Signature Q3 2008

In Retrospect | Q3 ’08 “On 21 September 2000, GN Netcom proudly presented the world’s first qualified Bluetooth enabled headset, almost two months ahead of anyone else.” – Leo Larsen, CTO, GN Netcom Struggling to ﬁnd the right technology and struggling to handle the fragmented world of available frequency bands – that was the reality to GN Netcom at the time. So it was very encouraging to show up at the conference in Atlanta and hear that major companies had joined forces to solve the problems we were facing. All of a sudden, we were looking toward a wireless solution that was partly designed for our products – headsets. The solution had many beneﬁts: dedicated channels for audio (SCO links), very low power consumption, low cost (soon to be below US$5), small size and the ability to operate in a globally accepted frequency band. All of this, plus the fact that a number of major industrial players supported it, was sweet talk in the ears of a headset designer. Another encouraging experience at the conference was when I met an old friend named Ole Jensen. He was the founder and owner of the Danish company Digianswer, which was a pioneer in the early days of Bluetooth technology and was later acquired by Motorola. Ole had previously tried – without success – to convince GN Netcom about all the beneﬁts of infrared technology. Ole, by nature, is very impatient. He could not wait for the development of dedicated Bluetooth wireless chips. Instead, at the conference Digianswer presented the Bluetooth wireless baseband running on an off-the-shelf digital signal processor combined with an off-the-shelf radio chip. With this combination he demonstrated video transfer over a Bluetooth wireless link. Now Bluetooth technology was for real – not just a PowerPoint slide. Ole and I talked brieﬂy – possibly over a beer – about the potential of his solution. I told him we already had a mechanical design ready for implementation of electronics, including RF solutions. If we could ﬁt his Bluetooth technology solution in there, we were on to something. We agreed to talk more when we returned to Denmark. Ole took up the challenge. Shortly after the conference, we met in Copenhagen, ﬁnalized the principles and signed an agreement. We wanted to show Bluetooth technology working in a headset at CeBIT in Hannover, Germany, in March 1999 – only a few months away. This was a major challenge. A lot of people – both at Digianswer and at GN Netcom – were working night and day to make this happen. As a matter of fact, the samples were not ready at the time of the opening of the show. They were in a fast-driving car between Denmark and Hannover. But during CeBIT, GN Netcom successfully demonstrated a headset working on Bluetooth technology. The demo at CeBIT created a lot of interest and the ball had started rolling. Now it was time to do the real implementation and deﬁne the ﬁnal product – and future products. This was exciting and not trivial. A lot of unforeseen problems occurred. A lot of hard work was done. But at CeBIT 2000, the ﬁnal product was demonstrated. And on 21 September 2000, GN Netcom proudly presented the world’s ﬁrst Bluetooth enabled headset that was qualiﬁed to the Bluetooth core speciﬁcation version 1.0b. This was almost two months ahead of anyone else. The rest is history. To date, GN Netcom has made more than 50 million Bluetooth enabled headsets. Leo Larsen is chief technology ofﬁcer at GN Netcom. Celebrate ten years of Bluetooth technology by sharing your story about the development of wireless connectivity. E-mail us at signature@bluetooth.com. 14 | SIGnature | Bluetooth.org http://bluetooth.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Signature Q3 2008

Signature Q3 2008 Contents Connect: Growing Markets Inbox: Spread the Word Ask the SIG: The Fast Lane In the News Perspectives: Views From APAC Bluetooth Technology in Retrospect: Headset History Bluetooth Technology in Retrospect: Headset History Bluetooth Technology @ Play: Unplug Your Fun Bluetooth Technology Interactive: Wireless Tourism Checkout: Groovy Gadgets Bluetooth Wireless Explorer: Mind Games Bluetooth Technology 101: Ads You Like It Bluetooth Technology 501: Group Efforts Wacky Apps: What’s NXT? Get in the Game: If The Glove Fits ... Revolution: The Space Age

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