Palmsource, the operating system arm of Palm and BVRP Software
Group, announced at the CTIA conference in Las Vegas that it will
make Bluetooth devices simpler for the end-user to operate.
The complexity of configuring a Bluetooth-enabled notebook or
handheld to work with a Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone behaving as
if it were a modem was lost amid the hype surrounding
Bluetooth.
"The user needs to install and configure drivers to make the phone
look like an Internet device; otherwise the OS won't know how to
handle it," said Bob Lang, president of the mobile middleware
software vendor BVRP.
BVRP unveiled at the conference its Mobile PhoneTools software that
when installed on a notebook will allow users to click on the
PhoneTools connectivity Wizard that simplifies the process to set
up the phone to be used as modem to one click, said Lang.
Palmsource made a similar Bluetooth interoperability announcement,
confining itself, however, to Sony/Ericsson phones and any Palm OS
device using Bluetooth.
According to Albert Chu, vice-president of business development at
Palmsource, the Bluetooth spec was purposely left broad enough so
that vendors could differentiate their solutions. However, this
also meant that each implementation is different enough that each
device has its own unique way of connecting, and the vendors will
have to tackle that issue one device at a time.
The Palmsource solution, which will be available by the first
quarter, hopes to create an "out-of-the-box compatibility between
the two companies' devices", said Chu.
Chu added that without such software, configuring a mobile phone as
modem to work with a handheld is a daunting task.
BVRP's Mobile PhoneTools is available now and will be distributed
through deals with carriers, through retail at $59.99 (£39), or
licensed with volume discounts to enterprise-level customers.
BVRP's Lang also said that each device must be configured
separately, but that Mobile PhoneTools already has been configured
to work with more than 500 handsets.
One industry analyst said that there are many problems with
wireless connections, but at least BVRP is taking care of its slice
of the market.
Both the BVRP and Palmsource solutions are aimed at the 2.5G and 3G
market.