多种技术加盟：蓝牙仍有强劲上升空间

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多种技术加盟：蓝牙仍有强劲上升空间

短距离无线通讯技术正在越来越多的涌现。用于传感器和控制网络的ZigBee，Z－Wave，用于近距离感应支付的NFC，用于跟踪物流的RFID，用于高速设备互联的UMB。还有最早成名Wi－Fi。别忘了，还有蓝牙。
蓝牙已经无处不在。到处都是挂着蓝牙耳机的人，那微小的蓝色光闪随处可见。据称，2008年要售出800件蓝牙设备。
耳机是蓝牙最初的用武之地，但是现在，手表，车内广播都在使用蓝牙。在上周摩托罗拉公司的年度技术论坛上，他们向记者展示了集中短距离无线通讯技术的应用。其中，蓝牙技术出现的频率最高，它不仅连接了手机，而且将电视遥控器、电脑和存储设备都连接在一起。
分析师预测，今年蓝牙设备的市场发展趋势将明显放缓，今年的增长大约在34％左右，虽然听上去仍然很好，但是实际比往年要低不少。我认为，这正是蓝牙技术已经成熟的标志。有哪个技术产品能够每年保持翻倍的增长呢？
而且，我对分析师的这个消极论调持有怀疑态度。实际上，一些新的技术正在充实和完善蓝牙技术阵营，这将帮助蓝牙技术融入更多的设备和应用领域中去。比如，诺基亚的Wibree标准正在和蓝牙技术标准进行融合，帮助蓝牙进一步降低能耗到原来的十分之一（当然是理论数字）。比如，增强数据传输率的蓝牙2.1＋EDR，将在今年圣诞节之前大规模商用化。再比如，UWB也和蓝牙具有天然的融合互补的特点。不过，后者之间的融合进展似乎不如前者那样快。
对于蓝牙技术的未来，我唯一的担心就是蓝牙技术的相关组织，尤其是蓝牙SIG联盟。这个联盟正在变的越来越笨拙，它们试图将很多不应该在一起工作的技术强行加在一起。
最近的一份研究报告指出，蓝牙技术的扩张在某些领域暗藏了风险，尤其在汽车制造商方面。现在，400万辆车已经装上了蓝牙设备，未来5年内，这个数字还会继续增长300％。绝大多数汽车制造商之所以对蓝牙感兴趣，是因为其提供的免手提功能，以及音频传输功能。但是，现在已经有汽车制造商说，他们很难继续保持对蓝牙技术的跟进。因为汽车的设计周期是4到5年。
未来几年，蓝牙如何演进，将是一件很让行业和企业获得启发的产业案例。

There's a growing proliferation of short-range wireless technologies. You've got ZigBee and Z-Wave for sensor and control networks, Near Field Communications (NFC) for proximity payments, RFID for tracking assets, Ultra Wideband (UWB) for high-speed connections between devices. You might throw Wi-Fi into that mix for networking. And, oh, don't forget about Bluetooth.
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Bluetooth has become fairly ubiquitous in today's society. You can't turn around without seeing someone sporting a Bluetooth earpiece and its little blue flashing lights. It's not just geeks and business users. I've seen soccer moms with them. And there are more and more stereo headsets using Bluetooth.

Headsets were the first place Bluetooth found a home, but you're seeing it used in a lot more devices and applications now. There are watches with Bluetooth, even car radios with Bluetooth. The new ways Bluetooth is being used was driven home to me last week when I attended Motorola's annual technology forum for analysts and the press.
Several short-range technologies were part of some demonstrations - NFC to use your phone to pay at the check-out register and ZigBee to create an ad-hoc mesh network for firemen and again to monitor equipment in a hospital. But Bluetooth seemed to be used in more demonstrations as a way to connect not only mobile phones but other equipment like TV monitors, computers and storage devices.

Analysts are forecasting a slowing in the spread of Bluetooth. In-Stat says the number of Bluetooth devices will increase 34% this year, a healthy number but still down substantially from recent years. I think that shows a maturation of the technology. You can't keep doubling every year.
I'm skeptical there will be much slowing in Bluetooth's growth, though. There are some new technologies joining Bluetooth that could push it into more devices and new areas. One is the integration of the Wibree low-power technology, which is under way now with the merger of the two groups. Another advance is Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR (enhanced data rate), which could be in devices by Christmas. Still another is the integration of the UWB broadband technology from the WiMedia Alliance. You haven't heard a lot about the latter, so I have to wonder if that integration is proving to be more difficult than originally thought.

My only concern about the future of Bluetooth is that the technology and the organizations backing it - specifically the Bluetooth Special Interest Group - are becoming unwieldy and cumbersome. Bluetooth is becoming an umbrella of technologies that don't necessarily work together.
A recent report from the analyst group IMS Research says all this expansion of Bluetooth technology may hurt it in certain areas, especially among car manufacturers. Bluetooth was in 4 million vehicles last year, IMS Research says, and it still expects it to grow in the auto segment more than 300% in the next five years. Most of the interest from car makers is for hands-free uses and for audio streaming, IMS says.


背景资料：
1，ZigBee和Z－Wave的比较：
 

ZigBee和Z-Wave典型工作特性对比

2，Wibree和蓝牙的融合：
Wibree由诺基亚研究中心开发。蓝牙与Wibree其实各有优缺：蓝牙耗电量虽高，但适合在耳机和音乐播放器等设备中传输音乐数据；而Wibree更适合对功耗要求很苛刻的设备。Wibree操作距离为10公尺、数据率为1Mbps，使用免授权2.4GHz的ISM频段。诺基亚表示，Wibree能在独立晶片的形式，或是以蓝牙-Wibree双模晶片形式实现。据诺基亚公司透露，蓝牙技术整合Wibree技术规格的新技术规格将在2008年上半年发布

3，UWB和蓝牙的融合：
UWB有效范围较小，但数据传输速率高，功率要求也高；而蓝牙有效范围较大，功率要求非常低，但数据传输速率差强人意。于是，通过整合蓝牙和UWB，设备制造商便能够通过“单一”的无线解决方案，实现低功耗、低成本和高数据速率传输，这些是通过一种技术无法实现的。

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