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Electronic News, Jan 10, 2000 by Jerry Ascierto

Consumer electronics firms unveiled a plethora of new wireless product releases at last week's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

With emerging applications like BlueTooth and Personal Area Networks beginning to make strides, this year's show highlighted the rich range of wireless technologies bred in the post-PC era. As cell phones, global positioning systems (GPS), and handheld computing platforms in general gobble up more and more functionality, the key to the consumer world's future may lie in a world without wires.

"The convergence of the Internet with the growth of wireless communications is profoundly changing the way people interact with content," said Stephan Maloney, president and chief executive officer of Intelligent Information Inc., Santa Clara, Calif., which exhibited its personalized Wireless Application Protocol content and commerce services at the show.

"Whether it's e-mail or information, the key consumer value of wireless communication is being connected when mobile or otherwise occupied," he added.

Toward that end, Lucent Technologies, Murray Hill, N.J., unveiled a chipset at the show for hands-free cellular phone products, a new market for the company. Targeted at automotive applications, as well as embedded cell phone hands-free kits, the chip allows you to dial without hands.

The digital signal processor (DSP) inside the chipset operates at 100 million instructions per second, enabling voice recognition, full duplex speakerphone functions, and simultaneous voice and data. Both Motorola's Telematics Communications Group and Boulder, Colo.-based CellPort Systems will use the chipset in next-generation products.

Approximately 45 percent of wireless subscribers last year purchased or planned to purchase hands-free kits, equaling about 13 million units, according to the market research firm Yankee Group.

"As more data-oriented applications emerge augmented by more accurate speech recognition systems on wireless networks, using phones hands-free will become critical and provide subscribers a greater ease of use," said Philip Redman, associate director of wireless/mobile communications at the Yankee Group.

"Hands-free is quickly becoming the most popular wireless phone feature," he added.

Pronounced Technologies LLC, Reseda, Calif., also showcased its hands-free cellular products, debuting two additions to its existing line of voice-interactive devices. The AudioNav 2000 is a completely voice-interactive portable navigation system and can be incorporated into a car's CD player. The company also unveiled its eBox, a combination GPS navigator, CD changer and wireless tuner.

Rand McNally, long known for its reference books, christened a new cordless GPS product for Palm III and Palm V organizers. The receiver, dubbed the StreetFinder GPS, weighs less than six ounces and is targeted at personal digital assistants (PDAs).

This thirst for information from mobile users has caused Askey Computer Corp., Taipei, Taiwan, to throw its hat into the ring. The firm demonstrated its palm-sized Piccolo at the show, a feature-rich handheld PC, competitively priced at $199.

As a wealth of emerging handheld computers hit the streets, supporting security products follow. Applied Biometrics Products Inc., Burlington, Vt., showcased its Kryptic Pilot fingerprint identification product for Palm Computing platform devices at CES.

Aimed at portable security needs in the mobile computing, e-business, access control and personal communications markets, the Kryptic Pilot is capable of months of operation on a single set of batteries, retaining all enrolled fingerprints for years, even after the batteries are removed.

But how will the consumer allow all of these devices to talk to one another? One answer in the wireless space is BlueTooth technology, which promises a seamless, wireless network of consumer electronics.

The rise of BlueTooth heralds an interconnected universe extending from phones, PDAs, laptops, MP3 players, information appliances and camcorders to the wireless home networking of TV, and audio and video equipment.

Many of the founders and driving members of the BlueTooth Special Interest group and recently formed BlueTooth Promoter Group showed BlueTooth compatible products at CES, including Acer, Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Lucent, Motorola, Nokia, Philips, Siemens, Sony and Microsoft.