Bluetooth continues to gain traction in China

Since the Chinese government declared in March that it was considering a formal adoption of Bluetoothenabled technology, the consensus has been building that it will have a positive effect on OEMs and design houses nationwide. According to Michael Foley, executive director of the Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group), Asia generates 50 to 80% of Bluetoothrelated products and technologies.

“If the specification does eventually receive formal adoption in China, it will eliminate design-related barriers and make the technology easier to work with for interested parties. Another major benefit is that it will be exposed to more people,” says Foley.

This year, Bluetooth innovations in China and abroad will center on phones and hands-free devices, but Foley expects manufacturers to add it to automobiles and other mainstream applications. “We will see people streaming music from phones and portable media players into cars and in their homes or anywhere a stereo headset exists,” he says. The Chinese are excited about the possibilities of these types of potential innovations, but, Foley warns, the technology requires more outreach work and demonstrations to create a more Bluetooth-accessible environment. Promoting Bluetooth's potential in China is essential to spurring continued growth and development, says Scott Bibaud, senior director of marketing for Bluetooth products at Broadcom.

“With the MII [Ministry of Information Industry] throwing its support behind Bluetooth development, design activity will pick up even more in Chinese design houses,” says Bibaud. “We are starting to see more interest developing in China, which is focusing solely on the Chinese market, and that makes this a big opportunity over there.” Bibaud adds that PC manufacturers, such as Lenovo, Dell, and Hewlett- Packard (www.lenovo.com, www.dell.com, www.hp. com), are beginning to incorporate Bluetooth technology into their notebooks.
—by Jeff Berman

Bluetooth Special Interest Group
www.caba.org/standard/bsig.html.