Hewlett Packard Co has finally introduced its promised device-to- device communication software designed to take some of the pain out of connecting personal computers, printers, scanners and other peripherals such as digital cameras. The new JetSend protocol provides onboard intelligence to a host of devices, enabling full device-to-device communications regardless of drivers or environment. A printer, for instance, will implement JetSend as firmware, while personal computers may implement it as software in the operating system. JetSend, developed at HP Laboratories in Bristol, UK over the last three years, enables devices to connect and negotiate data types, and provides status updates and information exchange without user intervention. HP claims it can be built into virtually any appliance, regardless of function. The first products to incorporate JetSend will be personal computers, printers and scanners, and future implementations include electronic white-boards, projectors and personal digital assistants that work together seamlessly. Partners like Xionics Corp, Canon, Genoa and Encanto Networks are working to incorporate JetSend into new systems. HP spokesman Jim Hammons says that Xionics became involved about a year ago to speed up market acceptance. Xionics’ Intelligent Peripheral System, announced only last month, also enables internet access for a wide range of peripherals. Meanwhile, industry group the Salutation Consortium, established in 1995 (CI No 2,791), in which IBM Corp is a leading light, has been working on what appears to be the same problem. IBM’s NuOffice, announced in May, uses the Salutation Manager for local and remote access to devices via Lotus Notes and Domino, and access to on-line copiers, facsimile machines, and scanners, whether they are connected directly to a local Domino server, or remotely via mobile computing access technology. But HP argues the two approaches are very different. JetSend is device and driver independent, says Hammons, while Salutation is more of a broadcast handshaking approach. HP is working with the Consortium to integrate the two approaches, says Hammons, with first details due at the Salutation Consortium’s Technical Committee meeting in October. The JetSend specification is available from HP’s Web site at www.jetsend.hp.com, and an Appliance Development Kit will be available later this year, with products due in six months. Canon Inc office products will incorporate the protocol.
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