Comments on: The Future of the Palm Platform

5Ghz WLAN Fragmentation: Deja Vu

There have been multiple efforts to converge key aspects of 802.11a and HiperLAN2 into a single global 5 GHz WLAN standard. However, these have largely been unsuccessful. And with 802.11a products expected to start shipping in late 2001, such efforts face a tremendous uphill battle.

more
http://www.hometoys.com/htinews/aug01/articles/navin/navin.htm

Backward Compatibility of 802.11a with 11b Becomes Critical
John Blyler
Senior Technology/West Coast Editor, Wireless Systems Design

Welcome back, faithful readers. In our last exciting episode, the black hole known as Wi-Fi was ready to consume Bluetooth in a struggle for wireless networking supremacy. In this episode of "Battle of the WLANs", we will see if the power of Wi-Fi will slow the growth of a brethren white dwarf star known cryptically (sorry, Wendy) as 802.11a!!

http://www.planetee.com/planetee/servlet/BE_DisplayNewsBrief?NewsBriefID=186

September 25, 2001 | InternetNews - Wireless News Archives
Mixed Messages on 802.11a
By Ted Stevenson

In a press release that was understandably overshadowed by the torrent of information emanating from New York City and Washington D.C. on September 11, 2001, Intel Corporation announced the impending release of a line of wireless networking products based on 802.11a technology, due to be shipping in quantity in November of this year.
Timing aside, the announcement stirred considerable interest throughout the wireless networking community, which has been waiting impatiently to see the new 54Mbps technology in action.

more
http://www.internetnews.com/wireless/article/0,,10692_891801,00.html

Setting The Record Straight On Bluetooth

Posted on Sunday, September 16 @ 11:23:07 EDT by jrappold
Bluetooth Wireless Technology

As regular readers of this site already know, I'm a proponent of Bluetooth technology. I believe that for PDAs, Bluetooth will be very important, and widely used in those devices. Recent reports in the press of the death of Bluetooth have all centered around competition between it and Wi-Fi (formerly known as 802.11b), and these articles show that the press really hasn't done their homework. Bluetooth is a different, though complimentary technology to Wi-Fi.

From what I've seen on other sites and from reader comments, most people think that Bluetooth is a wireless LAN technology that competes with Wi-Fi. In this article I'll try to explain how wrong this perception is, and give an overview of what Bluetooth is, and what it isn't.

more
http://news.scoca-k12.org/scocanews/article.php?sid=9

Why I Need Bluetooth
http://news.scoca-k12.org/scocanews/article.php?sid=9

No Decay in Bluetooth Despite Gloomy Press, Writes Editor Andrew Seybold in Forbes/Andrew Seybold'sWireless Outlook
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010920/200727_1.html

WPAN & WLAN Will Co-Exist
http://messages.yahoo.com/bbs?.mm=FN&action=m&board=8729092&tid=xtnd&sid=8729092&mid=21133

Bluetooth info (PocketPC, Palm etc.)
http://www.pocketpcpassion.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8048

Palm Inc. Bluetooth Stack

Product Overview
This product is a software development kit (SDK) that addresses the needs of a diverse audience. For application developers, a comprehensive set of features allows for the development of both Bluetooth aware applications and applications that abstract the underlying Bluetooth transport mechanism. For hardware manufactures,
the HCI transport driver provides an abstraction layer for the stack, allowing a Bluetooth enabled peripheral to work over a serial port, Universal Connector, or SDIO.

Bluetooth is a promising new technology for the Palm OS. It is going make it possible for end-user customers to perform routine “connected” tasks easily without wires. Bluetooth will be used in enterprise and mobile Internet connections, HotSync, games, payment transactions, and other kinds of peer-to-peer data exchange.

The Palm Bluetooth Stack includes the following components:

- Add-on software for Palm OS 4.x
- A certified Bluetooth 1.1 compatible stack
- A Bluetooth Virtual Driver (Serial)
- A Bluetooth Exchange Library
- A Bluetooth developer API
- Sample Host Controller Interface (HCI) hardware drivers
- User interface components necessary for discovery, configuration, pairing,
passkey entry, sending data, and more
- New software components, samples, and test tools and applications in the
Palm Software and Product Development Kits

more
http://qualweb.opengroup.org/Template.cfm?LinkQualified=QualifiedProducts&Details=Yes&ProductID=455

