Microsoft has released to manufacturers the software necessary to
allow devices that support the short-range wireless technology
Bluetooth to work with Windows XP-based PCs.
The software will allow device makers to use a consistent Bluetooth
implementation when developing new products, said Charmaine
Gravning, a product manager with Microsoft's Windows division.
Devices that use the technology include handheld computers, mobile
phones, keyboards, printers and mice.
"It gives these device manufacturers a standard to work from,"
Gravning said. Typically, manufacturers design their own Bluetooth
software from scratch, which has created some incompatibility
issues for the industry, she said.
The new support for the wireless technology in Windows XP could
give Bluetooth, which some analysts believe has so far been slow to
take off, a much-needed boost.
Microsoft said that its software could provide a catalyst for the
entire industry. Citing industry research from IDC, the company
said it expects revenue from Bluetooth-related products as diverse
as the chips and memory used in devices to grow from $76.6m
(£49.0m) in 2001 to $2.6bn (£1.7bn) in 2006. Widespread adoption
will begin next year, the company predicted.
PC makers and device makers are expected to start shipping products
with Microsoft's Bluetooth implementation in the next three to six
months. Companies such as Ericsson and Hewlett-Packard have already
built products based on the technology, Microsoft said.
Existing Windows XP users initially will not be able to download
Microsoft's Bluetooth software as a standalone install, Gravning
said. Instead, they will have to get it from new products released
with the software.
Microsoft's support for Bluetooth adds to the pool of hardware and
software makers that have already backed the technology. Apple
Computer added Bluetooth support to Mac OS X in August. Apple
promises to allow users to make use of the support to synchronise
calendar information between some mobile phones and Palm OS-based
devices and Macs.