News

Is 2004 finally the year for Bluetooth?

January 14, 2004

AKRON, Ohio -- Bluetooth wireless technology has been hyped as the cable-replacement miracle that was supposed to clear the clutter around a kiosk or PC, banish the annoying wire from cell phone headsets, and cure the common cold.

An article in The Beacon Journal points out that, like most everything else technology-related, Bluetooth got overhyped during the late 1990s. Bluetooth boosters from companies long-bankrupt kept promising it would be everywhere "next year."

"Next year"' finally will arrive in the United States in 2004 based on evidence at the Bluetooth Americas event in San Jose, Calif., earlier this month and talk from companies that manufacture wireless chips, wireless keyboards, mice and printers. In Europe, Bluetooth-enabled cell phones are emerging as digital hubs in place of the PC.

Bluetooth is a complex concept to describe, which many in the technology industry say is a big part of the problem. At the most basic level, Bluetooth wirelessly connects one electronic device to others in the same room -- say, a printer to a kiosk, or a headset to a cell phone. And the items don't even need to be in clear sight of one another.

The connections happen at a low speed similar to USB 1.0, which is fast enough to send digital music or speech from one device to another, but too slow to send full-motion video. But with this low speed comes Bluetooth's advantage over WiFi, the choice technology for wirelessly sharing Internet connections. Bluetooth uses very little power, making it the ideal connection technology for items such as tiny cell phone headsets that can't hold a big battery, or wireless mice and keyboards, according to the article.

Companies could put WiFi into those items, but it would be difficult at this point; WiFi guzzles so much power that the "wireless" mouse and keyboard would need to be plugged into the wall every few hours.