Bluetooth Technology: What's the Next Big Thing You'll Be "Chewing" On?

Bluetooth Technology is a short range wireless communication technology developed by IT companies like IBM, Nokia, Intel, Erickson and Toshiba and is available to anyone with a PC, PDA, cell phone or anything that has Bluetooth capability. Without the use of cables they can receive this permission based communication. It opens up many options for marketing. At first Bluetooth technology was used to link mobile phones to other devices, such as ear pieces, giving you the ability to drive hands free while talking on your cell phone. It is a way of connecting devices like your lap top, desktop, printer, wireless headsets, even home appliances all without using cables.

There is no cost to the cell phone user making this an effective marketing strategy, companies can send coupons, specials they are running, movie clips, animated images, audio content, video content, still images, ring tones WML pages and more, whatever they feel would peak the interest of the cell phone user getting them to "opt in" to receive the message, and with their initial interest, eventually turning them into repeat customers making this a very effective way of reaching a target market. Also known as proximity based marketing, this it is still pretty new to the US; in fact, the US is behind many other countries when it comes to utilizing the advantages of Bluetooth Technology.

Bluetooth technology opens up just one more powerful way of advertising, and there are many reasons that a company should "opt" itself to use this form of communication. First, there is no cost to the cell phone, PDA or lap top user for this to work making this a non intrusive and non threatening way of targeting your market. Next, it doesn't require that you have access to their cell phone network. It is a very cost effective way of advertising and cost efficient because it can turn the potential customer into a repeat customer and works anywhere that there is a wait time. This can be used at trade shows, shopping malls, kiosks, doctors' offices, bus stations, train stations anywhere people have to wait. The range is usually anywhere from 75 feet to 300 feet and you as a business owner have access to data tracking behavior showing you the number of times a download was attempted, the number of times it was successful or failed and the number of devices you were able to connect with. Anytime anyone "opts in", they have the option of sharing this with their friends as well making this another form of viral and social marketing that currently was not available. This works for the small business, the mom and pop restaurant even night clubs. Currently this is the number one way of communication, after a potential customer "opts in" it takes mere seconds to download your ad, picture, etc making the content quickly viewable.

So where is Bluetooth Technology heading? It could possibly head in the direction of holograms, real life like images, delivering a message or song right in front of you. According to BBC news, a team of researchers in the UK are "combining the power of social networking like Facebook with the communication tool Bluetooth and learning more about our human interaction". If you combine this with the holography technologies you have a whole new way of interaction and communication. According to Catchyoo a company named AirStrike states that soon "holograms can be used as receptionists, presenters, augmented reality objects, virtual meeting and one day visualizing your Facebook friends right in the middle of your living room, real size". The phrase "Reach out and touch someone" takes on a whole new meaning.