There must be something in the Belgium air, for it seems to inspire many people to write. My own experience of authoring a book began with an idea I conceived whilst slowly sipping a cool Trappist beer in the Triangel restaurant at the end of the wonderful Cogels Osylei in Antwerp. I was considering the Bluetooth Profiles specification and its effective implementation into the “grand scheme of things,” when my eyes where drawn to Anneke, the landlady, as she placed several glasses of beer before expectant customers. Their contented reactions made me realise that effective profile implementation begins first and foremost with the customer or end-user. Building an understanding of user expectations from a union of observation and existing knowledge is the key to understanding the true value of profile development, both now and in the future.

My early career as a software engineer, developing software for the amusement industry, taught me the importance of creating the right user experience. For the user, the Bluetooth experience should be a wonderful and almost seamless transition from having cables to having no cables. For all intents and purposes, the user should be unaware that a Bluetooth enabled application sits beneath the wireless communication tools at their disposal.

I look upon the profile specification as being the veins within a leaf. They provide support and structure, but without their surrounding matter they have no purpose and no reason to exist. A comprehensive understanding of the user experience is fundamental to the development of future Bluetooth Profiles and this philosophy forms the foundation for the entire book. In essence, I hope to provide all developers and researchers with the necessary understanding to find their own answers to the questions raised by the prospect of a world without wires.

I have worked within the Bluetooth industry for a number of years and have witnessed first hand the various implementations that are currently available from numerous vendors. The English novelist Aldous Huxley once said “Consistency is contrary to nature, contrary to life. The only completely consistent people are dead.” This quote has particular meaning for the book. The old ways are slowly slipping away and, as voyagers and explorers in this exciting new arena, we have an opportunity to cross new boundaries and shape the technological world of the future. Bluetooth Profiles will enable you to gain an holistic understanding of the technology from both a developmental and consumer perspective; as such, it should give you the scope and insight to become a key contributor to the future of wireless communications.