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To: Wyätt Gwyön who wrote (109333)	12/7/2001 11:00:39 AM
From: H. Bradley Toland, Jr.	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 152472

No mucho, they can not spell trouble for 3rd generation cell networks. It's actually just the reverse. Could spell trouble, in a big way, for laptop manufacturers. regards, bt

To: Wyätt Gwyön who wrote (109333)	12/7/2001 2:15:05 PM
From: cfoe	Respond to of 152472

These developments could conceivably spell trouble for long-delayed "third-generation" cellphone networks, which are to offer high-speed data services in addition to voice. For another view that there is room for all of these technologies. unstrung.com Bluetooth Reaches the Market By: C.J. Kennedy \| December 07, 2001 InfoSpace R&D When the market is quiet, invest in R&D. Insight into Jain's view of the wireless future. Since the Bluetooth Protocol version 1.0 was introduced in the second quarter of 1999, the industry has predicted that Bluetooth chips with their minuscule antennas will be the next big thing in wireless. Unfortunately, slow shipments and competition from 3G and 802.11b networks has raised the question of Bluetooth's ability to capitalize on its buzz. Until now. Bluetooth has come a long way since 1999, and along way since February 25th 2000, when Cambridge Silicon Radios first demonstrated the wireless transfer of text between BlueCore01 ICs embedded in two P.C. notebooks. This December 5th Cahners-in-Stat group predicted that 13 million Bluetooth chipsets would be shipped in 2001. That figure is roughly double the 802.11b chipsets shipped this year. Add to Bluetooth strong sales a down-grading of 3G network speeds and the back dating of roll-outs, and Bluetooth appears as if it can fulfill its promise. Joyce Putscher, director with Cahners In-Stat, is a proponent of Bluetooth technology. "Once people are educated on what the benefits are, demand will rise for products that include Bluetooth connectivity," she says. Demand may rise for Bluetooth products, but how does Bluetooth compare with 802.11b, and 3G technologies? Distance and Speed When 3G has become the universal wireless infrastructure, any device with a modem will be able to access networks anywhere. In comparison, 802.11b devices must be within 300 feet of an access point, and Bluetooth must be within thirty feet. Distance is not a strong argument for using either Bluetooth or 802.11b technology, but speed is. 3G offers speeds of around 144 kps. Bluetooth can offer 1mbs for the first generation, and 802.11b cards can send data at speeds of up to 11 mbs. 11mbs is enough speed to allow streaming video at 30 screens a second - not two or three screens a second for 3G. The data transfer speeds offered by Bluetooth and 802.11b are very important in terms of the technologies' longevity. Instead of only being an interim technology before 3G arrives, carriers are showing interest in building Bluetooth and 802.11b ports because of their higher download speeds. The Cahners-In-Stat report notes, "Spurring growth will be the creation of public Bluetooth access points provided by wireless carriers. Many major carriers are evaluating such access points, with Japanese, Korean and European carriers "ahead of the curve" in this area." On November 13th, Voicestream issued plans to acquire the equipment and contracts of MobileStar's 802.11b networks in Starbucks and airports. The short range connectivity of Bluetooth and 802.11b offers drastically improved speeds, even over 3G networks. Why is Bluetooth in Demand? 3G networks can offer more extensive coverage. 802.11b Local Area Networks offer faster speeds. So what is the advantage in using Bluetooth technology? Maybe price Not in terms of the price for basestations. Bluetooth basestations are expensive. Cambridge Silicon Radios had the first Bluetooth product ready for market. "Casira" was a power station which can send and monitor individual commands, and exchange data sequences between Bluetooth systems. It looks remarkably similar to a silvery portable disk player, but comes with a $8000 price tag. 802.11b basestations cost between $1799 for a Nortel BayStack 600 series station and $200 for Proxim's Skyline basestation. Sure, this is an improvement over $18,000 to wire a classroom or office, but 3G devices do not need the user of corporation to purchase a basestation to connect with a network. And neither do Bluetooth chips, unless you are looking to connect a whole room of devices. The small antennas attached to the Bluetooth chips allow devices to communicate with each other. The real advantage Bluetooth offers is in the price of those chips. One of the primary goals of Bluetooth technology was to produce chips for under $5. The Nortel BayStack 600 series PC card costs $569, and Proxim's Skyline PC cards cost $99 and the Pocket PC cards cost $149. The interest in Bluetooth technology is being driven by price. By adding a Bluetooth chip to a handset or PC the cost for the manufacturer is negligible and the user is not expected to buy a new modem or a 802.11b modem card. The Future of Bluetooth I am not sure I understand the demand for public 802.11b or Bluetooth hubs - especially when 3G networks are implemented. Do people really need 11mbs speeds when 3G offers 144kps? 144kps is a good speed for downloading everything except full-length movies. Perhaps one day airports and bus terminals will allow passengers with PDAs to download the newest "Harry Potter" movie while they wait to board. But is there really enough demand to justify spotting cities with Bluetooth ports? Bluetooth ports could be the most "showy" use of the technology, still Bluetooth''s biggest asset is its ease of use. Bluetooth chip sales will continue to grow because Bluetooth offers easier connectivity for a range of devices through inexpensive chips. "Think of it as cables without cables," says Keith Nowak, Media Relations Manager at Nokia. "It is a personal area network. You can have your wireless phone talk to your P.C.'s printer, then get up and take your phone in the car where another network is set up, and then have your phone shake hands with the office Bluetooth system and download any up-dates for your calendar."