It’s hard to imagine where technological innovation will go next, with so much inventive ground already covered, if not trampled. A recent announcement indicates there is still plenty of room for groundbreaking change, especially when it comes to wireless devices.

In June, the Wireless Gigabit Alliance (WiGig) announced the publication of its certification-ready multigigabit wireless specification. The version 1.1 specification reflects a year of feedback, refinements and enhancements based on the original version 1.0, which was published in the spring 2010.

Members of the alliance will now be able to test the interoperability of their WiGig-based products for certification based on the newly published specification. Market-ready WiGig products would presumably follow shortly thereafter.

What does this mean? The announcement marks the approach of wireless technology to the threshold of a new level of connectivity and device interaction. Specifically, the goal of the alliance is to advance the worldwide adoption and use of 60-gigahertz wireless technology and its applications. The version 1.1 standard will support up to 7 gigabits per second of data transmission.

This could transform the way devices connect to one another in the home and office. It could allow wireless connections for docking and synching devices, such as digital cameras, MP3 players, laptops and tablets; transmitting photos and videos for wireless display on big screen televisions; cordless computing using external keyboards, a mouse and monitors; and Internet access among multiple computing devices.

All of this is not to say that wired connections are on the cusp of obsolescence. High-frequency wireless transmission has its drawbacks and limitations; its fragile nature and the line-of-sight requirements are not the least among them. On the other hand, who wouldn’t mind fewer USB ports and proprietary cables around the home and the office?