Bluetooth Guide for Gadgets
Written on Thursday, November 06, 2008
This post is exactly about what the title says. A guide for bluetooth-enabled gadgets from the Bluetooth Special Interest Group.
I've been looking for this type of thing for years! Though in general one Bluetooth device is, more or less, bound to work with another, I've always needed a way to confirm that what I'm buying is actually what I need. I guess I'm probably that type of consumer, right? Especially when shopping for gadgets, I always find myself looking at detailed specs, product information and characteristics. But with gadgets you have to.. It's the technology I'm buying, so I must know what technology it is I'm buying!
The underlying problem here is inherent with every new technology.
How does it work?
Which products implement it?
How full is the technology implementation in each product?
Which technology features work, and which don't?
And if it works, how well?
What's coming?
Then enter version hell:
What's the latest version?
What are the differences between this version and last?
Is it backwards-compatible or (more unlikely) forwards-compatible?
Does this version of this technology work with that version of that technology?
And it goes on...so many questions, and so many answers.. A mess, especially for people who can't always afford to keep up-to-date with latest advances in the tech world.
That's why I especially liked this tool.. You go to their website, search for the product, profile or technology you want it to implement, see if you can match it to another device and you're done. Simple! I like simple!
The web service isn't perfect functionality-wise yet, but it's good. (free tip to their dev team: link on each product should be a deep link to the company website, not to their home page, so that after I've found what I'm looking for, or comparing products, I can easily jump to their webpage). Now I know next time I need a gadget where to look for Bluetooth related info.
I just hope more initiatives like this come up, so we can end up with one tool that knows all that (and no, I don't mean the internet).
I've been looking for this type of thing for years! Though in general one Bluetooth device is, more or less, bound to work with another, I've always needed a way to confirm that what I'm buying is actually what I need. I guess I'm probably that type of consumer, right? Especially when shopping for gadgets, I always find myself looking at detailed specs, product information and characteristics. But with gadgets you have to.. It's the technology I'm buying, so I must know what technology it is I'm buying!
The underlying problem here is inherent with every new technology.
How does it work?
Which products implement it?
How full is the technology implementation in each product?
Which technology features work, and which don't?
And if it works, how well?
What's coming?
Then enter version hell:
What's the latest version?
What are the differences between this version and last?
Is it backwards-compatible or (more unlikely) forwards-compatible?
Does this version of this technology work with that version of that technology?
And it goes on...so many questions, and so many answers.. A mess, especially for people who can't always afford to keep up-to-date with latest advances in the tech world.
That's why I especially liked this tool.. You go to their website, search for the product, profile or technology you want it to implement, see if you can match it to another device and you're done. Simple! I like simple!
The web service isn't perfect functionality-wise yet, but it's good. (free tip to their dev team: link on each product should be a deep link to the company website, not to their home page, so that after I've found what I'm looking for, or comparing products, I can easily jump to their webpage). Now I know next time I need a gadget where to look for Bluetooth related info.
I just hope more initiatives like this come up, so we can end up with one tool that knows all that (and no, I don't mean the internet).
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