Incisor Wireless News

Was WiMedia UWB ever right for Bluetooth?

2009-11-28T11:41:00.004Z

Recent murmurings have suggested that despite losing it's place as Bluetooth's high speed data channel of choice, Ultra-wideband technology (UWB) may not be dead after all.

What is puzzling is that the most strident support for UWB is coming not from the WiMedia Alliance companies, but from proponents of the alternative version of UWB technology, the companies that were once linked as the DS-UWB Forum. And, the suggestion seems to be that by going with WiMedia's solution, the Bluetooth SIG had backed the wrong horse.

Here's our point - at Incisor we don't know whether the Bluetooth SIG made the right decision, or not. We're not clever enough to be able to analyse the technical proficiency and fitness for purpose of the two erstwhile UWB combatants. Which was/is best for Bluetooth? We don't know. Fortunately, we are well connected with a lot of people that are better qualified than we are, and we are happy to provide this forum for discussion.

Kazimierz "Kai" Siwiak, the CEO of wireless consulting company TimeDerivative Inc., for example, has recently commented that the combination of WiMedia's OFDM-based UWB was never the right choice for the high speed version of Bluetooth - known as Bluetooth 3.0. His comments follow:

A while ago, the Bluetooth SIG made a tentative selection of the WiMedia variant of UWB as a candidate for a high speed option in Bluetooth. The choice is not surprising, since the key players in WiMedia and the key players in the Bluetooth SIG tend to overlap; it is thus natural that they should try to seek common ground.

However, that choice might be considered a very weak choice. The WiMedia variant of UWB is actually an OFDM system in which the 500+ MHz wide OFDM symbols can be hopped every symbol among channels that are 512 MHz apart. It is "UWB" as a consequence of occupying more than 500 MHz bandwidith by transmitting OFDM symbols comprised of about 120 sine-wave carriers spaced about 4.13 MHz apart. Efficient base band processing of this OFDM system, and in particular symbol-rate-frequency-hopping of this OFDM signal, has proven to be a very difficult problem to solve. This is especially true from the power drain point of view. In that regard, it is indeed a poor fit for Bluetooth, or for any solution which seeks to address high speed data needs in the hand-held battery powered market.

Run off from current consideration, but nonetheless much more technically and market-wise appropriate, are solutions that obtain their UWB bandwidth as a consequence of their short pulse duration. These systems tend to scale their battery power requirements in proportion to data rate, in contrast to the OFDM approach which always requires significant processing effort. The pulse-based systems can be built with power drain economies that are a good fit for high speed Bluetooth. In fact, the needed technology is already well defined and described in the IEEE 802.15.4a-2007 standard for wireless personal area networks, where low power drain is a key necessity. Perhaps that body of work might provide a viable source of technology that can be adapted to fit high speed Bluetooth needs.

These are controversial views, but are they correct? Is this just sour grapes?

Incisor invites parties from the Bluetooth community, WiMedia companies and those siding with Kai (perhaps members of what was the DS-UWB Forum), to comment here.

Sleepless in Seattle has been done. How about wireless?

2009-10-12T09:38:00.006+01:00

The 'Can Bluetooth be cool?' campaign has been running for more than a month now. The original blog sparked off a great deal of dialogue.

Then the movie we created at the UK BiteBack event gave us unparalleled insight into the way real consumers are using Bluetooth, and their views on whether this is a cool technology, or not. Who would have thought that file-sharing was the golden application for Bluetooth, not handset to headset?

Taking the views of just one group in one geographical location is not a good idea, so I'm tremendously pleased that the Bluetooth SIG has invited us to re-stage BiteBack in Seattle. This is happening at a Halloween-themed night on Friday the 30th of October at the SEE Sound Lounge in Belltown, on Seattle's downtown waterfront. Once again, we will be taking the IncisorTV cameras to a busy music venue and talking to the people that actually buy and use the tech stuff that we spend every day trying to promote. And making a movie that will be available to view here at the www.incisor.tv site.

But it's time to move the project on. It really isn't my goal to simply learn about what people think about Bluetooth today. I want to start the process of improving awareness of Bluetooth's capabilities, and maybe even starting to make people think that wireless technology, and Bluetooth specifically at the moment, CAN be cool. So I'm talking to consumer electronics device companies such as Jabra, Sony Ericsson, Parrot, Plantronics etc, to see which of them is brave enough to get out there with me and start tackling the challenge. To sit with the people in Seattle and talk to them about why they should be doing more with Bluetooth than just sharing music tracks.

Following the first BiteBack event/movie, people at these companies are readily acknowledging that boosting Bluetooth so that everybody makes it a 'must have' feature is what they need to do. But it is like the elephant in the room - you can't ignore the fact that it is there, but do you want to try to shift it? Over the next couple of weeks, I'll find out how many visionaries there are left out there. The Bluetooth SIG has stepped up to the plate and is supporting BiteBack Seattle. Who else will be there, with Mike Foley and myself, telling the Bluetooth story to Seattle's young and beautiful?

This is going to be one interesting event! And one which any reader of this blog is more than welcome to come along to.

Can Bluetooth ever be cool?

2009-09-07T16:26:00.004+01:00

That is a question that must be troubling technology marketeers across the world, including the makers of headsets and other Bluetooth-enabled devices, and the organisation that manages Bluetooth technology – the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG).

Bluetooth has been around since 1998, and actual Bluetooth devices started appearing a couple of years later. The very first commercially available Bluetooth product was from Ericsson, as reported in Incisor in November 1999.

From that day forth, promoters of Bluetooth have hoped that there would be a global wave of enthusiasm for the technology from consumers. But it just hasn’t happened. Despite the fact that legislation in a number of countries forces us to use Bluetooth headsets if we want to talk on a cellphone in our cars, Bluetooth daily usage is apparently going down, not up. Research company Strategy Analytics says by as much as 40% in the USA over the last year.

Here at Incisor we think that a big part of the problem is that nobody, but nobody has managed to make wearing a Bluetooth headset cool. Instead, the words ‘Bluetooth’ and ‘naff’ are heard together on far too often a basis. Only taxicab drivers and people who wear leisure suits made from synthetic materials (ok, they are often the same people) seem to think it is OK to be seen walking around wearing a Bluetooth headset.

The web is loaded with anti-Bluetooth humour, including this. Bluetooth-mocking movies are even being used as a device by companies marketing products. Check this commercial out for Keystone Light Beer. Even the vendors of Bluetooth equipment are doing it – thanks, Philips, for this one.

