NEW YORK Speakers at the Bluetooth Live: Debating Travel Applications panel at the eTravelWorld conference, held here April 2-4, discussed the future uses for Bluetooth technology and the likelihood of acceptance by the American consumer.
Skip Bryan, global account manager/Ericsson Bluetooth, stated that 1 billion mobile phones will be sold in 2005, and that, of those, 70% will be Bluetooth-enabled.
However, according to the most recent statistics from Forrester Research, 40% of Americans still don t know whether they have analogue or digital service, and two-thirds don t plan to buy a new mobile devices within the next year. This could mean that despite the advancements in Bluetooth technology, many consumers still don t have the technological savvy to understand the new technology, and many are simply not willing to adopt another trend.
By 2003, Forrester predicts that Bluetooth will be used only as a wireless information device, and that its mobile-commerce platform will not take off until 2004, according to Henry Harteveldt, senior analyst, Forrester Research. (4/4/01) Diana M. Rodriguez