Will 802.11 Kill Bluetooth?

joshwa writes "NYTimes (free reg. required) has an article about the struggles of the Bluetooth folks to fine-tune their technology and get the costs down far enough. The most interesting part is that analysts seem to think that 802.11's (what is this new 'Wi-Fi' moniker?) growing popularity will overshadow Bluetooth's entrance into the marketplace, and will beat Bluetooth into the small devices market. Can 802.11 actually work in a Palm or a cell phone?" The article, IMHO, misses the difference in uses - if you've got a small device that you want to conserve power on, and only communicate small distances, Bluetooth's ideal. If you've got a lot of power, a la a notebook computer, and want to communicate 150 ft., then 802.11 is what you want. Imagine that: Different uses! Different standards! Amazing!

Comments

Re:Bluetooth will fail just like infrared did

[Brento]

the below Xwpen pen from Microsoft Research is real (see video on url), and records handwriting on paper and transmits writing via radio link.

With all due respect, seeing a video of something from any company, let alone vaporware specialists like Microsoft, is a long, long way from having it actually exist and be available to the public.