Some claim to be working to try to make Bluetooth cool, and have been using the old chestnut of celebrity endorsement. Courtesy of Plantronics’ marketing machine, we learn that P Diddy, Eva Longoria and Brooke Shields apparently all use Plantronics headsets. Bluetooth headsets have even made their way into music videos – Motorola product placement is at work as we watch this one for Fergie’s Big girls don’t cry. This is one of the better ones – check out that car, that girl, that track, and the headset is OK too.

But it is not working! Or else, why are all of those iPod users still walking around with their tacky white plastic headsets? Why would we want to use wired headsets when there is a huge range of wireless headsets on the market now for similar money? Heck, its a problem when even the world's coolest company can't make Bluetooth cool!

And surely this must be holding back the more widespread deployment of Bluetooth technology in other consumer electronics devices?

With some justification, the Bluetooth SIG and big-name consumer electronics (CE) companies that are supporting Bluetooth will point to the fact that billions of Bluetooth chips have been shipped, and have been built into many products that are in the hands of consumers all over the world. That is true, but it doesn’t mean that these people are using Bluetooth, or that massive chip sales means that Bluetooth has become aspirational (like, dare we say it, an iPod) or, to use the word again, cool.

So, what is the problem, and is it too late? Can Bluetooth regain the momentum it had in the early years, when people actually criticised the Bluetooth trailblazers for creating too much publicity and too much pent-up demand and hype (‘bet they’d like some of that back now!)? What would it take?

We have theories, but we want to hear from the big wide world. This blog will be promoted via all of Incisor’s channels, and that includes Twitter, Facebook and business networking sites such as LinkedIn.

And we will take it a stage further. On the 26th of September Incisor is staging a public event called Bite-Back (Bluetooth/Incisor – Bite-Back – geddit?) at a venue in the UK where there will be live music and – the main point – lots of young people. We will have the IncisorTV cameras there, a bunch of Bluetooth products and we will interview people and ask them for their views – it could be a bit painful for the Bluetooth faithful, but who knows, something really good could come.

We will make a short movie from the event and this will be promoted in the next issue of Incisor, as will a follow-up feature that will report some of the views that we hear.

It should be exciting. And maybe we will even learn what it will take to make Bluetooth cool.

dwu9vb75ym

2009-09-05T08:39:00.001+01:00

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Why does Bluetooth still not work the way it should?

2009-08-17T14:06:00.004+01:00

Anybody who knows me knows that I have been a supporter and promoter of Bluetooth technology since it first started to poke its head above the parapet, way back in 1998. But there is an elephant in my room, and its tusks are blue! Despite all the good work that the Bluetooth SIG and all its responsible member companies have done, it is still the case that Bluetooth phones, headsets etc sometimes don't work the way they should.

Example - I use a Nokia N96 with a Jabra JX20 headset - both high-end products from respected companies. The two are paired and work OK on first connection. But, if I go out of range, or switch the headset off for some reason, they then will not reconnect. I have to switch the headset off and re-boot the phone. In a given day this can happen several times. Most frustrating.

After 11 years of Bluetooth development, and with two products from a couple of the most respected manufacturers, this really shouldn't be happening. And this isn't isolated. A lot of kit passes through our hands, and similar things happen all the time. I'm in the industry, so I keep using this kit, but what will consumers be thinking?

I've put the question to the wireless community, and Peter Hauser, CEO of The Quality Factory came back with these observations?

I'm surprised nobody is willing to comment here!

Your question: "Why does Bluetooth still not work the way it should?" is more a question about "Quality" than it is about "Conformance to the Bluetooth standard" and therein lies the problem...

First of-all, there will always be a struggle between innovation and conformance to a standard. Every company wants, and needs to innovate. This implies that every company seeks to use the standards in new and interesting ways, and when they do, they make "assumptions" as to how other, compatible products, will react, thus creating the first problem...

For instance, the Bluetooth standards speak little about timing tolerances for commands and responses (beyond the standard timeouts). Some devices can respond very quickly to a command, while others cannot. If, however, a device is EXPECTING a delayed response and instead receives a very rapid one, if the firmware is intolerant, it could cause the device to lock-up.

Also - the Bluetooth standards do not currently address most multi-profile scenarios. It is only recently that the common "HFP, HSP, A2DP, and AVRCP" in a single device scenario was examined more closely for integration into the specifications AND the play/pause behavior (you know, where Play means Play, and Pause means Pause) has changed between the whitepaper and the specifications.

In short, unless companies are willing to invest in clarifying and standardizing their assumptions, these types of problems will continue.

And then, there's the issue of QUALITY.

With Bluetooth technology's pull towards commoditization, this complex technology is now in the hands of implementers who don't understand its intricacies and are building products based on new assumptions. Couple that with reduced development budgets for commodity products, and you have all of the makings of a reduction in product quality.

Teams are no longer "expected" to attend such events as UPF and to conduct extensive interoperability tests. Instead, they are expected to keep development budgets as low as possible.

All the while, new platforms are opening-up APIs that enable 3rd party applications to affect the Bluetooth performance. For instance, a mobile phone may have three separate music players on it. If one of those music players interacts with the Bluetooth A2DP/AVRCP (music) stack in an unexpected fashion, it could damage otherwise solid interoperability with wireless stereo headsets.

So - I guess the answer to your very simple question is quite complex.

If companies are going to do a really good job making their solutions "work" in the real world, they need to take the time to understand the assumptions made by products that already exist in the marketplace (of which there are many), find the similarities in these assumptions, and design accordingly.

Then, they need to TEST, TEST, and TEST again.

Thanks, Peter. Other contributions on this topic are very welcome. In the meantime, I may just have to change my own gadgets on a more often basis to check whether this situation is getting better, or worse.

After all, a Nokia N96 has been around for quite a while now ....

Which smartphone would Paris Hilton use?

2009-08-05T09:56:00.004+01:00

After all, we all like to think we are as smart and sophisticated as celebs like Paris Hilton, Michael Jackson, Stephen Fry (http://www.stephenfry.com/ for the non-English out there, he is something of a local phenomenon), don't we?

You can debate that in your own time, but the fact is that it is time to change my phone. For approaching 5 years I have been a Nokia man - N81 (good, showed promise), N95 (excellent, wish I was still using it) and currently an N96 (awful - hangs all the time, terrible Bluetooth installation).

I have resisted the temptation of receiving email on my phone up until now, but I think it is time to bite the bullet. I am a sucker for phones with lots and lots of features, or smartphones as the world knows them, so the choice for me comes down to these: Nokia N97 (offers loads of promise, fantastic camera, but I really don't want another experience like the N96), a Blackberry (sooo good at mobile email and better at the other stuff too now, but do I really want to join the chino and polo shirt brigade?) or, of course, an iPhone.

