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To: blankmind who wrote (15897)	5/20/1998 12:25:00 PM
From: jim bender	Respond to of 45548

Computer, Telephone Giants Back Wireless Technology Dow Jones Newswires PALO ALTO, Calif., -- Five computer and telephone giants are rallying support for a wireless technology designed to simplify data connections among mobile devices, such as laptops and cellular phones. The group, which hopes the technology will become available in the second half of 1999, already has interested several leading makers of computers and cellular phones in using the radio transmission specifications they developed, say insiders familiar with the efforts. The group, which includes Intel Corp. (INTC), International Business Machines Corp. (IBM), AB LM Ericsson (ERICY), Oy Nokia (Y.NOK) and Toshiba Corp. (J.TOS), will unveil its plans today. It will tout the technology as a way to simplify connections among portable devices, replacing the assortment of cables and wires users now need to transfer data. The technology also is seen as providing travelers with new conveniences, such as a laptop that retrieves e-mail messages on the road and notifies a user by way of his or her cellular phone. The technology is envisioned for local network access points within a building, so a laptop user could connect wirelessly from anywhere in an office. Supporters of the new technology include Compaq Computer Corp. (CPQ), Dell Computer Corp. (DELL), 3Com Corp. (COMS), Lucent Technologies Inc. (LU), and Motorola Inc. (MOT). The sources say the technology uses little power, making it appropriate for portable devices, and, when chips with the embedded radio specifications are available in volume, could add as little as $5 to the cost of a device. Connections, which are possible from 30 feet away, also don't need to be line-of-sight. The group of organizers say they expect to distribute the technical specifications for the radio technology royalty free. -By Mark Boslet; 650 496-1366

To: blankmind who wrote (15897)	5/20/1998 12:26:00 PM
From: jim bender	Respond to of 45548

Group Proposes New Way to Transfer Computer Data Over 30-Foot Distances By DEAN TAKAHASHI Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL A group of computer and communications giants are proposing a new radio technology for transferring computer data over distances of about 30 feet, replacing the need for wires for mobile computers and other applications. The technology, code-named Bluetooth, is designed to make it easier for people with hand-held computers or cellular phones to exchange data with personal computers or other stationary machines, people familiar with the technology said. Besides being easier than hooking up computer cables, the technology offers a big speed increase over other wireless alternatives. It transfers data about eight times faster than 56-kilobit computer modems, which use phone wires. Backers of Bluetooth, expected to be announced Wednesday, include Intel Corp., International Business Machines Corp., Nokia Oy, Telefon AB L.M. Ericsson and Toshiba Corp. Ericsson developed Bluetooth and Intel helped rally the other companies to endorse it, these people said. Manufacturers that are expected to use the technology include Motorola Corp. and 3Com Corp.'s Palm Pilot division. Products based on the technology could be available in the second half of 1999. Bluetooth provides users "with a wireless link for easy communications between a range of mobile devices," one person familiar with the announcement said. "It's your own personal bubble for communicating with devices around you." Some analysts aware of the development said it could have a significant impact. "I think it's the most exciting thing to happen to wireless data in 20 years," said Andrew Seybold, editor of the Outlook newsletter on the mobile industry in Boulder Creek, Calif. "The key is that it won't cost very much to add the capability onto a lot of different kinds of devices, from printers to cellular phones." Other technologies, including the infrared technology used in TV remote controls, have been proposed for wireless data transfer using portable devices. But Bluetooth offers higher speed and other advantages. Unlike infrared, it can reach objects beyond the line of sight. It also requires relatively little electrical power. Bluetooth uses portions of the radio spectrum, at a frequency of 2.45 gigahertz, that was set aside for industrial, scientific and medical devices. It is expected to be inexpensive enough to implement in modules that attach to today's existing portable devices. Data also can be transferred at the same time a channel for voice is in use. Products outfitted with a Bluetooth transmitter -- which is expected to cost about $20 per device -- will be able to communicate with any other device within the 30-foot range. Someone getting off an airplane could use the technology to link their cellular phone and their laptop computer, using a cellular modem to check their e-mail messages or cruise the Internet. By the time the person hails a taxi, he or she could be viewing updated messages.