Bluetooth - The Technology Buzz (Part 1)

[Chris Hendriks]

Bluetooth is a wireless technology that is rapidly finding its way into many products either as part of a more featured device or as an accessory. This article is part of a series on all the different wireless technologies. Part 1 will describe the Bluetooth technology. Part 2 will look at the technology and its integration into Pocket PC devices – an overview of the design process. First things first, have you ever wondered how this wireless technology works? Read this article to find out all about this Bluetooth buzz.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/hendriks-jan03-bluetoothtech1.GIF" /> <br /><!> <br /><i>Bluetooth, despite being a young wireless technology, promises to be extremely useful for wire replacement for both peripheral and mobile devices. A wide range of devices (headsets, printers, keyboards, mice, PDAs, cell phones, laptops, and GPS units) are already incorporating this technology and many more devices are expected to in the future. What is this wireless technology? How does it work? Are there any gotchas?</i> <br /><br /><span><b>Bluetooth's Roots</b></span> <br />In early 1998, a consortium of companies (Ericcson, IBM, Intel, Nokia, and Toshiba) formed a Special Interest Group (SIG) to develop an open, license free wireless standard. This wireless standard was designed specifically for portable and other electronic devices. The proposed wireless technology would allow consumers to replace the cables that connect peripheral devices and mobile devices to one another. The consortium code named the project “Bluetooth” after the 10th Century Viking king Harald Blatand. On July 26, 1999, the first specification for the technology was publicly released.<br /><br /><b>Bluetooth = Wire Replacement</b> <br /><br /><span><b>How the Technology Works</b></span> <br />Bluetooth operates in the 2.45GHz wireless spectrum band. This range is called the ISM band (industrial, scientific and medical). Worldwide, this spectrum range does not require the consumer to get a license (unlike a HAM radio operator) and is shared by many cordless telephones and wireless LAN products. <br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/hendriks-jan03-bluetoothtech2.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 1: The Bluetooth wireless spectrum range relative to other popular wireless technologies.</i> <br /><br />Interference with other wireless technologies is avoided by a couple of Bluetooth technology features:<li>Bluetooth is low power: a signal of up to 1 milliwatt is transmitted. Contrast this with the maximum broadcast power legally allowed for a cell phone of 3 watts. Therefore, the range of Bluetooth signals is much more localized around the signal source than cell phones, thus guaranteeing less of a chance for interference with other devices. Typically, the maximum signal range of Bluetooth is 10 meters (32.8 feet). <br /><li>Use of a technique called spread spectrum frequency hopping.<span><b>Bluetooth Spread Spectrum Frequency Hopping Explained</b></span> <br />Bluetooth communicates by transmitting in the ISM spectrum range of 2.402 GHz to 2.480 GHz. This range is divided into 79 1-MHz zones for North America and Europe (Japan has a frequency spectrum of 2.472 GHz to 2.497 GHz divided into 23 1-MHz zones). Bluetooth transmits a signal 1,600 times per second, alternating between each 1 MHz band. The process is to transmit, hop to another band, transmit, hop to another band, transmit, etc.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/hendriks-jan03-bluetoothtech3.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 2: Two Bluetooth wireless devices that have not established a communication link transmitting and are hopping from band to band</i><br /><br />Once two Bluetooth devices establish communication with one another (either automatically or by user choice), they start to hop between the same 1 MHz bands in unison. Error Correcting Code (ECC) in the Bluetooth software corrects errors caused by interference. Interference can occur when another two devices have their communication hops occur in the same 1 MHz band and at the same relative time as the original two devices. However, this unlikely situation only occurs for a fraction of a second before another hop occurs. <br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/hendriks-jan03-bluetoothtech4.