IDG News Service - Taking on what it calls the "cable overload," Microsoft Corp. on Thursday unveiled a Bluetooth-enabled keyboard and mouse plus a transceiver for PCs, and said it would release a Bluetooth software development kit.
The wireless control devices and the Bluetooth transceiver should be available in stores in the second half of the year, Microsoft said, adding that it will continue to offer its existing 27-MHz wireless keyboard and mouse products as a lower-cost alternative to Bluetooth. The announcement was made at Microsoft's Windows Hardware Engineering Conference.
The Bluetooth transceiver, which connects to the PC using a Universal Serial Bus connection, can function as a hub for up to seven Bluetooth-enabled devices. These devices can be up to 30 feet away from the hub, Microsoft said. Bluetooth is supported today in personal digital assistants and mobile phones, for example.
To help hardware makers and software developers building Bluetooth-compatible devices that work with Windows XP, Microsoft next month plans to release a Bluetooth software development kit, the company said.
Bluetooth is a specification for radio-based wireless links among devices. It allows users to clear the clutter of wires and set up a personal-area network. Backers of the technology had expected it to reach critical mass by now, but support by hardware makers is still limited.
The specification is developed, published and promoted by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group Inc., a trade association comprised of many vendors and backed by Microsoft.
Free Insider GuideCopyright © 1994 - 2012 Computerworld Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Computerworld Inc. is prohibited. Computerworld and Computerworld.com and the respective logos are trademarks of International Data Group Inc.
