Bluetooth SIG executive director Michael Foley says the technology will no longer be restricted to mobile phones
If you own a mobile phone, chances are that it has Bluetooth connectivity — one that helps you talk handsfree with a wireless headset, or send data from one phone to the other wirelessly. But Bluetooth has come a long way, in ways we might not notice, but like the Web, it is quietly changing our lives.
Bluetooth is not a technology owned by one company, but by a conglomerate called the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), led by promoter companies comprising Microsoft, Intel, Nokia, IBM, Motorola, Toshiba, Ericsson, and Agere. The Bluetooth SIG community, however, has more than 2000 member companies which deploy Bluetooth technology for end-user products.
With the percentage of Bluetooth-enabled products (printers, accessories, presentation systems, MP3 players, and mobile phones) increasing in India, DNA spoke to Bluetooth SIG’s US-based executive director Michael Foley on how Bluetooth will change the lives of Indians and people across the world.
An exclusive interview:
Bluetooth is fast emerging as the personal area network technology of choice for most consumer products.
Bluetooth wireless technology is seeing tremendous growth. Around 9.5 million Bluetooth-enable products are shipped every week, double of what was being shipped in June this year. The advancements in Bluetooth will make it the best short-range wireless technology for consumers well into the future. The key is to integrate different technologies into a device and allow those technologies to enable applications that consumers want to use. Bluetooth wireless technology will be central to this concept.
UltraWide Band (UWB) is said to be the next frontier for superfast data speeds. What consumer benefit do you see in Bluetooth adapting UWB?
When UWB and Bluetooth integrate, every user can transmit larger pieces of data wirelessly. For instance, you may not need a wired connection between your digital camera and your laptop to download all your photos. Even your MP3 player can be synchronised wirelessly with your PC. Imagine sending a high-definition video or other content from one device to another.
In India cellphones are the primary driver of Bluetooth technology. What about wearable bluetooth?
India is expected to have 180-200 million mobile phone users by 2007. Wearable Bluetooth wireless technology products and on-the-road Bluetooth already exist. We see jackets and backpacks with Bluetooth technology available on the market today. We also have enormous growth in the automotive sector for Bluetooth enable vehicles for hands-free telephony use, and expanding to include diagnostics services and music playing capabilities. These applications will make their way into India.
While several products have integrated Bluetooth, it is never sold as a USP. It is always storage, voice clarity, camera phones, etc. Perception problem?
Just this month, in India, LG has been airing a television commercial regularly introducing one of their new phones to the Indian market, where you see only the Bluetooth features of that phone listed. So, I think this perception is going to change. In the past 18 months, the availability of Bluetooth mobile phones hasn’t been that great in India — but we’re starting to see that change simply due to the availability of more phones in general with Bluetooth wireless technology — and that availability is driven by demand.
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