Posted by
michael
on from the wi-fi-all-the-way dept.
rookie1 writes "According to this article and this, Ericsson has shut down its Bluetooth division. Ericsson has not made any formal announcement. Considering SonyEricsson is a major supporter of Bluetooth technology, will this have a huge impact on its adoption?"
Might not be bad
by
attaboy
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
From the News.com.com article:
Ericsson doesn't plan to continue design and development around Bluetooth, but it will continue to support existing customers and include it in products, the company representative said. Bluetooth technology efforts will be incorporated into the work of Ericsson's Mobile Platforms group.
Glass Half Full Interpretation: Maybe this means that Bluetooth has become so simple to implement that they don't need a dedicated development team anymore. It seems that Bluetooth is cropping up in all sorts of CE devices. BT chips and control sets are becoming more and more standardized. For Ericsson, the hard work of developing tie-ins to their phone OS is already done. This could be a good sign, rather than a bad one, for Bluetooth in general.
I'm a little fuzzy on the relationship between Ericsson and SonyEricsson. Not sure if the former will impact the phones of the latter.
-- The facts have a liberal bias. --The Daily Show
Re:Might not be bad
by
romper
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
I'm a little fuzzy on the relationship between Ericsson and SonyEricsson.
Also, what's the relationship of Sony to SonyEricsson? I've had a lot of frustration with Sony and Bluetooth support in the USA.
For example, I own a Sony TR laptop. Great machine, but you can't buy it *without* Bluetooth in Japan, and yet it's not even an option here in the States.
This kind of attitude doesn't seem limited to just Sony. I love Bluetooth and if given a choice between two devices will typically choose the one with Bluetooth (unless it's a toaster oven or something). =) Yet I don't know that I'm seeing much more support for it here. Is that destined to change?
(Trying to come back to the topic): Many comments here state that this might not be a bad thing and that SonyEricsson is just shifting its Bluetooth program to another division or whatever, but how is this going to be viewed by the consumer market as a whole?
I always like the idea of Bluetooth, though I'm afraid I saw this coming. I don't know why it was never adopted on a wider scale, but I certainly hope that other short distance wireless technologies (like WUSB) do take off. It would be nice to have a desktop with no wires except for power.
Re:Lame
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
Bluetooth has really taken off in the mobile phone market; it is a must-have checklist item for high end phones.
Its very handy for hands-free, including headsets, and interaction with luxury cars.
No effect at all. JVC invented the VHS standard, it's small market share was not signifigant in it's adoption. Phillips invented the redbook audio CD, it's influence is miniscule today, or even 15 years ago.
I doubt it...
by
Philosinfinity
·
· Score: 4, Interesting
I doubt this will affect bluetooth's ability to enter the mainstream. In fact, I never quite understood the need for bluetooth in your cellphone (aside from cellphone PDA type devices). Wireless headphones are nice, but is this really what I want to use bluetooth for?
Rather, I think that the PC perhipheral market is what will ultimately drive bluetooth. Think about it. Truely wireless keyboards, mice, modems, printers, etc. are so beneficial for end users. Bluetooth's future is in "untangling the PC" not the convienence of wireless cell phone headsets and small PC to cellphone data transfers.
Re:I doubt it...
by
plover
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
How about a wireless speakerphone in your car? With a Bluetooth handsfree kit, you can just hop in your car and go. Your car and your phone recognize each other as you turn on the ignition, and your car says "I'm going to be your headset now."
It's been discussed having Bluetooth "silencers" installed at movie theatres, concert venues, and restaurants. They'd be a simple Bluetooth device that would request your phone switch to a silent profile for the next hour or two. If you were an anti-social jerk, you could turn such a thing off. But as we know from lots of experience, most people won't be bothered to change their default settings. It's not a complete solution to the problem of cell phone ringers in auditoriums, but every phone call silenced makes for a more pleasant experience for all.
