Palm recently announced availability in most international markets of the Palm Bluetooth Card, which slides into the Palm Expansion Card Slot featured in the latest Palm handhelds. The product is scheduled to begin selling online and at retailers in many countries March 4 for an estimated price of $129, stated a press release.
"Bluetooth activity in the PDA arena is coming on strong this year, and we expect over one billion cumulative Bluetooth-enabled devices to be in the market by 2005," said director and principal analyst at Cahners In-Stat, Joyce Putscher.
Bluetooth is the technology for PDAs and other handheld devices because of its low power consumption and its flexibility to allow devices to talk spontaneously. In addition to eliminating cable clutter when connecting to devices individually, such as phones, printers and laptops, it is also possible for up to eight Palm handhelds to create a Personal Area Network (PAN) to share information and collaborate simultaneously.
The ability to communicate, collaborate, and connect by using Bluetooth technology is the foundation that opens up a new and exciting dimension in wireless communications.
Due to the nature of the card's design and the underlying Palm OS(R) architecture, software enhancements will enable future Palm Bluetooth Card users to tap the power of Bluetooth to quickly compile their discussion items into a single agenda viewable by all, confirm the next meeting by searching each attendee's schedule, recommend and secure a time that works for all, and even control the room's LCD video projector.
The Palm Bluetooth Card comes equipped with special software that enables users to communicate by creating a bridge to the Internet with their data-enabled mobile phones. The Palm Address Book allows instant dialling with a quick tap on a phone number. The Short Messaging Service (SMS) application allows users to send and receive messages over their mobile phone. Web clipping software and the Palm WAP Browser also are included. The Palm Bluetooth Card also supports the Palm MultiMail email client.
It allows users to collaborate by exchanging information between Bluetooth-enabled handhelds. The BlueBoard and BlueChat software applications allow groups of people to collaborate and share information. Users can also connect with other Bluetooth-enabled office devices to send and receive data. From a Bluetooth-enabled Windows 2000 system, the user may perform a wireless HotSync operation. Included printer software allows users to instantly print Word and Excel documents from a Palm handheld to the recently introduced HP DeskJet 995c printer over Bluetooth.
The international English version is scheduled to be available March 4. This version can be purchased at retailers in the following countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Great Britain, Greece, Guam, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Kuwait, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan, The Netherlands, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, various other Asia Pacific countries and English-speaking Caribbean countries. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
