Microsoft announces Bluetooth desktop

 

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By Matt Whipp

Posted on 16 Oct 2002 at 11:56

Microsoft stands up for Bluetooth with keyboard and mouse offering

It will be available over here in November. The Wireless Optical Desktop for Bluetooth, comprising keyboard, mouse and USB transceiver kit will retail for £149.99 inc VAT, while the Wireless IntelliMouse Explorer for Bluetooth and transceiver will retail for £79.99 inc VAT.

Michael W Foley, chairman of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group at Microsoft said: 'Microsoft's adoption of Bluetooth in its new desktop is an important step for the technology, which we believe will lead to increased enthusiasm and support for more products.'

£79.99 inc VAT isn't bad for a Bluetooth transceiver alone, so to bundle the mouse represents a good deal. This should indeed spur the adoption of Bluetooth. But Bluetooth is an expensive way of connecting a keyboard and mouse wirelessly.

We asked Jim Cauthorn, Lead Product Planner at Microsoft Hardware, the reason for the Bluetooth choice. He told us Microsoft was firmly behind the wireless standard as 'other RF systems are closed, Bluetooth is open'.

But for a keyboard and mouse this might be seen as overkill. However Cauthorn was cautious in his response to whether Microsoft was trying to establish itself as the Bluetooth desktop in order to capitalise on this by offering new Bluetooth devices of its own. However he did offer up that Microsoft might pursue this route with Bluetooth products 'possibly in other areas' than mice and keyboards.

We saw the Wireless Optical Desktop for Bluetooth in action on the Microsoft campus recently, with two PCs using the products and connecting to the Web through a couple of GPRS-enabled Sony Ericsson T68i handsets. Both systems were linked to a single Bluetooth enabled HP printer. The network worked seamlessly and showed none of the problems that have beleaguered Bluetooth demos of the past.

The Bluetooth desktop should also hasten the arrival of the update to add Bluetooth support to XP. The software included with the products also includes Windows XP Service Pack 1, which is required to apply the update.

Bluetooth is a wireless technology that can be used to create ad-hoc networks with up to seven other devices. These, in turn, can interact, creating 'scatternets'. It has a range of about 10m and a data transfer rate of roughly 730Kbits/sec. From a powered base station, the range increases to 100m.

Pictured is the Wireless Optical Desktop for Bluetooth when we saw it recently at Microsoft's hardware labs.