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 3: Two Bluetooth wireless devices that have established a communication link. Note that both devices are synchronized as they transmit and hop.</i> <br /><br /><span><b>How Bluetooth Devices Communicate</b></span> <br />Two or more Bluetooth devices can communicate in a variety of ways. Communication can occur at half-duplex (similar to a conversation on a speaker phone) or at full-duplex (like your telephone). Bluetooth devices that are communicating with one another are said to have formed a “piconet”. Devices that have formed a piconet ignore signals from other bluetooth devices or other piconets.<br /><br />A piconet can consist of one Master device, up to seven active Slave devices, and 248 devices in standby mode. Devices on a piconet share a common data channel where data is transferred in packets. Think of a letter in an addressed envelope as a single packet. The letter is the data in the packet and the addressed envelope is the header and handshaking information of the packet. The piconet channel has a capacity of one Megabit per second including the overhead of the header and handshaking information. Device to device connections have a maximum data transfer rate of 721 kilobits per second. This data rate corresponds to three voice channels.<br /><br /><span><b>Is it Secure?</b></span><br />Secure communication is achieved by meeting two objectives. First, data that is sent must be reliably received. Second, data that is sent should not be intercepted and decoded by anyone but the intended recipient. Bluetooth is secure for home or office use since it has:<li>Built in security, authentication, and error correction; <br /><li>Fast hopping – making it difficult to eavesdrop.;<br /><li>Short range – adaptive transmission power designed to be just enough for the device being communicated with to receive - devices beyond this range do not receive a signalBluetooth still requires a strong application level security manager to ensure 100% security. Consider this example: someone picks up your Pocket PC that isn’t password protected and then connects to the Internet via your cell phone. In this example, the owner created a partnership between his Pocket PC and cell phone beforehand. However, the Bluetooth application didn't prompt for user authentication when used by an unauthorized individual. For some users this scenario is acceptable since they rarely leave their devices unattended and prefer quick, simple access to their Bluetooth resources without entering passwords. For other users the preceding example represents a security flaw. Realistically, we need to have the choice of how much security to implement. The option to lock all communication without the correct authentication. The option to require authentication prior to transmitting data. The peace of mind in knowing that we can lock a piconet preventing other devices from accessing or receiving data.<br /><br /><span><b>Technology Summary</b></span><br />Let us look at a quick summary of the key Bluetooth technology points before examining the uses of the technology. <br />Bluetooth is:<li>wire and cable replacement technology <br /><li>open standard<br /><li>short range – typically up to 10m<br /><li>low bandwidth - much lower than Ethernet<br /><li>low component cost – less than $20 US<br /><li>low power – 0.3 mA standby and 30 mA maximum during data transfer<br /><li>user does not require a license - 2.45 GHZ ISM<br /><li>limited interference issues - Spread Spectrum Frequency hopping and very fast hopping between the 1-MHz bands (1,600 times/sec)<br /><li>secure – but requires application level support for robust security<b><span>Bluetooth Uses</span></b><br />Bluetooth is a very flexible technology that allows for the transmission of data in a variety of methods called “profiles”. There are four basic profiles and nine user profiles in version 1.0 of the Bluetooth specification. Version 1.1 of the specification expanded the number of user profiles. The user profiles often use and then expand on the basic profiles. <br />The four basic profiles are:<li>SPP – Serial Port Profile used for serial port emulation <br /><li>GAP – Generic Access Profile used link management and device discovery<br /><li>GOEP – Generic Object Exchange Profile used for object push, transferring files, and synchronization<br /><li>SDAP – Service Discovery Application Profile used for information and service discoveryThe nine user profiles