Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols
Although IR data links have long been possible, a lack of standards has resulted in incompatible technologies that have stymied IR connections' widespread adoption. But now the IRDA's (Infrared Data Association) new standard has vendors getting aboard the IR bandwagon.
The new IR standard lets you create links between systems up to 10 feet apart over IR serial connections at speeds of up to 115.2 Kbps. With these speeds (which are in the same ballpark as a floppy drive's throughput), convenience will be a big IR-device selling point. But the range restriction will keep IR data links that conform to this new standard out of LAN architectures. The IRDA is working on new standards that will overcome these restrictions and enable faster IR connections with greater range.
All this may lead you to
believe that the current IR standard is destined to be a niche technology, but that isn't the case. Microsoft is supporting the IRDA standard in Windows 95, and hardware vendors are lining up to produce IR products.
Part of the reason for this is that IR technology is inexpensive. While no one's willing to talk pricing yet, all the vendors that BYTE interviewed were confident their products would be competitive with any other short-haul data transfer technologies, such as LapLink's (from Traveling Software) serial and parallel port cables.
Specifically, DEC's PC business (Acton, MA) was to release in the fall a new subnotebook called the Highnote Ultra, which will have an IR connection and data transfer software. Not to be outdone, DEC's old rival, IBM, will be releasing two IBM ThinkPad models, the 755CD and 755CE, with IR capacities. Other vendors will be introducing IR-capable PDAs (personal digital assistants). Apple, Motorola, and Sony have all thrown their hats into the IR-equipped-PDA rin
g.
And what will all these laptops and PDAs talk to? Possibly IR-equipped Hewlett-Packard LaserJets, according to HP. Adaptec is also moving aggressively in this area, with IR add-ons for OEMs and the after-sale market. Any way you look at it, it seems certain that IR technol-ogy is about to become an important part of the portable-computing world.
Infrared Gets Real