Palm and Bluetooth:
http://boards.fool.com/Message.asp?mid=15826368

-Palm m525 to boast built-in Bluetooth
-NEWS: Palm Bluetooth Stack (Add-on software for Palm OS 4.x)
-Support for Bluetooth in EVERY NEW Palm-branded handheld.
http://ragingbull.lycos.com/mboard/boards.cgi?board=XTND&read=7722

Compaq brushes up iPaq
13:30 Friday 28th September 2001
Matthew Broersma

New iPaq model will give users instant expandability, including much better integration with Bluetooth devices

Compaq's next iPaq handheld computer will feature closer integration with Bluetooth wireless add-ons, a new built-in expansion slot and an improved battery, according to details leaked onto the Web on Thursday.

The H3835 is to kick off the new 3800 series, according to reports, and will complement the current 3600 line. A 3765 model is also upcoming, but according to rumours this appears to be nearly identical to earlier models, except for running Microsoft's new PocketPC 2002 operating system.

more
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2096264,00.html

Microsoft and Bluetooth
http://www.pocketpcpassion.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8347

802.11-Bluetooth Coexistence

Wi-Fi/Bluetooth Joint Proposal by Mobilian Corporation, Symbol Technologies, And NIST Selected as Recommend Practice by IEEE
Task Group's Technology Will Enable Solutions by Year-End (2001)

PORTLAND, Ore. and HOLTSVILLE, N.Y., April 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Mobilian Corporation, a wireless systems company that designs and develops integrated circuits and software, and Symbol Technologies (NYSE: SBL - news), a global leader in mobile data transaction systems, today announced that their joint proposal with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) won confirmation by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.2 Coexistence Task Group as the basis for the ``Recommended Practice' for Collaborative Coexistence between Wi-Fi(TM) (IEEE 802.11b wireless local area network) and Bluetooth technologies.

The joint proposal will be published later this year as an IEEE ``Recommended Practice' by the Task Group. The final document will describe techniques that allow an intelligent ``traffic cop' to optimize throughput when the two systems are located in the same device, while virtually eliminating interference. Approval of this proposal will allow silicon providers to deliver solutions this year that meet the critical need for coexistence as both technologies become pervasive in the marketplace.

``The coexistence of 802.11b and Bluetooth is key to the success of both standards. The Symbol-NIST-Mobilian joint proposal provides the industry with the necessary components to effectively deal with coexistence issues between Bluetooth and 802.11 when operating within the same physical unit,' said Mobilian's founder and CEO, Manpreet S. Khaira. ``We are very pleased that the IEEE 802.15.2 Task Group has confirmed the joint proposal. We view this as a strong validation of Mobilian's technology in multi-standard, simultaneously operable radios that offer coexistence without compromise,' added Khaira.

Stephen Shellhammer, Senior Director at Symbol Technologies and Chairman of the IEEE 802.15.2 Coexistence Task Group, said, ``We are pleased that the joint proposal was selected by the IEEE. Symbol Technologies plans to continue supporting the IEEE in its efforts to ensure the coexistence of IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth devices.'

Coexistence of IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth Devices
http://www.wlana.com/learn/bluecoexst.pdf

Texas Instruments Provides Insight on Bluetooth and IEEE 802.11b
Co-Existence
http://www.ti.com/sc/docs/news/2001/01041.htm
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi — Working Together
http://www.broadbandweek.com/ti_series/articles/0507_coexist.htm

Conflicts between Bluetooth and wireless LANs called minor
http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20010220S0040

Silicon Wave recently announced a cooperative agreement with Intersil Corp.,
one of two primary providers of 802.11b chip sets, to develop a
Bluetooth/802.11b combination solution.
http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20010223S0017

Bluetooth can coexist with 802.11
http://www.planetanalog.com/features/OEG20010226S0036

Symbol is also developing technologies that would allow simultaneous operation of 802.11 and Bluetooth radios in the same portable device, like a handheld computer or PDA.
http://www.symbol.com/products/wireless/wireless_white_papers_bluetoot.html

Mobilian: Eliminating 802.11b/Bluetooth Interference
http://www.planetee.com/planetee/servlet/DisplayDocument?ArticleID=14803
http://www.mobilian.com/documents/Characterizing_the_Problem_pdf
http://standards.ieee.org/announcements/802mobilian.html

Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.2 Coexistence Task Group
http://www.ieee802.org/15/pub/TG2.html

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth: Enabling Coexistence
http://www.ce-mag.com/archive/01/05/lansford.html

