Single USB On-The-Go Chip Permits Point-to-Point Communications

摘要

Wireless technologies like Bluetooth and 802.11b are grabbing the headlines these days. However, one of the hottest technologies still relies on old-fashioned copper cables - but with a slightly different twist. This is the Universal Serial Bus (USB) On-The-Go specification, for which the USB Implementers Forum released v1.0 on Dec. 18, 2001. Instead of using a personal computer as an intermediary terminal for communications, many users of mobile equipment today demand direct communication with other portable devices. USB On-the-Go specifications enable such communications. This illustrates how the USB, originally a computer-centric technology, is adapting to the trends of portable electronics (Fig. 1).