Mobile Bluetooth networking: technical considerations and applications

A growing number of mobile devices in the marketplace now have Bluetooth functionality; allowing wireless communication between enabled devices. Presently, the application for Bluetooth is to replace wired connections to existing peripherals such as hands-free headsets and digital cameras. With the number of Bluetooth enabled mobile handsets growing, the possibility of using these wireless links to form ad-hoc networks becomes apparent. This combined with the relatively recent ability for third party developers to access Bluetooth functions on modern Smartphones presents us with a new technology with which to develop applications. This paper aims to investigate the technical considerations involved with networking groups of mobile users via Bluetooth with their mobile devices. Range, security and operational limitations are all considered. Also discussed are the enabling technologies, such as the JSR-82 Bluetooth API for Java and the Symbian based Series 60 Smartphone operating system. Finally, possible applications and their technical implications are discussed, including gaming, IM and file sharing. The impact of such technology on existing mobile networks is examined.