09 September 2008

Bluetooth Takes Throne In MID Market

Bluetooth will become a key feature of mobile devices as the demand for a new class of Internet-connect always-on devices flourishes, according to a report.

That impressive growth of these devices will be paralleled by the penetration of several wireless technologies that are integral to the Mobile Internet Devices (MID’s) functions: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and eventually ultra-wideband (UWB), according to a report by ABI Research, which expects Bluetooth to rapidly carve its territory this year.

“All Mobile Internet Devices will feature Wi-Fi from the start,” explained ABI Research senior analyst Douglas McEuen. “That is the essential form of wireless connectivity that no MID will be without. But in addition, ABI Research expects to see Bluetooth reach a 95% penetration rate by the end of 2008.”

While many MIDs will include voice capabilities, they are larger than mobile phones, and for convenience some users will carry a low-cost phone as well, the report said. Many consumers still want an all-in-one device, and the handset/headset configuration enabled by Bluetooth will meet their needs, ABI Research said. This will be one of the key reasons for the rapid adoption of Bluetooth in MIDs.

More enhanced forms of connectivity, however, are on there way. The first to reach the market will be “Bluetooth over 802.11,” also known as AMP (Alternate MAC PHY), according to ABI Research. It includes a software addition that will allow the device’s Bluetooth circuits to “piggyback” on its much faster Wi-Fi connection when it is necessary to transmit large amounts of data.
 
By 2011, ultra-wideband (UWB) will be added to the mix. “Ultra-wideband offers an ‘on steroids’ version of Bluetooth,” explained McEuen, “Today it is just a wireless USB replacement, but the chips are getting smaller and more powerful and they are aiming for the portable device market. In a few years, it can be really useful in the MID market.”