As the cost of wireless technologies continues to come down, we're seeing a lot more PDAs and mobile devices coming with Bluetooth as a standard feature. Now there might be an even better option to Bluetooth according to an article at InfoWorld.com:

Nokia has developed a new, short-range wireless technology that it says could improve on some of the shortcomings of Bluetooth.

Called Wibree, the technology aims to be a lot more power-efficient than Bluetooth, which means it could be used in smaller and less costly devices. It can also use the same radio and antenna components as Bluetooth, helping keep costs down further, said Bob Iannucci, head of Nokia's research center, who unveiled the technology in Helsinki on Tuesday.

The technology could compete with Bluetooth in the workplace as a way to link keyboards and other peripherals to computers. But it could also have more interesting applications for consumers, in devices such as wrist watches, toys, and sports equipment.

So why does Nokia think Wibree is better than Bluetooth?:

Bluetooth has inherent power limitations because it includes a fixed packet-size and frequency-hopping technology, Iannucci said. Wibree uses a different modulation technique that does a better job of avoiding interference, which helps reduce its power requirements, he said.

As a PDA user, any feature that will use less battery power is definitely a selling point for me.

More Details at InfoWorld.com