First, it claims to deliver lossless CD-quality digital stereo audio by avoiding Bluetooth’s use of loss-prone audio compression. Second, the 2.4GHz band, which is known as the Industrial, Scientific and Medical band in the US, is unlicensed, which means there is always the likelihood of interference. The Kleer technology dynamically selects one of 16 narrowband channels to ensure that traffic travels over an unoccupied channel, avoiding the channels used, for instance, by WiFi. This enables what is referred to as better ISM coexistence. Finally, Kleer says it can deliver 10 times the battery life of a comparable Bluetooth solution, which promises a better user experience, but also smaller form factors for OEMs to offer.
Thomson also highlighted a fourth advantage of Kleer Audio LP over Bluetooth. It said the Kleer technology can do multicast, whereas Bluetooth is a point-to-point technology. This is a plus for the CE space because it means as many as four headsets can pick up the same signal. However, for office/professional environments, the one-to-one nature of Bluetooth is often an advantage.
Competitors to Bluetooth are nothing new. As long ago as 2001 there was talk of HomeRF and 802.11b, but Bluetooth has prospered. Its backer, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group announced last November that the number of Bluetooth-enabled devices in circulation had surpassed 1 billion.
Now a series of new contenders for the same frequency band have emerged, including Kleer Audio LP and at the end of last year Nokia’s WiBree technology, with lower power consumption cited as a major advantage in both cases. These competing offerings are currently proprietary technologies, so there will be a tie-in vis-a-vis Bluetooth, which in addition to being out there in the market on a huge installed base, is also available from a large number of suppliers.
Still, the fact that less power-hungry alternatives are becoming available, just as a IPR lawsuit has been brought against leading members of Bluetooth SIG, suggests it will at least need to try harder to maintain its leadership in wireless PAN in the next few years.
