Cars break down.
Bluetooth 1.0, a protocol for transmitting short-range radio signals to link electronic devices to the Web, is the basis for a new breed of wireless services. The protocol supports a range of devices, including cellular phones, mobile computers and portable devices such as the Palm Pilot. Using a Bluetooth-based wireless personal area network installed in a vehicle, a motorist could synchronize addresses on a cell phone with those on a personal digital assistant or retrieve diagnostic data about an alternator problem under the car's hood, for example. A number of heavyweight technology players, including IBM, Intel Corp., Sun Microsystems Inc. and Motorola Inc. in Schaumburg, Ill., have announced Bluetooth-enabled systems and devices for the dashboard. But automakers and analysts said support for the standard is still a ways off.