Every person I know who has an iPhone LOVES IT. Everybody that has a Blackberry respects it. I don't know anybody with an N97 at the moment so this is a bit hard to gauge. I know that I will find an iPhone a joy to use, and it has good Bluetooth now, with stereo music streaming. I may well wish I had moved lock, stock and two smoking touchscreens to the Apple family years ago. But the iPhone won't play Flash content, which is a bit frustrating.

If I buy a Blackberry I will no doubt get the job done but will lose interest in the sexy gadget that I carry around me.

If the N97 is as 'hangy' as the N96, it will end up thrown against the wall.

None of the options comes without financial outlay, so the decision needs thought on many levels. What sort of a phone user do I want to appear to be? A style-driven ubercoolmonkey iPhone user? A guy who is worrying about whether his PowerPoint slides are ready for his next presentation? Or the guy picking up the shattered remains of his latest gadget acquisition?

So, let's go back to the beginning: which would Paris Hilton choose? Oh yes .... The one that is available with a pink cover and covered with more Swarovski crystals than there are barnacles on a Thames barge.

Sigh ... Maybe I will put the decision off for a while.

Twitter versus Facebook face-off

2009-08-03T10:11:00.003+01:00

I was recently encouraged, for business reasons, to increase my web presence. I have been on several networking sites for some years – Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/vince.holton, LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/in/vinceholton), My Space – but I’ve never done much with them. I’m now also on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/vholton). I made a conscious decision to put more time into all of the sites. It is working so far, my connections on all the sites are growing. Well, with the exception of MySpace. I’m not really doing anything with that at all, hence no link above.

So far, and bear in mind I am something of an arriviste in these circles, my assessment is this. Twitter dominates. With 100+ people following me after just more than a week, and about the same in the opposite direction, Twitter traffic, via the very handy TweetDeck application, is fairly constant. So far, it seems that 95% of Twitter traffic is nonsense, and of little or no value. Having said that, the 5% that remains is often interesting and sometimes useful, and as an alternative IM mechanism, it works. But - I often do want to challenge those Tweeters that endlessly just post the same links, all day long. Get a life, people!

Facebook is without doubt more about maintaining social – family and friends – connections. And it is good from that point of view. Courtesy of Facebook, for example, I’m now in contact with two members of my family that I haven’t seen or spoken to for decades. Facebook is useful.

LinkedIn is about business. I have been on LinkedIn for many years and not done much other than the occasional profile update. I’m now much more active, and have my own discussion group – WPAN World (http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=2136483&trk=hb_side_g) – and this is paying dividends. I am building a large group of contacts that have real value for my primary business, which is my Incisor brand – an eMagazine and Internet TV business (www.incisor.tv).

So, in terms of direct benefit to my business, I view LinkedIn as the most relevant. Facebook is a nice site to be on, but for my B2B business, I am not sure of the value. Twitter? Well, I really have not made my mind up about that. It is a fact that I spend the most time engaged in Twitter-related communications. Is it a business tool? I don’t know yet. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.

Real world testing
UK TV has a programme called The Gadget Show. I shouldn’t need to explain what it is about. In last week’s programme they addressed the Facebook versus Twitter question with a face-off. The programme’s two presenters, Jason Bradbury and Gail Porter, who are both well-known proper, genuine minor celebrities thanks to their TV careers, were set the challenge of attracting as many people as possible to a free to attend event in central London that was to take place 5 days after the start of the challenge. This was an opportunity for everyday punters (that’s ordinary folk) to appear on TV. Not the sort of opportunity that normally takes a lot of selling.

Bradbury was to use Twitter to get people to come along, Porter was to use Facebook. Both had already been dedicated users of the two sites. The person who enticed the most people along to the event would be the winner.

Remember that these are two reasonably high-profile people with lots of friends, and this was guaranteed TV coverage for the men, women and children of our unwashed masses. And the two competitors both used all of the tricks of the social networking trade and put a lot of time into it.

And who won, and which social networking site was more effective? Well, it was Bradbury and Twitter. But the actual numbers achieved were surprisingly small. Bradbury’s Twitter campaign brought 208 and Porter’s Facebook campaign brought just 23 people. So Twitter was much more effective at getting a message to more people quickly.

There are still people out there that insist that Facebook as well as Twitter can be as useful to my business as I can easily see that LinkedIn is.

I’ve just got to work out how to make it so. Do you know?

Are ZigBee and EnOcean about to go to war?

2009-07-27T11:29:00.003+01:00

We are working on a very interesting article for the next issue of Incisor. This centres around a recent announcement from the ZigBee Alliance that it will bring to market a new generation of wireless sensors based around energy-harvesting, batteryless technology. If this sounds to you like the trail that EnOcean has been blazing for the last 10 years, then you are not alone.

The EnOcean Alliance is up in arms. As we understand it, the controversy primarily surrounds IP infringement. Some have argued that the ZigBee Alliance cannot sustain a batteryless mantra nor deliver said products onto the market, as it would be clearly infringing a number of patents that have been largely generated by EnOcean since the early 1990s (when the company was part of Siemens). The questions that we have asked the ZigBee Alliance to answer include:

- How would you address such shortcomings and these rumourmongers?

- Likewise, do you (the ZigBee Alliance) have new energy harvesting IP that does not infringe existing IP?

- It has been suggested that ZigBee (+PRO) is still not fully interoperable - is this correct?

- ZigBee is not as prolific as the ZBA suggests - can you clarify the deployment/success of the technology?

- It has been suggested that ZigBee Green Power is just more padding for the non-standard - can you respond?

The Incisor article, providing the viewpoints of both the ZigBee Alliance and EnOcean, plus member companies, is being written by Dean Gratton, and will appear in the August issue of Incisor, which will published on the 1st of August. Incisor can also be downloaded from this site - www.incisor.tv

Bluetooth outscores ZigBee in healthcare scramble

2009-06-08T16:44:00.005+01:00

Once in a while, news crops up that justifies me publishing something outside of Incisor's normal cycle. Well, it is one of those times.

For the past week or so the Bluetooth SIG has been getting excited about an announcement in the low energy sector.

Today the news goes public, and it surrounds the fact that the Continua Health Alliance has opted to go with Bluetooth low energy as part of the process of putting together a portfolio of personal telehealth solutions.

ZigBee has also been given a degree of support, but only for one application, whereas Bluetooth is gaining a broadstroke level of support.

Healthcare and wellness (what ever that is) are extremely important target markets for the technologies that are competing in the low energy market, so this is a big deal for Bluetooth. Big enough for SIG exec director Mike Foley to tell me last week that if asked to quantify it, he would say that on a scale of importance, it was (for him at least) 'one step below the potential Microsoft Yahoo acquisition.'

Is it? Well time will tell. Whatever else, this announcement is another reminder that there is one heck of a lot of focus on low energy wireless technology at the moment.

