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Bluetooth Add-On for Palm PDAs

New device from TDK allows some handhelds to communicate, print, and synchronize wirelessly.

By Douglas F. Gray, IDG News   

TDK Systems Europe is shipping its first Bluetooth-enabled clip-on device for some Palm handheld devices, TDK announced on Tuesday.

The device, called the BlueM, has a thin sled design and slides onto the back of the Palm, connecting via the docking port on the bottom of the handheld. It allows the device to communicate with any Bluetooth-enabled device, including PCs, notebooks, printers, and handhelds, TDK says.

The BlueM will be shown at the Comdex trade show in Las Vegas next week but is already shipping in Europe. It will appear on shelves in the U.S. by the end of this month, TDK spokesperson Alison Merifield says.

Bluetooth is a standard for short-distance wireless communications, or wireless personal area networks, which connect devices at speeds of up to 1 megabit per second and distances of up to 10 meters.

Palm users can connect the device to the personal digital assistant and use it in combination with any other device that uses the Bluetooth wireless standard, Merifield says.

Users can print on a Bluetooth printer, synchronize the handheld with a PC, or use a Bluetooth-enabled phone as a modem, Merifield says.

The 1-ounce BlueM attaches to the back of Palm's m500, m505, and m125 handhelds, as well as to IBM C500 devices, TDK says. It can also be configured to launch any Palm m500 series application with a single button, TDK says.

The BlueM is available now in Europe. It will be priced at $199 in the U.S.

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