Although Microsoft has snubbed Bluetooth in its forthcoming Windows XP desktop operating
system, Rappore Technologies Inc. said Monday its new Bluetooth host protocol stack and
software developers kit (SDK) eventually will.
The company said the stack currently is available for Windows 98, 2000 and Windows CE and is
portable to Windows XP and embedded Linux. Microsoft recently said it would not include native
support for Bluetooth in Windows XP because the wireless technology, it claimed, was still
premature.
It later announced, however, that it would support Bluetooth in the next-generation Windows CE
platform, code-named Talisker.
In a statement, Rappore claimed that Microsoft’s position on Bluetooth will not result in less
demand for the short-range wireless technology. It was, however, diplomatic.
“Microsoft’s announcement was not surprising, as Bluetooth is an emerging technology,” said
Michael Wright, a Rappore founder. “Typically, innovative hardware designers and manufacturers
are the first to roll out new technologies such as Bluetooth.”
While Windows XP is a desktop operating system, Microsoft has announced it also will be used for portable tablet-sized
devices. The Rappore stack is available now for currently-available operating systems and will be available for Windows
CE in the second quarter of this year, the company said.