I understand that the ZigBee companies are a little miffed that they didn't get broader support from Continua, at least, this is the word on the industry grapevine.

To allow you to make your own minds up, here is the Bluetooth SIG announcment to kick off, followed by the Continua Alliance's version, which also mentions the ZigBee deal.

More to follow in the next issue of Incisor!

Cheers,

Vince

BLUETOOTH TECHNOLOGY CHOSEN AS HEALTH DEVICE STANDARD

Continua Health Alliance Selects Bluetooth Low Energy Technology for Design Guidelines

BELLEVUE, WA – June 8, 2009 – The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) today announced the selection of Bluetooth wireless technology by Continua Health Alliance, the industry coalition of leading health care and technology companies charged with establishing a system of interoperable personal telehealth solutions. Once finalized, Continua will include the upcoming Bluetooth low energy wireless technology specification in Version Two of its Continua Health Alliance Design Guidelines. The selection of Bluetooth low energy technology extends the current Continua standard for the Bluetooth Health Device Profile, the only wireless technology specification included in Continua’s Version One Design Guidelines.

Bluetooth low energy technology is a power efficient, short-range, wireless technology that offers connectivity between mobile devices and small, battery powered devices such as watches, and health and fitness sensors. Bluetooth low energy technology features low power consumption, small size and low cost, and integration in mobile phones, all providing Continua a reliable solution to enable mobile devices for a wide range of personal telehealth audiences.

“Continua’s choice of Bluetooth low energy technology – a specification in development at this time and expected to be adopted by the end of the year – underscores the excitement and need for this Bluetooth wireless standard in the telehealth arena,” said Michael Foley, Ph.D., executive director, Bluetooth SIG.

Chosen over several other wireless technologies after a rigorous 10-month review process, Bluetooth technology was selected to enable low power mobile devices such as activity monitors and heart rate sensors to be used to monitor a user’s health and fitness levels.

“The Bluetooth SIG brings not only a superb wireless technology to our Design Guidelines, but a state-of-the-art testing and qualification program to our members,” said Rick Cnossen, Continua president and chairman of the Board of Directors. “The continued choice to work with Bluetooth wireless technology and the Bluetooth SIG is a natural extension for Continua.”

The radio selection process was conducted by members of the Continua Low Power Radio Sub-Team, the Continua Technical Working Group and the Continua Board of Directors. All teams were aided by experts from the technology and health care industries-at-large, as well as guided by research conducted by an independent third party analysis firm. A rigorous process was employed over the course of 10 months to select from many outstanding technologies. After consideration of required power levels, cell phone ubiquity, required range, and anticipated market penetration, Bluetooth technology was chosen to satisfy the required use cases.

And the Continua announcement:

Continua Health Alliance Looks to the Future with the Selection of Two New Low Power Radio Standards, Enabling Expanded Use Cases Addition of Bluetooth low energy technology and ZigBee Health Care to provide connectivity for mobile and home sensors

BEAVERTON, Ore. – June 8, 2009 – Continua Health Alliance, the non-profit, open industry coalition of leading health care and technology companies, has selected two wireless technology standards for inclusion in the next version of its interoperability Design Guidelines. The selection of two low power standards will allow additional devices used for health and fitness, as well as aging independently, to join the Continua ecosystem. This decision enables Continua to advance its mission of establishing a system of interoperable, personal telehealth solutions, empowering people and organizations.

The two wireless technology standards are targeted to support mobile and fixed location devices as defined by the next iteration of the Continua Health Alliance Design Guidelines. The alliance has selected Bluetooth low energy wireless technology (pending finalization of the specification) to enable low power mobile devices such as activity monitors and heart rate sensors to be used to monitor a user’s health and fitness levels. Additionally, Continua has selected ZigBee Health Care technology for low power sensors that can be networked in a variety of settings, and utilized in devices such as motion detectors and bed pressure sensors to enhance the daily living of those who require assistance aging independently.

"I am excited to announce the forward progress of Continua and its Version Two Design Guidelines. The selection of Bluetooth low energy wireless technology, pending finalization of the specification, and ZigBee Health Care as standards to be included in the guidelines will expand the ability of Continua members to deliver compelling products to consumers," said Rick Cnossen, Continua president and chairman of the Board of Directors. "Our existing Design Guidelines introduced support for Bluetooth wireless technology and USB. Those standards now will be augmented to allow Continua to deliver expanded use cases to satisfy the broad demands of health and fitness, and aging independently applications."

Bluetooth low energy technology is a power efficient, short-range wireless technology that offers connectivity between mobile devices and small, battery-powered devices such as watches, emergency pendants and health and fitness sensors. It features low power consumption, small size and low cost, providing Continua a reliable solution to enable mobile devices for a wide range of telehealth audiences. Bluetooth low energy technology extends the current Continua standard for the Bluetooth Health Device Profile, the only wireless technology specification included in Continua’s Version One Design Guidelines, announced in February 2009.

"We are pleased that Continua Health Alliance has selected Bluetooth low energy wireless technology for inclusion in its next Design Guidelines, and are excited about the compelling Bluetooth-enabled devices Continua members will bring to the market," said Michael Foley, Ph.D., executive director, Bluetooth Special Interest Group. "Bluetooth technology has become the ubiquitous wireless standard for mobile device connectivity, and Bluetooth low energy technology will provide Continua with connectivity perfectly suited for incorporation in mobile applications."

ZigBee Health Care development was completed in March 2009. It provides a standard for use by assistive devices operating in non-invasive environments. This interoperable low power wireless solution enables devices to securely and reliably monitor and manage data, without Wi-Fi interference. It can support from two to thousands of devices in a single network. Designed with flexibility in mind, ZigBee Health Care products will be used in a variety of settings, including private residences, recreation centers, retirement communities, hospitals and nursing homes. ZigBee Health Care technology offers Continua a low power, globally accepted method for collecting data in a variety of locations.

"Low-power sensing and monitoring is a core competency of ZigBee and we are excited to help Continua build its technology roadmap and help expand the telehealth industry ecosystem," said Dr. Robert F. Heile, chairman, ZigBee Alliance. "ZigBee Health Care gives care professionals and consumers the ability to connect an almost unlimited number of monitoring devices with ease while maintaining privacy."

By providing the technical roadmap for standards-based connected health solutions, Continua is spurring innovation while removing barriers to global implementation and adoption. The publication of the Continua Health Alliance Version One Design Guidelines earlier this year will be followed by the group’s next Design Guidelines issuance, slated for first-half 2010, that will enable new devices, additional use cases and extend the capabilities of devices in the Continua Health Alliance ecosystem.

