Opinion

Blue skies ahead

Just when you thought Bluetooth was getting a bit long in the tooth, the market seems to have reached critical mass and compatible wireless personal devices have come crawling from under every bushel, dead keen to talk to each other.With the distinctive angular Bluetooth logo turning up on everything from the current crop of PDAs and notebooks to cell phones, headsets and printers, it is starting to look like the personal area network (PAN) has finally come of age.It`s goodbye to cable spaghetti and hello to wireless mobility as my personal devices all start chatting invisibly, even drawing my deskbound PC into their negotiations. In fact, the Belkin Bluetooth USB adapter, which looks like an oversized car ignition key popped into the USB socket on my desktop machine, means my PC, with no native Bluetooth technology, is now able to engage in wireless chit-chat. The adapter comes with some impressive software for managing Bluetooth connections for networking, printing and data synchronisation.The adapter comes complete with a small, pop-out aerial about two inches high. Belkin claims this gives it a range of 100 metres and, although I remain sceptical, it did help maintain constant contact with my more mobile Bluetooth devices as I carried them around the house.Most importantly, the Belkin Bluetooth USB adapter has extended the functionality and life of my desktop PC, still the home base of operations and the technology I spend the most time interfacing with. This is also the reason Bluetooth chipsets have become increasingly popular as a standard option on the motherboards of full-size PCs, such as the latest Proline Partner range from Pinnacle Micro.The Fujitsu Siemens Pocket LOOX differentiates itself from a barrage of near-identical Microsoft-based PDAs by its built-in Bluetooth functionality and truly distinctive body styling.The body shell, composed of metallic blue plastic and metal components, has the best button layout of any of the PocketPC 2002 clones in the market, and the overall ergonomics make it feel very unlikely to slip from your grasp as you tap through your complex Outlook-based calendar and e-mail. Also standard on the LOOX is a Secure Digital flash memory slot for transferring files, multimedia and even applications between different products.Best of all, I can now carry the LOOX off to watch an episode of the Powerpuff girls on TV while my keeping an eye on e-mails synchronised from the PC over my Bluetooth connection. I can even leave the LOOX lying in my satchel or in a jacket pocket, where it can continue its wireless desktop synchronisations until I dash out for an appointment.Security concerns surrounding Bluetooth, such as wireless network hacking in public spaces like airports and coffee bars, have also been accommodated and the LOOX`s Bluetooth transceiver can be simply switched on and off using a dedicated external switch.Versatile wireless printing is a lot more fun than previously imagined. Using the HP Deskjet 450 CBi I can now print e-mails, pictures and other documents from wherever I am sitting.Functionality aside, the aesthetics of a wireless printer cannot be denied. The battery power supply (a short tube clipped onto the rear of the unit) lasts for hundreds of pages and the exceptionally small footprint (smaller than a shoebox!) means the printer can be positioned just about anywhere in the room (or the house) without concern for plug points or cables trailing across the floor.Print speed and quality for photographs and documents is excellent and I suspect HP`s real world application for this product is for printing on the road, or even in the car. So the DeskJet 450 is probably ideally matched with a Bluetooth-enabled notebook or, as I discovered, a Bluetooth PDA like the LOOX. Chewing on BluetoothIn the late nineties, Ericsson pioneered Bluetooth as an affordable, secure wireless technology to connect devices in close proximity. Named after King Harald “Bluetooth” Blatan who unified Denmark in the 10th century, the innovation attracted attention from the likes of Microsoft, IBM, 3Com and Motorola before Ericsson sought to develop Bluetooth as a non-proprietary standard.But Ericsson`s cell phone woes have seen Motorola emerge as the leading Bluetooth company, selling its groundbreaking 7mm x 7mm Bluetooth chipset to everyone from IBM and HP to Daimler Chrysler. Instrumental in the profusion of Bluetooth devices has been the dramatic reduction in the price of the chipset from well over $50 to around $5.According to Brian Burns, product marketing manager at Motorola, shipments of Bluetooth-enabled devices have increased from ten million in 2001 to around 50 million in 2002, and he expects 150 million products to ship next year – representing compound growth of more than 300 percent. Chip revenues, he says, will top $2.5 billion by 2006.The Nokia 6310i, Siemens S55 and Motorola T280i cell phones are all Bluetooth-enabled, though currently these account for only one in eight new phone sales worldwide.Other Bluetooth products from Motorola include an on-ear headset, a PCMCIA card and a cellular car kit that is inter-operable with cell phones from any other manufacturer. Sexy but steep - Iwan PienaarWhile Microsoft`s software has been the focus of an omnipresent anti-trust case of the US Department of Justice, its hardware cannot be faulted on functionality. The keyboard features new multimedia and function keys while the optical mouse practically glides over most surfaces. This wireless system is not cheap, but its sexy black and silver colouring will see it grab the attention of executives (or at least their personal assistants).Vital statistics: Microsoft Wireless Optical Mouse Blue: R599 Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop Pro: R1 499 By Iwan Pienaar Sport at work Philips 150MT - Ivo VegterIt`s a cricket fan`s dream. This 15-inch 1024x768 LCD monitor has an integrated TV tuner, so you can plug an aerial (or other video input) in the back and watch sport, news or DVDs full-screen, or in a variable-sized corner window, while you work at a desk that suddenly has much more space. It`s great for home PC users who want their monitor to double up as a TV, and it`s perfect for office slaves who hitherto have been limited to wearing earphones in order to follow radio commentary. Larger screen versions (up to 18-inch) are available. A Dutch magazine reckons this beauty is ideal for student digs and study rooms. But here the price of even the 15-inch model would make any student blanch. Envy-inducing and nice to have.Vital statistics: Multi-video input, incl. PC, DVD, VCD, VCR and TV. Picture-in-picture function. Super-high brightness and fast response time. Auto picture quality adjustment. Integrated stereo speakers. Remote control. About R11 500. By Ivo Vegter

31 October 2002

Just when you thought Bluetooth was getting a bit long in the tooth, the market seems to have reached critical mass and compatible wireless personal devices have come crawling from under every bushel, dead keen to talk to each other.

It`s goodbye to cable spaghetti and hello to wireless mobility as my personal devices all start chatting invisibly, even drawing my deskbound PC into their negotiations. In fact, the Belkin Bluetooth USB adapter, which looks like an oversized car ignition key popped into the USB socket on my desktop machine, means my PC, with no native Bluetooth technology, is now able to engage in wireless chit-chat. The adapter comes with some impressive software for managing Bluetooth connections for networking, printing and data synchronisation.

ITWeb Premium

Get 3 months of unlimited access
No credit card. No obligation.

Already a subscriber Log in