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Back to our RootsWritten by Stuart Roberts Scandinavia, which consists of Norway, Sweden and Denmark, is known for its technology entrepreneurs, especially in the area of mobile communications. So it’s no surprise that the region’s 20 million residents are quick to adopt new technologies. “Technology awareness is relatively high in Scandinavia, and new products take off more quickly here than in many other countries,” says Anders Edlund, Bluetooth SIG marketing director, Malmö, Sweden. Leif-Olof Wallin, research vice president – Enterprise Network Services in Gartner Research’s Göteborg, Sweden, office, also notes the region’s propensity for early technology adoption: “Sweden and Finland were the first two countries to go past 100 percent mobile penetration five or six years ago,” he explains, adding that the Bluetooth enabled mobile phone and accessories market also has seen high adoption rates among consumers. “Bluetooth technology really grew up with the (mobile) phone,” says Jaap Haartsen, senior expert– Wireless Systems Technology & Research at Sony Ericsson. “We try to create an ecosystem around the phone with Bluetooth connectivity.” Data-sharing functionality has struck a chord with consumers as well, especially among youth. “Kids are sharing images, photos and MP3 songs between their mobile phones. This is probably a bigger applicationin Scandinavia than headsets,” Haartsen says. Mobile handsets have been key to leveraging other consumer technologies in the Scandinavian market. Music is a prime example, especially with the recent launch of Apple’s Bluetooth enabled 3GS iPhone. Sony Ericsson has developed Bluetooth enabled stereo music headsets to create a fuller music experience. Automotive use cases are a natural extension of the high mobile adoption rate. The technology’s applications in other leisure-based markets also have been quickly adopted, according to Edlund. “The best example of that is probably gaming,” he notes. “Sony PLAYSTATION 3 and the Nintendo Wii game console both have Bluetooth technology, and they are shipping in large numbers. With the Nintendo Wii you involve yourself physically in the game, so you can’t be wired to the console.” However, despite its ubiquity among Nordic consumers, Bluetooth technology has not seen success in every case. Peter Wissinger, business group leader – Windows Mobile at Microsoft Nordic, explains,“Commercial streaming of Bluetooth, where you get advertising and promotional messages when you walk in a shopping mall, has not happened in this market.” Edlund concurs. “Bluetooth technology isn’t solving all wireless issues,” he says. “When you develop a technology, you try to find ways to use it, but that’s not necessarily how consumers want to use it.” The answer to some of those concerns may be found in the Bluetooth Core Specification Version3.0 + HS. Wallin expects a slew of potential applications to come on the heels of the spec release.“Higher speeds will allow lots of consumers to stop messing around with USB cables to transfer music to their phones, or photos from their phones to their laptop,” he says. The Bluetooth low energy specification, due in late 2009, will also open up new market opportunities in the health care sector, according to Edlund. “We will see some big growth over the next five to 10years,” he says. “Bluetooth technology will be very important in this, because the hospital can interact with consumers’ own devices, such as heart rate monitors, through a mobile phone to the home setup.” Wallin agrees. “What we’re seeing with Nike putting Bluetooth enabled pedometer devices into shoes isjust the beginning. We’ll see many more of these exotic uses of Bluetooth, with low-powered sensors,” he says. And Scandinavia’s high Internet connectivity rates, up to 83 percent in some studies, will be critical to consumers adopting these kinds of applications, Edlund says. Wallin believes that since more than 12,000 Bluetooth SIG members are developing and shipping Bluetooth enabled products, the technology has now become a “hygiene factor” for developers – that is, people only notice it when it’s missing. “The ecosystem has reached that critical mass, so the ecosystem will continue to evolve the Bluetooth standard in lots of interesting directions.” Industry watchers and consumers alike will be taking a keen interest in the first wave of Bluetooth enabled devices featuring Bluetooth V3.0 + HS. As Wallin explains, “We believe that (this version) will rejuvenate Bluetooth (technology) and open up a lot of additional interesting markets.” Stuart Roberts is a freelance writer and editor based in Sweden.
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