Wi-Fi, or 802.11b, has emerged as Bluetooth's major competitor where it comes to connecting mobile devices to a PC or Internet connection, and some vendors have responded by producing products that combine the two technologies. On Tuesday, Agere Systems said that it is working with Taiwan original design manufacturer (ODM) Universal Scientific Industrial on an 802.11b/Bluetooth module specifically designed for handheld devices. Some handhelds already include both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, but Agere said that USI's product is the first to combine the two into a single module tailored for handhelds. The aim of such integration is to make it cheaper for manufacturers to include both technologies. The module uses Agere's WaveLAN(tm) chipset, which includes digital baseband, direct-down conversion radio, media access controller (MAC), power management chips and software drivers. The Bluetooth silicon is supplied by Cambridge Silicon Radio. On the shop floor
On the end-user side, Finland-based BlueGiga is offering a server product that allows retailers to distribute Java and Symbian OS applications to their customers through a quick wireless transaction. Symbian is an operating system used in smartphones from Nokia, Sony Ericsson and others, while a broad range of mobile phones are capable of running Java applications, typically games. BlueGiga's Installation Point application, which runs on the company's WRAP (Wireless Remote Access Platform) Access Server, allows customers to receive an application via Bluetooth directly on the shop floor. The transfer is initiated when the customer sends a business card to the server. The firm said Installation Point could be used to distribute promotional software such as a Java game or information about the local area. The application will be available from next month.
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