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Palm, Sony-Ericsson sound death-knell for infra-red

A joint deal to promote Bluetooth as the primary way of linking phones to pocket computers has been struck between the top-selling hand-held, Palm Computing, and the second best-selling phone supplier, Sony-Ericsson.

The deal means that the biggest users of infra-red comms have finally turned their backs on IRDA - though they plan to continue to offer infra-red for the time being.

It is a marketing alliance agreement to develop strategic Bluetooth programs for carriers and their customers. What is probably most important about it is not just the fact that Palm now actually ships a (relatively) low-cost Bluetooth addon for its pocket machines, but that the two companies are tackling the usability problems which daunt most non-expert owners of these machines.

"The objective is to make Bluetooth communication solutions readily accessible and easy-to-use for mobile professionals across the country," said Palm Computing earlier this week at the CTIA Wireless show in Orlando. It's not yet known whether this will apply outside the US.

Bluetooth does most of what IRDA can do, but better. Like IRDA, it's a short-range, wireless comms link and like infra-red, it has low power consumption.

Where it is better, is that the two devices don't have to be pulled out of pockets to communicate, and in its security features - you don't have two Bluetooth devices spontaneously and promiscuously picking up spurious messages intended for printers just because they're in the same room.

Where it falls down, all too often, is in the need for configuration.

Palm quotes Todd Kort, principle analyst at Gartner, as saying:"The emergence of Bluetooth will enable various devices to connect. Users will likely maintain small wireless 'gateways' through a mobile phone in their purses or on their belts so they can pick up any Bluetooth-enabled device, such as a notebook computer, mobile phone or PDA, and find it instantly connected to the Internet through the gateway."

He's almost certainly right, but the process needs the permission of the owner of a notebook - which is, of course, a big advantage! - but it also means that instead of just "beaming" the data as Palm users do to day with IRDA, the two devices have to "discover" each other; and sometimes, this process can baffle the new user.

"Bluetooth is being embraced as an important wireless technology because it solves communication challenges," said Bo Larsson, corporate vice president and general manager, Sony Ericsson, North America. "We're working with Palm to show users how Bluetooth elegantly connects mobile phones and handheld computers to create a world of personal communications for wireless voice and data applications."

He's almost certainly right, too!; but the important word there is "elegant" - and Bluetooth has some way to go before every user will perceive it that way. If the Sony-Ericsson partnership with Palm achieves that, it will be important to the market.