Bluetooth: Keeping Your Pocket PC Connected to the World

In the Wild, Wild West of Wireless, the new sheriff in town is Bluetooth. In 1998, Ericsson, Intel, IBM, Puma Technology, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, and Toshiba formed an organization to create a digital wireless standard for short-range data communications. The resulting Bluetooth standard promises to become the lingua franca of wireless connectivity--if for no other reason than its extraordinary marketing buzz. For example, at the Fall 2000 COMDEX computer conference, manufacturers were showcasing everything from traditional networking applications to major home appliances communicating directly with each other--all using Bluetooth technology.

But, what exactly is Bluetooth? How successful will Bluetooth be in living up to its hype? And, more specifically, what will Bluetooth offer to the user of a Pocket PC? I recently had the experience of attending the Bluetooth Developer's Conference in San Jose in December 2000 in order to address each of these issues.

Sinking your teeth into Bluetooth

Stable wireless solutions for the Pocket PCs are just now beginning to be adopted, but end users and corporations are slow to jump on any particular bandwagon. We're seeing a hodgepodge of technologies (packet-radio, digital cellular, CDPD, wireless LAN and others) and no one is sure which particular radio technology will be the eventual winner. A "wait and see" attitude prevails.

Currently, going wireless with your Pocket PC means inserting some form of communication device into your CompactFlash slot, or attaching some form of serial cable for connection to an external communication device (such as a digital cell phone). These solutions work, but you lose the use of your CompactFlash slot or you have to deal with an inelegant and clumsy cabled solution. One of Bluetooth's goals was to help solve these problems.

Bluetooth is a protocol for pushing bits and bytes around wirelessly, at high speeds, and over short distances. Much has been made of wireless data being used to solve the "last mile" of connectivity needs. Bluetooth provides a potential "last meter" solution (actually closer to ten meters). Think of Bluetooth as offering each Pocket PC user a wireless communications bubble around them of up to 33 feet in radius. The technology offers data throughput speeds of up to 741kbps (more than 6 times faster than a serial cable).

We don't need no stinking cables!

You can think of Bluetooth as a virtual cable. Indeed, the technology was originally designed to replace cables on desktop peripherals (e.g., keyboards, pointing devices, printers, cell phones, etc.). Screen 1 depicts an early Ericsson prototype of a cell phone with a Bluetooth enabled headset. The idea was to make it easier to use the phone while, say, rushing through a busy airport.

Screen 1: An early Ericsson prototype of a cell phone with a clip-on Bluetooth transceiver (on the bottom of the phone) and a wireless headset (right).

For Pocket PC users, the potential of Bluetooth as a cable replacement is much greater. For example, most mobile professionals already carry a cell phone. Imagine the utility of carrying a Bluetooth-enabled digital cell phone along with your Bluetooth-enabled Pocket PC. Start Internet Explorer and the Pocket PC "senses" that it's not connected to the Internet. It "tells" your cell phone to dial your ISP. In a few seconds you're connected and ready to go. Bluetooth-enabled devices can communicate through your clothing, briefcase or purse to establish a link with your cell phone. Thus, the cell phone becomes a very elegant wireless gateway into the Internet without making the user suffer the pain of hooking up cables and configuring devices. Cell phone manufacturers are paying attention to this. Phones with embedded Bluetooth (like the Ericsson R520 and Motorola Timeport 270) are imminent.

Pie in the Sky?