First embedded Wireless USB Laptops announced

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Dell and Lenovo have announced the first notebooks with embedded Certified Wireless USB chips - the Dell Inspiron 1720 and Lenovo ThinkPad T61and T62p.

The laptops connect wirelessly to USB peripherals hooked up to Certified Wireless USB hubs such as those released by D-Link and IOGear.

The laptops and hubs, which are among the first products to receive Wireless USB Certification from the USB Implementers Forum, will be distributed soon. They will carry a Certified Wireless USB logo.

Computers with embedded wireless USB chips will eventually be able to connect directly to a new generation of peripheral devices also featuring embedded wireless USB.

In the interim, until peripherals catch up with the technology, they will need to be plugged into a wireless USB hub. This will allow the Dell and Lenovo laptops to communicate with a peripheral device such as a conventional printer plugged into the hub.

Wireless USB uses ultra-wideband technology to provide connectivity at up to 30 feet at 110 mbps, or 10 feet at 480 mbps. This is significantly faster than the speeds provided by Bluetooth connectivity. Wireless USB also consumes much less power than Wi-Fi.