"Numerous demographic and health status factors will drive the rapid growth of personal telehealth," said Lynne A. Dunbrack, program director, Health Industry Insights, an IDC company. "Continua's commitment to utilize established connectivity standards, such as Bluetooth and ZigBee, will provide the tangible technology base for more widespread telemedicine and remote patient monitoring in the next 12 to 24 months. Together, Bluetooth low energy technology and ZigBee Health Care transport solutions will open new use cases to new classes of devices and services. The continued innovation in connected technology will aid in the deployment of comprehensive solutions for personal health management."

The radio selection process was conducted by members of the Continua Low Power Radio Sub-Team, the Continua Technical Working Group and the Continua Board of Directors. All teams were aided by experts from the technology and health care industries-at-large, as well as guided by research conducted by an independent third party analysis firm. A rigorous process was employed over the course of ten months to select from many outstanding technologies. After consideration of required power levels, cell phone ubiquity, required range and anticipated market penetration, Continua arrived at two technologies to optimally satisfy the required use cases. Today’s announcement marks the conclusion of the selection process that has allowed Continua to select technologies that will support the innovation, ingenuity and technical prowess of Continua member companies.

Don’t believe the UWB rubbish

2009-05-29T12:47:00.004+01:00

Paraphrasing the great Mark Twain, the rumours of UWB’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. I admit that I am lucky enough to have a set of contacts in the wireless industry that give me a bit of an advantage over the average, broadstroke tech journalist, but it does get my goat when I read the guff currently being distributed by a lot of august members of the technology press.

If we are to believe what the media is saying, UWB is dead or dying. Now, I admit that I am no engineer, and that my view is more commercially than bits’n’bytes -based, but this is just not the case. For all sorts of reasons of which I do have a sound-enough understanding, UWB has an important and valuable role to play in the medium and long-term high speed wireless market.

Why is UWB struggling, and why is it currently on the back foot? Well, there are various reasons, some relating to a shortage of funding for UWB companies that are within a frustratingly short time of shipping product out of the door. Others are political. One industry luminary, for example, puts the failure of UWB to make it into Bluetooth 3.0 squarely at the door of one other individual. Nobody wants to name names at the moment, though, so I have to sit on this one. Meanwhile, Wi-Fi proponents rub their hands.

One thing is for sure though. The remaining UWB companies have failed to keep the PR going. Nobody has been saying anything positive, and so it is no wonder that the media has made assumptions, jumped to conclusions, and has broadcast to the world that UWB is an ex-factor.

The passage of time could prove me wrong, but I believe that UWB/Wireless USB will succeed and I’m ready to eat my hat if it doesn’t happen. Real products are hitting the streets – the Leyio and other products in the June issue of Incisor - and that really is the proof of the pudding. And the UWB companies are waking up to the need to let the world know that they are still here. Staccato Communications was one of the original trailblazers, and it is with great pleasure that I welcome the San Diego company back as an Incisor sponsor. Read Staccato’s take on the UWB market in the June issue of Incisor.

My message? Don’t believe everything you read in the press. Unless it is in Incisor.

Get off your backsides - failure isn't an option!

2009-05-14T11:51:00.005+01:00

I wonder how many of you will have seen our humorous advert on page 17 of the latest issue of Incisor?

I hoped that our readers would appreciate the light-hearted tone, but there is a serious message there. At this time, marketing and PR seem to have ground to a halt in the industries that we cover. This is inextricably linked to a great deal of commercial uncertainty, courtesy of the global economic recession. Yet, every company that we work with wants and needs to stay financially secure, and what is the one thing that can underpin that? Sales, or course. Can a company expect to grow or even maintain current sales levels if it is invisible to the market? No, of course not.

Incisor is no different, and I will do whatever I can to keep my company safe too. That means talking to all of my business contacts, and exploring options as to how we can help each other.

The Incisor global audience is just as interested today in short-range wireless technology as it was 6-9 months ago, before the financial market imploded. I have recently been distributing a sample list of new subscribers that have signed up for Incisor in just the last two months. The quality of Incisor's subscribers is evident from this list, but bear in mind that this is just new subscriptions from the last 8 weeks. Our subscriber base is made up of many thousands of similar people who have all asked to receive Incisor since we started publishing in 1998. Hand on heart, I can say that this is a database that gets you directly to the most accurately targeted database imaginable for any company operating in the short-range wireless industry.

Most of the companies around me are in 'rabbit in the headlights' mode at the moment, but there is hope for those not prepared to sit around and wait for Armageddon. As I say in the title, failure isn't an option, and anyone talking to me at the moment about spreading their messages will find that I've effectively thrown the Incisor rate card out of the window.

Let's all make some noise, and keep the Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, UWB, DECT, NFC, RFID, ZigBee and any other form of wireless fandango industry moving along.

The alternative is too awful to contemplate. I might have to get a proper job.

Bluetooth 3.0 goes High Speed

2009-04-22T11:42:00.004+01:00

At the Bluetooth Special Interest Group's All Hands member meeting in Tokyo this week, the latest version of the Bluetooth specification has been formally announced. This is the long-awaited Bluetooth 3.0, which includes high speed capability courtesy of an association with Wi-Fi. Yes, it is true, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are finally in bed together. Where does this leave UWB? Well, that is one element that will be examined in Incisor'e forthcoming Bluetooth 3.0 focus - watch this space!

In the meantime, here is the Bluetooth SIG's official press release version of the announcement:

BLUETOOTH TECHNOLOGY GETS FASTER WITH BLUETOOTH 3.0

Bluetooth SIG Adds Speed, Bandwidth via 802.11 with Version 3.0 of the Global Wireless Standard TOKYO –

April 22, 2009 – From its annual All Hands Meeting in Tokyo this week, the Bluetooth SIG formally adopted Bluetooth Core Specification Version 3.0 + High Speed (HS) , or Bluetooth 3.0.

This latest iteration of the popular short-range wireless technology fulfills the consumers’ need for speed while providing the same wireless Bluetooth experience – faster. Manufacturers of consumer electronics and home entertainment devices can now build their products to send large amounts of video, music and photos between devices wirelessly at speeds consumers expect.

Bluetooth 3.0 gets its speed from the 802.11 radio protocol. The inclusion of the 802.11 Protocol Adaptation Layer (PAL) provides increased throughput of data transfers at the approximate rate of 24 Mbps. In addition, mobile devices including Bluetooth 3.0 will realize increased power savings due to enhanced power control built in.

“Like Ricky Bobby in Talladega Nights, this latest version was ‘born to go fast,’ said Michael Foley, Ph.D., executive director of the Bluetooth SIG. ”Utilizing the 802.11 radio was a natural choice as it provides efficiencies for both our members and consumers – members get more function out of the two radios they are already including in devices, and consumers with Bluetooth 3.0 + HS products will get faster exchange of information without changing how they connect. We are excited to expand the possibilities of the PAN.”