The nice thing is that all of the features you mention with respect to PC usage can quite peacably coexist with the cell phone usage. Both ends can drive the market simultaneously, and as more crossover functionality becomes possible, consumer demand will drive more adoption. We're already seeing this with digital camera phones exchanging pictures with PCs. And laptops are able to use the Bluetooth equipped phones for network access.
Bluetooth was the sole reason I purchased a T637 phone earlier this summer. I really didn't care about the camera (crappy quality pictures) nor about the Java in the phone. I wanted my Palm Tungsten to be able get to the internet occasionally, and I now have that. But I also have the option to have a speaker kit in my car (I suppose this will wait 'til Christmas), to exchange address and phone data with my desktop, and opens up all sorts of possibilities.
-- John
Re:I doubt it...
by
dave420
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
You've missed the point here, somewhat. Bluetooth isn't used for high-bandwidth purposes, as that's not what it's designed for. It's designed to be tiny, cheap and low-power. You can include it in a device for a buck or two, which is a lot cheaper than any other wireless I can think of (except IrDA, of course;)).
It's used to sync small amounts of data, send short messages, sporadic control IO (keyboards/etc), voice streams, etc. It's used to link PDAs/PCs/notebooks to cellphones for GPRS/G3 internet access, and (as you said) headsets (which is missing the bigger picture - we're talking about any audio in/out device, computer speakers/mics included), not forgetting fax/printing services.
It's most definitely not going anywhere, and its adoption will increase rapidly, especially when Windows gets its act together and has a decent BT stack. WIDCOMM is cool, but it looks like crap and doesn't work with everything. The macs have BT down.
Just because you can't see a use for it, doesn't mean it's useless and should go away. I can't think of a good reason to own a mass spectrometer or a soldering iron, but that doesn't mean they're useless and should be disposed of immediately.
Depends on the others
by
DARKFORCE123
·
· Score: 1, Interesting
Ericsson was definitely on top of getting Bluetooth to its phones first. If Nokia, Motorola , and Samsung follow suit, then Bluetooth will be history. Frankly I don't know that many people who use bluetooth on their phones except for the headsets. Besides using Bluetooth for headsets, I have not heard anyone talk about other cool things to do with it. Trading phone contacts around or transferring files can be done with other technologies already present in the cellphone. Bluetooth has to have some other applications cooler than that if it expects to survive.
Zigbee!
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
Who licenses bluetooth?
by
kzinti
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
From the article: Ericsson is pulling the plug on its technology licensing unit, the wholly-owned subsidiary which invented Bluetooth wireless technology and became the driving force behind the company's Bluetooth initiative.... Ericsson also won't pursue new chip customers for Bluetooth technology licensing.
So was Ericsson, as the inventor of Bluetooth, the only licensing authority, or has it granted/sold that authority to others?
Re:Bluetooth is dead
by
erick99
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
Bluetooth is one of the those "solutions in search of a problem." It's a cool idea but not enough people actually buy things because it has bluetooth. The short range may have something to do with it. It's sort of an orphan technology for lack of a better term?
I cant say much about why they are dropping the unit but us useful to know that SonyEriccson has had some trouble with the t608 Bluetooth phone (used on the sprint network). Part of it was them "obtaining" some technology from qualcomm, To the t608 being a bluetooth phone with some interesting bugs
Apple and Bluetooth
by
artlu
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
The only reason that i purchased another Sony Ericsson phone after having the T68i was because of BlueTooth. Apple is a big supporter of Bluetooth as well so my T616 and G4 Powerbook integrated perfectly. I guess this will be my last Ericsson phone now. Time to go for the Treo 650 with bluetooth around XMAS time.
Re:Bluetooth not "adopting"
by
Raptor+CK
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
Well, it's sorta useful.
See, Apple makes nice hardware.
Then they screw up and put the USB ports on the left side of the Powerbook, while I'm right-handed, and like having an external mouse.