in version 1.0 of the specification are:<li>SP - Synchronization Profile <br /><li>FP - Fax Profile <br /><li>FTP - File Transfer Profile<br /><li>OPP - Object Push Profile for sending data objects between devices (e.g. business cards)<br /><li>HS - Headset Profile (e.g. headset and cell phone connections)<br /><li>DNP - Dial-up Networking Profile for modems, mobile phones (e.g. Access your ISP using Pocket PC and cell phone)<br /><li>IP - Intercom Profile for speaker phone type of functionality<br /><li>LAP - LAN Access Profile (e.g. A low bandwidth method for accessing a LAN)<br /><li>CTP - Cordless Telephone Profile (e.g. handset to base telephone connections)Additional profiles defined in version 1.1 of the specification are:<li>A2DP - Advanced Audio Distribution Profile <br /><li>AVRCP - Audio Video Remote Control Profile <br /><li>BIP - Basic Imaging Profile <br /><li>BPP - Basic Printing Profile <br /><li>ISDN - Common ISDN Access Profile <br /><li>ESDP - Extended Service Discovery Profile <br /><li>GAVDP - Generic Audio Video Distribution Profile <br /><li>HFP - Hands Free Profile<br /><li>HCRP - Hardcopy Cable Replacement Profile <br /><li>HID - Human Interface Device Profile <br /><li>PAN - Personal Area Networking Profile <br /><li>SAP - SIM Access Profile<img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/hendriks-jan03-bluetoothtech5.jpg" /> <br /><i>Figure 4: The flexibility of Bluetooth communication is displayed between a laptop and a Pocket PC. Are they playing a game or exchanging business cards? (picture courtesy of the Bluetooth SIG).</i> <br /><br /><b><span>Perfection? Not Quite</span></b> <br />As the technology matures, future enhancements will be dictated by consumer use, acceptance, and misuse of the technology. Some future enhancements needed are: <br /><br /><li>Improved interference reliability especially as we see more wireless enabled products. What happens in a room of 50 people who all have a Bluetooth enabled cell phone and Pocket PC in their possession? <br /><br /><li>Ease of Use. It shouldn't be so difficult to form a partnership between a Pocket PC and a cell phone.<br /><br /><li>Improved Security at the application level. The software application architect and developer need to remember to include additional security to prohibit unauthorized use of a device. Depending on the device, this could be accomplished in conjunction with the overall security plan and software included in the device. We don't want an unauthorized individual picking up our Pocket PC that is partnered to any number of devices and having the ability to transmit or even to receive information. This is entirely possible unless you password protect your Pocket PC at the device level.<br /><br /><li>More user profiles. How about a stereo headset profile? Coming soon ...<br /><br /><li>Alternatively, too many user profiles leads to consumer confusion and frustration when they purchase an option or Pocket PC only to find that a basic profile is not supported in the software.Some of these enhancements will be addressed by the SIG in future releases of the technology. Other enhancements (secure, easy to use software) will have to be addressed by the OEMs. However, it will be interesting to see if the Bluetooth SIG remains true to the initial product requirements for Bluetooth like low cost, low power, short range, etc., or tries to expand the specification to include areas that will overlap with the wireless LAN specification. If this occurs, we can expect to see longer ranges and improved bandwidth but this could also have a negative impact to the low power requirements and confuse the market.<br /> <br /><b><span>Conclusions</span></b> <br />For the future, it appears that Bluetooth has secured a spot in the wireless market. I give the technology a big thumbs-up. However, I add the provision that we must be aware of our data security and make sure that we can control access to it. <br /><br />As consumers, the use of any wireless technology should be transparent and ideally should not be part of our decision making process. The product should fulfill our needs to print, present, or be online wherever we choose. The technology should simply work without any complicated setup procedures. <br /><br />Remember to check the Pocket PC Thoughts site often for Part 2 of this article. We will take a behind the scenes peek into the process and issues of integrating Bluetooth into a Pocket PC.

