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CCL isn’t alone in backing Bluetooth as the industry’s next Big idea. Because it is
cheap and simple to understand, more than 2,000 companies have signed up to
develop hardware and software for the standard. Whether it’s the CCL’s key, Finnish
company Nokian’s (Yes that’s Nokian) Bluetooth tyres that will send a message to
tell you when their pressure needs adjusting, or C Technology’s Magic stick—a marker
pen incorporating a digital camera to scan and transit 3,000 pages of text—we will
be on the edge of a boom in gadget culture.
BLUETOOTH: WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Bluetooth is conceived as a way to enable devices to swap
information seamlessly, and without the need for cables. Using
Bluetooth, your PC could update your Palm’s appointment book
every time you walk into the office, without you having to take your organizer out
of your briefcase. It doesn’t need line-of-sight-indeed, you don’t have to be in the
same room as the device with which you’re connecting.
Bluetooth uses radio transmission at 2.4 GHz, a similar frequency to a microwave
oven, to carry data over distances of around 10 meters at a speed of 1 Mbit/s.
This is one-tenth the speed of Ethernet, and the range is a fraction of other wireless
technologies. This means Bluetooth drains little power, and a complete transmitter
and receiver can fit onto a chip the size of your fingernail. This in turn keeps the
price of chips low. It’s thought that one of the ways that Bluetooth will gain
prominence is through its close links with the Symbian operating system. Symbian
was formed in June 1998 and is an independent joint venture between Ericsson,
Nokia, Motorola, Panasonic (Matsushita) and Psion. It has been part of the Bluetooth
consortium since its inception. The Symbian operating system is designed to provide
a complete software platform, particularly for manufacturers of Smartphones.
Bluetooth is yet to see its third birthday. Yet by 2002, analyst Frost
and Sullivan predicts that two-thirds of handhelds and PCs will
use it to transmit the data they send down wires today.
Pervasiveness is going to be the first step.The idea is that we will soon
be feeling as natural about using Bluetooth as we are with zapping the TV with a remote,
or using a mobile phone.
Bluetooth today is attracting the major players. Companies like Motorola,
Ericsson and 3Com Europe are working actively with Bluetooth technology.
Bluetooth then is going to be the name of the game in the next two to three years.
It might sound gizmo-ish right now, but Bluetooth is expected to bring the wireless
world to our doorsteps.
n
Bluetooth is conceived as a
way to enable devices to
swap information seamlessly,
and without the need for cables.
