Ericsson launches first Bluetooth Development Kit

Ericsson delivers the first Bluetooth Development Kit, enabling early adopters of the Bluetooth technology to develop Bluetooth applications with reduced development time and lower cost.

From the beginning of the Bluetooth initiative, Ericsson has striven to make the Bluetooth specification accessible to all, to spread usage and to enable companies of all sizes and industries to use the technology and develop wider applications. By launching the Ericsson Bluetooth Development Kit, Ericsson is offering a cost-effective development tool that will be accessible to small and middle-sized organizations, not just large corporate groups.

The Ericsson Bluetooth Development Kit is a 'toolbox' of equipment that provides a flexible design environment for engineers to integrate the Bluetooth technology into a range of electronic devices. It demonstrates the core features of the Bluetooth technology and creates a forum for developers to create application software from their core business.

For the sum of £9,000 the Ericsson Bluetooth Development Kit comes complete with two development boards (circuit boards) so that application software can be tested effectively, device to device. It is designed to meet the needs of the first time Bluetooth developer and user. Engineers can construct hardware, in line with their company's existing products, to attach the development boards from which they can develop the new Bluetooth-enabled software to implement into their product range.

The scope for Bluetooth applications is wide-ranging. Almost any equipment that has a wire connecting it to another device can harness the Bluetooth technology to enable wireless operation. Devices can also be developed to communicate with each other. For example, a photograph can be taken with a digital camera, sent to a mobile phone and then e-mailed to a friend or colleague, creating an instant postcard using Bluetooth technology.

The kit is available through Ericsson company, Ericsson Components and distributor Symbionics, which worked alongside Ericsson to design the kit.

Although the response has been so great, Ericsson expects to invite other distributors to become part of the Ericsson Bluetooth network.

The Bluetooth technology currently has more than 650 adopters worldwide. So far more than one hundred companies have signed up to purchase the Ericsson Bluetooth Development Kit from industries as diverse as computing, consumer electronics, peripherals, telecoms and automotive.

The Bluetooth technology was launched as a license-free specification in May 1998 by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group consisting of Ericsson, IBM,

Intel, Nokia and Toshiba. The SIG recognized that a low-cost, low-power radio based cable replacement, or wireless link, could provide the basis for electronic devices to communicate with each other. The goal was to provide effortless service for mobile and business users by means of a small, short range radio-based technology that could be integrated into production line models of a range of different devices. Ericsson is planning to launch commercial products towards the end of 1999.

Additional information about Ericsson and Bluetooth is available on the World Wide Web at: http://bluetooth.ericsson.se

Ericsson is the leading provider in the new telecoms world, with communications solutions that combine telecom and datacoms technologies with freedom of mobility for the user. With more than 100,000 employees in 140 countries, Ericsson simplifies communications for its customers - network operators, service providers, enterprises and consumers - the world over.


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