The blueM is a silver, sled-like attachment you can clip on to the back of your Palm to turn it into a Bluetooth 1.0B-enabled device. For those still living in the wired age, Bluetooth is a short-range wireless connectivity solution that allows devices to communicate without cables.
Measuring 54 x 90.4 x 13.3mm and weighing 29g, the blueM is about half the size of a Palm m500. Although it does break the slim form factor of your PDA when you attach on the blueM, at least it won't turn your handheld into a bulky monster like the PalmModem. As the blueM's connector uses Palm's Universal Connector, the former can be used with handhelds bearing similar connectors, including the Palm m500 series, Palm m125 and IBM WorkPad c500 series.
Bluetooth made easy
Setting up the blueM is really quite simple. The included CD-ROM will install the required drivers on your handheld via HotSync. Of course, a Bluetooth attachment on its own is like playing tennis without a partner. You do need to have another Bluetooth-enabled device to actually use the blueM.
To start, you first need to "discover" and "pair" the blueM with your other Bluetooth devices. The former is the process of detecting another Bluetooth device within range and the latter is getting both devices to communicate with each other. Since we tested the blueM with an Ericsson T39 mobile phone and a TDK Bluetooth USB adaptor, we had to discover both devices.
Detecting both devices is again a snap using the Bluetooth menu in our Palm's "Prefs" setting. The process involves tapping on the "Add device" button, confirming that the device found is the right one. Next, set a Passkey to ensure that only the selected devices can talk to each other. In short, you don't need a degree in wireless networking in order to start using the blueM.
Wireless surfing anywhere
One of the main uses for the blueM, when paired with a Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone, is to surf the Internet. As long as you get the right settings from your mobile phone operator, you should be able to get online whether you use a HSCSD (High Speed Circuit Switch Data) connection or GPRS (General Packet Radio Service). During our test, we used the blueM to go online via a GPRS connection and browsed the Internet with various Web Clippings and Palmscape, which is a browser for the Palm.
Since the great thing about Bluetooth is that you don't need line-of-sight for it to work, we were able to place the T39 in our backpack and still browse the Net on our Palm. Although TDK states in its manual that the range of the blueM is up to 10m, we found our Internet connection dropping when we moved beyond 5m from the phone. As for the transmission rate, we couldn't measure the exact speed since this is very much dependent on the network provider's GPRS service.
The Bluetooth specification states that the data transfer speed of Bluetooth is 1Mbps but the actual throughput is probably less than that. When viewing Web sites laden with graphics and tables, it does take a while before the pages are displayed. For Web clippings where file sizes are much smaller, pages do load faster.
The limitation to the data transmission speed was most obvious when we tried performing a HotSync using the blueM via a Bluetooth USB adaptor hooked to our PC. Although we could successfully perform a HotSync, our advice is to stick with your cradle as you'd be able to HotSync faster, especially if you're a heavy AvantGo user.
Blue light, speed dial
Since the blueM is so easy to use, there's really no need for any complex controls on the device other than a blue button with a blue LED indicator.
The LED provides feedback on whether the blueM is working by flashing repeatedly when transferring data and blinking once every four seconds when a Bluetooth link is active. The button also acts as a launcher key which you can press to start a modem HotSync or assign to launch any Palm apps you've installed.
During installation, an app called the TDK Dialler will also be downloaded onto your Palm. This is a simple app that lets you dial phone numbers and send SMS to folks in your Palm's Address Book, all using Bluetooth.
Conclusion
TDK Australia is expecting the blueM to be available here in February with an RRP of AU$499.
At AU$499, the blueM is a rather expensive cable replacement option that works. Without it, though, you can still connect to your mobile phone using infrared. Still, there's a certain "wow" factor when you can get your Palm and mobile phone to talk without having to point them at each other. Plus, the fact that you don't have to be an Einstein to set this up means you can jump onto the Bluetooth bandwagon without turning blue in the face trying to get the device to work.
We also like the idea that the blueM is an attachment rather than an SD card, unlike Palm's upcoming Bluetooth SD solution. The former neatly allows Palm owners to keep their existing SD card in the expansion slot and still benefit from the wireless features of Bluetooth.
blueM
Company: TDK Australia
Price: AU$499 (RRP)
Available: February
Phone: 02 8437 0605
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