Bluetooth developers aim to usher in a wireless era

With Bluetooth, these devices can wirelessly transmit data to one another

In this story: The reality behind the hype The history of Bluetooth The Bandwagon and its plans RELATED STORIES, SITES

James Hattori
CNNdotCOM Correspondent

LUND, Sweden (CNN) -- In the movie "Mission: Impossible 2," Tom Cruise receives an important message from a pair of sunglasses that house a wireless computer display. The scene provides a peek, Hollywood-style, at the possibilities of a wireless world -- and that's just what the promoters of a new technology called Bluetooth had in mind when they consulted with the film's producers.

Bluetooth uses a short-wave, always-on radio signal that lets all kinds of devices talk to each other within range of about 30 feet. According to the developers, cell phones, printers, laptops, palm pilots and other products all can be interconnected without wires.

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Already, hundreds of companies have Bluetooth-enabled products in development.

"We think probably one of the most important applications will be wireless access to the Internet anywhere you are, anytime," said Bob Jecman, of Intel. The chipmaker plans to make notebook computers truly mobile by installing Bluetooth.

Meanwhile, 3Com will roll out personal digital assistants (PDAs) that use Bluetooth to dial a phone remotely or retrieve localized information on the go. For example, Bluetooth access points in malls could supply your PDA with information on store locations and what's on sale.

And Ericsson envisions cameras that instantly send digital postcards to friends and family, or skateboarding children being able to wirelessly download new moves from the Internet.

These companies are among nine core members of a Bluetooth consortium pioneering a new era in wireless technology, and they all have visions for it. But is it more hype than reality?

At least one company is preparing to launch the technology behind the buzz to the public by the end of the year. Motorola hopes to release a car kit with Bluetooth wireless applications, including a phone that controls a vehicle's air, heat and radio.

Eventual plans are to have the phones tune in all kinds of information. An airport with Bluetooth devices embedded into the parking lot could tell travelers where their departure gate is and what time the flight leaves before they get out of the car.

But in the end, it won't be companies that decide Bluetooth's fate, said Paul Saffo, director of the Institute for the Future.

"It will be consumers who will decide those solutions are good ones or not," Saffo said. "I can guarantee you that Bluetooth will end up having its most important uses being uses that nobody can guess at today."

And critics say that before Bluetooth takes the wires out of the wired world, the price of the chip set will have to plunge from its current price of $14 to less than $10.

Ericsson's promotional videos showcase products (like this cell phone with PDA) to encourage adopter companies to use Bluetooth

Bluetooth, which could become one of the defining technologies of the 21st century, has its roots in a town that dates back to the 10th century.

Lund, Sweden, a vibrant college town near the southern tip of the country, is where the Swedish cell phone giant Ericsson started the Bluetooth movement in 1994. Ericsson's primary research facility is closely tied to the town's university.

Bluetooth co-inventor Jaap Haartsen said the technology, like many great inventions, came about almost by accident.

"The original intention was to make a wireless connection between something like an earphone and a cordless headset and the mobile phone," Haartsen said.

Realizing they could tap into a low radio frequency that required no licensing and was available to anyone in the world who wanted it, Haartsen and his colleagues began experimenting with computer chips. They eventually settled on small radio chips that make wireless connection between devices containing them.

To encourage development and get as many companies as possible on the bandwagon, Ericsson did something a bit rare: It gave the technology away for free.

"We saw (there were) more opportunities and benefits to us to give it for free because we created one standard instead of having very different standards," said Ericsson's Jan Ahrenbring.

And for their namesake, they chose a Viking king in Denmark who united Scandinavian countries in the Middle Ages.

Ericsson gave away its technology for free, and now this consortium of companies has visions for using it

The nine promoting companies (3Com, Ericsson, Intel, IBM, Lucent, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia and Toshiba) have reached out to others known as "adopters" to spread the Bluetooth gospel. Today, there are nearly 1,900 adopters examining how Bluetooth fits into their products. VCRs, washer-dryers, stoves, microwaves, and CD players all could be controlled by Bluetooth.

Ericsson is convinced Bluetooth will take the wires out of the wired world. The company has undertaken an aggressive marketing campaign, using promotional videos to show prospective companies the endless ways to use Bluetooth.

"The potential for Bluetooth within a couple of years will probably be a billion devices per year," predicted Erik Svensson, Bluetooth marketing manager.

Ericsson also predicts one-third of the mobile, desktop and home appliance devices produced annually will be Bluetooth-enabled.

Analysis: The next great Net connection
August 23, 2000
Companies agree to co-develop Bluetooth technology
August 9, 2000
Analysis: Can Bluetooth live up to the hype?
July 12, 2000
Wireless wonders steal the show
June 28, 2000
Ericsson demos first Bluetooth phone
June 8, 2000

Bluetooth
Institute for the Future
Ericsson
Intel
Nokia
Motorola
3Com
IBM
Lucent
Microsoft
Toshiba

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