consumers once the interfaces are built en masse into cell phones and cameras — and that may well take two years or so,” Breul said.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS