Do-It-Yourself Bluetooth Marketing for Brands
ROK Entertainment Group, a global entertainment company, has launched ROK Promoter, a web-based application which allows advertisers to create and manage their own Bluetooth advertising campaigns, direct to consumers.
ROK Promoter is designed so that advertisers can build, deploy and monitor Bluetooth proximity-marketing mobile video campaigns themselves without the need for third-party agency involvement. Everything is managed through a web interface.
The system converts video and images to the appropriate size to fit different mobile phone models and screen sizes. It cany manage multiple Bluetooth transmitters in multiple locations while providing live audience-impact statistics and summary charts to monitor results. The ROK Promoter is available to license on a weekly, monthly or long-term basis.
“The power of opt-in, one-to-one marketing, through mobile phones and, in particular, being able to reach customers at that crucial point where buying decisions are being made, is becoming ever-more important and valuable to advertisers” said Laurence Alexander, Group CEO of ROK “so we set out to make the process of creating, delivering and monitoring such campaigns as easy as possible for advertisers.” [MobiAdNews]
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Markets Are Evolving in Different Directions
Global markets for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi both continue to show strong growth and will remain the leading personal area networking technologies, but prices and market developments are pushing each of them in new directions, according to a new short-range wireless communications forecast from ABI Research.
Senior analyst Doug McEuen says, “Bluetooth and Wi-Fi equipment and chipset numbers continue to increase. But with IC prices continuing to fall due to technology evolution and greater IC production efficiency, revenues aren’t rising as dramatically. That’s especially the case for Wi-Fi, where the chipsets have been very expensive for a long time. As the attach rate, particularly in laptops, increases to 100%, production is growing rapidly and prices are falling. That’s a good thing, because as the laptop market reaches saturation, Wi-Fi will need to find new opportunities.”
So IC vendors are hoping that lower price points will make the ICs attractive to other market segments, especially the huge but very cost-sensitive wireless handset market. “If you’re a radio or IC manufacturer and your unit price is above $2.00, you’re going to have trouble getting your product into a cell phone,” notes McEuen. “That is definitely one of the reasons why Wi-Fi has seen slower adoption in that market.”
Another key trend noted by McEuen is that Bluetooth’s prevalence in wireless handset/headset combinations is being supplemented by greater penetration in MP3 players and other portable media devices. It is also making inroads in the automotive industry. Bluetooth already has great penetration in the handset world and its price point is very low. It is also evolving towards higher speeds and greater capabilities.
ABI Research’s “Short Range Wireless Forecasts” examines connectivity uptake in end-equipment markets such as mobile handsets and notebooks, and includes analysis of vertical markets such as industrial and commercial. The user segment analysis plots shipments of connectivity-enabled equipment by user sector and connectivity standard. [ABI Research]
Nearly 2.4 Billion Units of Bluetooth-Enabled Equipment to Ship in 2013
A new study from ABI Research forecasts that close to 2.4 billion units of Bluetooth-enabled equipment are expect to ship worldwide in 2013. Of these, more than half will be cellular handsets; adding the accompanying headsets brings that figure to more than 75% of the total market. Notebook computers and portable music devices will run a distant second and third, although the compound annual growth rate for the latter is by far the greatest of any product class.
Bluetooth is showing up everywhere; in addition to the products just mentioned, it can be found in PDAs, desktop PCs, Human Interface Devices (eg. keyboards and mice), printers, automotive products, add-in cards and dongles, digital cameras and medical products. That ubiquity opens up new opportunities: “Integration is a key trend in Bluetooth markets,” says ABI Research senior analyst Douglas McEuen. “Designers are saying ‘Bluetooth is in everything, so what else can we add to the Bluetooth chip?’ GPS is a popular candidate, as is FM radio.”
Some forms of integration just add speed and range, such as the current development of “Bluetooth over 802.11.” It’s the same with ultrawideband: the Bluetooth SIG is working with the WiMedia Alliance to create a technology codenamed “Seattle,” which will also add UWB’s high speed capabilities to Bluetooth.
Gaming is another quite significant market for Bluetooth, although it is characterized by eccentric cycles of growth and contraction caused by the staggered 4-5 year generations of the three leading game consoles/remote controls.
McEuen adds, “The big Bluetooth IC vendors – CSR, Broadcom, and Texas Instruments – remain the market leaders. And as they see OEMs moving to develop Bluetooth into a more capable solution, they are meeting that demand.”
The new study, “Bluetooth: The Global Outlook” addresses all major applications and variations of Bluetooth, and discusses other wireless connectivity IC integration. Providing the most comprehensive look at the Bluetooth market available today, the report also includes extensive analysis of the equipment and semiconductor markets. [ABI Research]
As the Bluetooth SIG Announces its Use of 802.11, Questions Loom About Ultra-Wideband’s Future
Members of the Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group) announced the development of Bluetooth over 802.11, giving Bluetooth a boost in data rate transfer and helping to quench consumer demand for added speed. Consequently, the UWB (Ultra-Wideband) market worries that this announcement may slow down or even suspend its relationship with Bluetooth; but ABI Research does not believe this will be the case.
Michael Foley, executive director of the Bluetooth SIG, stated, “We’re taking classic Bluetooth connections – using Bluetooth protocols, profiles, security, and other architectural elements – and allowing it to jump on top of the already present 802.11 radio, when necessary, to send bulky entertainment data, faster. When the speed of 802.11 is overkill, the connection returns to normal operation on a Bluetooth radio for optimal power management and performance.”
So where does this leave UWB?
“The Bluetooth SIG’s announcement will not have an impact on the timing of the UWB market,” says ABI Research senior analyst Douglas McEuen, “as UWB remains set to be delivered as a viable radio to wireless handsets during the 2009/2010 time frame.”
Moreover, the utilization of 802.11 is meant to fill a short-term role to the extent that UWB is being developed further, with UWB expected to be quite common in the future. Additionally, a combined Bluetooth/UWB WiMedia radio effectively opens the door to companies such as Alereon, Wisair, and WiQuest for entry into the Bluetooth market.
The inclusion of 802.11 inside the realm of Bluetooth can only attract more consumers, thereby setting the stage for UWB’s implementation to attain its full potential in the coming years. [ABI Research]
Nearly One Billion Bluetooth-Enabled Devices to Ship in Asia in 2013
While Bluetooth has been in the market for almost a decade, it has not proliferated widely in Asia. In terms of consumer awareness, this region still lags behind others. However, the picture is changing, especially when it comes to cellular handsets, and a new study from ABI Research indicates that Bluetooth-enabled equipment shipments in Asia will reach 982 million units in 2013, representing a compound annual growth rate of 39% over 2006 shipments.
“One of biggest barriers for consumers is cost,” says senior analyst Andy Bae. “Consumers in Asia believe that the Bluetooth headset is comparatively expensive; they also seem to underestimate its voice quality.”
Bluetooth has achieved its greatest penetration to date in mobile handsets, as mobile operators have demanded continuous support from manufacturers. In South Korea, the penetration rate in mobile phones reached 51% in 2007.
Bae adds, “Streaming music services over mobile networks, such as Japan’s Chaku Uta, will be key drivers of Bluetooth inclusion in cellular handsets.”
The positive uptake in the cellular sector also produces a ripple effect for other devices. With increasing consumer awareness, notebook manufacturers now consider Bluetooth to be an ideal medium for exchanging files and data with peripherals and devices such as printers and digital cameras.
Bluetooth will still face challenges from competing short-range wireless technologies. In Asia, there are home-grown technologies to deliver music, voice, and video within a small radius. These include Binary CDMA, Wireless USB, and GiGa-Fi, which are all discussed in the ABI Research study, in order to compare their market positions and technical features with Bluetooth.
“Those technologies may have superior transmission capabilities,” notes Bae. “But there is no other technology as well suited as Bluetooth for the transmission of audio services — nor does any other technology maintain the same price points or the same well-established market position.” [ABI Research]
China YouTV Tries Wireless Value-Added Services
China YouTV Corp. reported that its Joint Venture Partner HuaJu NetMedia ("HuaJu") has entered into a strategic partnership with the leading value-added mobile service and software technology provider in China, HURRAY where both parties will carry out cooperation on over 2000 3G experience terminals. These terminals will be launched into Gome Electrical Appliances Holding Ltd.'s malls across the country, providing consumers with excellent wireless value-added services and state-of-the-art 3G service experiences.
HuaJu has completed the R&D of experience terminals. With advanced touch screen which is embedded with services favored by consumers such as video, music, ring tones, pictures and mobile games, users can operate the terminals as easily as operating computers, and trial use, view or experience these services at any time. Having found and purchased desired items, users can acquire them in many forms such as by writing or through infrared, Bluetooth or data cable.
Both parties agree that they will use their advantages to furnish the experience terminals with excellent contents. HuaJu has been taking the lead in video sharing and possesses abundant entertainment video resources, while HURRAY also owns several music companies. The combination of both parties in this field will bring forward a win-win situation.
Mr. Wei, CEO of HuaJu said that, the launch of 3G experience terminals, which is designed to provide consumers with more direct and considerate experience services, is an upgrade of the cooperation between HuaJu and Gome on 3G service experience cards.
HURRAY also maintains that, use of the terminals to provide wireless value-added services and ahead-of-time 3G contents not only provides value-added mobile services to explore 3G era in advance with a best opportunity, but also enhances consumer's user experience, creating a new revenue source for value-added mobile service providers. HURRAY and HuaJu will share the profit, HURRAY will have 40%, HuaJu will have 60%.
www.CnBoo.com ("CnBoo"), the online video site belonging to the Joint Venture established by China YouTV Corp. and HuaJu, is a video viewing site and social networking site that allows users to create their own profiles, post videos, and comment on each other's posts. CnBoo web site is similar to YouTube (www.YouTube.com), the No. 1 online video site. Within less than 2 years, CnBoo already has over 1.2 million members and over 1 million pieces of original digital video (DV) shorts. [WirelessIQ]
Samsung, Nokia sued over Bluetooth patents
A foundation named the Washington Research Institute (WRI) has filed a lawsuit against Matsushita, Samsung and Nokia, alleging that Bluetooth technology infringes on its patented work carried out at the University of Washington. WRI filed the suit in December and seeks unspecified damages.
The WRI's lawyer, Michael Lisa claimed that the foundation "will not refuse reasonable settlements, but if we don't get an offer to do so, we are going to trial." The lawsuit claims that computers, mobile phones and headsets made by the three companies violate four patents held by WRI. Each of the defendants use chipsets made by U.K. firm CSR, which WRI claims has not licensed the technology.
Source: FierceWireless. For more on the WRI's lawsuit read The Inquirer's article and NetworkedWorld's article. NewsFactor.com
SK Telecom, Staccato Deploy Ultra Wideband WPAN Mobile Phone Services
Staccato Communications and SK Telecom, the largest mobile phone and broadband operator in Korea, today unveiled plans for the global delivery of Ultra Wideband (UWB) wireless personal area network (WPAN) mobile phone services. The adoption of UWB by one of the largest and most innovative mobile carriers today will result in a host of new mobile handset applications.
SK Telecom selected Staccato for the company’s leadership in UWB silicon and for the competitive advantages inherent in the company’s Ripcord™ single-chip, all CMOS-based family of solutions. As a result of this partnership, customers, for the first time, will be provided with increased choices for content delivery from access points, connecting mobile phones to larger displays (PC, TV, Auto), connecting mobile phones to the PC ecosystem, and sharing profiles and content from one user to another through personal area social networking (PASN).
Services developed and launched by SK Telecom and Staccato will be standardized and offered worldwide to other operators after initial launch in Korea. With this introduction of UWB WPAN mobile phone services, customers will have expanded options and bandwidth for entertainment content delivery to their mobile devices. This means that users will now experience mobile social networking by communicating directly with other mobile users or from kiosks at 480Mbps. As a result, individuals will be able to connect based on one another’s proximity. This milestone marks the beginning of a revolution in the mobile handset market by employing WiMedia ultra wideband technology for 480Mbps WPAN connections.
With the choice of the WiMedia Common Radio Platform as the foundation for the project, SK Telecom and Staccato are developing together applications using several protocols. This benefit is enabled by Staccato’s PIK MAC (Medium Access Control) technology, which is a Protocol Independent Kernel, based on a custom implementation of hardware acceleration and ARM9 software control. This patent-pending technology enables the simultaneous operation of Certified Wireless USB, WiNet, Bluetooth 3.0 and other potential protocols at speeds up to 480Mbps. Products will initially launch with WiMedia radios using spectrum below 6GHz (band group 1, band 3) and add above-6GHz operation when the WiMedia Alliance completes the certification process for these bands.
“The SK Telecom–Staccato announcement is significant for at least three reasons. First, it signals adoption of UWB in mobile handsets much sooner than anyone had anticipated. Second, it shatters the assumption that a mobile carrier is not willing to use UWB products operating below 6GHz. Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, the value of the UWB applications and services envisioned by SK Telecom looks like it could be very high and very beneficial to both the users and the carriers,” said Fiona Thomson, market analyst, IMS Research.
“SK Telecom is known as the most innovative and aggressive mobile operator in the world due to our history of not only bringing new mobile features to market before our competitors, but also defining such new features that other operators quickly adopt. Staccato is instrumental in furthering this vision by offering the solution that meets our requirements of price, high bandwidth and low power. In order to successfully deploy these mobile devices, we needed a solution based on single-chip CMOS. Staccato is the only company that has accomplished that product design with their Ripcord low-cost, small form-factor wireless solutions,” said Dr. Jong Tae Ihm, vice president and head of the Mobile Device & Access Network R&D Center for SK Telecom.
“From the beginning, Staccato knew that single-chip CMOS was the only viable option to achieve the cost, power and space profile required by handheld products like cell phones, and this endorsement from a major mobile carrier further validates our early path and Ripcord device family. As one of the architects behind the WiMedia PHY and MAC, WiNet and Certified Wireless USB specifications, SK Telecom recognizes that we have the relevant UWB leadership expertise to offer,” said Marty Colombatto, chairman and CEO for Staccato Communications.
“With the mobile handset market representing nearly one billion units worldwide annually, the decision of SK Telecom to adopt the WiMedia Common Radio Platform means a tremendous boost to the potential market for WiMedia applications and Staccato in particular. The impact of this will not remain limited to one application, but will bring an entire array of new features and applications to the mobile customer.”
For the first phase, a Korean-based, leading manufacturer of handsets worldwide will be the handset developer for the new WiMedia UWB handsets.
Source: ABI Research
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