[pocketpcdude1024]

Bluetooth devices that are communicating with one another are said to have formed a “piconet”. Devices that have formed a piconet ignore signals from other bluetooth devices or other piconets.

A piconet can consist of one Master device, up to seven active Slave devices, and 248 devices in standby mode.

Does that mean that with a Bluetooth SD card, I can connect to a Bluetooth WLAN, a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone, a Bluetooth Keyboard, and a Bluetooth printer all at the same time? 8O Now THAT would be something! If so, the Toshiba Bluetooth SD card is on my shopping list! :D

EDIT: Piconet? Interesting name. Is that 1/1000 of a nanonet? :lol:

[brntcrsp]

Great article, Chris! It's concise enough to give a healthy dose of infomation into a technology that has so many misconceptions. Bravo!

[bdegroodt]

Does that mean that with a Bluetooth SD card, I can connect to a Bluetooth WLAN, a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone, a Bluetooth Keyboard, and a Bluetooth printer all at the same time? 8O Now THAT would be something! If so, the Toshiba Bluetooth SD card is on my shopping list! :D
Yes.

[bdegroodt]

In the same vein. Does anyone happen to know if the PPC implementations of BlueTooth support keyboards? I think a BT thumbboard would be killer.

[PhatCohiba]

What I really want is a bluetooth car so I can connect it to my Pocket PC.

Carmakers Bite Into Bluetooth! (http://www.itsa.org/ITSNEWS.NSF/4e0650bef6193b3e852562350056a3a7/85fb090d007d29ca85256c2a0052a466?OpenDocument)

Actually a BlueTooth BMW is the worlds most expensive cell phone Speaker Phone add-on.

[sweetpete]

Bluetooth Uses
Bluetooth is a very flexible technology that allows for the transmission of data in a variety of methods called “profiles”. There are four basic profiles and nine user profiles. The user profiles often use and then expand on the basic profiles.


There are a number of additional profiles listed on the Bluetooth Dev Specifications web site (http://bluetooth.com/dev/specifications.asp)
Microsoft uses the Human Interface Device (HID) profile. There are 8 or 9 other profiles listed and most of these are built on top of the existing v.1.1 basic and user profiles.

[cholcomb]

Does that mean that with a Bluetooth SD card, I can connect to a Bluetooth WLAN, a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone, a Bluetooth Keyboard, and a Bluetooth printer all at the same time? 8O Now THAT would be something! If so, the Toshiba Bluetooth SD card is on my shopping list! :D
Yes.

From my undertanding and experence this is not true. I have a LOOX 600 and an Ericsson T68i, I keep my LOOX connected to my T68i all the time to have GPRS. When I try other programs that want to connect to my phone (some that I tried was some programs that would read the sms messages of my cell and display on my PDA, read the singal stregnth from the phone and display on my PDA) would not allow me to have my data connection to my phone and run these other programs to allow me to check stats of my phone at the same time. When I started the program it would close my data connection.

I realy hope that this is possible, I would reather use the new BT GPS then my current CF card GPS. But I would need my PDA to be able to talk to the GPS and my cell phone at the same time. I would like it even better if I could also use the BT headset for my phone at he same time.

If there are any BT genius out there that have done this or know of some one doing this please, please, please let me know.

[ppcsurfr]

Do you know what I really wonder about???

Bluetooth is actually good. It actually works. But somehow... I just can't figure out how the BT device manufacturers end up messing it up!

Do you still get the bluetooth stak errors in the iPAQs???

Well, how about the one built into the Pocket LOOX???

Or have you noticed that of all the CF BT manufacturers, none actually offer a complete set of profiles???

What no fax support??? Well the other one has... but then... Oh wait now I see why it's missing... It doesn't have any vCard support... no file transfer support?

Well... right now I'm using an Ambicom BT CF card... and I hate it for not having any Fax Profile for my Pocket PC... If I get a Socket Com BT card... I get the Fax Profile... but I lose something else.

So, when will these BT device manufactrers really get their acts together.

ppcsurfr

[bdegroodt]

From my undertanding and experence this is not true. I have a LOOX 600 and an Ericsson T68i, I keep my LOOX connected to my T68i all the time to have GPRS. When I try other programs that want to connect to my phone (some that I tried was some programs that would read the sms messages of my cell and display on my PDA, read the singal stregnth from the phone and display on my PDA) would not allow me to have my data connection to my phone and run these other programs to allow me to check stats of my phone at the same time. When I started the program it would close my data connection.

I realy hope that this is possible, I would reather use the new BT GPS then my current CF card GPS. But I would need my PDA to be able to talk to the GPS and my cell phone at the same time. I would like it even better if I could also use the BT headset for my phone at he same time.

If there are any BT genius out there that have done this or know of some one doing this please, please, please let me know.

Chris-

From my experience it is. I've been able to keep laptop, pda, and cell going via BT. I think what you might (MIGHT) be running into is more of a software issue with the devices, not necessarily the BT spec/implementation. Not sure, but that would be my guess. For what it's worth :D

[bdegroodt]

Do you know what I really wonder about???

