Business use cures Bluetooth ache
The growing business use of PDAs, and proposed support from Microsoft, suggest that Bluetooth's time has finally arrived.
This is the year that laptops finally look set to be supplanted by the latest designer mobile phones and handheld devices.
Laptops may be functional workhorses and form the backbone of most companies' mobile equipment, but handhelds are making inroads, thanks largely to the arrival of more business-oriented and wireless technology.
Significant among these developments is the ability to access email and synchronise schedules from a Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone and personal digital assistant (PDA).
The whole wireless segment has taken a giant leap forward now that Bluetooth is finally on the scene, but anyone expecting a quick kill should think again.
Bluetooth may have overcome two years of standards delays, in-fighting and lack of mainstream support, but just because Bluetooth-enabled devices are out there does not mean that the corporate sector is beating down the door.
The future, of course, is bright for the general take-up of wireless devices. This includes mobile phones and handhelds, as well as the more conceptual products waiting in the wings, such as web pads and tablet PCs.
There is great interest within the business community over just what productivity gains can be had by harnessing the potential of cheap handheld devices.
The availability of internal and external wireless technologies such as Bluetooth and wireless local area networks (Lans) for handheld devices is expected to greatly boost sales of handhelds in the coming years.
According to analyst IDC, the handheld computer market is predicted to maintain strong growth rates to 2005 and beyond, with a compound annual growth of 40 per cent.
The market watcher claims that more than 19 million handhelds were shipped by the end of last year and that this number will jump to 68 million in 2005.
"Wireless networking is a big hit with the resellers right now," explained Balvinder Phull, marketing communications manager at D-Link. "There has been strong growth in this area, especially from the beginning of this year."
Killer app?
Leading the way on the Bluetooth wireless front is the mobile phone. Once castigated as a noisy nuisance owned by loudmouth yuppies, the mobile phone has become something most of us now cannot do without.
It is not surprising, then, that it is leading the Bluetooth charge. According to researcher Frost & Sullivan, phones accounted for 44 per cent of Bluetooth silicon shipments in 2001.
This average is expected to remain high as mobile phone companies use Bluetooth to expand the functionality of the latest high-end offerings.
While it has put Bluetooth out in the marketplace in a high-profile sector, there is no indication that the new owners are even aware of what Bluetooth is all about, never mind actively using it.
"Mobile phones will continue to lead the way on the Bluetooth front, but many customers don't even know they have Bluetooth functionality, since it is now coming as standard on certain high-end phones," said Martin Croome, European general manager for Socket Communications.
"In terms of the number of people using Bluetooth functionality, I would have to say it is fairly low. I know of just one PDA on the market with Bluetooth built in, and I've heard that one more is coming. It's slow but picking up. We are in the same market stage as we were with early modems."
Phull agreed. "I have Bluetooth in my mobile phone but I'm not mad about it," he said. "A person will buy a new phone and if it has Bluetooth built in that's great, but they probably won't use it.
"Bluetooth will be one of those things that grows in the background. People really need to see it being used in real life and see tangible results."
The main uses for Bluetooth-enabled devices remain email, scheduling, limited data transfer and some printing. The lack of widespread Bluetooth use today is hardly surprising, since this is the first time it has been given the big push.
Built-in rather than optional
However, for it to really capture the public's imagination the number of handheld devices using Bluetooth has to catch up with the number of mobile phones equipped with the technology.
Whether the handheld devices are Palm, Handspring or Pocket PCs, they will have to start coming with Bluetooth built in, as opposed to being an optional extra.
Some of the newer devices are just starting to appear, but until Bluetooth starts arriving as a standard component, people will keep walking around with Bluetooth-enabled phones and PDAs without exploiting the possibilities of using both together.
Michel Cardiet, sales director at Ericsson Enterprise, said: "It is true that not many people are using the Bluetooth functionality they have, but usage will increase. As soon as the PDAs have in-built Bluetooth, people with Bluetooth phones will use them as modems to access networks, the internet and email."
Mark Fox, product specialist for networking and network attached storage at distributor Ideal, a company that has made a big push into the wireless sector, added: "The Bluetooth side of the wireless segment is being driven by the phone companies, which is not surprising when you consider how much they have invested in developing the technology.
"It would appear that sales of wireless devices like phones, laptops and PDAs are up, helped by Bluetooth functionality. That said, people might have a Bluetooth product, but are they all using Bluetooth? Probably not."
Blue what?
In the business environment, Bluetooth is something of an unknown quantity as long as its uses remain limited. While handy, it is hardly in the same league as wireless Lan technology.
There has been a lot of talk about Bluetooth and wireless Lans, particularly 802.11b, competing for dominance in the business environment, but the truth is less adversarial.
