Which in my case is a pretty good number of things. You probably know by now that several PC and cellular phone firms are working on a communication technology called Bluetooth. Leading cell phone manufacturers like Ericsson and Nokia have joined forces with IBM and Intel to try to make communication easier through the use of radio waves. The waves can travel up to 30 feet, and aren't impeded by pockets or briefcases, or even walls. One product released first by Nokia this summer is a headset that will use the Bluetooth technology to let you talk on your cell phone while it is in your pocket.
Several factors seem to be at work.
First, the U.S. market for cell phones is growing, but not as fast as manufacturers had hoped, and mostly in lower-end models. Studies released in July 2000 show that U.S. users simply aren't as interested in cell and digital technology as much of the rest of the world. Second, security issues continue to concern possible users. Hacking is easy in a wireless world, since the miscreant needn't be physically connected to the system she wants to hack. Since the Bluetooth transmitters will communicate with radio frequencies, the possibility of unwittingly or deliberately scrambled signals when user spaces overlap is a real concern.