This newest version of Bluetooth technology builds on the inherent qualities of the current 2.1 + EDR version, including Simple Secure Pairing and built-in, automatic security. And as with all versions of the Bluetooth specification, Bluetooth 3.0 + HS provides developers, manufacturers and consumers with the benefit of backwards compatibility, enabling both the expansion and enhancement of this technology with every new specification release. Once products reach the market, the easiest way for consumers to learn which devices are compatible with other Bluetooth enabled devices is to visit the Bluetooth Gadget Guide. ApplicationsWith the availability of Bluetooth version 3.0 + HS, consumers can expect to move large data files of videos, music and photos between their own devices and the trusted devices of others, without the need for cables and wires.

Applications

Some applications consumers will experience include: ·

Wirelessly bulk synchronize music libraries between PC and music player or phone

Bulk download photos to a printer or PC

Send video files from camera or phone to computer or television

Availability

The Bluetooth SIG’s formal adoption of the specification is only the first step in the product lifecycle. News out today from wireless chip manufacturers and Bluetooth SIG member companies Atheros, Broadcom and CSR shows the second step – getting silicon solutions to device manufacturers – is already underway. End products for consumers are expected to be in the market in 9 to 12 months. Technical Specifications This new specification release includes several major enhancements:

Generic Alternate MAC/PHY (AMP)·

802.11 Protocol Adaptation Layer (PAL)·

Generic Test Methodology ·

Enhanced Power Control·

Unicast Connectionless Data

Why is Wi-Fi still so hard??? And long live the USB cable!

2009-04-16T14:06:00.005+01:00

You would think that somebody who has been writing about wireless technology for 10 years would know their way around a piece of kit, wouldn't you?

Well, today's experience proves otherwise.

Why? Well, I bought a new HP all in one printer, scanner fax thingy this week, and for the first time I had the option to print over a Wi-Fi connection. I already have a Wi-Fi router and my laptop accesses my broadband connection using that. No problem.

So, you would think that in this day and age it would be fairly simple to hook up a laptop and printer via Wi-Fi. It is heck as like! I've now spent two and a half hours trying to make this work and am still getting nowhere.

I can hear you saying - RTFM - well I have, and that didn't help because I don't have a degree in computer engineering and this FM would be no help to anyone with less than that level of expertise. Try the HP web site, you say. I did, I say. And got nowhere. Salvation seemed to be at hand when I saw that there was a link to a page where I could actually speak to somebody on the phone. Perfect! Just what I wanted. Doubtless I would have to pay somebody to tell me how their piece of kit should work (don't you just think that is criminal?), but I don't mind. I've already wasted a huge chunk of my day trying to achieve what should be a simple task. But no - when I click on the link the HP site just freezes, the progress bar stops at two green boxes and the message says at the bottom says 'waiting to connect to ....'. AAAAGGGGHHHH!!!! I often think these companies just don't want to have to face up to their responsibilities as happens when they get a frustrated punter on the phone. Yes, I've seen the stats about how one tech support call to a network operator wipes out the profit on the customer's cellular bill for several months. So they make it as difficult as possible, or even impossible.

It is a travesty that this type of equipment is foisted on the unsuspecting public without proper support. In Incisor last month the WPANel exec committee all talked about the marketing of wireless technology. I think there are still a lot of industry execs out there who are kidding themselves if they think enough is being done to help ordinary people use consumer electronics, and in my case particularly wireless technology.

So, I will continue using my new printer via a USB cable. And the blue Wi-Fi light on the printer (didn't Bluetooth grab the rights on blue LEDs?) will continue to stare balefully at me from across the desk.

There is a lot of work to be done, wireless marketeers.

What to make of the Bluetooth SIG / WiMedia merger?

2009-03-16T16:49:00.004Z

This merger has been a long time coming, believe you me. I’ve known that the WiMedia Alliance was to be merged into the Bluetooth SIG for nearly a year, but couldn’t talk about it. There have been some things to sort out, and it has taken until now for the two parties to decide that they can go public.

So, what is the official line? The lead statement from a press release issued by the WiMedia Alliance today (I have stripped the whole version in at the end of this piece) says: “The WiMedia Alliance announced today it is entering into technology transfer agreements for the WiMedia Ultra-wideband (UWB) specifications. WiMedia will transfer all current and future specifications, including work on future high speed and power optimized implementations, to the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), Wireless USB Promoter Group and the USB Implementers Forum. After the successful completion of the technology transfer, marketing and related administrative items, the WiMedia Alliance will cease operations.”

Note that the WiMedia Alliance is the only one to press release this. The Bluetooth SIG has chosen to restrict itself to telling only its members. There are reasons, but they are not for public debate.

Note too that the WiMedia Alliance is also transferring ownership to the Wireless USB Promoter Group and the the USB Implementers Forum. Now, unlike the Bluetooth SIG and every other wireless industry alliance that Incisor works with, those two USB organisations go completely their own way and are somewhat insular. I can’t be bothered to keep trying to talk to them so if you need comment from them I wish you good luck. But the fact that they are there means this is really a ménage a trois, not a two-party party. And there are implications, as we shall see below.
And what does the announcement really mean? Well, the WiMedia Alliance will disappear, for a start. There is due to be a member meeting in Seattle later this month. Whether this is to go ahead or not, I don’t know.

The Bluetooth SIG will continue to develop UWB as the second (and ultimately fastest and lowest power) high speed data channel for Bluetooth. Wi-Fi is the short term solution.

What are the real issues? Well, as I see it, they are these:

Was this really necessary?

Starting with this first, there are two observations. First, WiMedia has been struggling to make UWB stick for some time. Struggling not because there is anything shabby about the underlying technology, but because it has been swimming in a big pond with a lot of other aggressive fish. To take any technology to widespread adoption takes a lot of commitment and a not insignificant amount of money. At the best of times this would have been a big ask, but with UWB taking a long time to get to market, and then that situation colliding headlong with a major global recession, it was quite possible that failure was an option. The WiMedia Alliance needed to align with a major partner, and the Bluetooth SIG was the obvious answer. As I intimated above, talks about a merger have been going on for a long time, and in my honest opinion this announcement is happening now because it was not going to be possible for the WiMedia Alliance to go it alone for much longer.

