General Answers for bluetooth from 1powershop.com (4)

Q: Is Bluetooth practical for use with mobile devices?A: Yes. One concern for mobile computing users is power consumption. Bluetooth radios are very low power, drawing as little as 0.3mA in standby mode and 30mA during sustained data transmissions. Bluetooth radios alternate among power-saving modes in which device activity is lowered to maximize the mobile power supply.
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Q: What is a Personal Area Network (PAN)?A: A Personal Area Network is another name for a Bluetooth Piconet.
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Q: What is HomeRF ? A: HomeRFlike Bluetooth is a specification for connectivity and mobility in a home-like environment. HomeRF Working Group has developed a specification for wireless communications in the home called the Shared Wireless Access Protocol (SWAP).
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Regulatory/ Market Answers:Q: Are different brands of Bluetooth products compatible?A: Yes. They have to. The Bluetooth Logo Certification Program requires Bluetooth products to interoperate with products manufactured by other vendors; those products that don't interoperate will not be allowed to use the Bluetooth logo.
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Q: Can Bluetooth products be used on aircraft?A: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other aviation regulatory bodies worldwide are currently reviewing the use of Bluetooth products on private and commercial aircraft. In the U.S. the FAA is the governing body to grant approval for Bluetooth product use on aircraft; therefore, we must defer to their impending ruling.
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Q: What companies are involved in the Bluetooth initiative?A: Global technology leaders Ericsson, Nokia, IBM, Intel and Toshiba founded the Bluetooth SIG in 1998. These companies are now supported by over 1,000 other organizations with a wide range of expertise, including Widcomm, Inc.
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Q: What types of companies are likely to adopt or promote Bluetooth technology?A: Companies likely to adopt this technology include, but are not limited to, software developers, network vendors, silicon vendors, peripheral and camera manufacturers, mobile PC and handheld device manufacturers, consumer electronics manufacturers and more.
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Q: Are there any patents or licenses involved?A: Yes, there are several patents on different parts of the technology. Because of this, all licensees will have to sign a zero cost license agreement to cover IP and naming.
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Q: What is the estimated size of the market?A: Market research studies at several leading companies involved with Bluetooth technology expect a total of 250 million Bluetooth-enabled devices, ranging from headsets to mobile and desk1powershop computers, will be shipped in 2002.
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Q: Where can I get Bluetooth specification ? Is it license free ? A: Bluetooth specification can be downloaded from Bluetooth.com which has more comprehensive information about Bluetooth.com and its SIG. It is totally free and no license is required to use it.
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Q: Is Bluetooth an IEEE standard, like IEEE 802.11 and Ethernet?A: Being an IEEE standard will be a big plus to widespread adoption of Bluetooth, and IEEE 802.15 working group for personal area networks (PAN) announced that they will be adopting Bluetooth as the IEEE 802.15 standard.
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Q: How much will Bluetooth devices cost? A: Bluetooth devices are expected to cost $20 initially (first half of 2000); but will drop to around $5 with widespread adoption and economies of scale.
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Q: What is it - a technology, a standard, an initiative, or a product? A: Bluetooth wireless technology is a de facto standard, as well as a specification for small-form factor, low-cost, short range radio links between mobile PCs, mobile phones and other portable devices. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group is an industry group consisting of leaders in the telecommunications, computing, and networking industries that are driving development of the technology and bringing it to market.