The Bluetooth SIG, the trade association for the technology, had an open house in Bellevue, Wash.: Not far from Microsoft's world headquarters, the Bluetooth SIG--now run by an ex-Softie--is in downtown Bellevue. Several reporters were invited for an overview of the state of Bluetooth, its future plans, and some hands-on examination. My colleague Tricia Duryea wrote up a summary for The Seattle Times.
Two tidbits I walked away with. First, the issue of pushing security upgrades in Bluetooth out to devices in the field is being given much more attention. With five million devices with Bluetooth embedded shipping every week, one might hope that would be the case. The mechanisms aren't all in place, but concepts such as pushing Bluetooth firmware upgrades over a cell network aren't infeasible.
The other is just how cool integrated Bluetooth can be. The folks at the SIG demoed a car with integrated Bluetooth. The onboard system can handle up to five separate cell phone pairings at a time. When an incoming call arrives, the stereo system is muted, and caller ID is displayed on the LCD. You can pick up the phone for hands' free talk from the steering wheel. Now I believe that driving while talking on a cell phone in any form is a bad idea given the studies that seem to prove this consistently; but a hands' free system is a good way to go even when you're pulled over.