COMPUTERS AND MORE

This week the Bluetooth SIG will celebrate Bluetooth technology’s 10 year anniversary at the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas. With 10,000 members worldwide and 2 nearly 2 billion devices, Bluetooth technology has really grown into a powerhouse in the wireless market.

"The first ten years of Bluetooth development has been amazing to watch,"said Michael Foley, Ph.D., executive director, the Bluetooth SIG. "From prototypes in 1998 to more than 1.5 billion devices on the market today, no other consumer technology has grown as fast in such a short period of time."

"As consumers became more aware of Bluetooth technology and began to ask for it, handset-makers started to include it as a means of differentiating their products and increasing their margins. Adding a Bluetooth chip to a phone now costs very little and opens up a new market for high-margin accessories," says Stuart Carlaw of ABI Research, long-time Bluetooth technology analyst. "Greater adoption has, in turn, cleared the way for the inclusion of Bluetooth technology in all kinds of new products like Bluetooth enabled jackets, motorcycle helmets and sunglasses with built-in wireless headsets, and gaming controllers for Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii. I expect additional success for Bluetooth technology in new application areas like home entertainment and medical and fitness devices."

The future of Bluetooth technology looks extremely bright. The Bluetooth SIG is currently working with WiMedia Alliance to use ultra-wideband technology for High Speed Bluetooth as well as working with WiBree technology for ultra low power Bluetooth Specification. Both new versions of Bluetooth technology are expected to be available in the first half of 2009.