Bluetooth short-distance wireless networking technology is being demonstrated at CeBIT 2000 in Hanover this week.
Among the vendors involved, Palm, a 3Com subsidiary, is showing Palm handheld computers communicating wirelessly with PCs and other Palm devices. The company intends to implement the technology in its products in the second half of this year. Palm does have an infrared capability, but it is limited in bandwidth and works only in line of sight.
Bluetooth uses a many-directional radio signal to connect multiple devices up to 10 metres apart to replace cable connections. A Bluetooth special interest group now includes hundreds of vendors interested in releasing products using the technology.
Also at CeBIT, National Semiconductor announced that NEC is using Bluetooth to connect notebook PCs. National is providing the chips used in the NEC laptops.
