Can I Develop a Standard? Yes, You Can.

Here is a very informative post “The Cost of Wireless Standards” by Nick Hunn. Reviewing the development history of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Zigbee, as well as recent industrial data, he offers some stunning numbers in dollars and years to easily scare away people who ever have dreams to start developing a standard, here are some of my thoughts that may re-energize such dreams.

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Thinking Like A Dandelion (2)

The competition among WSN technologies, has well gone beyond feature to something like eyeball economy of Internet or competing for attentions. When everything is equal – not for capability, but for imperfection – the technology has the highest mindshare and easiest access could very likely get the chance for a first try to prove concept if you want to call it this way. I have talked to an ANT sales in an industrial show several years ago. What they told me was that people tried Bluetooth and Zigbee, they failed then they eventually turned to ANT. Stop thinking that way any more! When Bleutooth Low Energy is well deployed, I bet any people from ANT still dare to just let people try BLE first and wait for them turning back, though they may still legitimately call ANT a technically better solution.
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Thinking Like a Dandelion (1)

This disposition of each – or even most – of the seeds isn’t the important thing, from a dandelion’s point of view. The important thing is that every spring, every crack in every pavement is filled with dandelions. The dandelion doesn’t want to nurse a single precious copy of itself in the hopes that it will leave the nest and carefully navigate its way to the optimum growing environment, there to perpetuate the line.  The dandelion just wants to be sure that every single opportunity for reproduction is exploited.  – Cory Doctorow

Bluetooth SIG is to announce the result of its 2nd world cup of Bluetooth Low Energy application competition in these couple of days. There are arguments if this event is really efficient in searching for killer applications. I kind of have the same feeling. While such event is a good push to increase the awareness and trials among engineers. It can not be counted on for the killer application pursuit. Killer apps are from people trying to solve real, not fictitious problems. Bluetooth Low Energy has already been potentially better than its competitors in terms of enabling killer applications, it just needs to realize this advantage as soon as possible,
then to retain the edge.  

What I am mean that “BLE is better” is in the term of ubiquity.
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Bluetooth Low Energy and ANT, who cares?

This post is my read of the interesting press release from TI about their Bluetooth Low Energy and ANT chips (CC2540 and CC257x). I think for anybody closely monitor the progress of BLE and ANT, it is worth investigating this press release.

First of all, did I said this before? TI really does not care about what technologies you choose. What they care about is your choosing their chips. So this is why when we users see Bluetooth Low Energy and ANT are fierce competing rivals, TI has a different view and this view allow TI to announce the two seemingly fierce competing product lines in one release. The key message: our solution is the most completed.

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Strange Blog may Disclose Something

There is a new post on TI's  Bluetooth Low Energy blog, Bluetooth low energy and coin cells

I felt strange when I first read the blog, but could not tell what it was. Is Bluetooth Low Energy supposed to be operated by a coin cell? Definitely! This is what BLE is all about.

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Compare the Comparison

It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.                      - Sun Tzu

Once upon a time, comparing to Zigbee was a must-to-do for any emerging technologies doing wireless sensor network. Z-Wave did that; ANT did that; WirelessHart did that; Dash7 has done that and is continue doing that. All have proved to be successful to some extent, Z-wave in home area network, ANT in sports and fitness, WirelessHart in industrial control, Dash7 is active RFID. Isn't comparison to competitor an effective marketing activity?

Zigbee is the first open standard of wireless sensor network, initially targeting to all the possible use cases people can ever imagine. But one thing can not fit all. Each late comer has one focus and one point strong. They beaten or try to beat Zigbee at that point cared by a particular market.

Now Bluetooth Low Energy is the latest jumping into the wireless sensor battle field. Whom does BTLE chosen to compare to?

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