Bluetooth

Bluetooth technology

Description: Bluetooth will enable users to connect a wide range of computing and telecommunications devices easily and simply, without the need to buy, carry, or connect cables. It delivers opportunities for rapid ad hoc connections, and the possibility of automatic, unconscious, connections between devices. It will virtually eliminate the need to purchase additional or proprietary cabling to connect individual devices. Because Bluetooth wireless technology can be used for a variety of purposes, it will also potentially replace multiple cable connections via a single radio link. 

In early 1998 a group of computer and telecommunications industry leaders, including Intel, IBM, Toshiba, Ericsson, and Nokia, together began developing a way for users to connect a wide range of mobile devices quickly and easily, without cables. 

To ensure that this technology is seamlessly implemented in a diverse range of devices, these leaders formed a special interest group (SIG), formally announced on May 20, 1998, to design a royalty-free, open specification technology, code named "Bluetooth."   The SIG has quickly gained membership from companies such as 3COM/Palm, Axis Communication, Compaq, Dell, Lucent Technologies UK Limited, Motorola, Qualcomm, Xircom and is encouraging the involvement of all other companies interested in offering products taking advantage of a standardized, wireless means for connection.

How Does it work?

This technology achieves its goal by embedding tiny, inexpensive, short-range transceivers into the mobile devices that are available today, either directly or through an adapter device such as a PC Card. The radio operates on the globally-available unlicensed radio band, 2.45 GHz, and supports data speeds of up to 721 Kbps, as well as three voice channels. 

Links:

The Official Congress of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group: www.bluetoothcongress.com 

Bluetooth Solutions from Ericsson - Bluetooth Solutions from Ericsson are the first complete Bluetooth solutions, with guaranteed Bluetooth compliance: bluetooth.ericsson.se

Intel: www.intel.com/mobile/bluetooth/ 

Nokia - Nokia is a founding member of Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) which has gained world-wide support.  Nokia have created a special support organization for third party developers: www.nokia.com/bluetooth/ 

Motorola - Motorola will offer a diverse portfolio of Bluetooth products to work seamlessly with your desktop, notebook, PDA or Motorola cellular telephone. Motorola's goal is to provide complete systems solutions for the Bluetooth marketplace: www.motorola.com/bluetooth/ 

Philips - Philips, semiconductor company is the world's first to make the highly integrated low-cost silicon system solutions that allow Bluetooth to work.
Philips have demonstrated the wireless transmission of digital audio signals from their source to loudspeakers, others being considered by Philips include wireless MP3 players, surround sound speakers and headphones, as well as multi-purpose remote controls and wireless game consoles. Philips is also working on using Bluetooth for the transmission of MPEG-4 video signals. www.philips.com/bluetooth/ 

Stanford Bluetooth Project: The purpose of this project is build Bluetooth infrastructure (both hardware devices and software applications) in order to study new models of interaction between devices: bluetooth.stanford.edu