Wireless Networking Magazine, July Issue
Coexistence Nirvana: Simultaneous Operation of Wi-Fi (802.11) and Bluetooth
http://www.mobilian.com/documents/FHWirelessNetworkingArticle.pdf

Putting both Bluetooth and 802.11b in the same chipset.
http://www.e-insite.net/electronicnews/index.asp?layout=article&articleId=CA82180

Dueling devices may coexist in peace
http://www.oregonlive.com/technw/oregonian/index.ssf?/technw/oregonian/fn_21mobil07.frame

Integrating Bluetooth And WLANs
http://www.wirelessdesignonline.com/content/news/article.asp?DocID={13813345-1958-11D5-A770-00D0B7694F32

The wireless data networking revolution
http://www.siliconindia.com/tech/tech_pgtwo.asp?newsno=8550&newscat=Analysis

Glenn Fleishman on coexistence http://80211b.weblogger.com/coexistence.html#update041201

Bluetooth & Wi-Fi: The Crusade for Coexistence
http://www.instat.com/abstracts/mm/2001/mm0102bw_abs.htm

Coexistence Presentations
http://www.ieee802.org/15/pub/TG2-Technical-Presentations.html

Bluetooth and 802.11: A Tale of Two Technologies
http://www.10meters.com/blue_802.html

Bluetooth Coexistence with other wireless standards
http://www.codebluecommunications.com/documents/coexistence%20whitepaper.pdf

Coexistence Papers
http://www.cc.jyu.fi/~ngerman/HANNIBAL/NNIB/list_of_papers.htm

AnalystQuotes on Mobilian
http://www.mobilian.com/AnalystQuotes_frame.htm

Enabling Wi-Fi™ and Bluetooth™
“Coexistence without Compromise™”

Product Overview
The TrueRadio™ system is the industry's first multi-standard wireless solution that integrates Wi-Fi™ and Bluetooth™ technologies into a cost-effective, two-chip solution. In addition to enabling fully standards-compliant operation of these two complementary technologies, the TrueRadio system provides simultaneous operation of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, enabling “Coexistence without Compromise™.” TrueRadio is the first step towards realizing Mobilian's TrueConnectivity™ vision: to enable computing and communications devices to automatically detect wireless networking opportunities, select the best ones, and connect to them seamlessly and reliably.

The TrueRadio system comprises 4 parts: an analog chip (TrueRadio Analog MN22100); a digital chip (TrueRadio Digital MN12100); firmware and host software, containing the drivers needed for different operating systems; and a production-level configuration, monitoring and diagnostic tool.

External System Components
Due to industry-leading integration, the complete TrueRadio reference design, allowing for both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth operation, will reduce the component count of current Wi-Fi and Bluetooth discrete solutions by over 50%. In addition to making the TrueRadio system far more cost competitive than discrete Wi-Fi and Bluetooth solutions, this new level of integration will allow TrueRadio to meet the industry's smallest form factor requirements.

TrueRadio Digital Chip (MN12100)
The TrueRadio digital chip integrates the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth basebands and MACs, and links them together through a MAC-level interference management control block, a core component of the Sim-Op™ engine. The digital chip contains an ARM7TDMI embedded processor core, and performs all of the control and system management tasks, modulation/demodulation for both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and provides the host and memory interfaces. The digital chip also contains internal RAM and ROM blocks, which are used for fast data and code access, in addition to the external memory interface allowing for connection up to 4MB of SRAM/Flash. The host interface features auto-detect mechanisms to allow implementation of true “plug-and-play” functionality for different product form factors such as PCI, miniPCI, and Cardbus. Various A/D and D/A blocks are also implemented in the digital chip to interface with the TrueRadio analog chip, and to provide the conversion from baseband radio signals in the digital chip to modulated signals in the analog chip.

TrueRadio Analog Chip (MN22100)
The TrueRadio analog chip integrates the analog front ends for both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The chip features Bluetooth power control, programmable gain stages, and PHY-level interference management technology — the other main component of the Sim-Op engine.

http://www.mobilian.com/TrueRadio_frame.htm

PORTLAND, OR., July 9, 2001
Mobilian Corporation Extends its Series C Funding Round to $43M, with Additional Investment from Morgan Stanley, Amerindo Investment Advisors, and Mitsui Comtek Corp.
http://www.mobilian.com/documents/SeriesCNewInvestorsFinal.PDF