RSSWindows XP to Support Bluetooth Devices
By Nate Mook | Published September 26, 2002, 11:08 PM
Microsoft on Thursday released to manufacturers an update for Windows XP that adds support for Bluetooth devices. The software enables developers to build products using the Windows Bluetooth format, which will allow Windows XP users to easily connect a PC to Bluetooth peripherals such as cell phones, printers and mice.
"Microsoft is excited to have hit this milestone because the company believes it will be a catalyst to increasing use of wireless technologies -- one of the fastest-growing segments of the industry," a Microsoft spokesperson told BetaNews. "Mainstream availability of products containing Bluetooth wireless technology are expected to be a boom for wireless market opportunities and users will start to see an increasing number of Bluetooth devices available."
Microsoft expects Bluetooth in Windows XP to be available from hardware makers in time for the holidays, anticipating widespread adoption starting next year. The company notes that customers must have installed Service Pack 1 to utilize the Bluetooth update.
The announcement from Redmond comes one month after Apple added Bluetooth support to Mac OS X with the release of version 10.2, dubbed Jaguar. Apple is expected to soon release a beta version of iSync, a tool for synchronizing data with handheld devices, including Ericsson's T68i cell phone which uses Bluetooth.
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|How do I get my hands on it? The article says its gone to the RTM (Released to Manufacturer) stage but I already have the manufacturer's product, i.e. the 3COM USB Bluetooth Adapter, and an Ericsson T39. There is no info on when (and if) Microsoft will be releasing any software to download/purchase.
Both are bluetooth enabled but I cannot get the two to communicate beyond pairing them; the 3COM software is to blame IMHO.
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|you're probably right. i almost bought the 3com but got ended up buying iogear's bluetooth to usb adapter. works great and synchronizes my t68i with microsoft outlook, and also works with sony ericsson's my pictures program so i can send jpegs or gifs to my phone.
i don't know if the same trick applies to the 3com one but basically you must enable a com port for the bluetooth software to enable a "virtual" serial port connection with your phone. once that's done, your pc and your phone should "pair" and that should then allow you to sync. hope this helps.
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|1. MacOS X.2 comes "free" with every new mac;
2. The cost of OS X.1 and X.2 summed together doesn't reach XP Pro alone... and I won't even dive into the quality of each one of them...
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|huh? XP is "free" with new PC's as well... whats your point?
also, how much is/was OS-X off the shelf, then upgrade to .1, then upgrade again to .2? rip off? think so.
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|Girls, girls, girls, do you really think for a second that Windows XP is FREE with a new PC. Guess again, Since Microsoft doesn't sell PCs, it has to make money selling software to PC manufacturers. PC Manufacturers PAY for windows XP and resell it to the consumers. So next time an ad says "FREE Windows XP", you can be sure you already paid for it in the price of the PC. Same goes for Mac-OS, the only difference is that Apple does make it's own PCs, so in this case you are paying for R&D.
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|If you actually bought Windows XP and were running Windows 2000, you paid $299 to go from NT 5.0 to NT 5.1. Version numbers don't mean much and that argument is getting extremely tired.
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|Almost correct Nate. If you owned a previous version of Windows, then Windows XP Pro upgrade was $199, not $299. If you bought a computer with Windows XP and you wanted SP1, it's free to download. If you owned OSX and wanted X.2, its $129. I'd say that's a big difference, wouldn't you?
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|It's "free" in the same sense that MacOS is "free" with every Mac purchase. I think that it is all irrelavent though. The important thing to focus on is that bluetooth is finally getting some OS support. I think it is long overdue though. Some of the newer drafts of 802.11 are going to seriously cut into bluetooth's virtues. I think bluetooth's dead on arrival for the most part.
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|WindowsXP is a much bigger upgrade from windows 2000 than Mac 10.2 from 10.1.
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|But you're comparing apples to oranges (excuse the pun). If you bought a computer with Windows 2000, you had to pay $199 to upgrade to Windows XP Pro. If you bought a computer with Mac OS X 10.1, you had to pay $129 to upgrade to 10.2. And believe it or not, the differences between Windows 2000 and Windows XP are pretty much equivalent to those differences between 10.1 and 10.2 (although I know a lot of people who like 2k more, but nobody who liked 10.1 more).
The better comparsion with SP1 is OS X 10.2 and 10.2.1, which is available as a free download using Software Update. It fixes bugs, adds a few new features, and is free - the same thing SP1 offers.
My main point however is not which deal is better or worse - that's a useless argument because there are a lot of other variables to take into consideration. My point is that version numbers mean very little and although 10.1 to 10.2 seems like a small upgrade and not worth paying money for, it is no different than 5.0 (Windows 2000) to 5.1 (Windows XP).
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|Because it has a new user interface? Come on. Jaguar is based on a completely new compiler (GCC 3.1) and much of the underlying UNIX code was reworked completely. Apps have to be redone to take advantage of features in Jaguar. Windows XP was a major upgrade (and a great one at that), but Mac OS X 10.2 was perhaps even bigger in the grand scheme of things. I know few people who continue to use 10.1 (even though it costs $129 to upgrade, yes), but I know many, many people who continue to use Windows 2000.
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|First of all, 2000 to XP was a big step but nothing compared to 98 to XP which is what most home users did. Also, XP Home is only a $99 upgrade and that is fine for most home users. When you look at it that way, which is really the more common occurence, all of a sudden your Mac upgrade seems a little steep.
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|stop arguing about whats better Win or Mac ..
lemme say i cant wait till more and more bluetooth devices come into the market ..the future of bluetooth printers and keyboards mice monitors and speakers .. no wires .. ooooooooooo....... me want a 6610 rightnowww
- Aalaap
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|That's right, WindowsXP... catch up to OS-X.
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|Of course, Microsoft didn't charge its users for it.
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|excuse me, did you buy windows xp? if you did, you're paying to use it too...
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