And secondly, there is the reasoning that both the WiMedia Alliance and the Bluetooth SIG have been stating. There is massive crossover in terms of membership between the two organisations. The Bluetooth SIG’s exec director, talking to me on Friday, suggested that 90% of WiMedia Alliance members were also Bluetooth SIG members. As Foley observed, “At any time, but especially now, it is important to be seen to make your standardisation dollars go as far as you can. “ Fair point. WiMedia president Stephen Wood, who I also talked to on Friday, said that the number of WiMedia member companies that weren’t also Bluetooth SIG members was just seven.

Will it really happen, and if not, why not?

It is safe to assume that both the Bluetooth SIG and the WiMedia boards want this to happen. The announcement wouldn’t be possible if they didn’t. But – the WiMedia Alliance doesn’t own the key UWB IP, it belongs to the members that have developed UWB, so WiMedia can’t just hand it over. And both the Bluetooth SIG and WiMedia Alliance operate under different RAND IPR models. For the Bluetooth/WiMedia merger to go beyond what is effectively a statement of intent, the WiMedia members have to agree to sign over their IP to the Bluetooth SIG. Will they do so? My guess is they probably will. Without the support of the Bluetooth SIG, they are going to have a substantially more difficult job taking the technology and their companies forward. As I’ve stated many times now, these talks have also been going on for a long time, and if any of those WiMedia companies was going to raise a storm over contributing their IP, they would probably have said so by now.

And the most worrying possibility?

That is that the Bluetooth SIG could take UWB in one direction while the Wireless USB bods could go off in another. We could have two different versions of UWB, which can’t be in the best interests of the technology. As the Bluetooth community continues to work towards using UWB as its high speed panacea, the Wireless USB companies will be working down their own road, while not necessarily in complete isolation, but certainly with a different set of goal posts, timelines etc. The words ‘death’ and ‘ knell’ spring to mind.

I mentioned this to both Foley and Wood. Foley admitted that from his organisation’s point of view, this new level of access to the WiMedia spec does provides Bluetooth developers with a new capability and a valuable advantage. “Up until now, we’ve only been able to reference the WiMedia spec, which has meant that any co-development was not necessarily best optimised for Bluetooth. Having the ‘black box’ handed over means we can open the lid and tweak things.” My forebodings of doom were somewhat allayed by both Foley and Wood suggesting that in terms of developments from this point forwards, the semiconductor companies will set the agenda, and that they wouldn’t want to be developing, building and supporting two different versions of UWB. Wood in particular pointed out the industry behemoths – the major handset companies – would not want to be dicing with non-interoperating versions of UWB.

We checked with our nearest semiconductor friends at CSR, and Gillian Ewers, Head of CSR’s Connectivity Marketing, Audio and Connectivity Business Unit commented, "CSR fully supports the merger of the WiMedia Alliance and the Bluetooth SIG which will help drive the integration of UWB technology into the high-speed Bluetooth roadmap. At Mobile World Congress in February, CSR successfully demonstrated its UWB technology transferring files at 200Mbps. CSR continues to support both Wi-Fi and WiMedia UWB variants of high-speed Bluetooth, and UWB remains a part of our Connectivity Centre proposition. CSR's Connectivity Centre applies CSR's Smart Integration techniques to combine multiple technologies and bring benefits to designers and end users."

So, everybody is saying the right things but I will admit that am not 100% convinced that there will be untroubled waters ahead.

One thing is for sure. Whichever way you look at it, what we knew as the WiMedia Alliance is disappearing. What will develop over the coming months remains to be seen, and we will of course feature further developments in Incisor, starting at the end of this month.

So, it is goodbye to WiMedia Alliance. And hello to plain sailing for UWB? Only time will tell.

And if you do want to read the whole, official release, here it is:

WiMedia Announces New Agreements with Bluetooth SIG and Wireless USB
Future specification development to build on UWB’s momentum

SAN RAMON, Calif. – March 16th, 2009 - The WiMedia Alliance announced today it is entering into technology transfer agreements for the WiMedia Ultra-wideband (UWB) specifications. WiMedia will transfer all current and future specifications, including work on future high speed and power optimized implementations, to the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), Wireless USB Promoter Group and the USB Implementers Forum. After the successful completion of the technology transfer, marketing and related administrative items, the WiMedia Alliance will cease operations.

“We have reached a point in specification development and product availability where it is more efficient for the related industry groups to oversee future specification development in-house,” said Stephen Wood, president, WiMedia Alliance. “Recent announcements of cost-effective 2nd and 3rd generation products, the availability of high-band products for worldwide use, and UWB chipsets and consumer end products from industry giant Samsung are indicative of the momentum we have gained. Our technology is already embedded in Wireless USB and we have demonstrated working prototypes running the Bluetooth protocol. It now makes sense to streamline the process by passing off future specification development and certification.”

Many of the WiMedia Alliance members are current members of one or both of the other industry groups and so a seamless transition is expected as they continue to move the specifications forward.

“We have been working with the WiMedia Alliance for a number of years and together we share members and a common desire to forward the establishment of the most efficient and cost effective wireless solutions for any environment,” said Michael Foley, Ph.D., executive director, Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). “This is a natural transition and one that will streamline processes, bringing wireless products to market more quickly.”

“The Wireless USB Promoter Group and the USB-IF have worked closely with the WiMedia Alliance since its inception in support of the rapid development and adoption of Wireless USB standards and products,” said Jeff Ravencraft, USB-IF President and Chairman. “This technology transfer will provide our members with a one-stop process for certification and continued productization of Wireless USB.”

Incisor unites the WPAN factions!

2009-03-09T11:38:00.007Z

We've just published the March issue of Incisor, which includes the second appearance of the Incisor WPANel. This is an group of executives brought together my Incisor to comment on topical issue within the Short Range wireless industry.

We've got all of the number one spokespersons for the various WPAN technology organisations - Mike Foley, exec director of the Bluetooth SIG, Erich Kamperschroer, chairman of the DECT Forum, Graham Martin, chairman of the EnOcean Alliance, Edgar Figueroa, executive director of the Wi-Fi Alliance, Stephen Wood, president of the WiMedia Alliance, and Bob Heile, chairman of the ZigBee Alliance.

I could be wrong, but I think this is the first time all of these guys have been brought together in this way - half the time they are at war with each other!

I think this is a great initiative and plan to develop the WPANel concept over the coming months. Anyone with any ideas as to how we could nurture the WPANel, and ways in which it could contribute, send me an email at vholton@incisor.tv

Sooooooooo bored with the credit crunch

2008-12-03T11:16:00.002Z

If the experts are to believed, we are only just stepping across the threshold of this thing that is called a global recession.

Please tell me that ain't so becuase I am sick, sick, sick of it already. Every magazine, every TV news report, every web news service is full of it. Which makes me wonder - is it possible that this undoubtedly serious siutation could be made worse by the media hysteria that surrounds it? Is the recession a self-fulfilling (and possibly self-glorifying) prophesy?

