ZigBee Wireless Spec Ratified
The technology is designed to be highly power efficient. That, combined with its relatively low data rates, means it won't compete with other wireless technologies like Wi-Fi, but rather make it an inexpensive tool for applications like sensor networks.
In a statement, the ZigBee Alliance said that ratification will spur a large number of ZigBee products, many of which are already in the pipeline.
"Given the number of ZigBee-ready products announced in 2004, we anticipate seeing ZigBee-compliant consumer products as soon as early 2005," Bob Heile, chairman of the ZigBee Alliance, said in a statement.
The Alliance has more than 100 member companies. While ratification of other wireless specifications, such as 802.11n and ultra-wideband, have been delayed and mired down in debate, the ZigBee spec was ratified on the schedule its proponents originally offered.
*This story courtesy of Techweb.com.