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Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Nokia and a raft of other vendors are backing Bluetooth. Although its aim is lofty--to simplify the process of connecting phones, computers, PDAs, printers and a host of lesser devices--Bluetooth's technical details are fairly basic. The radios will operate in the 2.4-GHz range, using frequency-hopping techniques to keep communication flowing even in spaces that are "noisy." Calling for support of both synchronous and asynchronous communication, Bluetooth's synchronous bands are geared to carry relatively high-quality voice, while the asynchronous communication will support data at slightly more than 700 Kbps. Distance is limited to about 10 meters.

Adding to its appeal, Bluetooth boasts a cost-conscious design. The radios are expected to cost approximately $20 at first, and could drop to $5 thereafter. Thus, including the technology in most handheld devices won't break the businessperson's budget and will probably accommodate the consumer's budget, too. Of course, any device capable of incorporating this technology must have some sort of general-purpose CPU able to run the lightweight networking and data-link protocols that govern Bluetooth transmission. Consequently, we won't be seeing Bluetooth-enabled floor lamps in the near future. But we may see enabled thermostats, refrigerators and who knows what else--coffee makers could be on the fringe.

The protocols are indeed simple. Although each Bluetooth network can accommodate only eight devices, the frequency-hopping means that many Bluetooth networks could operate in the same vicinity. While the Bluetooth lower-level protocols are fairly well-developed, there's still work to be done defining how devices will identify themselves and how that information will be presented to the end user.

I am not censuring this protocol in any way. In fact, I think we'll all be sporting a full set of Blueteeth within the next three to five years. But if the guy sitting next to me in the airport decides to Bluetooth his way from his laptop to his cell phone so he can check his mail, I want to be darn sure he isn't latching onto my phone to make the call.

Indeed, the tricky things that need to be worked out regarding a technology like Bluetooth are primarily related to security. Some areas, such as encryption, will be left to the application. Likewise, application-level authentication will be relegated to application-layer protocols. But since this technology lends itself to eavesdropping, you'd better be sure you understand the application-level security needs and that you account for them.

Still, the issue of authentication at the Bluetooth level is important. Simply creating access-control lists is not enough; an authentication protocol is necessary to ensure that the communicating devices are on a Bluetooth network. Spoofing and similar problems that pop up on our IP networks today will be much worse with Bluetooth because it doesn't require any physical connection to the network.

Security concerns aside, I can't wait for my cell phone to connect to my coffee maker. I see early morning bedside phone calls becoming a real necessity. "Hello, coffee maker? Nonfat double latté please, and easy on the foam this time."

Send your comments on this column to Art Wittmann at awittman@nwc.com.