On average, Bluetooth has a 10 metre range and a data transfer rate of up to 1Mbps in ideal conditions. Its low power consumption makes it perfect for wireless devices such as PDAs, and using it in an office can help do away with cabling for products such as mice and keyboards.
In the industrial environment, Bluetooth may yet revolutionise barcode scanning. "Barcoding is incredibly popular for wireless devices, particularly in salesforce automation and medical industries," said Croome.
"A rugged device is often too big and sales reps don't like carrying them around. Bluetooth-enabled scanners are handy for people on the road who use their vehicle as an office and a stock room.
"Put it this way: how many times have you had a plumber or electrician arrive without the right parts? In that instance the barcode scanner reminds them when they are low and what they need to order."
Lan advantages
However, within the office Bluetooth really cannot be seen as a rival to 802.11b. The wireless Lan standard has a range of up to 100 metres, depending on obstructions, and data transfer rates of up to 11Mbps, although about half that is more typical in reality.
Also, while a Bluetooth device can manage simultaneous links with only seven other devices, 802.11b can support up to 64 users.
Supporters of Bluetooth will argue that it can help remove cable clutter, and point to applications such as printers as a hot area for Bluetooth in the office.
But not everyone is convinced. "Mobile printing in the office is really useful only in other people's companies. It's handy if you go to another company and there's a Bluetooth-enabled printer that will allow you to print easily," explained Croome.
"I can't see too many companies investing in that luxury for the occasional guest with a Bluetooth-enabled PDA. If the printer manufacturers can build in Bluetooth without a cost implication, more Bluetooth printers will appear."
Of course, those who are not willing to wait for internal Bluetooth can buy external printer adapters. Beware though, since many of the current crop of products were produced before the Bluetooth Special Interest Group released the final printing specification.
This means that proprietary changes were added to the technology, making the way each adapter sets up its link between the device and the printer more complex.
Fear of change
So while Bluetooth's future in the office is less than clear, its role as the technology for getting in touch with the office while out and about is more secure. But are companies ready for the changes that introducing wireless devices will bring?
They certainly have not been so far. Until recently, the bulk of PDAs in the work environment have arrived via the back door in employees' pockets, making them less of a productivity tool and more of a security risk.
That said, the consumer drive that brought PDAs into companies has shifted recently, thanks to the greater number of business applications being written for PDAs and the arrival of Windows CE-based devices.
While these devices have become faster and more powerful in a short time, companies have been slow to put policies in place to deal with the number of them being attached to the corporate network.
"I think being able to take your data where you want on your PDA is exciting, but the impact is massive on the IT management side," said Phull. "Everyone has to know the rules about what staff can and cannot do.
"We live in a world where everyone is a bit of a gadget freak; they all want to use the enormous amount of functionality in these devices, and that's what worries a network manager. The network manager needs to lay down the law and companies are just starting to put in structures now."
Cardiet added: "Some companies are not ready for such devices, and don't control their use at all. When they realise that improving people's mobility can increase productivity, they will start to manage all of these devices carefully. Mobility is a new concept and has to be integrated into the existing environment."
As devices arrive with Bluetooth as standard there are other things that should help both consumers and business feel more confident about a wireless lifestyle.
The Microsoft factor
How Bluetooth interacts with your current systems may be made a lot simpler this summer when Microsoft announces support for Bluetooth in its Windows XP operating system.
Originally expected at XP's launch, support for Bluetooth was pulled by Microsoft at the last minute because the company said it still had technical issues to sort out.
The add-on will be available online via the Windows Update service and will initially support features such as dial-up networking over mobile phones, printing and wireless input devices.
Most observers believe that Microsoft support should help bolster Bluetooth's credibility. "Whether it's in the home or the business environment, Microsoft's support is important to Bluetooth," stated Cardiet.
So the wireless device march continues, but to a different tune. Microsoft is about to give Bluetooth the nod of approval, and businesses are more interested in PDAs arriving by the front door than the back. This all suggests that Bluetooth is finally growing up.
SUMMARY
- Mobile phones are the dominant Bluetooth driver at present.
- Personal digital assistants with built-in Bluetooth are just starting to appear.
- Microsoft's upcoming support for Bluetooth in the XP operating system will boost consumer and business confidence in the technology.
- Some companies are not yet prepared for Bluetooth-enabled devices, and do not control their use by employees at all.
- Bluetooth should not be seen as a rival to the 802.11b wireless Lan standard, as the latter supports many more simultaneous links.
CONTACTS
D-Link (020) 8731 5555
www.dlink.co.uk
Ericsson Enterprise (020) 7016 1000
www.ericsson.co.uk
Ideal Hardware (020) 8286 5000
www.ideal.co.uk
Socket Communications
www.socketcom.com