From Lichen Wang I have taken this remarks:
IrLAP, IrLMP, and TinyTP are pretty stable now. But various individual
implementations may still have quirks.
IrCOMM is widely used, but Microsoft vowed to drop it and use IrSocket
only.
IrObex, IrMC, IrTran-P, etc. are showing up in various devices. The
supports on PC are segmented and sometimes very poor.
New IrDA Protocol Development
AIR is pushed mainly by IBM. You get wider angle and longer distance
(10M?) but may be at lower data rate. You can also time-multiplex this
already slow channel. In my opinion the benefit to the user is very
little. AIR hardware and software changes are costly. I think you will
have to wait for a long time, if ever, to see any product using AIR.
IrBUS is pushed mainly by Sharp. It is aimed at remote control, IR
keyboard, etc., not for data communication. I think if Sharp succeed,
you may see IrBUS in set-top boxes, web-tv, etc. If and when these
devices reaches a critical mass, some PC may incorporate IrBUS in
order to control these devices.
VFIR is the latest. The benefit is higher data rate (16 Mbps). Unlike
AIR and IrBUS, the software changes for VFIR are minimum. The changes
are mainly in hardware.
Summary
In summary, I do not think we need to wait in anticipation of new IrDA
protocols. A easy to install and solid implementation of the existing
IrDA protocols is the cutting edge!.
