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Bluetooth shows all the signs of being a significant technology in the end, although it is taking up to two years longer than people thought.
The Special Interest Group (SIG) always understood how important it was to make Bluetooth devices inter-operate, and there was a lot of going back and modifying the specification. Now it's one of the most carefully vetted standards ever, even though it went through a SIG rather than a traditional standards approval process.
Every member of the group had to surrender their intellectual property claims. With typical standards, vendors want their patents embedded to receive royalties, and you don't always get the best specification.
The early Bluetooth products were rushed out and there wasn't a great deal of thought about ease of use. We're now in phase two and for certain applications, the killer products will probably arrive later this year - US developers are catching up with the Europeans.
I thought that a PDA talking to a phone talking to a headset would be a very powerful tool, but instead the phone makers are effectively making tablet PCs that cover all functions. In the future, people will realise the benefits of getting their email on the move, using public access points that can support Bluetooth.
One problem is that there are new software profiles for applications being developed all the time. If devices don't have the same profile, they won't work together. There is a lot of confusion - for instance, there are hands-free and in-car profiles for phones, as well as two audio profiles.
Users should buy from the biggest brands at first. I would advise not to buy anything without the approval logo, as there will be cowboy makers.
Don't invest in long-range Bluetooth products if all you need is short-range. They cost more, are more sensitive to interference, and you need a sensitive receiver or you won't get the true benefit.
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