Like something out of a "Who wants to be a millionaire" game show, Bluetooth could easily be mistaken for a member of the feared Carcharodon Carcharias, or Great White Shark family. What exactly is this "Bluetooth" and how will it affect our lives in the future? In this second article, I will attempt to demystify the mystery that surrounds this new Information Technology acronym.
For those of you obsessed with historical facts and data, Harald Bluetooth was actually the first Danish king to be baptised in 965 ad, in the days when the Christians and pagans where at each other`s throats in the European Middle Ages. Apparently a German priest called Poppos held a ceremony where a hot piece of steel was held in his hands without sustaining damage. Accordingly, Harald Bluetooth was convinced of the power of Christian religion and converted on the spot!
Bluetooth is actually the codename for a new technology specification for small form factor, low-cost, short range radio links between PC`s, cell phones and other portable devices. The Bluetooth S.I.G. (Special Interest Group) is an alliance of mobile communication and mobile computing companies to develop a technology for short-range wireless data communication over a distance not exceeding 10 meters.
Bluetooth was conceived by Ericsson but in fact founded by Nokia, Erricsson, IBM, Intel and Toshiba. Subsequently, Motorola, Compaq, Dell, 3ComPalm, Xircom and Lucent have joined the Bluetooth S.I.G. Currently the group`s adopter membership is over 1 500-strong. Data transmission speeds are between 720 kb and 1 Megabit per second in the unlicensed 2.45 gigahertz frequency band.
First outlined in early 1999, the 3 core components of Bluetooth consist out of the following: the Bluetooth Radio is the air interface; the Bluetooth Link Manager is the software entity that carries out the link setup/authentication; and the Bluetooth Baseband which is the DSP or digital signal processing part of the hardware.
Bluetooth will enable users to connect various computing and telecommunication devices, without the need to carry, connect or purchase any cables. Automatic connections are therefore possible between different devices, virtually eliminating the need for multiple cable connections between devices but rather using a single radio link. The obvious advantage of this over the common infrared links available today is that no line-of-sight is required and that handheld devices can communicate and exchange data even on the move. A host of opportunities are thus opening up, including e-commerce applications such as electronically paying for shopping, movies, parking tickets etc.
Notebook PC users would be able to do remote networking, using a Bluetooth-enabled phone or connect peripherals such as speakers, an external mouse or colour screen to their system without the need for any form of cabling. In addition to that, users would be able to synchronise their address lists, schedules and phone numbers between their PDAs (Personal Data Assistants), their notebooks and their cellular phones without the need for plugging or configuring any form of physical connection. On a even more creative front, a so called "smart" office environment would be possible, where an employee with a Bluetooth device is automatically logged in when entering his/her building and this would trigger devices such as office equipment, PC and lights.
Additional benefits for the average user could be the ability to cordlessly connect your digital camera to your cellular phone and instantly send pictures anywhere in the world over the Internet. Previously you would have needed a physical link (cable) between the camera and cellular phone, not to mention a required notebook (with or without infrared link), and naturally an installed modem as well.
A Bluetooth enabled hands-free car kit would mean that your phone could stay in your pocket while in the car. No cradle, no cables. All dialling and call answering could be voice controlled. In the office or home environment, the benefits are even more rewarding. No more cumbersome cable connections between your PC speakers, mouse, printer, scanner, modem or even screen will be necessary. For frequent flyers, it would enable the ability to compose emails on their notebooks while in flight and to have it automatically transmitted as soon as their phones are switched on when landing.
In conclusion, the idea of linking up mobile computing devices and household appliances is not new. Novell tried it unsuccessfully a number of years ago. Providing that the cellular phone and computer companies backing Bluetooth achieve critical mass in terms of adoption rate when licensing their technology, this could just be the next best thing to WAP!
* Written by Johan de Villiers, general manager of Enterprise Connection Cape.
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