Wi-Fi Direct Takes On Bluetooth in the Content Pinging Stakes

Mashable are reporting today that the Wi-Fi Alliance are set to announce a new standard enabling intra-device communications, without the need for an wireless network.

Wi-Fi Direct will allow devices to share, show, print and play content from one device to another, enabling your digital camera to send photos directly to your printer, portable consoles to connect for competitive gaming with friends and contacts to be swapped between smartphones in a snap.

So far, So Bluetooth, I hear you say. Perhaps in spirit, but in speed? No. Wi-Fi Direct is set to transfer content at speeds up to 300 Mbps over distances similar to the Wi-Fi networks you use at home and at work. Fingers crossed pairing devices is a lot more reliable than my personal experience with Bluetooth.

 Wi-Fi Direct cards are expected from a range of manufacturers including Atheros, Broadcom, Intel, Ralink, Realtek, and Cisco.