Wireless Applications Include Hands-Free Telephony

    NEW YORK--Oct. 15, 2001--Bluetooth SIG, Inc. has announced that its Car Working Group has released a definition for how Bluetooth(TM) wireless technology will enable hands-free use of mobile phones in automobiles. These enhancements are part of the new Hands-Free Profile and are expected to be adopted by the Bluetooth SIG membership. Prototype products using this specification are expected by the end of this year.
    "Product designers, including those in the automobile market, are looking for high volume, easy to implement wireless standards," said Simon Ellis, chairman of the Bluetooth SIG marketing committee. "The Bluetooth specification is meeting the needs of existing and new applications for wireless products by diligently focusing on worldwide interoperability and ease of use."
    The Bluetooth SIG provides a forum for companies to work together using short-range wireless technologies to solve customer problems. In response to interest by the automotive industry, the Bluetooth SIG formed the Car Working Group in December of 1999. The Hands-Free profile is the first of several application level specifications expected from the working group.
    Using the new Hands-Free profile, products that implement the Bluetooth specification can facilitate automatic establishment of a connection between the car's hands-free system (typically part of its audio system) and a mobile phone the driver brings into the car. Bluetooth wireless products that incorporate these new enhancements will enable a seamless, virtually automatic interface between the car and wireless products.
    Work continues among the Bluetooth Promoter and Associate member companies to add additional capabilities to the Bluetooth wireless specification. In-depth updates to the Bluetooth SIG membership and the development community regarding these efforts are planned at the upcoming annual Bluetooth Developers Conference to be held in San Francisco, December 10-13, 2001.

    About Bluetooth Wireless Technology

    Bluetooth(TM) wireless technology is set to revolutionize the personal connectivity market by providing freedom from wired connections. It is a specification for a small-form factor, low-cost radio solution providing links between mobile computers, mobile phones and other portable handheld devices, and connectivity to the Internet. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), comprised of leaders in the telecommunications, computing, and network industries, is driving development of the technology and bringing it to market. The Bluetooth SIG includes promoter group companies 3Com, Agere, Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia and Toshiba, and more than 2000 Associate and Adopter member companies.

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