Bluetooth -> Players

Bluetooth Chip Manufacturers

Bluetooth chips are being manufactured by the likes of VLSI, owned since June 2^nd 1999 by Philips. In October 1999, Motorola acquired Digianswer, an early Bluetooth adopter, to boost its Bluetooth and HomeRF portfolio. VLSI has supplied Bluetooth chips to Ericsson for its wirefree Headset reviewed below Lucent Technologies Microelectronics Group (see below), Cambridge Silicon Radio (CSR) and others also manufacture Bluetooth chip solutions.  

Ericsson Bluetooth Headset

Ericsson has unveiled the Bluetooth Headset (available on the market in mid 2000), a headset that connects to a mobile phone by a radio link instead of a cable. It is the first ever handsfree accessory to incorporate Bluetooth technology, the future industry standard for wireless communication between devices. The Ericsson Bluetooth Headset is a lightweight, wireless mobile phone headset, with a built-in Bluetooth radio chip that acts as a connector between the headset and the Bluetooth plug on the Ericsson phone. Weighing 20 grams (0.75 oz.), the Bluetooth Headset sits comfortably on either ear and can be used with Ericsson T28, T28 WORLD and R320 cellular phones.  

Lucent Technologies

Lucent Technologies Microelectronics Group has announced its first integrated Bluetooth chipset solution, designed to enable wireless information sharing between personal communications devices and speed end products to market through simplified development and certification. Lucent's new solution consists of a single-chip radio subsystem and a baseband controller, complete with protocol software. The W7400 is available with a Lucent-supplied software protocol stack. Samples and development tools for the W7400 will be available in March 2000, with production starting in 3Q 2000.

Interference Issue

Possible interference between different wireless data standards that do not require federal licensing agreements could delay Bluetooth products from coming to market. According to Cahners Business Information, the 2.4-GHz radio frequency broadcast on an Industrial and Scientific Network, or ISN, already carries traffic from various industrial communication devices and Bluetooth signals could interfere with ISN traffic.

There are also concerns about use of Bluetooth on airplanes. While cell phones and pagers are usually turned off in flight, Bluetooth has been designed to maintain uninterrupted connections even while in motion, while the devices are still in their carrying cases, or even if the devices aren't turned on.