First ultrawideband device launched in UK

The first consumer device to use ultrawideband (UWB) links in Britain will hit the shelves next month.

The £159 Leyio, described as a personal sharing device, packs 16GB of flash memory and can transfer data with a similar device at a rate of 10Mbytes/sec over a range of two to three metres. Transfers can be initiated with a Wii-style flick of the wrist.

It can swap files with other devices using a standard USB port but it comes with a detachable 2GByte flash drive for transfers to a PC. A fingerprint scanner ensures that only authorised people can access the files, which are listed on a 128 x 128 OLED display.

UWB got what many believed was a fatal blow last November when Intel dropped its development of the technology, shortly after UWB specialist WiQuest ran into trouble.

The technology still has backers, who point out that there was a similar shakeout of Bluetooth vendors in the early days of that technology.

But the fact remains that the Leylio can currently talk UWB only to other Leyio devices.