Bluetooth is actually good. It actually works. But somehow... I just can't figure out how the BT device manufacturers end up messing it up!

Do you still get the bluetooth stak errors in the iPAQs???

Personally, I thought this was the best upgrade to the 39xx series Ipaqs. I got them all the time on my 38xx. Not any longer. I don't know if it's the new processor or a better implementation of the standard, but I know I don't get it at all any more.

So, when will these BT device manufactrers really get their acts together.

ppcsurfr

I'm still wondering why Nokia was part of the original group of SIG members, but seems to put little effort in getting GSM/BT phones to market.

[Gen-M]

Does that mean that with a Bluetooth SD card, I can connect to a Bluetooth WLAN, a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone, a Bluetooth Keyboard, and a Bluetooth printer all at the same time? 8O Now THAT would be something! If so, the Toshiba Bluetooth SD card is on my shopping list! :D
Yes.

From my undertanding and experence this is not true. I have a LOOX 600 and an Ericsson T68i, I keep my LOOX connected to my T68i all the time to have GPRS. When I try other programs that want to connect to my phone (some that I tried was some programs that would read the sms messages of my cell and display on my PDA, read the singal stregnth from the phone and display on my PDA) would not allow me to have my data connection to my phone and run these other programs to allow me to check stats of my phone at the same time. When I started the program it would close my data connection.

I realy hope that this is possible, I would reather use the new BT GPS then my current CF card GPS. But I would need my PDA to be able to talk to the GPS and my cell phone at the same time. I would like it even better if I could also use the BT headset for my phone at he same time.

If there are any BT genius out there that have done this or know of some one doing this please, please, please let me know.

I read a while back (sorry, I forget where :( ) a discussion where the developer of the Bluetooth stack for the LOOX stated that they purposely did not enable this piece of the Bluetooth standard. It will only handle one connection at a time.

Sounds like HP did a better (or at least more complete :lol: ) job.

[dhoward]

Chris,

You did a great job! Very Nice!

I'll look forward to Part II.

BT -> iPAQ 5455, Nokia 6310i, Jabra FreeSpeak

Have a Blessed Day.
david
dallas

[Chris Hendriks]

Bluetooth Uses
Bluetooth is a very flexible technology that allows for the transmission of data in a variety of methods called “profiles”. There are four basic profiles and nine user profiles. The user profiles often use and then expand on the basic profiles.


There are a number of additional profiles listed on the Bluetooth Dev Specifications web site (http://bluetooth.com/dev/specifications.asp)
Microsoft uses the Human Interface Device (HID) profile. There are 8 or 9 other profiles listed and most of these are built on top of the existing v.1.1 basic and user profiles.

You are indeed correct. Thanks for catching an oversight on my behalf. The information has been updated.

[Chris Hendriks]

What I really want is a bluetooth car so I can connect it to my Pocket PC.

Carmakers Bite Into Bluetooth! (http://www.itsa.org/ITSNEWS.NSF/4e0650bef6193b3e852562350056a3a7/85fb090d007d29ca85256c2a0052a466?OpenDocument)

Actually a BlueTooth BMW is the worlds most expensive cell phone Speaker Phone add-on.

I thought that I read an article about the new Minis being equipped with Bluetooth - can anyone confirm?

[hollis_f]

.From my undertanding and experence this is not true. I have a LOOX 600 &lt;snip>
I realy hope that this is possible, I would reather use the new BT GPS then my current CF card GPS. But I would need my PDA to be able to talk to the GPS and my cell phone at the same time. I would like it even better if I could also use the BT headset for my phone at he same time.

If there are any BT genius out there that have done this or know of some one doing this please, please, please let me knowWell, you're using a Loox - well known for a BT implementation that is totally pants - so it might not be possible.

But it definitely works with an iPAQ 3970, Emtac BT GPS and Ericsson T39m. I can use the GPS while I'm on the Net via GPRS

[johnbrooks]

I thought that I read an article about the new Minis being equipped with Bluetooth - can anyone confirm?

Very nice job Chris. A lot of people can/might learn something from your article.

