So the Bluetooth Special Interest Group goes for the “Smart” moniker to market multi-technology Bluetooth 4.0. Fine, as it were, though it reminds me of the e-moniker during the Internet bubble and the rest. It is common for consumer devices these days to get Smart, and this is the market they are aiming for.

However, as Engadget succinctly headlines, Bluetooth SIG unveils Smart Marks, explains v4.0 compatibility with unnecessary complexity. You don’t just have Smart, you have Smart Ready for devices that are ready to smart. “Ready” implies “buy more expensive now, get happy later”. If you buy a Ready device it will be able to work with The Shiny New Thing on the near horizon.

In for instance the High Definition TV branding, you had Full HD and HD Ready, with one set of specifications for the target capability (Full HD), and a lesser one that you can get now and compatible with the target spec (HD Ready). That in itself were marketing more than reality, the name notwithstanding HD Ready would never be Full HD, but at least it would be compatible.

In the Bluetooth 4 scheme of things the host/master is Smart Ready, while the connected devices will be Smart. Any Smart customer seeing the Smart Ready label will ask, OK when will Smart Ready be ready? And why do the Smart devices need Smart Ready devices, why can’t they just be smart? Do you have anything Full Smart? Mangled language, mangled expectations, confusion.