Off late there have been tendencies by gadget makers to produce two versions of the same device, one for the American market and one for the European market. Most of the time, both models will have the same features, and the only difference would be that the American one would not have Bluetooth.
The first one was “Sony Clie TH-55”:http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start;sid=aOUcBKxASDIcNOwIfK4WD-NPXb8jIorOnm4=?CategoryName=hp_Multimedia&ProductSKU=PEGTH55%2fU&Dept=hp This is a new PDA which features integrated Wi-Fi, a camera, high resolution screen and built-in audio player. That’s for the American market. The “UK Version”:http://www.expansys-usa.com/product.asp?code=TH55 features all of the above plus Bluetooth
The next product to do this is “Dell Axim PDA”:http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/axim_x3_wireless?c=uk&l=en&s=pad
And the reason ?
bq. “Nokia and Ericsson are driving Bluetooth heavily in Europe,” said Kris Karppi, Dell EMEA product manager for Axim. “The market for in-vehicle GPS is also greater in Europe, he said, adding that most of these systems use Bluetooth antennae. There are also “a lot of proprietary solutions for cable replacement,” he said, and a strong corporate customer base that could drive Bluetooth use. With all that, Dell had “no hesitation at all” in launching a Bluetooth version in Europe, said Karppi.
bq. ?The picture in the US is rather different, showing considerable hesitation and perhaps a U-turn or two. The company told IDG’s PC World at the launch that it would “eventually” offer a Bluetooth device, but did not say where, only pointing out that Bluetooth demand is stronger in Europe.?
Bluetooth: Only for Europe
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