Could not found the Bluetooth info you refer to that quickly, but i did found the iPAQ SatNav system for the BMW MINI Cooper
http://www.pocketgps.co.uk/mini.asp

Bluetooth Telematic News: Visteon, Johnson Control, Microsofts Windows Automotive, Delphi, Kenwood, Nokia, Ericsson, Audi, BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Ford, General Motors, Mazda, Saab, Volvo, etc.
http://www.telematicsupdate.com/subpages.asp?pass=1&searchterm=bluetooth
http://ragingbull.lycos.com/mboard/boards.cgi?board=BTOOTH&read=619

Available Bluetooth Products: PDAs, Keyboards, Bluetooth-GPS Solutions, Mobile Phones, SDIO Cards etc. plus Bluetooth and (not Versus) Wi-Fi (802.11), Bluetooth to Step Up to Mass Production Stage in 2003, A close look at the Bluetooth market and Chipmakers pursue Bluetooth price cuts
http://discussion.brighthand.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=71052

Sony's 2nd PDA with Bluetooth built-in coming:

Sony T-Series Model PEG-TG50 to Include Bluetooth, Keyboard
Possible replacement for T665C
http://www.brighthand.com/article/TG50_Gets_FCC_Approval
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,109096,00.asp

[johnbrooks]

Well, you're using a Loox - well known for a BT implementation that is totally pants - so it might not be possible.

But it definitely works with an iPAQ 3970, Emtac BT GPS and Ericsson T39m. I can use the GPS while I'm on the Net via GPRS

The Fujitsu Loox is the only PDA on the market which uses Rappore's Bluetooth Software. Why is the Bluetooth implementation "totally pants" Hollis? Am very curious?

[Rudolf]

I'm still wondering why Nokia was part of the original group of SIG members, but seems to put little effort in getting GSM/BT phones to market.

Hmm, the followig Nokia phones all have BT capability...

Nokia 3650
Nokia 6310
Nokia 6310i
Nokia 6650
Nokia 7650
Nokia 8910
Nokia 8910i

[AndyP]

From my undertanding and experence this is not true. I have a LOOX 600 and an Ericsson T68i, I keep my LOOX connected to my T68i all the time to have GPRS. When I try other programs that want to connect to my phone (some that I tried was some programs that would read the sms messages of my cell and display on my PDA, read the singal stregnth from the phone and display on my PDA) would not allow me to have my data connection to my phone and run these other programs to allow me to check stats of my phone at the same time. When I started the program it would close my data connection.

I realy hope that this is possible, I would reather use the new BT GPS then my current CF card GPS. But I would need my PDA to be able to talk to the GPS and my cell phone at the same time. I would like it even better if I could also use the BT headset for my phone at he same time.

If there are any BT genius out there that have done this or know of some one doing this please, please, please let me know.

This is possible. The only problem is that the bluetooth chip used in cell phones can only handle one connection at a time. Your PPC can handle (I think) 7 and your PC more than 200.

Personally I love Bluetooth. I have my T68i connected to my PC from which I can control ALL settings, synchronise my contacts, calendar and tasks to it. I also have a plug-in for Outlook which allows me to send/check SMS automatically. Any contacts I reply to are also put in to my contacts.
Also allows me to sit in my Living Room, surf the net wirelessly or browse my shares on my network.
Away from home, I can use my PPC as a cell phone using a headset. Use it to dial-up to my ISP wirelessly or connect to GPS.

Certainly made my life easier!

Unfortunately, there are glitches, the software seems to be less than ideal.

[johncj]

I love the way BT advocates blame all the problems people have on bad implementations and user errors. The vast majority of the problems that I've seen described are not caused by software bugs and user errors. Instead, the problems arise from the fact that the standard has too many optional features and "profiles" to generate an understandable marketplace. Jo User can't understand why her Bluetooth devices won't talk to each other, not because she's stupid, but because the "profile" system is far too complex for her to grasp. This stuff will never be used effectively by non-geeks until the standard sheds the complexity inherent in it.

[bdegroodt]

I'm still wondering why Nokia was part of the original group of SIG members, but seems to put little effort in getting GSM/BT phones to market.

Hmm, the followig Nokia phones all have BT capability...