Not one to want an extra cord snaked all the way around the back ot my laptop, I took advantage of the built-in Bluetooth module and got a Bluetooth mouse.
If pointing and clicking comfortably without dealing with an external wireless transceiver is useful, then I've got your argument.
At the very least, it's kinda cool.
-- Raptor
"Procrastination is great. It gives me a lot more time to do things that I'm never going to do."
Thank you Bluetooth!
by
WormholeFiend
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
You haven't used Bluetooth have you? Or maybe you just had a bad experience. I don't know. What I do know is that Bluetooth is a feature I now regard as indespensible in my phone, pda and, soon, headphones. I won't even consider a phone, pda or laptop without it now.
My phone and PDA (nokia 6310i and Palm Tungsten T3) essentially act as one device thanks almost entirely to bluetooth. I can look up a number in my Palm, tap it and it automatically dials on my phone. But unlike a smartphone, I can leave the PDA behind if I don't need it. If I want to sync my phone or pda with my computer, I don't have to find a cable, I just do it. If I want to check email on my laptop or my pda, I connect automatically through the bluetooth modem in my phone and it's like carrying a (admittidly slow until I get an EDGE phone) wifi hotspot with me everywhere. Driving in my car? Bluetooth headset. I don't even have to pull the phone out of the bag and there are no wires needed.
At the risk of sounding like a fanboy, Bluetooth is seriously cool. It makes it very easy for devices to interact. Will something better come along one day? Sure. But in the mean time, bluetooth does the job and does it very well.
Re:God I hope not
by
ElGuapoGolf
·
· Score: 4, Interesting
The problem is, I think, that you mention Bluetooth to most people, and those who have heard of it think it's Just Another Wireless Thingy. They think about 802.11b or whatever and don't see the need for bluetooth.
Then when they're with you in your car, and you get an incoming call and your stereo automagically cuts off and a message pops up on the radio display with all your caller ID info, they're confused and a little shocked. Then when you hit a button and your talking via a mic in the car, and hearing the caller come in over the speakers, they're amazed.
The PDA to cellphone via bluetooth to browse the internet, IMO, is even better than a hotspot, but to the non-techie, the car thing is like seeing into the future.
Re:Does it matter?
by
lpangelrob2
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
I own a Sony Ericsson T610. So far, it hasn't had any battery problems like the AT&T cell I had a few years back, or any display problems like the Nokia cheap phones I had before this one.
It has cheap Java games on it that I could probably write better games for. It has mini golf and some random adventure game. I play both every now and then... especially the golf.
It does an okay job of organizing my contacts without bluetooth. But this is an article about bluetooth, so let me go further. My phone knows everything about my PowerBook's Address Book thanks to iSync over bluetooth. My PowerBook has sent music files to the phone via bluetooth. And it's sent back the (admittedly crappy yet cool) pictures I took of Wrigley Field when I decided to go ahead and set a pic of Wrigley as the background.
It has text messaging and WAP services, but I don't need those, so I don't pay for them or use them. If I ever need a hotspot from T-Mobile, it'll be for the PowerBook, not the phone.
This is my experience, and why I think the Ericsson I have makes an excellent phone to mark as the standard to beat for the next couple of years.
Re:Bluetooth not "adopting"
by
raikje
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
I like my bluetooth phone precisely because I don't sync it very often, and I don't transfer photos very often. But when I do, it takes a couple of clicks and it's done. Never again will I spend hours hunting for a data cable, that in fact I've lent to a friend.
(typed on my bluetooth keyboard)
Little old ladies
by
Bender+Unit+22
·
· Score: 4, Interesting
So are people here a bunch of little old ladies? All those people writing about it being dead. Are there no technology/gadet geeks here. I have many uses for Bluetooth. I got a Notebook with bluetooth so I don't need any wires to update my calender. Updating phone numbers to friends, co-workers, business relations are a lot easier with Bluetooth. I use Bluetooth to transfer MP3 files to the phone which also serves as a MP3 player when I am not taking the car to work. I also got a Bluetooth car kit installed, hopefully I don't need to get a entire new set installed when I change phone in the future, just the holder/charger. You can even get cars with Bluetooh phone kits that fits with the car. On rare occations I have used Bluetooth and GPRS to connect to servers using SSH from my notebook, although the latency are REALLY bad, but if you are in the middle of nowhere it's better than having to drive home. Some of my co-workers likes to use those Bluetooth head sets.
