WIRELESS WONDER

Bluetooth Bites!

Let us try to imagine how our busy, enterprising and technology-savvy Ramdin chacha would lives in the Bluetooth world: he arrives at the airport to face a long queue for checking and seat assignment. But chacha does not have to wait in the queue anymore; he uses his Bluetooth enabled PDA to present an electronic ticket. The airline’s on-line system checks identification via the PDA’s "ID-tag" feature and confirms the seat. He enters the airport lounge and connects his laptop (or PDA/other devices) wirelessly on the Bluetooth Internet ports provided in the lounge, to access office or home-based servers via the airline server (he could also make "free" Internet voice calls—maybe courtesy of the airlines—using Voice-over-IP).

As he got off the plane and switched on the Bluetooth enabled mobile phone, the messages—written in the laptop/PDA during the flight—were automatically sent by mobile phone. Then he is identified by the Rent-A-Limousine database and transferred to a Bluetooth limousine. On entering the limousine—he could use the mobile phone to unlock the vehicle and switch on the stereo— the car stereo automatically tunes to his favorite station/music, the temperature adjusts to his liking and the seat to his preferred settings. He could even use the mobile phone to integrate it with the car’s stereo, so that he could talk "hands-free" while on the move. He is reminded of the appointment schedule on the daily calendar (and even the results of the latest diagnostic test of the vehicle). His hotel reservations are automatically queried from his PDA and the GPS system provides directions to the hotel. After arriving at the hotel, he is automatically checked-in and the room number and electronic key are transferred to his PDA. As he enters the room, the door automatically opens,air-conditioning sets to his liking and the TV starts showing his favorite program.

Anxious to see the first show of the movie of his favorite actor, he uses Bluetooth PDA to wirelessly confirm and pay for a ticket (again, no need to stand in the long queue), enters the cinema theater and takes his preferred seat. As he enters his favorite restaurant, he uses a Bluetooth cordless device to communicate with others, including the chef and the waiters, to order and pay for the food and even to participate in the games.

In early 1998, a group of computer and telecommunications industry leaders, including Ericsson, Intel, IBM, Nokia and Toshiba began developing a way 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 was quickly joined by other leaders like 3COM/Palm, Axis Communication, Compaq, Dell, Lucent, Motorola, Qualcomm, Xircom—all these companies were interested in offering products with such a feature, taking advantage of a standardized, wireless means of connection. Now, more than 1300 manufacturers from various businesses all over the world have joined the Bluetooth family.

The technology employs embedding of tiny, inexpensive, short-range transceivers into the user devices, either directly or through an adapter device such as a PC Card. The radio operates on the globally available (generally unlicensed) radio frequencies in the 2.45 GHz band and supports data speeds of up to 721 Kbps (as well as three 56 Kbps voice channels). Bluetooth devices and adapters were expected to be available in 2000, using which, Bluetooth radios were expected to cost around $20 initially, eventually falling to around $5. The Bluetooth specification targets power consumption of the device from a "hold" mode consuming 30 microamps (uA) to the active transmitting range of 8-30 milliamps (or less than 1/10th of a Watt). It worked up to 10 meters for 0 dBm (and 100 meters for 20 dBm).

Bluetooth is thus becoming a global de-facto standard for low-cost, short-range wireless connectivity, cutting the cords that used to tie up digital devices. When two Bluetooth equipped devices come within a range of about 10 meters of each other; they establish a connection together – wirelessly. And the Bluetooth link—unlike other solutions such as infrared—doesn’t require a line-of-sight connection in order to communicate. A laptop could send information to a printer in the next room, or a microwave oven could send a message to a mobile phone, informing it that the meal is ready.

Bluetooth supports both point-to-point and point-to-multipoint connections. Bluetooth limits the radio’s output power precisely to that actually needed to suit the exact range. Furthermore, the radio automatically shifts to a low power mode as soon as traffic reduces or stops. A Bluetooth radio consumes less than three percent of power compared to a modern mobile phone. A Bluetooth radio device is designed to work even in very noisy radio environments. All data is protected by advanced error-correction methods, as well as encryption and authentication routines for the user’s privacy.

After mobile telephony, Bluetooth has the potential to become the next, fastest adopted technology in the Mobile Information Society. As Bluetooth grows to be a "last-meter wireless" standard and enters tens of millions of mobile phones, PCs, laptops and a whole range of other electronic devices, the market is going to demand new, innovative applications, value-added services, end-to-end solutions and much more. The possibilities are limitless, and because the radio frequency used is easily available, Bluetooth can offer fast and secure access to wireless connectivity.

Mobile phones brought us freedom from telephone cords. Now Bluetooth is going to bring a new kind of freedom, as one will be able to share information, synchronize data, access the Internet, integrate with LANs or even unlock one’s car—simply by using a Bluetooth equipped mobile phone. The mobile phone headset would also not need a cable dangling from the ear piece to the mobile and the calls will be transmitted wirelessly to the ear piece. Bluetooth will also allow one to surf the web with a laptop, while the phone remains in the bag or the pocket, or effortlessly exchange information such as calendar appointments or contacts data with colleagues.

Bluetooth might also be used in ‘mobile imaging’. Bluetooth chips will receive images taken on a Bluetooth digital camera. After adding a few lines of text, the user can send the received photograph to another device or web service where it could be viewed, printed or saved on a CD-R. By combining the ease of SMS messaging with digital photography, Mobile Imaging is an indication of the potential of Bluetooth.

The Bluetooth SIG estimated that by the end of 2001, Bluetooth will feature in more than a hundred million mobile phones, millions of PCs, laptop computers and other handheld devices. Cahner’s In-Stat Group estimates that 1.4 billion Bluetooth-enabled devices will be shipped by 2005. Merrill Lynch had estimated that the number of Bluetooth chipsets sold will rise from 9 million in 2000, to about 1 billion in 2003, and more than 2.1 billion in 2005. "The thing about Bluetooth is that it really will ship in the billions of units once it gains momentum. It is really a multibillion-dollar market," says an analyst with Gartner Group’s Dataquest.

Devices—using the technology—were expected to be commercially available in 2000. However, vendors have repeatedly pushed back product plans due to ‘cost’ and ‘intero-perability’ issues. As Bluetooth chipsets are still expensive, it may take about two or three years before they are built into new devices on a large scale. Interoperability
will also be the key challenge, which requires Bluetooth enabled products to work with such other products. Unforeseen development delays are partly attributed to the difficulty in dealing with multiple platforms used by various user devices, such as PDAs, cellphones, desktop computers, etc.

However, the day is not far when one will be able to use one’s mobile phone to pay for a coke or a bus-ride, as the bus fare would be automatically paid by the mobile phone as soon as one enters the bus…no need for the grouchy bus-conductors. The mobile would serve as the m-commerce wallet. And more…one would get an automatic text message on the mobile, notifying that the kids are safely back from the school. Life will no more be the same!