Nokia 3650
Nokia 6310
Nokia 6310i
Nokia 6650
Nokia 7650
Nokia 8910
Nokia 8910i

Thanks Rudolf. I had seen sporadic offerings from Nokia, but didn't know they had actually introduced more than a couple to the market. Good to see.

Curious why the yet to be released 6100 isn't including BT.

[whydidnt]

The vast majority of the problems that I've seen described are not caused by software bugs and user errors. Instead, the problems arise from the fact that the standard has too many optional features and "profiles" to generate an understandable marketplace. Jo User can't understand why her Bluetooth devices won't talk to each other, not because she's stupid, but because the "profile" system is far too complex for her to grasp. This stuff will never be used effectively by non-geeks until the standard sheds the complexity inherent in it.

I couldn't agree more. I consider myself a little "geeky", but it is a major hassle trying to sort out multiple bluetooth connections from the same device. Until we get true "plug & play" Bluetooth will not become prevelant.

How many consumers actually upgraded their PC's before Windows 95/98 and Plug and Play were brought to the market. Remember the hassle when you wanted to install a modem and had to cofigure the com port, DMA and the IRQ? That's basically what we have to go through today when setting up connections with Bluetooth. A majority of consumers don't think the hassle is worth it and ignore the technology all together.

Dan

[johnbrooks]

I love the way BT advocates blame all the problems people have on bad implementations and user errors. The vast majority of the problems that I've seen described are not caused by software bugs and user errors. Instead, the problems arise from the fact that the standard has too many optional features and "profiles" to generate an understandable marketplace. Jo User can't understand why her Bluetooth devices won't talk to each other, not because she's stupid, but because the "profile" system is far too complex for her to grasp. This stuff will never be used effectively by non-geeks until the standard sheds the complexity inherent in it.

It's true that they should have standarized the Bluetooth Standard better so interoperability would be much better today. But a lot of the Bluetooth issues are also inherent with the Bluetooth Technology. It's much more complicated to link a device wirelessly with another device compared to a technology like WiFi which has a networkfunction. "BT advocates blame ALL the problems people have on bad implementations and user errors". Some maybe, but it's also true and these are the continuation of the various interpretations of the Bluetooth spec. There will always be issues with wireless technologies like Bluetooth imho. But some have more issues then others.

[bucho]

I love the way BT advocates blame all the problems people have on bad implementations and user errors. The vast majority of the problems that I've seen described are not caused by software bugs and user errors. Instead, the problems arise from the fact that the standard has too many optional features and "profiles" to generate an understandable marketplace. Jo User can't understand why her Bluetooth devices won't talk to each other, not because she's stupid, but because the "profile" system is far too complex for her to grasp. This stuff will never be used effectively by non-geeks until the standard sheds the complexity inherent in it.

I completely agree with this... I'm pretty technology savvy and still had some issues trying to get bluetooth devices to work together. It requires a lot of research and knowledge to achive even simple things. I love the concept of personal wireless space and I am every day user of Bluetooth (IR and 802.11 also), but it can get pretty confusing with the "profiles". I wish sometimes they made it just a link level standard (like IR or 802.11) and leave the application space (profiles) to the vendors to compete.

People just don't realize that not every Bluetooth adapter will support all profiles and will be capable of mutliple connections. Why can't I use my Jabra Freespeak with any BT PC card? Why can't I sync the T68i with Outlook and talk on the Jabra in the same time?

And another thing... It seems like the technology is still too expensive. Just looking and various prices of BT devices it seems that the cost of the tranciever itlself is still around $50 which is way to expensive for some simple use cases. The size and the power consumption may be right, but the price is still high. But I guess it ties with the previous problem... Unless BT becomes widely accepted, the prices will not drop.

[Gen-M]

I love the way BT advocates blame all the problems people have on bad implementations and user errors. The vast majority of the problems that I've seen described are not caused by software bugs and user errors. Instead, the problems arise from the fact that the standard has too many optional features and "profiles" to generate an understandable marketplace. Jo User can't understand why her Bluetooth devices won't talk to each other, not because she's stupid, but because the "profile" system is far too complex for her to grasp. This stuff will never be used effectively by non-geeks until the standard sheds the complexity inherent in it.

