“Audio and video are the killer apps,” said Robin Heydon, a technical consultant for Bluetooth chip maker Cambridge Silicon Radio. Stereo audio headsets will be coming out very soon, he said, taking the concept of a Bluetooth headset a step further.

On the other hand, a home automation working group has received confirmation, Cook said, signaling that the technology may soon seek to challenge Zigbee and other home automation protocols. In addition, a global navigation systems study group has formed, a natural evolution of Bluetooth’s success in hands-free communication inside automobiles.

The SIG is also monitoring feature requests from various groups, among them a non-audio signaling for hands-free communication from a group of watchmakers, who are investigating blinking the watch’s dial or vibrating the chassis to alert the user to an incoming call. Additional feature requests for running Sun’s JINI protocol over Bluetooth, displaying battery information, or extending audio links to greater distances are also being considered, Cook said.”

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