Re: Bluetooth (long article)
<< QUALCOMM is big in Bluetooth. QUALCOMM was quick to recognize the value of Bluetooth and moved to incorporate the technology in their CDMA wireless world. >>
Where Bluetooth is concerned, technology companies are treading a fine line between fact and fantasy, warns Tim Scannell.
>> Wireless Connectivity: Present Vision Or Future Reality?: Bluetooth
Roam Magazine
November/December 2000
Tim Scannell
totaltele.com
In the classic 1926 film Metropolis, Austrian-American film director Fritz Lang paints a vivid portrait of a world 100 years in the future that includes robots, impossibly towering buildings, and which is run coldly by machines. It was his prophetic vision of the future should the industrial revolution run amok and people put too much faith in the promise of technology.
We have a few years to go before we can say for sure whether Lang's outlook was on target or way off base. However, the computer industry is presently struggling with its own Metropolis of sorts with the emergence of Bluetooth, a technology named after a 10th century Viking king who was a firm believer in tight community bonds and family. Much later, Ericsson, Nokia, IBM, Toshiba and Intel - modern day corporate Vikings in their own right - mapped out the basics of the specification and launched a Special Interest Group to promote development of the technology, which is initially designed for highly-limited communication between computer devices.
Bluetooth is also walking that thin line between celluloid promise and reality, a journey made much more difficult because a lot of the companies throwing their weight behind the proposed specification have no problem bending the boundaries of perception - all in the name of establishing an early beachhead. Nearly every major systems manufacturer in the world has loudly released a strategy on Bluetooth, with a number actually demonstrating non-products. This is amazing, since actual products are not expected to be available - even in limited quantities - until some time next year, and any real use of Bluetooth is not expected to happen much before 2002.
Ahead Of The Game
At the introduction of the Pocket PC in New York earlier this year, Microsoft demonstrated how a handheld computer running its operating system can use a prototype Bluetooth card from Socket Communications Inc to communicate with a cell phone stashed away in a briefcase at the user's feet. Most of those in attendance never actually saw the Bluetooth device, although I am certain that no technical sleight of hand was used during the demonstration. After all, it did take place in the church-like Grand Central Terminal in New York City, where nothing underhand ever happens. Toshiba, one of the founding members of the Bluetooth Club, was expected to unveil in September the first wireless Bluetooth card in the US. The company actually started selling the product in Japan, which has become something of an operational test bed for new wireless communications products. Ericsson has already introduced two Bluetooth-enabled cell phones, and a handful of other companies took the wraps off devices ranging from antennas to IC modems.
Unfortunately, the Bluetooth-aware devices that are able to work with the technology are not expected to arrive for at least another year or so. So, it is a little like selling someone a set of new tyres for an automobile that may or may not be in the showrooms for another two years.
This hasn't hurt the numbers being projected for future use of the technology, however. Industry number jockeys and prognosticators (myself included) have forecast a possible 200 million Bluetooth-enabled devices in 2003, and up to 670 million by 2005. In five years, the market for wireless Bluetooth devices should surpass $3 billion.
The business and consumer markets are also poised to take part in a feeding frenzy for wireless solutions. Right now, only about 10-15 per cent of the businesses in the US employ widespread wireless technologies, although nearly 90 per cent of the major organisations polled say they have definite wireless strategies in place for the near future. Consumers are also hot for wireless, especially as more web surfers make the jump to high-speed broadband alternatives - like cable and DSL - and want to cut the communications umbilical cord.
Moving At HYPE Speed
So why all the hype about a technology that ultimately may not deliver everything it seems to promise, and may in fact only offer capabilities already available with existing technologies? Well, for one, there are the companies that are supporting it - especially heavy hitters such as IBM and Toshiba. To date, there are more than 2000 members of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, many of whom are developers that routinely join such groups just to keep tabs on what is happening in terms of new technology. Then there are the many Bluetooth demonstrations that have occurred, especially over the past year, which are keeping the momentum going.
At a developer's conference held at the tail end of last year, for example, Extended Systems Inc (www.extendedsystems.com) demonstrated how its XTNDAccess protocol stack worked with a Bluetooth radio modem developed by Silicon Wave Inc to swap files between PCs wirelessly. The company staged a similar simulated demonstration in Tokyo. (Remember? The communications test bed?)