I can't disagree, but the manufacturers (and their advertising/marketing groups) have to take responsibility for not trying to explain to Jo User that Profiles are important and device A requires that device B supports Profile Q. (Or even being explicit about what Profiles A supports.)

Most products just say "Bluetooth" as if it were a One Size Fits All technology standard. Jo User needs to understand that Size 8P will not fit a Size 16T device. :roll:

[Chris Hendriks]

I agree with Gen-M that the consumer needs to be informed about what profiles are supported.

Question: How do you do that without further confusing a consumer? For example, if you saw "supports headets" would you assume that this included stereo headsets?

How about a PDA that supports many profiles. The profile list alone would fill much of the box side panel without any description of the profiles.

Maybe manufacturers should list all detailed information on their web site when they launch a new product...

What do you think is the solution?

[hollis_f]

One thing that would help is if reviewers actually tried using the equipment they review instead of regurgitating the press release.

Two examples -

Try and find a review of the loox that mentions the fact that it won't ActiveSync over Bluetooth. When it first came out there were several reviews that gave the AS over BT ability as a major plus for the device.

I've read at least two reviews of the new Microsoft BT mouse/keyboard combo that imply that it will allow you to connect to virtually any other BT device.

It's obvious that these reviewers had never actually tried to do what they claimed the hardware was capable of.

[Chris Hendriks]

Hollis - very good point. I have a review on a BT device coming up and I plan to run it through it's paces - :wink:

[johncj]

I agree with Gen-M that the consumer needs to be informed about what profiles are supported.

Question: How do you do that without further confusing a consumer?

One of the problems with Bluetooth is that as a cable replacement, they've taken away the consumer's most powerful weapon for telling if two devices work together. You can no longer look at the cable and the plug and see if they look like they match. I think they need to come up with some simple icons for each profile that would be printed on the box and the device for every piece of Bluetooth enabled equipment. Then, you could take your phone into Best Buy, Fry's or CompUSA compare the pictures of the side of it with the ones on the box of the headset or PDA or whatever and know that they should work together.

[Gen-M]

I think they need to come up with some simple icons for each profile that would be printed on the box and the device for every piece of Bluetooth enabled equipment. Then, you could take your phone into Best Buy, Fry's or CompUSA.

That's a great idea! :smilecolros:

No one can remember what the Profile acronyms are!

[Chris Hendriks]

good idea! It would be useful to have some POS material that explains what the icons mean ... icons on the product itself would be difficult for a PDA type device. However, it would be useful if the profiles that were supported were actually listed in the Bluetooth application software on the Pocket PC. After 2 months, who remembers what profiles their PDA or accessory card supports.

[johncj]

Actually I think that if the icons are designed cleverly enough they could fit fairly easily on almost any device. A single icon could represent the presence or absence of multiple profiles. I doubt you could design an icon for all 13 (or whatever they are up to now), but certainly related profiles could be incorporated into a single icon. I've got a friend with some graphic skills and a little free time. Maybe I'll ask him to work something up.

[Chris Hendriks]

John - I think that it is a good idea. However, I am not sure it would be imprinted on a Pocket PC device more likely on the packaging. There is already quite alot on the device now and this may start a precedent where other icons/logos would have to be imprinted (i.e. - if applicable to the device - USB certification, WIFI, etc).

I like the idea and would like to see an example of a "grouped together" icon for similar profiles as you suggested.

[Gen-M]

You would not want it on the PPC itself. Maybe on a document in the device. Remember that Profiles are software - and can be added and/or deleted.

Definitely on packaging, though.

[Chris Hendriks]

I am convinced that the plethora of profiles is not only confusing but could lead to dissatisfaction/frustration in the future.

i.e. devices missing profiles, consumers trying to determine what profile matches with an option they want to purchase and not being able to easily do so etc etc

Great commentary and feedback - I have updated the article to reflect this issue!

[peterawest]

It looks like Bluetooth has found another happy customer:

FedEx bites into Bluetooth
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6364894/