The Wi-Fi Alliance, a global organisation that is driving the adoption of a single worldwide standard for high-speed wireless local area networking, announced its Wi-Fi Direct (formerly code-named Wi-Fi peer-to-peer) program last month. Samsung’s Galaxy S has now become the first smartphone to be added to the Wi-Fi Alliance’s list of Wi-Fi Direct certified devices, joining seven other devices, mostly wireless network adaptors.

 

Wi-Fi Direct will allow devices to connect directly to one another in a new kind of Wi-Fi network. This new specification will enable Wi-Fi devices to connect to one another without having to join a traditional home or office network or even a Wi-Fi hotspot. Once connected these devices will be able to perform functions such as printing, file and document sharing and display.

 

Samsung also revealed last month that its Android-running Galaxy S smartphone has produced sales of over five million units around the world. Two million of these have been sold in the US, whilst a further million has been sold in the South Korean manufacturer’s backyard.