Extended Systems, based in Boise, Idaho, actually wrote the original code for Object Exchange (OBEX), a file transfer model adopted by both the IrDA and Bluetooth SIG organisations. The company currently offers an embedded protocol stack based on the IrDA specification, which allows users to exchange data with other IrDA-compliant devices or print to IrDA-compatible printers (Palm and IBM WorkPad handheld devices use the same IrDA short-range technology developed by Embedded Systems to swap data and print to devices such as the Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 5P series printers).
In the past year or so, a number of manufacturers have demonstrated Bluetooth prototype products and simulations, including one notebook maker that staged a 'politeness' test between Bluetooth and 802.11b wireless cards installed and operating in the same machine at the same time (more on this later).
Wireless phone manufacturers have been particularly aggressive in pushing for Bluetooth, since the technology will allow them to extend the use of their phones beyond simple voice communications and fit snugly into the emerging digital convergence niche. For example, Motorola uses a short-range infrared wireless connectivity technology in its Timeport P935 interactive paging communicator. The clamshell-design Timeport P935 can be used for two-way electronic messaging via the internet or telephone dispatch, and can send messages to one-way paging devices. It also offers a number of PIM capabilities that can be converged with corporate or personal databases.
Motorola also employs IrDA in its L7089 tri-band GSM cellular phone, which allows users to exchange data and synchronise phonebooks with other IrDA-compliant devices, and the company has plans to make use of the Bluetooth RF specification from Extended Systems (called XTNDAccess Blue SDK).
In order to go beyond the hype and haze created by early demo fever, it is important to understand what Bluetooth is and what it is not. Basically, the technology is being developed to replace the jungle of cables that are used to connect most devices within a home or office. You know - the wires that snake from your PC to your printer, scanner, digital camera, keyboard and even your mouse.
It is expected that Bluetooth will be embedded within various docking technologies and devices to offer 'cable-less' alternatives. This is useful when remote workers are operating within the home office and require pervasive links to corporate knowledge resources. Mobile Insights believes Bluetooth will be used extensively with 'universal' docking devices, which employ the universal serial bus (USB) and 1394-type ports to offer a 'legacy docking' alternative. These universal docking devices go beyond current proprietary devices, since they are usually priced the same or less and offer identical features. In addition, they offer a longer life span and faster return on investment (ROI), as they can be used with different systems and system upgrades.
By sending out strong and reliable connection signals within a 10-meter bubble, Bluetooth can theoretically eliminate all of these wires and installation headaches. The technology may also put out of business those companies that manufacture the tiny and colourful straps used to organise all these cables - and that is also a good thing.
Another plus in Bluetooth's corner is that it is a very aggressive technology.
In fact, it is such a communications bully that, in most cases, it can conflict and overpower signals sent out over the 802.11b local communications protocol - a low-powered specification for longer-range communications than Bluetooth, which is also on the same wavelength as a new generation of cost-saving light bulbs and appliances.
Despite its potential to be the hero of short-range communications, Bluetooth does have a few chinks in its armour. The first, mentioned earlier, is the fact that it has the potential to interfere with other short-range communications technologies - specifically 802.11b, which is a widely accepted standard in wireless enterprise networks. In fact, some systems manufacturers, such as Dell Computer Corp, have already started building systems with embedded 802.11b architectures, offering it as a standard port in much the same way that IrDA is a part and parcel of most every portable PC system.
Security is also a key issue with Bluetooth, since it is designed to connect and transmit information to any and all Bluetooth-enabled devices within a 10-meter radius automatically. The technology makes use of spectrum hopping to jump from one signal level to another as it transmits and receives data, and you could overlay some sort of handshaking routine to ensure your PC is talking to your printer as it spits out your resume in answer to that new job offer, and not your boss's printer in the next room. However, since it is basically an omni-directional radio technology, Bluetooth is inherently less secure than line-of-sight technologies such as IrDA.
Bluetooth may also be more susceptible to stray electro-magnetic interference (EMI) from other devices. This may not seem like such a big deal in an office, where coffee makers and microwave ovens are the norm. However, it is a very big deal when you are talking about a hospital or laboratory environment, where instruments are plentiful and the reliability of data critical. A number of hospitals in Europe have already stated unofficially that Bluetooth, at least in its current form, is not an option in these situations.
The airlines are also a little sceptical about Bluetooth, particularly during flights, as there is a possibility that users can be zapping and bouncing messages to each other and portable devices without anyone being any the wiser. As a result, most airlines are developing ways to dampen or block Bluetooth signals in flight, and have asked the Bluetooth SIG to mandate a small operation light on devices that will illuminate when data is being transmitted. The airlines are also looking to capture a piece of the pie by regulating the use of Bluetooth in flights and within airports, offering access to frequent fliers or the general public for a fee.
