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Bluetooth, Where Art Thou?
Monday December 11 by Megan PrineWith a bevy of hardware and software developers featured at the Comdex Las Vegas Bluetooth pavilion last month, one might think that the much-hyped technology has finally arrived. On the hardware side, I saw demos of Bluetooth devices in the printer, security, cell phone and laptop arenas. So techies have been snatching these devices up like hotcakes, right? Go to any popular computer reseller Web site, type in "Bluetooth", and you'll find the answer is undoubtedly, no.
Bluetooth developers continue to dangle the proverbial carrot in front of mobile professionals and gadget enthusiasts, who continue to wait, albeit patiently, for this short-range wireless technology to hit the market. I conducted my own unscientific poll of 10 popular resellers, including CDW, Outpost, Buy.com, and Insight, to find out what Bluetooth devices are available now. And what were the results? Although six out of the 10 delivered a result for my Bluetooth search, the only product that was offered was the IBM Bluetooth PC Card for ThinkPad computers.
Lucky ThinkPad users! They get to be the first to sync their laptop with other devices like…uh…what other devices? Even if you shell out 200 bucks to enable your ThinkPad with a Bluetooth PC Card, what's it going to communicate with? Nothing quite yet. But we must remember that someone had to be first out the gate with a functional Bluetooth product. So the wait continues—especially in the corporate world.
According to a November poll by eWeek magazine, less than 10% of FastTrack companies surveyed agreed that Bluetooth would have a large impact on their business in the next 12 months. FastTrack companies include leading customer relationship management (CRM) companies, as determined by eWeek and Gartner Group analysts. How did Bluetooth fare against other emerging technologies? Bluetooth came in dead last, just behind the Linux operating system. Bluetooth was a far cry from the top priority, security software, which came in at the head of the 17-member class. Nearly 60% of CRM companies surveyed indicated that implementing security solutions is essential in the next 12 months.
While we play the waiting game, we have the consolation that Bluetooth devices are indeed on the horizon. Obvious ones like cell phones and PDAs come to mind. Back in the laptop market, both IBM and Compaq have announced development of snap-on modules that connect to a port the laptop monitor, freeing up the PC Card and mini PCI slots for other integral devices such as modem cards and universal docking solutions. The fact that these two laptop powerhouses have dedicated the resources to develop a separate interface for Bluetooth bodes particularly well for the technology. Other notebook OEMs are sure to follow suit.
My favorite Bluetooth device at Comdex was the Xyloc wireless security solution. This Bluetooth security card allows devices, such as a laptop PC, to identify and qualify authorized users. It's password protection taken to the next level. The Xyloc system comes with a lock, which securely attaches to the PC via a PS/2, serial, or USB port, and two wearable keys—one resembles a PC Card, the other a pager. The lock communicates with the key via a Bluetooth radio signal to lock and unlock the PC system as the authorized user(s) leave and approach the PC. It's password protection for the wireless age.
But at what cost will Bluetooth come? Is it worth the expense to implement Xyloc when good old fashioned on-screen passwords are still a viable option? Currently, there is no arguing that Bluetooth is an expensive way to sync data, because it is not yet fully integrated into devices. The Bluetooth chip is too costly—and still too large in size—to be integrated into the most compact devices, so users will probably have to settle with attachable Bluetooth modules for a while. But prices for Bluetooth chips are expected to drop from $20 to $5 in 2001, which will enable device manufacturers to integrate Bluetooth internally without offending consumers with outrageous pricing.
There's no doubt that we'll see Bluetooth devices in 2001, but my guess is that the technology won't truly take off until 2002. That's when the IT community and consumers will have a true understanding of the technology's operating capabilities, cost and value.
Megan Prine is a marketing professional with expertise in the mobile computing and non-profit sectors. She contributes to several on-line publications and welcomes your comments at brimeg@msn.com.
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