I see bluetooth phones all over the place, from my desk at work, I see about 15 different bluetooth devices, phones, PCs, PDAs and printers. When I take the subway home from work I can always see 2-3 other Bluetooth phones.
I admit that a lot of phones had a lousy implentation with few features, which has not helped the adoption.
Ok, maybe it is just in my "world" that Bluetooth is used, or maybe it is just non-existent in America?
Re:Bluetooth is dead
by
erick99
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
Actually I do. I've been in technology (both engineering and marketing) for 24 years and I have seen it all. The short range is too short for too many applications. It's an opinion based on a lot of experience but it is, after all, just mine.
Cheers,
Erick
-- http://www.busyweather.com/
Re:Promoting?
by
ElForesto
·
· Score: 4, Interesting
I think what they're trying to say is that with Bluetooth being standardized, they're perfectly happy to depend on 3rd-party manufacturers to make the peripherals. I imagine this is a way for them to focus on their core business and not get too involved in something ancilliary to it.
-- There is a difference between "insightful" and "inciteful" other than spelling.
Re:Bluetooth not "adopting"
by
Asprin
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
Ok, you seem to know your way around, so can I bug you with some honest questions for which I can never seem to find an answer?
Are the data transmissions are encrypted in any way?
How do you select which device you are exchanging data with?
Can you limit which devices can and cannot communicate with each other to prevent the nosy neighbors from listening in?
Can you limit which devices can *see* each other to prevent the nosy neighbors from even knowing you have a bluetooth device?
How do you enter a secret access password into a headset?
I've been very dubious about Bluetooth - but recently I've started to see the point.
Infrared transfers are just not an option, due to poor connection reliability, and I still haven't seen any phones with WiFi capability.
A friend of mine also has a bluetooth handsfree thing in his car, and it's a definite winner. He can leave his phone in his bag, and as long as it's inside the car he can make and receive calls over the speakers / in-car-mic.
Wireless transfer of data might not excite the masses, but this kind of real life advantage does - anyone who's had to manically search for a ringing phone in their car will see the benefit.
Slashdot Mirror
From the News.com.com article:
Glass Half Full Interpretation: Maybe this means that Bluetooth has become so simple to implement that they don't need a dedicated development team anymore. It seems that Bluetooth is cropping up in all sorts of CE devices. BT chips and control sets are becoming more and more standardized. For Ericsson, the hard work of developing tie-ins to their phone OS is already done. This could be a good sign, rather than a bad one, for Bluetooth in general.
I'm a little fuzzy on the relationship between Ericsson and SonyEricsson. Not sure if the former will impact the phones of the latter.
The facts have a liberal bias. --The Daily Show
I always like the idea of Bluetooth, though I'm afraid I saw this coming. I don't know why it was never adopted on a wider scale, but I certainly hope that other short distance wireless technologies (like WUSB) do take off. It would be nice to have a desktop with no wires except for power.
No effect at all. JVC invented the VHS standard, it's small market share was not signifigant in it's adoption. Phillips invented the redbook audio CD, it's influence is miniscule today, or even 15 years ago.
I doubt this will affect bluetooth's ability to enter the mainstream. In fact, I never quite understood the need for bluetooth in your cellphone (aside from cellphone PDA type devices). Wireless headphones are nice, but is this really what I want to use bluetooth for?
