The Bluetooth specification, that enables cell phones, PDAs and PCs to exchange files in a wireless environment, is still a long way off becoming a reality following an announcement from Intel Corp that it has only just signed up its first software licensee for the chip, a year after its announcement.
Convergence Corp says its has taken Intel’s basic driver software and added additional functionality on top. The resulting package, which Convergence is calling DeviceTalk, lets PDAs, cellphones, PCs and any other device containing Bluetooth, to wirelessly synchronize and exchange information. In return for licensing its drivers, Intel has taken an undisclosed minority stake in Convergence Corp. Products containing Bluetooth are not expected until the beginning of next year.
We have written applications such as device configuration software, that kick the bluetooth chip into action without which, cell phones and PDAs containing the chip would not be able synchronize and exchange files, said a spokesperson for Convergence. He added that the drivers from Intel enable only the basic functionality of the chip and that further applications are required on top for the bluetooth chip to be useful.
Bluetooth is an open specification protocol, pioneered by Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Nokia and Toshiba, that enables wireless communications among cell phones, PDAs, PC-to-PC and PC-to-other devices. Devices running on Convergence Corp’s DeviceTalk software will allow users to speak into a mobile phone to retrieve a phone number stored on a laptop; synchronize contacts and messages between a PDA and a PC; wirelessly exchange files between computers and wirelessly send a file to a printer. While the company is the first to license Intel’s drivers for Bluetooth, the chip giant is actively seeking out other vendors, a spokesperson for the company said.
