Hardware Notes
Bluetooth really has potential to enable new uses of hardware. Some random notes:
- Bluetooth devices really need to start speaking IPv6. That way all the apps will still work even when the underlying transport protocol changes to something like Ultra Wide Band.
- The only electronic device that most people are willing to carry everywhere with them is a mobile phone.
- Car alarms need to switch to Bluetooth. That way my car can automatically unlock and disarm the alarm when either my or my wife’s cell phone is in the range, and lock when they are not. Bluetooth devices are usually small computers, so this would also bring an additional level of safety as the shitty communication protocols used by most car alarm key chains today could be replaced with a industrial strength challenge-response protocol.
- Car stereo face plates are becoming unnecessary. The stereo can be hidden somewhere inside the dashboard where the thieves won’t see it, and you can feed it MP3s and control it using a small remote control or, for example, your Bluetooth-enabled phone.
- If cell phones are to grow up and be our personal digital assistants in everyday life, they need to become a platform. So we need a good, documented OS and the ability to write software for it.