LAS VEGAS - Acer NeWeb this week said it would manufacture its first products based on Bluetooth, an emerging standard for connecting wireless devices.
The products will result from a strategic alliance between Acer NeWeb, a member of Taiwan's Acer Group, and Widcomm, a San Diego start-up that makes Bluetooth-based products.
Using Widcomm's technology, Acer will manufacture a Bluetooth adapter, priced under $100, for a handheld device from Handspring expected to be launched in the second quarter of 2000, Acer and Widcomm executives say.
The companies showed how two users could send instant messages to each other using their Bluetooth-enabled Handsprings, which is only one possible application for the handheld.
In the third quarter, Acer and Widcomm also will launch a PC dongle to let PCs communicate with other Bluetooth-approved devices. That will be followed by other adapters for personal digital assistants and cell phones, the companies say.
Bluetooth is a specification for wireless data and voice transmission that uses radio links to connect up to eight devices with one another. Users can forego cables and can synchronize communications between PCs, telephones, personal digital assistants and peripherals such as printers. Initially, Bluetooth devices will be able to transmit at distances of up to 30 feet.Bluetooth represents a good way to bridge the gap between wireless technologies that work outside and those used within a home or office, Widcomm President and CEO Hiep Pham says.
"There is no one perfect technology. Anytime, anywhere connectivity hasn't happened yet," Pham says, pointing to the fact that cellular and satellite networks do not offer complete coverage indoors. The ideal is to combine these technologies.
Acer : www.acer.com
RELATED LINKS
