PalmSource and Sony Ericsson plan to optimize Bluetooth interoperability between Sony Ericsson mobile phones and Palm OS mobile devices.

According to the companies, they plan to work closely together to enable out-of-the-box compatibility between Bluetooth-enabled Sony Ericsson mobile phones and Palm OS handhelds. The companies said users of future Bluetooth-enabled products will be able to more easily access information, entertainment, and communicate across a wide variety of devices -- without cords and wires.

For example, a user could select a phone number from a Palm OS handheld and have it automatically dialed on the SonyEricsson mobile phone. "Our collaboration with PalmSource will arm users with an out-of-the-box solution that is easy to use," claims Vice President Head of Corporate Function Applications & Content Development at Sony Ericsson, Rikko Sakaguchi. "Ensuring ready-to-run compatibility between Sony Ericsson handsets and Palm Powered devices will provide users with a seamless, wireless connectivity experience that is both fast and convenient."

IDC forecasts that through 2006, the average compounded annual growth for handheld devices with integrated personal area network capability (Bluetooth) will be 108 percent in the U.S. and 177 percent worldwide. The companies claim this means that both domestically and worldwide, pen-based shipments will continue to more than double for the next four years with Bluetooth expected to be even more pervasive than infrared for wireless communications because it conquers usability barriers of line-of-sight, and can pass through obstacles over short distances and simultaneously communicate with multiple devices at once.