Companies push wireless headsets for cell phones

The Plantronics M1000 wireless headset allows you to talk up to 3.5 hours

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By Douglas F. Gray

(IDG) -- Holding your mobile phone in your hand while using it may soon be a thing of the past. At least, that's what companies making Bluetooth-enabled headsets are claiming here at the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association Wireless 2001 conference.

Bluetooth is a standard for short-distance wireless communications, which can connect devices at speeds of up to 1 megabits per second at distances up to 10 meters.

The market for Bluetooth products is set to be a $2.5 billion market this year, according to a recent study by Frost & Sullivan, and companies aren't about to let that opportunity slip away.

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Plantronics announced its new Bluetooth headset, the Plantronics M1000, which will be powered by the second-generation Bluetooth chip set, manufactured by San Diego-based Widcomm. The M1000 weighs less than one ounce and rests on the ear, held in place by a small ear loop.

The headset has a single button, which can be used to turn the headset on or off, when listening to audio from a personal digital assistant, or for answering and hanging up the phone when used in combination with a Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone. A second control acts as a volume dial or can be used as a mute button by pressing it.

The headset runs on nickel metal hydride batteries and can be fully charged in an hour to provide up to 100 hours of use. The M1000 is due to ship in July for $149.95, Plantronics says in a statement.

Plantronics also announced a new headset designed for office use, which uses Bluetooth technology to communicate with a headset amplifier, or directly into a telephone with a headset port. No pricing information was available for the headset, which is due to ship in the third quarter of this year.

Denmark-based GN Netcom was also showing a second-generation Bluetooth headset. The product, not yet named, follows the company's GN9000.

It weighs just under 1 ounce and is 2 inches in diameter. The headset includes a 2-inch microphone and a speaker in a single unit. The microphone folds directly into the headset when not in use. Battery life and recharge time for the headset are similar to those for standard mobile phones, the company says in a statement. Pricing and availability were not immediately available.

Swedish mobile telecommunications giant L.M. Ericsson Telephone, one of the original companies behind Bluetooth, announced in a press conference here that its first Bluetooth headset, which is currently shipping in Europe, will begin shipping in the U.S. in a matter of weeks.

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First official Bluetooth product unveiled
(IDG.net)
Bluetooth readies for its close-up
(The Industry Standard)
Bluetooth wireless connectivity set to take off
(InfoWorld.com)
Bluetooth comes close to the wireless ideal
(InfoWorld.com)
Bluetooth and wireless Ethernet rush into a noisy head-on collision
(InfoWorld.com)
Fujitsu debuts notebook with Bluetooth handset
(IDG.net)
Bluetooth debuts in bits and pieces
(IDG.net)
Is Bluetooth biting off more than it can chew?
(IDC)

Plantronics, Inc.
GN Netcom Inc.
LM Ericsson Telephone

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