Developers plan to meld Bluetooth

Wireless developers plan to work together to meld Bluetooth, the short-range technology that links cell phones and cordless headsets, with an emerging technology designed to beam video and other large content short distances between TVs, home entertainment systems and computers.

Wireless developers plan to work together to meld Bluetooth, the short-range technology that links cell phones and cordless headsets, with an emerging technology designed to beam video and other large content short distances between TVs, home entertainment systems and computers.

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The plan, announced on Wednesday, comes at a crucial time for Bluetooth. After years of hype, the technology is finally becoming a mainstream feature on mobile devices, only to be met with predictions it may soon be supplanted by other technologies and disappear.

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group, a 3,400-member group whose backers include Nokia, Motorola and Intel, said it has begun working with two industry bodies developing rival versions of the technology commonly referred to as ultra-wideband, or UWB.

While both technologies are used for connections of 10 yards or less to create so-called "personal area networks" between various devices, the similarities mostly end there.

There's little relation in terms of the actual technology, but the most significant difference is speed.

The most common type of Bluetooth transmits data at speeds of up to 1 megabit per second, while a next-generation version starting to hit the market offers up to 3 mbps.

UWB allows speeds of 100 mbps and higher, making it a far more effective way to transmit a video signal from a digital video recorder to a laptop without wires.

That means a UWB signal has enough bandwidth to handle a high-definition television programme, which can require 22 mbps of bandwidth for real-time streaming and viewing, plus a few other tasks at the same time.

Bluetooth's big advantages, for now, compared with UWB include its market penetration and increasingly recognizable brand name, as well as its low power-consumption, which makes it perfect for cell phones and headsets with limited battery life.

SMART BOX

Bluetooth vs UWB

• While Bluetooth can transmit data at speeds up to 3 mbps, ultra-wideband (UWB) allows speeds up to 100 mbps

• Bluetooth has low power consumption making it perfect for devices with limited battery life

• Bluetooth is a cheaper technology and has a wider market penetration