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Bluetooth Shopping list - trying to make gifts look more tempting

In an obvious response to fears inside the Bluetooth community that this Xmas will be a bit of a flop, the Bluetooth SIG has launched - a PDF file listing things you can buy!

It's not a multi-million pound advertising campaign; not a high-profile giveaway competition, not even a celebrity autographing opportunity - no, it's not the most astonishing marketing campaign in the history of gadget hype, is it?

And a quick look through the list of exciting Bluetooth products shows that there are few amazing techno breakthroughs. The nice things, by and large, are old hat; the new things, generally, are ... well, odd! There's the nice Logitech Bluetooth hub, of course. But after that? Well, check it out ...

You might like the Nokia Bluetooth earpiece, but it's hardly that new.

Similarly, you'll have seen the Nokia 7600 crab-phone in the shape of the a trilobite and probably wondered what they were on. Answer: Bluetooth.

Finally, there's the still unannounced Crabat.

It's attracted some Scandinavian interest, with Norwegian reseller, DvdHuset claiming to have them on sale. And what will it be?

Apparently, it's a way of avoiding all that boring privacy you get with a mobile phone, with other people not being able to see what you're doing. It sends your MP3 files to the TV, and pictures too.

And even MMS! And your computer media, as well ...

"With the introduction of the Crabat technology, Multimedia Messages (MMS), MP3 sound and digital images can be played back on any standard Television set. The Crabat solution enables users to link their new multimedia mobile phone to their existing Audio/Visual home equipment today. The plug-in device serves as a Bluetooth® technology gateway between any Bluetooth wireless technology enabled device and the TV. It requires no additional hardware or software drivers to be installed and works with mobile phones, PDAs and Personal Computers."

You can see the entire list, with picture, here.