Our Dysfunctional Christmas at B&B Dear Readers, Before I launch into this special newsletter, let's be very clear about what we're NOT going to talk about today. First of all, this is not going to be one of those sappy impersonal greetings on a glossy card, like your other vendors send you in the mail - you know, that namby-pamby "Happy Holidays" stuff that's designed not to offend anybody, just in case someone's into Kwanzaa or belongs to the ACLU or something. Hey, it's Christmas, alright? If I want to say "Merry Christmas" to all my customers, I get to do that. This is my newsletter, after all. And secondly, this is NOT going to be some 12-part series of emails called "The Twelve Days Of Christmas", with Ten Lords-A-Leaping and how it somehow relates to whatever cheesy program they're trying to jam down your throat. Because those deals are annoying too, and my email box is too cluttered for all that. So if I ever send you any of that nonsense, you should unsubscribe right away. No, what I want to tell you is that if you think Christmas and shopping and holiday parties and inlaws (especially Uncle Ned) are annoying and tiresome, then you're in good company. Because most people here at B&B have annoying relatives, too. Like when I was a kid, my little brother would always buy me these gifts HE wanted, that I didn't give a rip about. Like that book on how to score a million points in PAC_MAN. Or Debbie - when I brought this up, she started spewing: "How many scented candles can a woman possibly use? And all those bath beads. Are they trying to tell me I need to take a bath? Why not just give me some Right Guard?" So if you ever get bath beads from Debbie, you'll know why. Then there's Mark - his family gives donations in each others' names, to really bizarre charities. There's one that give free facelifts to really ugly people who don't have any money. And if you can't pick a charity, there's one that will give just few paltry cents to every single charity in the world. OK, enough about Christmas. Let's talk about what we have in store for you during the New Year: 2004 is all about wireless. You've asked for wireless solutions, and quite frankly, I haven't always had all the answers. Still don't. But in traditional B&B fashion, we will not only introduce the wireless solutions you need, but we'll also have the inside scoop on what works, where and why. We'll share the technical info you need to select the best fit for your application. We've been doing our homework, and we know that there isn't a single wireless technology that fits all applications. So we're working on four different wireless formats: -ZigBee Wireless Mesh Networks Have you ever heard of ZigBee? It's the next new Buzzword, a standard for Wireless Mesh networks. We've got this cool partnership with Ember Corporation, who grew out of the MIT Media Lab and developed a networking standard for embedded devices. With ZigBee, if you have transmission problems you just add MORE nodes to beef up your network. The designs have built-in redundancy and this poised to really take off. Learn more at http://www.bb-elec.com/ember/ember.asp?src=e121803 -Wireless Serial Servers Ethernet serial servers, like http://www.bb-elec.com/product.asp?sku=ESP901&src=e121803 have created a renaissance in new applications for old equipment, because any device with a serial port can be extended to your entire enterprise. Well imagine what happens when the wireless technology that you have in your home or office is also extended to those legacy devices? It's going to be cool. Stay tuned.... -Hardened BlueTooth For the Factory You've all heard of Industrial Ethernet - well you're about to see new Industrial Bluetooth wireless designs with robust physical specifications and street-proven performance. Our partnership with Connect Blue has sparked some cool products that will definitely make your job easier. -I know, "Modem" sounds so 1990's, but... Don't count out the tradional RF modem. These industrial workhorses are still the most robust and secure point-to-point and point-to-multipoint solution out there. http://www.bb-elec.com/product.asp?sku=X09-009PKC-RA&src=e121803 Don't be a stranger! Be sure and drop us a line, we'll be certain to follow up. Comments, questions, and rude asides: mailto:support@bb-elec.com. Merry Christmas, Mike Fahrion mailto:support@bb-elec.com P.S. Are you a Systems Integrator? I'm putting together a partner program for you. We want to help grow *your* business. We prosper together. Stay tuned or drop me a note. If you no longer wish to receive communication from us, go to - http://www.bb-elec.com/econnections/econnections_mgmt.asp