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View Full Version : Bluetooth, Bluetooth - Wherefore Art Thou Bluetooth?


Jason Dunn
09-24-2002, 07:01 AM
There’s a great deal of buzz, both positive and negative, around Bluetooth. It’s hard to cut through all the hype and see Bluetooth for what it really is: a technology that is conceptually sound but in practice, still going through some growing pains. I see tremendous potential in Bluetooth as a cable replacement technology, but until it works as easily as plugging in a cable, adoption will be limited. This article was originally written in April 2002, so statements contained within may be somewhat dated.<!><br /><br /><span>Un-published PocketPC.com article originally written April 2002.</span><br /><br /><i>Bluetooth is a common industry term, but is it a buzzword or a product that really works? Find out for yourself.</i><br /><br /><b><span>A killer concept</span></b><br />So what is Bluetooth exactly? Looking at <a href="http://www.bluetooth.com/tech/works.asp">the official Bluetooth.com web site</a>, I get this definition:<br /><br />“BluetoothTM wireless technology revolutionizes the personal connectivity market by providing freedom from wired connections - enabling links between mobile computers, mobile phones, portable handheld devices, and connectivity to the Internet. Interface, synchronize, exchange? All of the above, and more. Bluetooth technology redefines the very way we experience connectivity.”<br /><br />In plain English, Bluetooth allows us to connect devices without cables. Bluetooth operates on a world-wide frequency, something we only wish cell phones could have. That’s the concept – things become clearer when you consider the applications for a technology that does this. The world of technology is full of wires. Looking around my desk at the moment, I see a wire connecting my keyboard to my PC, my mouse to my PC, a cradle for my Pocket PC to connect to the PC, a cable on my phone, my monitor, my fax machine, my scanner…the list goes on and on. People don’t often think about cables until they realize the one they’re using is a few inches too short – then you see the limitations of cables. Cables are also visually cluttering – I’d love to see my desk without cables!<br /><br />Imagine listening to music on a Pocket PC, using headphones with no wires. Your Pocket PC could stay in your bag, completely out of sight. What about a Bluetooth-enabled Pocket PC cradle? One less wire to worry about. Need to print something from your Bluetooth-enabled Pocket PC? Just walk up to a Bluetooth-enabled printer and you’ll have a hard copy in no time. Bluetooth also enables scenarios that we don’t currently see today because having cables would be too awkward – it wouldn’t be that difficult to have a Bluetooth-enabled vending machine that would accept orders from a Pocket PC. With the right “digital wallet” software, you could make a variety of purchases using Bluetooth.<br /><br />As a concept, Bluetooth is fascinating – no other technology thus far has come close to what Bluetooth offers with the same balance in price, range, and power consumption. The iPAQ 3875 is the first Pocket PC to ship with integrated Bluetooth, but other companies are following – the Fujitsu-Siemens Pocket LOOX will also ship with Bluetooth support on some models.<br /><br /><b><span>Scenarios that work today</span></b><br />Bluetooth is here today, and you can do some of the things I described above. I know several mobile professionals who have found an application for Bluetooth that makes their lives much easier. <br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/articles/JD-703-fig1.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 1: The Anycom Bluetooth CompactFlash Card</i><br /><br />The <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00006IZB0/jasondunn-20">Sony Ericsson T68i phone</a> has become very popular with these people for one simple reason: it supports Bluetooth and GPRS. They have Pocket PCs either with built-in Bluetooth or a <a href="http://www.anycom.com/products/cfcard.html">Bluetooth CompactFlash card</a> (Figure 1), the T68i, and that’s all they need to get their email and access network resources. GPRS is a 2.5G high-speed wireless technology that makes it much easier to send and receive wireless data, so the combination of these products makes for a completely wireless experience. The phone can be in their pocket, and as long as it’s turned on, they can use their Pocket PC to access email, browse the Web, or send instant messages to people who are online.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/articles/JD-703-fig2.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 2: The Anycom Bluetooth printing module</i><br /><br />Other current applications for Bluetooth include <a href="http://www.anycom.com/products/printmodule.html">printing</a>, where a printer can be equipped with a Bluetooth module (Figure 2) to allow Bluetooth devices to print to it, and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00006BAER/jasondunn-20">Bluetooth access points</a> to allow Bluetooth devices to tap into Internet access easily.<br /><br /><b><span>All is not roses for Bluetooth</span></b><br />As good as Bluetooth is as a concept, there are some growing pains. Despite having four years to work out the Bluetooth specifications so all the devices could talk to each other, the first wave of Bluetooth devices had difficulty connecting (known as “peering”). And <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=719">even modern Bluetooth products can be difficult to use</a> as I found out. I know of several people who are very talented with computers, yet have struggled for hours to get one Bluetooth device to talk to another. Bluetooth problems are notoriously difficult to troubleshoot because you can’t “see” what the problem is – the software simply won’t find the other device, and you won’t know why.<br /><br />Some Bluetooth devices work very well together as evidenced by the T68i and Pocket PC use – my advice is to find someone else who has already tried the combination of products, and see how easy it was for them to get it all working together.<br /><br /><b><span>Conclusion</span></b><br />As a technology, Bluetooth is tremendously powerful in concept – but until all Bluetooth products work together seamlessly, and without struggles from users, it will not grow to have wide-spread adoption. The companies who make Bluetooth products need to take a hard look at the way their products work and not only improve the way they communicate with other Bluetooth devices, but also how complex they are to set up and get functioning.

