Microsoft makes first moves towards Bluetooth

Microsoft has introduced its first Bluetooth-enabled products in the form of the Wireless Optical Desktop for Bluetooth, the first desktop products for the nascent Personal Area Network technology to hit the mainstream in North America.

Long touted as a sort of wireless USB which will free us from the maze of cords which typically hang out of the back, front and sides of our PCs, Bluetooth allows electronic devices to talk to each other and trust information from each other over a short range. The technology is already popular in wireless-friendly Europe. Cell phones, the biggest Bluetooth champions, which use the standard are just showing up now in North America, while the latest generation of PDA products, including Palm Tungsten and HP iPaq, are starting to support the standard.

products are the first Bluetooth-based peripherals built for PCs, and will ship with Bluetooth "profiles" allowing them to work as input devices, as well as the "hard-copy replacement profile" and "dial-up networking profile," which will allow the PC to be linked up to a wireless printer, or to use a cell phone with Bluetooth for Internet access, respectively. McWhinnie said that over time, Microsoft would make other profiles for Bluetooth available, likely including ones to allow users to use the keyboard with their tooth-enabled devices.

The Wireless Optical Desktop for Bluetooth is slated to ship from Microsoft in a few weeks, and will be available primarily through select retail partners. It will carry a $219 price tag for the combined 27 MHz frequency band wireless mice and keyboards come in at $139 for the pair.