Palm Readying Bluetooth SDK

Posted By: Ed on Thursday, October 04, 2001 11:43:02 AM

Palm has developed a Bluetooth Software Development Kit (SDK) to allow application developers and hardware manufactures to incorporate this short-range wireless standard into their products. The company recently got certification from the Bluetooth Special Interest Group for a Bluetooth 1.1 compatible stack.

Palm's Bluetooth SDK includes add-on software for OS 4 to allow handhelds running it to use Bluetooth and the tools developers need to make products. It is not yet available.

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

Palm has promised that, in the future, every new Palm-branded handheld will come with Bluetooth support. They will be releasing a Bluetooth SD card in the near future.

Several Bluetooth add-on modules for the Palm V series have been announced in the past few months.

Sony is expected to have a Bluetooth Memory Stick available soon.

About Bluetooth
Bluetooth is the name of a short-range radio frequency (RF) technology that replaces cables. Bluetooth allows computers, peripherals, and other devices to communicate with each other without having a physical connection, or direct line-of-sight with each other, and without needing extra communication protocols. Bluetooth technology operates at 2.4 GHz and is capable of transmitting voice and data. The effective range of Bluetooth devices is 32 feet (10 meters). Bluetooth transfers data at the rate of 1 Mbps, which is from three to eight times the average speed of parallel and serial ports, respectively. Bluetooth technology allows users to create a PAN (Personal Area Network) in which they can synchronize data with handhelds and PCs, and access data and E-mail on handhelds remotely with the use of a Bluetooth enabled cellular phone.

Thanks to Wim Huizinga for the tip. -Ed

Related Information:

Motley Fool: Palm Bluetooth Stack
PIC: Palm Unveils Bluetooth SD Card
PIC: Sony Developing Bluetooth Memory Stick
PIC: Wireless Forum

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Article Comments
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t 39

I.M. Anonymous @ 10/4/2001 3:32:31 PM #

better hurry with the stick - i have a t 39 - and the first palm with b-t is mine. :)=

RE: t 39

I.M. Anonymous @ 10/4/2001 4:12:49 PM #

where are you at that you got your T39? And from who/ what service?

RE: t 39

I.M. Anonymous @ 10/4/2001 4:29:03 PM #

Sorry, what's a t 39?

RE: t 39

I.M. Anonymous @ 10/4/2001 5:47:19 PM #

An Ericsson T39 is a new phone the has Bluetooth built-in so as soon as you get one of those and some handheld with a Bluetooth card/ sled, you could wirelessly access the Internet. It would be pretty cool. Who knows if we'll ever live to see that day. The day the Bluetooth card is available for the Palm or Sony etc handhelds.

I'm just sittin here anxiously waitin!

http://www.sonyericssonmobile.com/T39/

RE: t 39

I.M. Anonymous @ 10/4/2001 6:45:00 PM #

What do you mean *when* it is available?

I have the T39 together with my Sony N760C equipped with the Sony BT-700 Bluetooth clipon module allready =)

RE: t 39

I.M. Anonymous @ 10/4/2001 8:44:21 PM #

Is the Sony clip-on BT module available in the US? I don't find it on their site.

RE: t 39

I.M. Anonymous @ 10/5/2001 6:36:58 AM #

What about the T68? then we are talking..

RE: t 39

I.M. Anonymous @ 10/5/2001 6:43:50 AM #

No the BT-700 is not available in the US yet. I got mine from Hong Kong.

T68 is not available yet either. My guess is it will be in december. But the T68 does not change anything Bluetooth wise from the T39, the "only" difference is no antenna, 8 bit color screen and the shape of it. I will be upgrading too it as soon as it gets here though.

But Wireless Internet will not take off until the surf costs down *alot*. The prizes on the GPRS services here in Sweden are just hilarious.

If some operator introduced *real* flat rate, "surf all you want", for about $20-30 a month they will make a lot of money soon. Now it is like "Pay $30 and surf all you want up to XX Mb/ month and then we will rip you off for every Mb you download after that"

Big Deal

I.M. Anonymous @ 10/4/2001 3:36:40 PM #

Widcomm's been selling Bluetooth DKs for Handspring Visor for months...

RE: Big Deal

I.M. Anonymous @ 10/4/2001 4:30:38 PM #

And they are overpriced at $5000, not the official API and not worth it.

RE: Big Deal

I.M. Anonymous @ 10/4/2001 6:28:18 PM #

They're solution is not well integrated into the OS, and the API gives you very little access to imporant BT functions and protocols.

Palm Software on sale