Socket Announces Portable Bluetooth Modem

Socket Communications has just announced the first battery-powered Bluetooth 56K modem. This allows users to access the Web or email through a telephone from Bluetooth-enabled Pocket PCs, Palms, and Windows notebooks -- without having to be tethered to an analog phone line and electrical outlet.

The Cordless 56K Modem with Bluetooth Wireless Technology uses an internal antenna and is a class 1, Bluetooth 1.1-compliant device providing up to 330 feet of range, though this will be less in real-world use.

The Cordless Modem is V.92 hardware ready, giving users the option to add call waiting, get online quicker, and download files faster. The modem is certified to work in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

It comes with a rechargeable, removable Lithium-ion battery that supplies a minimum of three hours of use.

It will be available near the end of March and is expected to sell for $129. It is being announced now so the company can demonstrate it at this week's Consumer Electronics Show.

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