Using a Bluetooth device just became a little easier

Last week, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) announced the official launch of Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate). The new specification doesn't increase the range at which devices can connect using the protocol or the data transfer speed of 3 Mbps, but it promises to make the user experience easier and more secure."We admit that pairing the easiest or simplest thing. You'd have to turn on your phone, turn on your Bluetooth and search for devices," explained Kevin Keating, the SIG's senior marketing manager prior to the launch at last month's 2007 Wireless and Mobile expo and Conference/RFID Forum in Toronto. "With the new process, you should just be able to power up the head set, power up your phone and they'll immediately start the recognition process. I don't have to tell my phone to search. My phone will say, 'I've found this device, do you want to pair with it?' I'll say ‘yes' and we'll be all set." Chip companies have already demonstrated their support for the new specification. "Companies like Texas Instruments Inc. and CSR (Cambridge Silicon Radio) are ready to go with chips," Keating added. CSR announced last week that they have already qualified their Bluetooth firmware to the new specification.The new specification will enhance security by doing away with default codes for permanently paired devices. Users will instead get a six-digit passkey to achieve connectivity. The new version also promises an extended battery life: up to five times longer for certain devices such as a wireless mouse.But even greater battery life, and usability, is on the horizon. In his presentation Keating speculated on what a world with ultra low-powered (ULP) Bluetooth chips could look like: medical devices communicating with laptops, sports enthusiasts' performance measurements sent straight from their shoes to their mobile phones and automotive diagnostics completed without even opening a hood. The key ingredients? Ultra low power and Bluetooth technology. In an agreement reached by the Wibree Forum and Bluetooth SIG last June, the ultra low-power Wibree technology will become part of the Bluetooth specification. Wibree technology, developed by Nokia Corp., operates on the same 2.4GHz frequency as Bluetooth, but can be embedded in smaller button-cell battery powered devices, such as pulse sensors and watches. Larger batteries, such as AAs require continual changes, while button-cell versions have life spans of up to ten years. "You can probably expect the new specification to roll out in Q2, 2008," Keating said. The specification will include two types of implementations: a single-mode for watches, sensors and other small devices that will enable communication with each other and a dual mode that will communicate with traditional Bluetooth and single-mode devices, Keating said in a phone interview from his Bellevue WA office. Bluetooth foresees an unlimited amount of applications for the upcoming specification, particularly in the medical field. Patients, Keating said, could be wirelessly connected to devices such as pulse oximeters with their data being read from up to 10 metres away. Greater read distances of up to 100 metres away will be possible with the launch of Bluetooth's Class 3 high-speed specification, expected by year's end.Keating views the ULP specification as a potentially powerful tool in patients' own healthcare. Diabetes sufferers, he explained, will be able to incorporate the new devices into their glucose meters. "You'll be able to send the data from your meter to your laptop and at the end of the week, send it to your doctor's office for review."Users will be able to include Bluetooth enabled devices in their overall health and wellness routine. Blood pressure cuffs, weight scales, cholesterol monitors and pill dispensers will all be able to transmit data to other Bluetooth devices such as mobile phones or PCs.Performance athletes will also be better able to gauge their achievements with Bluetooth devices affixed to their shoes, bikes or hips transmitting continual data to their mobile devices. Those who prefer to drive, rather than walk, run or cycle, may also benefit from the new specification.While most automotive manufactures are already including Bluetooth options with the vehicles, in the form of hands-free calling or OnStar services, Keating contends that the possibilities are virtually endless. "Right now, your mechanic can already plug in your computerized engine to do a diagnostic on your vehicle. If you both had Bluetooth technology, you could drive in and they wouldn't even have to open your hood to complete the engine diagnosis. In fact, you could even download the information to your phone, send it to them and they could diagnose your vehicle without ," he explained.It's unclear if there is any value to having one's vehicle diagnosed without actually opening the hood. Diagnosing mechanical problems remotely may prove to have little value as well, particularly if one still needs to visit the shop to have the repairs made. "We don't really even know where you can use all this stuff. There are many new markets and the (ULP) specification isn't out yet," added Keating. But the possibilities certainly seem endless; particularly as he predicts chip costs will "remain inexpensive." Keating was unable to provide projected chipset costs.Chipmakers, however, are already on board. "From what we've seen," he said from his Washington office, "chipmakers are not only supportive but also excited about this new specification. It will open up several new markets for chipmakers and prospects for device applications that weren't there before." CSR has already announced that they plan to sample the ULP with several of their customers this year.The ultimate goal, Keating said, it to make it easier to go beyond the conversational features of Bluetooth and enhance all forms of communications. "To paraphrase Elvis Presley, we'd like to see "A little less conversation and a lot more action."

Using a Bluetooth device just became a little easier

News | 08/08/2007 1:00 pm EDT

To keep reading, get a free trial.

Already a Subscriber?

Reuse & Permissions

Inside The Wire Report

Information

Hill Times Publishing

Get in Touch With Us