The Bluetooth SIG today said it plans to make Bluetooth compatible with emerging wireless networking standard Ultrawideband (UWB), or 802.15.3a. The move promises to make UWB backwards compatible with Bluetooth and open up the millions of Bluetooth-enabled devices already on the market to the superior data speeds of UWB. Many analysts claim that making Bluetooth compatible with UWB will be necessary for the technology to survive. While Bluetooth's evangelists have been singing its praises for years, the technology has yet to live up to its promise, despite being deployed on millions of handsets, PDAs, laptops, and other devices. The future of UWB is still uncertain. The technology is currently deadlocked in the IEEE with two sides -- one led by Intel, the other by Motorola -- still fighting it out for the rights to define the technology's specifications.

For more on the Bluetooth SIG's decision to embrace UWB:
- go to this piece from CNET