Bluetooth Smartphones and PDAs
In addition to cell phones, the other category of device that's seeing a great deal of action in the Bluetooth arena is the PDA category. The term PDA (personal digital assistant) encompasses a wide range of handheld computing devices - and therefore, PDAs are also often referred to as handhelds.
The most common types of PDAs are:
- DAs that use the ACCESS Garnet operating system (OS): These PDAs run the Garnet operating system (formerly Palm OS) - which is an older but still useful and user-friendly OS. You can find Palm PDAs on Palm Computing's Web site (www.palm.com) and also by searching the Web site of ACCESS (www.access-company.com), the spin off that develops the OS.
- Handhelds that use the Microsoft Windows Mobile operating system: Windows Mobile handhelds are typically (though not always) a bit more expensive and faster than ACCESS OS PDAs. The major manufacturers of Windows Mobile systems include Hewlett-Packard (www.hp.com), Toshiba (www.toshiba.com), and Samsung (www.Samsung.com) - even Palm makes a Windows Mobile version of its smartphone. In many ways, down to the user interface, Windows Mobile models tend to mirror Windows-based desktop and laptop computers in a smaller, shrunken-down form.
- Smartphones: As we mention earlier in this tutorial, in the section "Discovering Bluetooth Basics," the line between PDAs and cell phones becomes more blurry with each passing day, and in fact smartphones, which combine a PDA and a cell phone in one device, are taking over the PDA world. Companies such as Palm are building cell phones and PDAs in one (the famous Treo phones), and other companies such as Samsung (www.samsung.com) sell Windows Mobile-based combos. Some smartphone devices use entirely different operating systems (such as Symbian, Blackberry, or even the open-source Linux operating system used on many business server computers). Even Apple is in the smartphone business with the release of the Apple iPhone. This multimedia mobile phone device has not only Bluetooth but also Wi-Fi and EDGE built into it. The iPhone uses an optimized version of the OS X operating system. This phone generated so much hype that even though it's less than 1 percent of the smartphone market - which is less than a half percent of the total cell phone market - we have to mention it here because it's just too cool to leave out.
Despite the variations among the PDA world, there's also a commonality - PDAs work much better as connected devices that can talk to computers and other PDAs. And, because PDAs and cell phones are increasingly converging, or taking on the same functionality, any of the applications we discuss in the preceding section may come into play with a PDA.
In particular, the synchronization application we discuss in the preceding section is especially important for PDAs because they tend to be mobile, on-the-road-again (thanks to Willie Nelson) extensions of a user's main PC. Most PDAs now require either a docking cradle (a device you physically set the PDA in, which is connected via a cable to the PC), or at least a USB or another cable to synchronize contacts, calendars, and the like with the PC. With Bluetooth, you just need to have your PDA in the same room as the PC, with no physical connection. You can even set up your PDA to automatically synchronize when it's within range of the PC.
Accordingly, we've begun to see Bluetooth functionality built into an increasing number of PDAs. For example, the newest Palm model, the Tungsten E2, includes a built-in Bluetooth system, as does the Nokia N800 Internet tablet (a handheld internet browsing device for when you just can't be bothered to turn on that computer).
You can also buy some cool Bluetooth accessories for handhelds. One big issue with handhelds is the process of entering data into them. Most either have a tiny keyboard (a thumb keyboard, really, which is too small for using all your fingers and touch typing) or use a handwriting system, where you use a stylus and write in not-quite-plain English on the screen. Both systems can work well if you spend the time required to master them, but neither is optimal, especially if you want to do some serious data entry - like writing a book! In that case, you really need a keyboard. Check out the Freedom Input Bluetooth keyboards (www.freedominput.com). These devices, available for PDAs, Windows Mobile devices, and smartphones, are compact (some even fold up) but give you a nearly full-size typing area.
If you already own a PDA and it doesn't have Bluetooth built in, what can you do? Do you really have to go and replace that old PDA with a new model? Maybe not. Several manufacturers are selling add-on cards for existing PDAs that enable Bluetooth communications. For example, Socket Communications (www.socketcom.com) sells Compact Flash (CF) Bluetooth cards for Windows Mobile PDAs. Speaking more generally, most PDAs and smartphones have a memory card slot - SD, Compact Flash, or memory stick - that is most often used to expand the amount of memory in the PDA but can be used for other purposes. You can find Bluetooth cards in these memory card formats. With the increasing number of devices already enabled with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, it will be harder and harder to find these memory card format wireless adapters in the near future.
Getting a Bluetooth card installed and set up on your PDA is easy. The first thing you may have to do is to install some Bluetooth software on your handheld. If this step is required, you simply put the software CD in your PC and follow the onscreen instructions, which guide you through the process of setting up the software. After the software is on your PC, it should be automatically uploaded to your PDA the next time you sync it (using your cable or cradle). After the software is on your PDA, just slide the Bluetooth card into the PDA. The PDA recognizes it, and then may guide you through a quick setup wizard-type program. (Or it may not - this process is so automated that you may not notice anything happening.) That's it - you're Bluetooth-ed!
After you get Bluetooth hardware and software on your PDA, you're ready to go. By its nature, Bluetooth is constantly on the lookout for other Bluetooth devices. When it finds something else (such as your Bluetooth-equipped PC or a Bluetooth printer) that can "talk" Bluetooth, the two devices communicate and inform each other of their capabilities. If there's a match (such as you have a document to print and a nearby printer has Bluetooth), a dialog box pops up on your screen through which you can do your thing. Pairing Bluetooth devices is usually easy. In some cases (such as syncing mobile phone address books with your PC), you need to finesse some software on one side or the other. With a Bluetooth headset for your cell phone, for example, you tell your phone to find the device. Then you enter a four-digit code into your phone so it knows to talk to only that headset and the headset knows it's dedicated to only that phone. Although we find that pairing Bluetooth is pretty simple, it's always wise to consult the owner's manual and the Web sites of the software and hardware companies involved.
Check out the section "Understanding Pairing and Discovery," at the end of this tutorial, for more details on making Bluetooth connections.