Bluetooth Provides Wireless Connectivity to Millions of Smartphones and Other Devices

Bluetooth is a wireless technology aimed at enabling a host of different devices, such as desktop PCs, laptops, printers and cameras, to communicate effortlessly with one another, without the need for cables or setting up network protocols. While limited in range to only about 30 feet (compared to Wi-Fi’s 150 feet or so), Bluetooth is particularly useful for enabling personal electronics to communicate with each other. Bluetooth requires little power and is therefore excellent for use in battery-powered devices.

Internet Research Tip: Bluetooth

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group, (www.bluetooth.com ) is an organization consisting of thousands of manufacturers that are currently using Bluetooth or that plan to use it in the near future.

Complex devices that use a combination of Bluetooth with UWB or Wi-Fi have become common. The extremely popular Nintendo Wii game playing console utilizes a Bluetooth chip manufactured by Broadcom in its remote control unit, while utilizing Wi-Fi to enable the Wii to surf the Internet and to interact with other game players online. Also, delivery giant UPS uses tens of thousands of scanner/data capture devices that utilize a combination of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. These hand-held scanners are used in UPS package sorting facilities worldwide. The Bluetooth segment enables a lightweight, handheld scanning wand to communicate to a mobile data capture computer worn by a worker. The data capture device uses Wi-Fi to transfer data to the facility’s computer network.

Popular uses include communication from wireless PC keyboards and mice to PCs, from music players to wireless headphones, as well as from laptop computers and other portable devices to printers. Bluetooth is also widely used in new automobiles as a way for smartphones, iPods and other devices to connect with communication and entertainment systems built into dashboards. Other uses within the automobile sector include communication between laptops and mobile Internet access systems, and even car-to-car communication is possible between nearby automobiles.

Bluetooth 3.0 was launched in April 2009. It exponentially increased data transmission speeds. Operating in the 6 to 9 GHz range, version 3.0 is hoped to eliminate concerns of interference from wireless networks and other devices as found in the 2.4 GHz range used by Bluetooth 2.0. Data transfer speeds may reach as high as 50 Mbps at very close range, and 12.5 Mbps at 10 meters range. This means that very fast streaming video and other advanced applications will be possible.

In mid-2010, Bluetooth 4.0 was officially adopted by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), effectively giving manufacturers the green light to use the new technology. 4.0 is a low-energy version that offers ultra-low peak, average and idle mode power consumption and has the ability to run for years on standard coin-cell batteries.

Sony is focusing on an advanced Bluetooth technology that it dubs TransferJet, with transfer speeds of up to 560 Mbps (in early 2010, Sony launched the first laptop with TransferJet that offered speeds of only 40 Mbps). Sony’s TransferJet-equipped devices can communicate with each other simply by being a little more than an inch apart.

New developments using Bluetooth are launched continually. At the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Bluetooth was prevalent throughout the exhibit halls, including Bragi’s $299 in-ear headphone/music player/fitness and heart-rate tracker and Fuz Designs’ Noke, a $59 Bluetooth-controlled padlock that enables smartphones to signal the lock unit to snap open or shut.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Become a Plunkett Research Online subscriber to gain unlimited access to our massive amount of vital industry data and market research.

✔ 100,000 Industry Statistics
✔ 500 Industries Analyzed for Market Size, Profits and Forecasts
✔ 150,000 Industry Executives Profiled
✔ 25,000 Companies Profiled, Ranked and Analyzed
✔ 1,000 Vital Trends Analyzed, totaling 1,000,000 words

Learn More

Bluetooth Provides Wireless Connectivity to Millions of Smartphones and Other Devices, Business and Industry Trends Analysis

A Representative List of Organizations that Have Used our Research and Products:

How to access Plunkett Research data.

What data challenge can we help you solve today?

Take a Tour

Contact

Testimonials