PalmSource, Sony Ericsson link arms
Published: 17 Oct 2002 14:13 BST
PalmSource and Sony Ericsson said Thursday they will make their products interoperable with Bluetooth technology.
The partnership, announced at the CTIA Wireless IT and Internet trade show in Las Vegas, is the latest in a string of alliances and deals for PalmSource, the operating-system subsidiary of Palm.
PalmSource, which is preparing for a spin-off, is under the gun to produce new partnerships and boost its customer base. The partnership with Sony Ericsson comes just days after Sony invested in PalmSource.
As for the Bluetooth alliance, PalmSource and Sony said they will work together to create "out-of-the-box compatibility" between Palm handhelds and Sony Ericsson mobile phones.
Bluetooth, a short-range radio technology, allows notebooks, peripherals, handheld computers, mobile phones and other portable devices to connect without the use of cables.
With Bluetooth, a person will be able to take a phone number from a Palm device and dial it on one of Sony Ericsson's next-generation phones that use GPRS (General Packet Radio Service).
PalmSource and handset maker Kyocera Wireless announced Wednesday a three-year extension of a licensing agreement. And last month, PalmSource extended a license with Samsung Electronics.
So far, PalmSource has 10 announced licensees and will unveil more as products ship, the company said.
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