Microsoft Readies Bluetooth Keyboard, Mouse

Microsoft is apparently nearing release of its wireless keyboard and mouse set that relies on Bluetooth wireless networking technology.

The software giant received approval for the product from the Federal Communications Commission earlier this month, according to FCC documents. Bluetooth is a specification for radio-based wireless links among devices.

The keyboard and mouse will come in a kit that also contains a Bluetooth transceiver that can be connected to a PC using a USB connector. Because the keyboard and mouse won't be able to draw power from the PC, they each require two batteries to operate.

Gradual Support

The set will also ship with a CD-ROM that includes Bluetooth support components for Windows. Microsoft has been slow off the mark to add support for Bluetooth to its Windows operating systems.

Windows XP does not currently support the technology, although Microsoft said late last year that it intends to add support to Windows XP sometime the latter half of 2002.

Apple also recently endorsed Bluetooth, promising to implement it on its OS X 10.2 operating system. Some analysts say the arrival of native Bluetooth implementations on Windows XP and Macintosh operating systems, if they work well, could help pull Bluetooth adoption out of a slow start.

Products Emerge

Microsoft earlier showed the keyboard and mouse set in prototype form at its Windows Hardware Engineering Conference, which took place in Seattle in April this year.

The Bluetooth transceiver can function as a hub for up to seven Bluetooth-enabled devices, Microsoft representatives said at the time. The devices can be up to 30 feet away from the hub.

The company already offers a wireless keyboard and mouse set that uses channels in the 27-MHz band, a much lower piece of the radio spectrum than the 2.4-GHz band in which Bluetooth operates. In April, the company said it would continue to offer its 27-MHz-based wireless keyboards as a cheaper alternative to the new Bluetooth models.

Bluetooth is supported today in personal digital assistants and mobile phones. Also, there has recently been interest in use of Bluetooth in cars, especially for connecting mobile phones to handsets.