Greetings! Welcome back to TI’s Bluetooth LE Forum!
 
My name is Dave Lacinski and I manage the Strategic Marketing function in the Wireless Connectivity Solutions (WCS) business at TI. We are headquartered in Dallas but also have operations in Israel and India. Historically the WCS business has mainly focused on providing market leading mobile WLAN, GPS and Bluetooth solutions for the cell phone market. Our solutions are in all the top handset OEM products.
 
So why would I blog on the Bluetooth Low Energy single mode site? I thought it to be important to add some dual mode airtime since the dual mode device it is integral to enabling Low Energy technology ecosystem.
 
Here comes the shameless plug: TI brings to market both dual mode and single mode Bluetooth Low Energy devices allowing handset makers and single mode accessory makers a validated ecosystem solution that has all the bugs worked out!
 
Since the dual mode Low Energy device will be integral to the WCS Bluetooth offering, the solution can take a number of different forms in the product portfolio. For example, it can be a single chip dedicated Bluetooth solution appropriate for cell phones or other Low Energy “gateway” devices or it can take the form of highly integrated single chip multi-radio combo devices such as WLAN/Bluetooth/Bluetooth Low Energy or GPS/Bluetooth/Bluetooth Low Energy combos that can address even the most demanding cell phone applications in smartphones and feature phones. Integrated solutions can offer cost advantages, lower power consumption and robust coexistence. As the solutions, applications and markets mature - customers in non-handset applications will also enjoy the benefits of the TI solution portfolio.
 
My colleagues, Brian and Karl have discussed the attributes of Bluetooth Low Energy in earlier posts -- so there is no need to repeat that here. In my estimation, the dual mode device is truly an enabler of the low energy world. Right now, Bluetooth “classic” is in approximately 70% of the cell phones sold world wide and continues to grow. This installed base changes rapidly every 16-18 months or so as consumers upgrade or replace existing phones (Who has the latest Blackberry or iPhone?). Handset OEMs will transition from “classic” Bluetooth solutions to dual mode solutions in product cycles in beginning in 2010. This product cycle transition will rapidly drive dual mode penetration into the installed base.
 
This is great news for single mode solutions developers! This unique situation whereby one end of the communication link is already established in large volume creates a vast amount of market momentum. The dual mode device not only allows the single mode sensor device to connect to a readily accessible portable device (does anyone ever not have their phone?) with display and storage capability, but also a device that can easily connect to the internet via a cellular connection or mobile Wi-Fi or Bluetooth for that matter! It is easy to imagine why the cell phone is a truly robust “gateway’ for low energy solutions. Once connected to the internet the possibilities to create value are endless. The use cases that Karl and Brian spoke about earlier are really the tip of the iceberg. I am sure that once the developer community begins to innovate, our initial use cases development and expectations will seem extremely narrow.
 
On behalf of dual mode devices everywhere - Dual Modes are like a great social networking partner - we want to connect to any single mode device and through our phone connections want connect to everyone else!  What more could you ask -- Single mode developers let’s create value- -bring it on!