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News
Issue #2001 - 31
(August 2001)
(Updated
August 1, 2001)
INFRASTRUCTURE,
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
Palm Bluetooth Card Endorses Secure Digital Input/Output
Technology Standard
Palm, Inc., a member of
the Secure Digital Association, has unveiled the Palm Bluetooth
Card that supports the SDIO (Secure Digital Input/Output) technology
standard. This follows Palm’s
commitment to the SDA last year to include the SD Card
slot in future Palm products.
The Palm Bluetooth Card inserted into a Palm handheld, such as
the m500 or m505 series, with a SD/MultiMediaCard expansion slot
will allow the device to talk to Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones,
laptops, printers, handheld computers and others, within a 10-meter
range. Based on SDIO technology, the Bluetooth Card is a little
larger than the size of a postage stamp. The broad interoperability
of SD and the SDIO standard ensures that the Palm Bluetooth Card,
with the correct drivers, will work with any SD capable device, the
company said.
"The Palm Bluetooth Card will change the way people
communicate with one another, distribute information and even play
interactive computer games," said Craig Creech, president of
the Secure Digital Association. "It is a powerful indication of
the potential of SD and the SDIO standard to drive mobility to new
levels. "
The postage-stamp size SD Card was established by Matsushita
Electric (Panasonic), SanDisk, and Toshiba and now supported by a
200+ company consortium.
Companies are now creating inter-operable SD media for both
data-intensive applications like graphics and I/O connectivity
options like Bluetooth to support products with the SD slot, which
will allow consumers and enterprise customers to take advantage of
important expansion products that expand the functionality of their
handhelds, commented Jim Forbes, a Demo senior analyst and producer
of DEMOmobile.
Benefits of the SD Protocol
- Compatibility:
An open standard that will enable companies
to create a range of devices without licensing the data storage or
I/O solution, which will drive broader adoption.
- Data Storage and Access:
SD will support 32 MB and 64 MB,
for data-intensive applications, and a data transfer rate of up to
10 megabytes per second, for accessing data. SD allows for the
sharing of content among multiple devices via advanced check-in,
check-out, and move capabilities.
- Security:
The SD Card’s security functions are
incorporated in the card, facilitating the secure exchange of
content between devices and the card.
For more information: http://www.palm.com
Mobileinfo Comments and Advisory: We
like Palm moving fast to support Bluetooth SD protocol. While cost of
Bluetooth feature is high now, we expect market pressure and volume
production to bring it down rapidly.
Note: This news release may contain
forward-looking statements. Readers should take appropriate caution in
developing plans utilizing these products, services and technology
architectures. All trademarks used in this summary are
the property of their respective owners.
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