Socket, Sprint PCS to develop Bluetooth solutions for mobile web access
"Socket has a proven track record developing technology that allows handheld computers and notebooks to take advantage of mobile phones for wireless data access," said Phil Garrison, vice president and general manager, subscriber equipment, Sprint PCS. "We are pleased to work with Socket in preparing to offer another innovative connectivity option for our customers to access the Internet or their corporate network on their laptops anywhere on the Sprint PCS nationwide network. Bluetooth wireless technology will eliminate the need to buy, connect and carry a data cable in order to use wireless data. This is especially appealing if you are a frequent or heavy user of wireless data."
A key component of the cable-free solution for Sprint PCS customers is Socket's Personal Network Card, a CompactFlash Type I plug-in card with an integrated Bluetooth radio. The card fits in the industry standard CompactFlash expansion slot of a Windows Powered Pocket PC or, via an adapter, in the PC Card slot of a Windows CE-based handheld PC or pen tablet, or a Windows notebook. Expected to be commercially available in the first half of 2001, the card will make it possible for Windows-based mobile computers to communicate wirelessly with a variety of Bluetooth-enabled devices including mobile phones, Ethernet gateways, Internet appliances, and other computers.
Edited by Winn Hardin