Hewlett-Packard`s support of Bluetooth technology is just one aspect of its mobile and wireless strategy that makes up its vision of supplying technology that allows people to connect and share information effortlessly and that will enable them to benefit from personalised mobile electronic services (e-services).
"We believe mobility is enabled not by a single wireless device, but by the collective ability of all devices -- wireless and wired -- to automatically work together within an environment to deliver rich e-services to mobile users," says Ashley Flinders, Brand Manager, Imaging and Printing Solutions, Hewlett-Packard South Africa.
"True mobility is not achieved simply by eliminating the physical connection between devices. Rather, it is achieved by empowering people to access resources from wherever they may be to simplify how they manage, distribute and exchange information," says Flinders.
The company`s e-services strategy heralds a transition from an Internet worked by those users connected to it, to one which works for the users - a move from access to Web-based information to a world of modular e-services that are accessible by virtually anyone and any device.
HP and its partners are now beginning to roll-out e-services. They include enabling hotels, such as the Durban Hilton, to print global newspapers on demand for their international guests; applications-on-tap that allow service providers to deploy an application in their data centre and offer it for rent over the internet; and buying a poster or image from retailers anywhere in the world and having it printed at a local printer."
HP South Africa is already equipped to leverage global e-services ventures, including the mobile e-services bazaars in Finland and Canada; strategic partnerships with companies such as China Mobile and DoCoMo; and alliances with communication companies to develop the next generation of information appliances through which e-services will be delivered.
"In addition, the company is planning an incubation centre for developing businesses looking to partner with HP, to develop tangible e-services and business solutions, and roll them out to the local and international markets," he says.
Bluetooth, as a component of this e-services strategy, is seen as a means of creating wireless access to a personal area network (PAN) to services within an organisation and beyond.
The global market for Bluetooth-enabled devices could number 400 million within five years. So, Bluetooth is expected to become the dominant wireless technology for printing, particularly in business environments where the capability to print anywhere, anytime is highly desirable.
In addition, HP`s support of Bluetooth wireless technology is intended to ensure that common devices, such as notebook computers, PDAs, printers, fax machines, and mobile phones, can communicate with each other at short range.
"As a low-cost, secure wireless technology, the Bluetooth specification uses radio frequency for wireless data transmission between a wide variety of computing devices and as such it`s ideal for a PANs," says Charlotte Saayman, product manager, HP Jornada Pocket PCs, HP South Africa.
"Previously IrDA (infrared) or serial cables would have been used, but because Bluetooth wireless technology makes omni-directional, non-line-of-sight transmission possible, the need for such connectivity will be gradually replaced in a PAN environment."
In addition to rolling out its first Bluetooth enabled printers, HP, which is an Early Adopter member of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), has announced a third-party Bluetooth CompactFlash card that enables HP Jornada Pocket PCs to wirelessly communicate with Bluetooth devices such as data-enabled mobile phones, printers and PCs.
"Imagine getting off an airplane and printing text messages from a mobile phone to an airline-club kiosk, or printing a map from a PDA at a petrol station," she adds.
To ensure that such e-services are universal, HP is working with key industry partners to further the development of Bluetooth technology and collaborating with other companies adopting the Bluetooth standard, such as Palm, to deliver a multitude of wireless solutions.
In addition, the company is leveraging its leadership in embedded Web server (EWS) and embedded virtual machine (EVM) Chai technology to pave the way for a new generation of intelligent appliance in a wireless world. Chai technology -- an HP development -- is currently included in its new printers. E-services such as the broadcasting of status reports automatically to appropriate personnel via a web browser are now possible and the machines can re-order consumables themselves directly from supplies.
It also enables device management remotely over the Web. But Chai is not going to be confined to printers. It can be used in any device -- from a pocket computer or cellphone to a monitoring device on a manufacturing production line. It is HP`s way of harnessing the power of the Web to enable seamless device-to-device communication -- wireless or otherwise.
HP EWS (ChaiServer) effectively gives each device its own Web home page and serves to up content that can be read and displayed by a browser in an HTML format. That means with a network-connected PC and a browser, a user can browse the EWS-enabled device`s `home page`, view the content -- usage, cartridge status, problems etc -- and take any action needed.
HP EVM, (Chai VirtualMachine) on the other hand, also now standard on HP`s high-end laser printers, is a virtual machine -- or an operating system that runs like an application inside another operating system. A printer EVM is an operating machine embedded in a printer and is capable of executing Java applications, opening up the opportunity to deliver numerous e-services.
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Hewlett-Packard Company -- a leading global provider of computing and imaging solutions and services for business and home -- is focused on capitalising on the opportunities of the Internet and the proliferation of electronic services.
HP has 85 400 employees worldwide and had total revenue from continuing operations of $42.4 billion in its 1999 fiscal year. Information about HP and its products can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com.
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