Rather, I think that the PC perhipheral market is what will ultimately drive bluetooth. Think about it. Truely wireless keyboards, mice, modems, printers, etc. are so beneficial for end users. Bluetooth's future is in "untangling the PC" not the convienence of wireless cell phone headsets and small PC to cellphone data transfers.
Ericsson was definitely on top of getting Bluetooth to its phones first. If Nokia, Motorola , and Samsung follow suit, then Bluetooth will be history.
Frankly I don't know that many people who use bluetooth on their phones except for the headsets.
Besides using Bluetooth for headsets, I have not heard anyone talk about other cool things to do with it. Trading phone contacts around or transferring files can be done with other technologies already present in the cellphone. Bluetooth has to have some other applications cooler than that if it expects to survive.
Move over Bluetooth, behold the era of Zigbee!
From the article: Ericsson is pulling the plug on its technology licensing unit, the wholly-owned subsidiary which invented Bluetooth wireless technology and became the driving force behind the company's Bluetooth initiative.... Ericsson also won't pursue new chip customers for Bluetooth technology licensing.
So was Ericsson, as the inventor of Bluetooth, the only licensing authority, or has it granted/sold that authority to others?
Cheers,
Erick
http://www.busyweather.com/
I cant say much about why they are dropping the unit but us useful to know that SonyEriccson has had some trouble with the t608 Bluetooth phone (used on the sprint network).
e ws &file=article&sid=445
e ws &file=article&sid=555
Part of it was them "obtaining" some technology from qualcomm,
To the t608 being a bluetooth phone with some interesting bugs
Here are some links with more details:
http://www.sprintpcsinfo.com/modules.php?name=N
http://www.sprintpcsinfo.com/modules.php?name=N
Recap:
USB going wireless
Bluetooth declared dead.
Bluetooth ships 1M unis
Bluetooth is dead
is apple still dying too?
Error: Id10t detected
The only reason that i purchased another Sony Ericsson phone after having the T68i was because of BlueTooth. Apple is a big supporter of Bluetooth as well so my T616 and G4 Powerbook integrated perfectly. I guess this will be my last Ericsson phone now. Time to go for the Treo 650 with bluetooth around XMAS time.
GroupShares Inc.
-------
artlu.net
Well, it's sorta useful.
See, Apple makes nice hardware.
Then they screw up and put the USB ports on the left side of the Powerbook, while I'm right-handed, and like having an external mouse.
Not one to want an extra cord snaked all the way around the back ot my laptop, I took advantage of the built-in Bluetooth module and got a Bluetooth mouse.
If pointing and clicking comfortably without dealing with an external wireless transceiver is useful, then I've got your argument.
At the very least, it's kinda cool.
Raptor
"Procrastination is great. It gives me a lot more time to do things that I'm never going to do."
for helping me to get laid in the UK.
> What adoption? When was the last time you used a Bluetooth-
> enabled device to do anything useful?
Well, I clicked on "Reply to This" using my Bluetooth mouse connected to my PowerBook.
But it's arguable whether posting to Slashdot qualifies as "useful"
Insert simplistic political, ideological, or personal proselytization here.
Public Domain has been propular the last few years...
Perhaps if we're lucky, Bluetooth will go away.
You haven't used Bluetooth have you? Or maybe you just had a bad experience. I don't know. What I do know is that Bluetooth is a feature I now regard as indespensible in my phone, pda and, soon, headphones. I won't even consider a phone, pda or laptop without it now.
My phone and PDA (nokia 6310i and Palm Tungsten T3) essentially act as one device thanks almost entirely to bluetooth. I can look up a number in my Palm, tap it and it automatically dials on my phone. But unlike a smartphone, I can leave the PDA behind if I don't need it. If I want to sync my phone or pda with my computer, I don't have to find a cable, I just do it. If I want to check email on my laptop or my pda, I connect automatically through the bluetooth modem in my phone and it's like carrying a (admittidly slow until I get an EDGE phone) wifi hotspot with me everywhere. Driving in my car? Bluetooth headset. I don't even have to pull the phone out of the bag and there are no wires needed.
