Tech giants back wireless platform

Associated Press

NEW YORK — Although still committed to a rival technology known as Bluetooth, Microsoft Corp. and Intel Corp. are putting their muscle behind 802.11b, or Wi-Fi, which also enables short-range wireless links between computers and other devices.

The two technology powerhouses are joining the board of directors at the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance, or WECA, an industry group pushing Wi-Fi as a universal platform for small wireless networks.

WECA was announcing the addition of Microsoft to its board today.

Intel, which until now hadn't even joined WECA as a regular member, has yet to officially disclose its new affiliation and prominent role, but WECA has already added the computer chip maker's name to a Web page listing its board of directors.

The moves by Microsoft and Intel — both prominent among Bluetooth backers — provide another boost to the unexpected momentum building behind Wi-Fi.

While not yet the de facto standard Bluetooth was expected to be, Wi-Fi has scored a series of coups over the past year, most recently with Microsoft's decision to weave the Wi-Fi standard into Windows XP, the upcoming overhaul to the software maker's ubiquitous computer operating system.

Meanwhile, computer makers such as Dell Computer Corp. and IBM Corp. have begun offering built-in Wi-Fi capabilities with their machines, and a growing number of public venues such as airports, hotels and Starbucks coffee shops are providing Internet access via Wi-Fi transmitters.

There are some distinct benefits to Wi-Fi, especially the speed and distance of its wireless signal. However, Wi-Fi has also relied on better timing to overcome some disadvantages to Bluetooth.

Although not an issue with computers, Wi-Fi's heavy power consumption makes it less suitable for the small battery in a mobile phone or PDA that might otherwise be used to link wirelessly with a laptop or desktop machine.

Bluetooth promised to get a wide variety of devices talking without a tangle of wires, but technological glitches have kept most of that potential from becoming reality. At the least, Wi-Fi worked just fine on computers and has for some time.

"It's about Bluetooth being ready for mass market adoption. Bluetooth has not progressed, unfortunately, at the phenomenal rate of Wi-Fi," said Jawad Khaki, vice president for Windows network communications. "Microsoft has worked very hard in being ready for when Bluetooth matures. But we're disappointed that the progress has not been as fast as the industry said it would."