The recently-announced Ozmo2000 chip is the first device that purports to support the not-yet finalized WiFi Direct standard. WiFi Direct promises to end the dependence of WiFi devices on nearby base stations: instead, they’ll communicate directly with each other, advertising their presence, setting up ad-hoc networks and even hooking up with old school WiFi enabled devices.

WiFi Direct and chips like the Ozmo2000 will end the conundrum of why an iPhone (for example) can’t wirelessly connect directly to a nearby laptop when both aren’t in range of a base station.

So-called WiFi Personal Area Networks such as Intel’s My WiFi already allow a version of this functionality, but it’s limited – it only works between a laptop with Intel’s Centrino chip running Windows 7 and a short list of approved devices.

WiFi Direct is supposed to be the higher-bandwidth, longer-range, more secure successor to the Bluetooth communication standard that already enables our keyboards, mice and headsets to communicate with our laptops and headsets.



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