The whole world has gone into a state of paralysis. Nobody wants to do anything, or spend anything. I am not about to counsel recklessness, but there are huge swathes of the world population - commercial and private - that are largely unaffected by the credit crunch. If you are not trying to sell your house, where is the problem? The cost of lending is falling for businesses and private individuals alike. The cost of putting fuel in your car has fallen by about 25% in the last few weeks, heating your house is getting cheaper, as is food. If I wanted to buy a car, well, people are almost paying you to take them off their hands. It is unbelievable how cheap cars are now.

Heck, the UK government is now bitching over the fact that things are too cheap, and they have to take measures to counteract negative inflation - things cost less this year than they did last year.

Paradoxically, the climate of financial meltdown has in fact helped some businesses that were already in trouble, because governments are now implementing policies that mean that the rottweillers in their various agencies, who are notorious for harrassing and indeed closing down businesses that might be a bit behind with their tax payments, for example, now have to be more sympathetic. They have to be more patient. More cuddly.

And yet ....

Although every man Jack may not be shouting it in the streets (apart from the media hacks, who no-doubt love this ongoing content bandwagon), the paralysis continues to grip. People I know personally, and companies that I do business with, have just pulled up the drawbridge and pulled the woolly hats over their ears. It is one thing for private indiviuals to do this, but it staggers me that businesses think it is a good idea. After all, if they are worried that their business may suffer in a recession, is it really a good idea to disappear off the radar? How can you do business if people don't know that you exist? Is your business likely to make more sales as a result of you burying your head in a sand bucket?

I really don't think so.

Yes, I am moved to write this piece because I am seeing how circumstances are affecting my own business. Anyone out there that sees the value of continuing to operate like a normal wireless business and wants to promote messages, talk to me now. Let's say that deals are available.

But looking at the bigger picture, the impact of recession-itus is such that companies that don't need to go bust are going bust. The practice of putting a hold on projects, cutting back on R&D, ceasing to tell the world who you are, where you are and what you do, is corrosive in the extreme. As a result of the business communities financial constipation, people are losing their jobs and then their homes. Companies that have good products with real market potential - WiQuest, anybody? - are disappearing.

Get real, people. A bunch of greedy bankers may have brought the stock markets and the banking system to their knees, but life can and must go on. And it will be do so much more smoothly, and we can expect to restore some degree of normality much more quickly, if we just stop acting like rabbits in the headlamps.

Religious reference here, so brace yourselves non-Christians:
Christmas is coming. People need to be happy and feel secure. Do your bit.

Buying and selling UWB companies

2008-11-26T13:48:00.004Z

Political and finanancial machinations continue to affect the world of UWB (Ultra Wideband) technology.

I reported in the last issue of Incisor that WiQuest had gone to the wall, and also that word on the grapevine was that other UWB companies were in big trouble as a result of not being able to raise 'next round' financing. Well, the latest I hear is that two of the UWB traiblazers - Staccato Communications and Artimi - are to merge. This followed stories elsewhere in the media a couple of weeks ago that Artimi had in fact closed the doors and was also out of business.

So, I say merge, but this seems more of an acquisition than a merger. Staccato has managed to raise $20 million in new round of funding, and the organisation that will continue to trade post-merger will be called Staccato Communications.

Is this the last of the big changes in the world of UWB? It seems unlikely, and there is still the High Speed Bluetooth relationship to be resolved. We will just have to maintain a watching brief. In the meantime, we (Incisor) have a new UWB-based project. We will travel to Las Vegas for CES, where we will film a movie for the WiMedia Alliance that will position UWB today, and which is intended to publicise the many, and entirely valid messages that the UWB companies want to distribute to the world.

Las Vegas again then ..... More late nights, endless jingling slot machines .....

Ho hum - it's all in a day's work!

Somebody throw UWB a line!

2008-11-06T09:32:00.006Z

Heck! What is going on in the world of Ultra-wideband at the moment? Not only did we hear a bunch of handset companies at the Bluetooth Evolution Conference saying they have little interest in UWB at the moment (Wi-Fi is the flavour of the month), but now we have a bunch of UWB companies in trouble. You can read about this in my feature in this month's issue of Incisor - it can be downloaded from the site -- http://www.incisor.tv/ .

WiQuest we know has closed its doors, which is a great shame. It was a good company, with some great people. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Greg Christison, Pam Johnson and Alun Roberts.

Now I hear that another two - possibly three - UWB companies are also in dire straits. I've been given names, but it's absolutely not right to say here who they are. The Wimedia Alliance is rallying behind them, but there is only so much it can do.

These are awful times for any company seeking financing. Most of the ambitious, pushy and trail-blazing UWB companies are (were) VC-funded. Any one of them that is at or near the point of needing its next-round of funding is going to find it very tough. That is what has bitten WiQuest and may affect others too. It is nothing to do with the merits of UWB as a technology. This is finance and commerce.

Let's hope that recent developments in the US political environment really do initiate some paradigm changes, and that some level of confidence returns to the global financial community. Focusing on the funding needs of a few wireless companies is maybe just a bit too narrow - we all need to feel that a turnaround is possible, so that we all have a glimmer of hope.

Yo, go Obama!

2008-10-28T10:15:00.000Z

Welcome to the shiny new Incisor blog – yes, we’ve finally joined the 21st Century!

We (I) will use this wireless dedicated blog to comment on industry issues, to quickly broadcast information to Incisor magazine subscribers/IncisorTV, to let the world know about things that are going on in the wireless industry and to generally give me a super-speedy method of venting my spleen, as and well I feel like it.

The blog won’t always be about Bluetooth or any other wireless technology for that matter. At the moment, for example, I want to complain about the fact that I am typing this in Spain and as it rained last night the Internet doesn’t work. That’s the trouble with third-world countries. I’m using a Vodafone 3G dongle, which is proving to be a bit of a lifeline. I downloaded a 198MB file in 15 minutes, for example. That’s not bad.

Some of the blog content may be controversial, as this is my blog, and nobody else will be applying a sanity/political correctness filter.

And the great thing about a blog is that if you want to comment on my ramblings, you can reply. Post your comments here and share your thoughts with the world.

I will do my best to put content up here regularly. Maybe even every day. Who knows, I may go blog-tastic, and will be putting stuff up there multiple times in any one day. We shall see.

We are also adding a wireless news-feed to the www.incisor.tv site, expanding our reach, and building Incisor’s profile as THE source of news, data and comment on developments in the short-range wireless world.

So, I suggest you come back here on a regular basis. Let’s shoot the wireless breeze and get some dialogue going.

Now I have to go dig up the road outside so that I can dry out the Internet connection.

Vince