Not The Only Game In Town
Bluetooth certainly has an edge in terms of the level of public relations 'spin' that has been used to promote the technology to the masses. Even the naming of the technology is perfect anecdotal fodder for the cocktail party circuit. You know, the whole legend of King Harald Bluetooth and his scheme to pull the Vikings into a tight circle to repel invaders - all very appealing to tech types who privately fantasise about wearing animal skins and horned hats.
However, there are other alternatives waiting in the wings that may chip away at Bluetooth's 'birth of the blues' legend - alternatives that offer more than just a reduction in cables and limited transmission ranges.
A number of companies and specification architects, for example, are now working on an enhancement to the 802.11b standard called - oddly enough - 802.11a.
There are also a variety of so-called 'home networking' alternatives, which are viable routes for many small-to-medium-sized businesses and intra-company divisions. IBM, Motorola, Proxim and others are presently supporting a standard called HomeRF, which has a much more limited range and is much slower than 802.11b (present limits are about 1.6Mbps), but is also much less expensive and easier to install.
Home Working
HomeRF and other small-scale wireless networking schemes are expected to appeal to an increasing body of telecommuters and at-home workers (in fact, the latest edition of Microsoft's Windows operating systems - Windows Millennium Edition (ME) - offers a built-in home-networking wizard to help users set up a network that shares computers, local area network connections and peripherals).
Other short-range networking alternatives include non-wireless technologies based on installed telephone and electrical wiring. The Phoneline Networking Alliance (HomePNA) is supported by more than 100 manufacturers and is promoting a technology that uses copper phone lines (an inexpensive alternative for consumers); while companies such as Intellon (www.intellon.com), Adaptive Networks, and Enikia (www.enikia.com) are pushing Powerline (www.powerline.com) technology, which uses AC wiring to carry signals to different devices.
To be fair, Bluetooth is not designed to compete with 802.11b or HomeRF.
In fact, the specification supports both standards. Theoretically, all three technologies could be used, for example, to link wirelessly a digital music player with a PC (via Bluetooth) and then wirelessly link that PC to a DSL or cable modem somewhere within an office or home environment.
All of this will operate seamlessly and invisibly to the user.
Many of these inexpensive wireless technologies will also have difficulty connecting with 'non-PC' devices, such as DVD systems, telephones and appliances. And it may be easier to pop a Bluetooth chip into a non-PC device than install another short-range networking technology.
Despite the criticisms and questions surrounding its reliability, Bluetooth is destined to be the leading short-range wireless communication architecture within the next few years. Most companies are already working feverishly to develop new products that make use of - or make it easier to implement - Bluetooth.
A Big Bite For Bluetooth
Recently, for example, Antek Wireless announced a patented invisible wireless antenna technology that can be easily designed into virtually any wireless device for industrial and consumer appliance markets, including Bluetooth, 802.11b, and HomeRF. Since it can be squeezed into a tiny form factor, and doesn't require a great deal of re-engineering on the part of manufacturers, you will soon see this and other unobtrusive products embedded into existing printed circuit boards, as well as device cases, covers and other components.
Nokia Tyres of Finland is also hitting the road with Bluetooth - so to speak - by developing tyres with embedded Bluetooth chips that communicate with a driver's cellular phone to alert when tyre pressures drop or temperatures rise beyond acceptable levels. The system may also be tied into a car's telematics and voice-enabled alert systems to tell a driver when a problem might exist
Tim Scannell is an analyst with Mobile Insights Inc, based in Mountain View, CA, and a former high technology journalist
Other Factors Contributing The Wireless Rush:
- An increase in the number of notebook computer shipments to corporate users versus desktop shipments. Within the next five years, notebook deployments are expected to surpass those of desktop systems, especially as high-end notebook computers are purchased as replacements to desktop stationary PCs.
- An increase in the number of 'mobile workers' within an organisation, especially as efforts are put into place for more customer 'face time'.
- Improvements in wireless communications and synchronisation technologies, especially those involving both data and applications.
- An increasing shortage of trained technical personnel, which forces companies to make better use of workers through remote deployment.
- Using at-home and remote work environments as an incentive to attracting and maintaining key personnel.
- Improved total cost of ownership and manageability of mobile systems via the internet. <<
- Eric - |
