Ericsson Unveils the First Bluetooth Phone

Today, at CommunicAsia in Singapore, (NASDAQ:ERICY) Ericsson unveiled the first Bluetooth(TM) mobile phone -- the triple-band, WAP-enabled T36. The built-in Bluetooth chip in the T36 makes wireless connectivity possible between the phone and other mobile devices. The T36 features WAP offering access to the Mobile Internet, and supports High Speed Data (HSCSD), making it capable of sending and receiving large amounts of data over the Internet at high speed. It is also the first triple band (GSM 900/1800/1900) phone from Ericsson, which means it can be used in Europe, Asia/Pacific and the Americas -- everywhere in the world where GSM frequency is prevalent.

The Ericsson T36 is the first mobile phone to have built-in Bluetooth wireless technology. Bluetooth makes it possible to connect the phone to other devices without using cables, for instance the T36 can be used together with the Bluetooth Headset from Ericsson. The Bluetooth Headset is a lightweight, wireless mobile phone headset, with a built-in Bluetooth radio chip that acts as a connector between the headset and the phone. When your phone rings, or if you want to make a call, you simply press a key on the headset and use the voice recognition feature in the T36 to answer or initiate the call. As well as voice dialing and answering, you can navigate much of the menu system using voice commands and record and store voice memos in the phone's memory. Bluetooth wireless technology also makes it possible to exchange ring signals and business e-cards, as well as play interactive games between phones.

The T36 supports High Speed Data (HSCSD) and has a WAP 1.2.1 browser. WAP, one of the hottest words in technology at the moment, is a specification designed to adapt Internet content to be viewed in a mobile phone display. High Speed Data (HSCSD) is technology designed to bring the Internet to your T36 several times faster than a standard GSM connection. Its emergence along with GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) means that mobile Internet behavior and usage patterns will change as large-file transfer become possible with a mobile phone. With a built-in modem and WAP at high speed in your mobile phone you can consult online city guides, order and pay for goods and services, send and receive e-mail and access the company intranet. T36 supports WAP 1.2, recently developed to enable secure mobile e-commerce transactions.

T36 can send and receive data as fast as a landline modem, 28.8 kb/s as opposed to GSM which allows for 9.6 kb/s. To achieve this performance, T36 combines two technologies -- HSCSD which is asymmetric use of 2+1 timeslots and 14.4 kbps per timeslot. Connecting to a mobile or stationary PC via Infrared, data cable or a Bluetooth link, the possibilities are endless. Utilizing advanced PIM (Personal Information Management) applications, T36 organizes your phone book according to profile. It updates your calendar, tells you when you've got mail and sends it to you. T36 is also the first mobile phone to incorporate Aircalender, which allows your calendar to receive real-time updates using the open standard Wide Area Network Synchronization. The list of what can be done with T36 is growing every day as more WAP applications are developed and new Bluetooth products arrive on the market.

By fine-tuning the mechanism and components of the T36, stand-by and talk-times have been radically improved. Using the Ultra Slim Battery, you get up to 455 minutes talk time and up to 200 hours standby time. Text messaging with the T36 is made easier than ever with the introduction of predictive text input software. Instead of having to press keys several times for a letter, software in your T36 chooses from a dictionary of words and phrases and anticipates what word or phrase you are writing.

T36 is a small triple band (GSM 900/1800/1900) mobile phone for people who place importance on fine design and high performance. The T36 supports the GSM frequencies used on five continents and in over 120 countries. The 5-row gray scale display is pleasing to use and an ambient blue background light illuminates the keyboard and display even when the phone is in standby mode. It comes in two colors, Misted Yellow and Classic Blue.

Two versions of the T36 will be produced. The T36m, and the T36mc which features a complete Chinese interface that is easy to learn and easy to use. This unique feature allows sending and receiving Chinese SMS messages and also makes it possible to store Chinese names in the Phone Book. The T36 will be available during fourth quarter, 2000.

[ Home | Contact | MobiChat | Experts database | Let's do it ]

Comments to the content of this page can be posted on the MobiChat discussion group