Bluetooth has some competition - Wi-Fi Direct is touted to everything Bluetooth does, but with far less issues and annoyances all while using a protocol that is far more widespread and easier to setup.
Starting today - Wi-Fi Direct devices will enter the certification process - the actual products to use this tech are unknown at this point, but there should be some hardware on the shelves before Santa arrives in 2 more months.
Functionality wise, the claims stand out instantly - for someone to make a device-to-device connection over Wi-Fi just ONE of the devices needs to be Wi-Fi Direct certified. This will help create a user base out of the box, which is a great step towards instant sales.
"Most" products certified will also support "one-to-many" Wi-Fi connections, such as enabling a Wi-Fi Direct laptop to then connect wirelessly to your printer, HDTV and a tablet or phone simultaneously - the best thing? No router in-between would be required! Also, 802.11b users may be left out in the dark, with 802.11a/g/n being supported over 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.
Wi-Fi Direct will require no new hardware - so in theory, any existing Wi-Fi chipset could be upgraded via firmware to support Wi-Fi Direct.
