With Intel leading the way to push forward wireless USB (WUSB) technology, some say this could lead to the demise of Bluetooth. Read on and see what you think.

If Intel has its way, Bluetooth will be a dead technology by the end of 2005. Intel's pushing hard for a new wireless USB standard, called WUSB. The goal is to design a wireless standard that's faster and more reliable than Bluetooth. The faster part is the key. WUSB is being set up as a counterpart to 802.11, handling the device to device transfers WiFi doesn't cover; like the movement of audio and video files between PCs and cameras, MP3 players and the like.

While I've been quite the vocal fan of Bluetooth, the promise of WUSB has me close to salivation. If the goal is realized, WUSB will have data transfer rates of 480 megabits per second at a range of 2 meters. That's quite an improvement over the 12 megabits per second that Bluetooth delivers.

As part of any wireless conversation, it's important to understand where these technologies play. What Bluetooth and WUSB are competing for is dominance in the short range communications arena; previously lead by infrared communication. While WUSB is the soon-to-be new kid on the block, Bluetooth has been around for years, though its purpose has been viewed as unclear by most.