Report: Growth to help Bluetooth sparkle

A report from research firm Allied Business Intelligence says the future looks bright for Bluetooth. The projection is based on the wireless networking technology's steady market growth in 2002. Oyster Bay, N.Y.-based ABI expects Bluetooth chipset shipments to increase from 33.8 million units in 2002 to 1.1 billion by 2007, when revenue should reach $2.54 billion. The growth will be helped along by Bluetooth's increasing stability and compatibility with other wireless technologies, as well as by falling component prices.

Bluetooth allows cell phones, notebooks and other devices within a 30-foot radius to speak to each other.