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Bluetooth technology shipment figures now exceed 3m units per week, say market analysts IMS Research.

Bluetooth wireless technology is supported and used in products by over 3000 companies including BMW, IBM, HP, Logitech, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, Palm One, Sony Ericsson and Toyota. The short-range wireless technology has made its way into products with strong, household brands such as the wireless photo kiosk by Kodak, available in Eckerd and CVS stores across the globe, and the wireless MP3/pedometer by Nike and Philips.

This month, Ford Motor Company selected the US carrier Sprint to provide Bluetooth enabled phones to work with hands-free systems in its North American automobiles.

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), the trade association responsible for the development of the short-range wireless technology, attributes increased Bluetooth technology adoption to improved interoperability in second and third generation products as well as innovative applications such as hands-free in the automobile and wireless headsets that have increased consumer awareness and demand.

Later this year, the Bluetooth SIG expects the latest and fastest version of the specification to date, Enhanced Data Rate, to be ratified by the organisation’s board of directors. Enhanced Data Rate will speed file transfers and open doors for the technology in new markets including imaging and high-fidelity audio. The SIG is currently outlining technology enhancements for the coming years, and plans to release this roadmap in Q4 2004.