Windows XP to get Bluetooth support
C|Net | at | by Mike
Microsoft is giving computer manufacturers something extra to stuff into this holiday's PC stocking: Bluetooth. The Redmond, Wash.-based company on Thursday released to manufacturers an update that would add Bluetooth support to Windows XP. Bluetooth allows peripherals, handhelds and cell phones to connect to PCs without wires. The technology is complimentary to 802.11b wireless, or "Wi-Fi," which is used to network computers together or connect them to the Internet over the air.
Bluetooth support in Windows XP could be a big boost for the much-hyped technology that has yet to find much momentum in the consumer market. Early Bluetooth adopters have found few ways to use the fledging technology. Hewlett-Packard last year released a Bluetooth-enabled printer, but pulled back on plans to add the technology to more peripherals. IBM sells one notebook with Bluetooth, the ThinkPad X30.