At the risk of sounding like a fanboy, Bluetooth is seriously cool. It makes it very easy for devices to interact. Will something better come along one day? Sure. But in the mean time, bluetooth does the job and does it very well.
It has cheap Java games on it that I could probably write better games for. It has mini golf and some random adventure game. I play both every now and then... especially the golf.
It does an okay job of organizing my contacts without bluetooth. But this is an article about bluetooth, so let me go further. My phone knows everything about my PowerBook's Address Book thanks to iSync over bluetooth. My PowerBook has sent music files to the phone via bluetooth. And it's sent back the (admittedly crappy yet cool) pictures I took of Wrigley Field when I decided to go ahead and set a pic of Wrigley as the background.
It has text messaging and WAP services, but I don't need those, so I don't pay for them or use them. If I ever need a hotspot from T-Mobile, it'll be for the PowerBook, not the phone.
This is my experience, and why I think the Ericsson I have makes an excellent phone to mark as the standard to beat for the next couple of years.
-Rob
Marriage doesn't have to suck!
I like my bluetooth phone precisely because I don't sync it very often, and I don't transfer photos very often. But when I do, it takes a couple of clicks and it's done. Never again will I spend hours hunting for a data cable, that in fact I've lent to a friend.
(typed on my bluetooth keyboard)
So are people here a bunch of little old ladies?
All those people writing about it being dead. Are there no technology/gadet geeks here. I have many uses for Bluetooth.
I got a Notebook with bluetooth so I don't need any wires to update my calender. Updating phone numbers to friends, co-workers, business relations are a lot easier with Bluetooth.
I use Bluetooth to transfer MP3 files to the phone which also serves as a MP3 player when I am not taking the car to work.
I also got a Bluetooth car kit installed, hopefully I don't need to get a entire new set installed when I change phone in the future, just the holder/charger. You can even get cars with Bluetooh phone kits that fits with the car.
On rare occations I have used Bluetooth and GPRS to connect to servers using SSH from my notebook, although the latency are REALLY bad, but if you are in the middle of nowhere it's better than having to drive home.
Some of my co-workers likes to use those Bluetooth head sets.
I see bluetooth phones all over the place, from my desk at work, I see about 15 different bluetooth devices, phones, PCs, PDAs and printers. When I take the subway home from work I can always see 2-3 other Bluetooth phones.
I admit that a lot of phones had a lousy implentation with few features, which has not helped the adoption.
Ok, maybe it is just in my "world" that Bluetooth is used, or maybe it is just non-existent in America?
Cheers,
Erick
http://www.busyweather.com/
I think what they're trying to say is that with Bluetooth being standardized, they're perfectly happy to depend on 3rd-party manufacturers to make the peripherals. I imagine this is a way for them to focus on their core business and not get too involved in something ancilliary to it.
There is a difference between "insightful" and "inciteful" other than spelling.
Ok, you seem to know your way around, so can I bug you with some honest questions for which I can never seem to find an answer?
- Are the data transmissions are encrypted in any way?
- How do you select which device you are exchanging data with?
- Can you limit which devices can and cannot communicate with each other to prevent the nosy neighbors from listening in?
- Can you limit which devices can *see* each other to prevent the nosy neighbors from even knowing you have a bluetooth device?
- How do you enter a secret access password into a headset?
Thanks!"Lawyers are for sucks."
- Doug McKenzie
I've been very dubious about Bluetooth - but recently I've started to see the point.
Infrared transfers are just not an option, due to poor connection reliability, and I still haven't seen any phones with WiFi capability.
A friend of mine also has a bluetooth handsfree thing in his car, and it's a definite winner. He can leave his phone in his bag, and as long as it's inside the car he can make and receive calls over the speakers / in-car-mic.
Wireless transfer of data might not excite the masses, but this kind of real life advantage does - anyone who's had to manically search for a ringing phone in their car will see the benefit.