Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Bluetooth: from RF semiconductors to softw. applications -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ellen who wrote (81)	12/1/1999 3:37:00 PM
From: Mats Ericsson	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 322

Microsoft, 3Com, others add teeth to Bluetooth By Stephanie Miles Staff Writer, CNET News.com December 1, 1999, 10:45 a.m. PT Microsoft, 3Com, Lucent and Motorola have joined the Bluetooth consortium to promote acceptance of the wireless technology, the companies announced today. Bluetooth is a technology for small devices and computers to communicate without cables or wires. Bluetooth-enabled devices such as cell phones, notebook computers and PDAs (personal digital assistant) will eventually be able to swap data and information wirelessly. The four firms join founding companies Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Nokia and Toshiba. The newcomers will start the "Promoter" group within the alliance, charged with leading the efforts to enhance the technology and promote interoperability testing. The initiative is part of an overall industry effort to simplify the computing experience, especially as cell phones and PDAs become more prevalent as alternatives to traditional means of accessing the Internet. By doing away with cables and wires, these new devices and appliances will be able to communicate easily within corporate and home networks. This new market is expected to be large, too. By 2005, there will be more than 670 million Bluetooth-enabled devices, according to research by Cahners In-Stat Group. But on the road to that ubiquity, there are some serious hurdles that need to be cleared, analysts say. As with any standards body, the Bluetooth group of 1,200 adopter companies is made up of rivals and competitors, each with its own agenda. The new "Promoter" sub-committee will ostensibly tackle just that issue. The nine-company group "will combine their respective skills to help drive the program forward," according to the group's statement. Bluetooth "is an excellent example of an organization whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts." The next Bluetooth Developer's Conference will be held next week in Los Angeles