Bluetooth APIs?

by **Dave H** » Feb 25, 2003 @ 7:28pm

Anyone found anyway to use Bluetooth on the iPAQs yet, other than expensive SDKs from www.widcomm.com or www.high-point.com ?

What about Windows CE.NET - that is meant to have Bluetooth support natively, but is it out yet? What exactly is it? Is it just Pocket PC 2003? Can you reflash iPAQs to use it?

[Seems to me that Bluetooth isn't as accesible to programmers as it should be! It's no wonder than Wireless LAN is all the rage and looks like it's overtaking it!]

by **James S** » Feb 25, 2003 @ 8:30pm

WiFi and Bluetooth are two very seperate things that are used for two very seperate purposes. One is not overtaking the other, although WiFi is much more mainstream for the reason that you've posted here, Bluetooth is very restrictive by nature.

Windows CE.NET is the latest version of WindowsCE. PocketPC uses WindowsCE as it's backend. PocketPC is the term used for the graphical user interface on PocketPC PDAs. You can flash WindowsCE.NET on your PocketPC right now, but you'll not have the familiar PocketPC GUI (no Today screen, Start Menu, mobile Media Player, Notes, or any of that stuff). We have to wait until Microsoft releases a PocketPC GUI for WindowsCE before it actually becomes PocketPC2003 (or 4, or 5).

To use bluetooth you can simply have the user link to the other bluetooth device before they run your program and then you can search through COMs 5 through 12 for the active Bluetooth connection. Specific functions use different COM ports, I believe (I am not sure) DUN is COM6, general access is COM5/8, and so forth. Because Bluetooth is simply a wireless serial connection you can treat it as any other serial connection.

by **sponge** » Feb 25, 2003 @ 10:15pm

by **damian** » Feb 25, 2003 @ 11:30pm

by **sponge** » Feb 25, 2003 @ 11:39pm

by **James S** » Feb 25, 2003 @ 11:50pm

by **sponge** » Feb 26, 2003 @ 1:00am

by **James S** » Feb 26, 2003 @ 2:39am

no, not that. Regular PocketPCs with WinCE.NET. It looks like a regular desktop, with My Computer and a Task Bar at the bottom with the clock on the right, just a tiny resolution, that's all.

by **sponge** » Feb 26, 2003 @ 3:10am

Oh, those newish devices that don't get much press? Or a standard already released PPC. I haven't heard of the latter..

by **James S** » Feb 26, 2003 @ 3:28am

The former.

by **Dave H** » Mar 3, 2003 @ 2:48pm

What about using OBEX?
In the Pocket PC 2002 SDK there are headers for OBEX and there is this in one of the headers

#define c_szBluetooth L"Bluetooth"

Has anyone used OBEX? Can it be used to get Bluetooth discovery on 2002?

by **damian** » Mar 4, 2003 @ 2:51am

Bluetooth APIs?

Bluetooth APIs?

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