xnovax
09-24-2002, 11:31 AM
The one place Bluetooth has turned out to be a miracle for me is mating my Mac G4 Powerbook with my iPAQ 3970. With the 100m Belkin USB BT adapter, I can move information at will between the two devices. An additional Belkin adapter on my Dell Latitude notebook gives me a Personal Area Network I can use to get around the company network when I need to. Further, it extends the functionality of my 3970 to piggyback some of the capabilities on the Latitude. This technology will find uses. It's cheap and easy.

Fattizzi
09-24-2002, 01:39 PM
I agree. Bluetooth doesnt solve all the wireless problems, but if you use it to the best of its potential, it works great.

I posted a thought yesterday about bluetooth. I recently purchased the Belkin USB adapter for my desktop at home and with the built in Bluetooth in my 3975, i have enhanced my ipaq.

I can browse the net from just about anywhere in my home, i can listen to the 2gigs of MP3's on my dekstop and I can active sync wirelessly. I love bluetooth. Sure it can be easier and less clunky, but it is a new technology.

We all remember Win95's Plug n Pray! It has been improved since inception 300%. Give it a chance.

heliod
09-25-2002, 07:04 AM
I think that since Jason's article has been written many things have already improved. The fact is that today I own 6 Bluetooth pieces: 2 Socket CF cards, one MSI USB dongle, one printer module one Ericsson R520m phone and one Ericsson HBH-15 headset. So what I can do with that?

1. Connect my Pocket PC to the Internet at home (through the MSI dongle and my desktop), at work (through the other Socket card in my Notebook) and on-the-road (through GPRS using the Ericsson phone).

2. Manage only ONE address book in the pocket pc and dial from the Pocket PC my phone calls (using Running Voice GSM).

3. Talk using my headset after dialing from the Pocket PC.

4. Send SMS, emails and faxes from the Pocket PC through the Ericsson phone.

5. Print from the Pocket PC

6. Print from the desktop and from the Notebook.

7. Chat with other Pocket PCs in range (using Proximity Mail).

8. ActiveSync (how could I forget?) from anyplace in my home.

9. Transfer files between the Pocket PC and desktop (or Notebook).

Now, I have chosen well wich products to buy. The Socket card has the best User Interface ever written for a Bluetooth product, that makes things easy. The MSI module uses the Widcomm stack, the best up-to-date for the desktop. And Ericsson phones still have the most complete BT implementation.

Now, the first Bluetooth-enabled cameras are beginning to be released. An israeli company called COMMIL is working on a Bluetooth roaming standard that will let Bluetooth users walk within building and ROAM from access-point to access-point without loosing the connection. And much more is still to come.

I agree that the adherence in the US is low. I wander why. But in Europe and in Israel, a large amount of the people I know would not consider anymore buying a Pocket PC or a mobile phone that doesn't include that.

Helio

Warwick
09-25-2002, 07:59 AM
I love my bluetooth Ipaq and I have the TDK USB dongle. But I am having a lot of trouble finding information, trying to get file sharing and network access going, cant seem to crack it. Other than this I can surf the net through the passthrough and I love MSNing in bed :)

If anyone can point to some info on networking with bluetooth I would be thankfull.

MikeUnwired
09-25-2002, 12:19 PM
I've been using Bluetooth for a few months now and really enjoy it. Most recently, I loaded my iPAQ 3835 CF sleave with the Socket CF card and paired it with my Sony-Ericsson T68i. It's really cool to dial the phone from my PPC and talk via my HBH-15 headset. The T68i is a great phone overall and works well with the Bluetooth tools. Even without a PDA involved, the T68i / HBH-15 pair is a great upgrade to the standard corded "hands free" system. It's ALMOST an instruction-free set-up (except for the pairing of the headset, which required me to actually read the manual :? )

Prior to this set-up, I did the same with my Palm m515 and Palm Bluetooth card combo. The biggest problem with that set-up is that the SDIO card sticks out of the Palm so far it makes it impossible to find a case to carry it safely -- I cracked off a BT card in the slot to find out the hard way on this. My Socket BT card is just a regular CF card footprint -- which I wasn't actually expecting. I had thought it was taller than a standard CF card, but more substantial than the SDIO Palm card -- maybe that had been changed at some point or maybe my memory confused it with an 802.11 CF card.

I love the HBH-15 headset -- even though it makes me look like an air traffic controller. The total lack of cords is very comfortable and appealing. I can't figure out why there are semi-cordless headsets being built as it defeats the purpose.

The next step is to set-up a printer with Bluetooth, but, that's next month's paycheck...