The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) today announced that the Bluetooth market has passed the impressive milestone of 9.5 million Bluetooth units shipping per week. In May, the shipment figures were 4.75 million per week according to IMS Research and in September -- only four months later -- this figure has doubled, exceeding even the most optimistic analyst projections.

Serving as an advocate to the industry as well as the consumer, the Bluetooth SIG has designed a number of consumer programs in order to satisfy the needs of the booming market and further secure a first-class user experience of Bluetooth wireless technology.

The intent of the new consumer programs is to recognize, manage and encourage people's expectations of their Bluetooth experience. All four programs are directed at the various ways consumers gather information and make buying decisions for Bluetooth enabled products.

Experience icons is a ubiquitous cross-industry communications tool for product manufacturers to communicate Bluetooth capabilities in products, achieving more informed purchase decisions by consumers and thus managing expectations. With the use of the experience icons in conjunction with the Bluetooth trademark, consumers can easily identify the capability of Bluetooth enabled products.

By early next year, the Bluetooth SIG launches a website aimed at facilitating education, and providing improved navigation, structure, search and unique tools that will help consumers understand the Bluetooth capabilities of various products.

User Terminology is a document with common user terminology recommended for manufacturing companies to use. The need for such a document has sprung out of the thousands of products produced by various manufacturers and the need to assure common terms and interfaces being used between manufacturers on a worldwide basis.

Best of Breed is a set of guidelines laid out for two types of Bluetooth implementations in different product categories: Basic and Best of Breed.