Zune, Wibree & Mobile Ecosystem

Courtesy of Rajesh saw this latest from Nokia : Wibree technology. As Nokia positions it,Wibree technology is to be seen as an open industry initiative extending local connectivity to small devices. This new radio technology developed by Nokia Research Center complements other local connectivity technologies, consuming only a fraction of the power compared to other such radio technologies, enabling smaller and less costly implementations and being easy to integrate with Bluetooth solutions. Wibree offers connectivity between mobile devices or Personal Computers, and small, button cell battery power devices such as watches, wireless keyboards, toys and sports sensors. Wibree technology complements close range communication with Bluetooth like performance within 0-10 m range and data rate of 1 Mbps. Look at this : by extending the role mobile devices can play in consumers' lives, this technology increases the growth potential in these market segments. Wibree is optimized for applications requiring extremely low power consumption, small size and low cost. Wibree is implemented either as stand-alone chip or as Bluetooth-Wibree dual-mode chip. The small devices like watches and sports sensors will be based on stand-alone chip whereas Bluetooth devices will take benefit of the dual-mode solution, extending Bluetooth device connectivity to new range of smallest devices. Potentially mobiles can now be fitted with lot more additional functionalities, in the process helping the mobile ecosystem extend its reach.Now this is an important development – Microsoft’s Zune is expected to be rolled out shortly. With a 30 GB hard drive, built-in FM tuner with Radio Data System, 3.0-inch screen, and 802.11 wireless networking, the expectations about Zune are high. The initial player will come in three colors—black, brown and white with pre-loaded music and videos. The Zune will be able to connect to the Xbox 360, which will allow the user to stream music, videos, and pictures via USB. It is unknown whether the Zune can connect to an Xbox 360 via WiFi, however, the same currency used on Xbox Live, Microsoft Points, will be used to buy music via the Zune Marketplace . The much talked about WiFi sharing feature will allow artists to sell their content direct to consumers after sharing the song or video clip under preview for a limited time.The concern on Zune is the limited battery life and the reach of the radio waves. Zune is also expected to have phone features built inside eventually besides larger screen space. It is now an intersting game with Apple, Microsoft and Nokia with this technology trying to open up a myriad of possibilities - the mobile personal entertainment space is in for very interesting things.