Toshiba brings Bluetooth Capabilities to Innovative Storage

[Jason Dunn]

<a href="http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/2002_04/pr1701.htm">http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/2002_04/pr1701.htm</a><br /><br />Now here's something very interesting! Imagine extending this concept to a Bluetooth-equipped digital camera. No more CompactFlash card memory limitations!<br /><br />"Toshiba Corporation today unveiled a new concept in data storage with the announcement of a compact, lightweight BluetoothTM-enabled mobile storage device able to hold up to 5GB of data. The BluetoothTM Pocket Server opens the way to wireless data transmission across a wide range of digital products and is expected to promote the development of wireless mobile networks. BluetoothTM Pocket Server saves data to a 5GB 1.8-inch HDD able to store almost 37 hours of MPEG-4 moving images or 1,000 pieces of music, but it is small enough and light enough to slip into a shirt pocket. <br /><br />Integration of BluetoothTM is expected to promote wide for the BluetoothTM Pocket Server, as it allows wireless downloads, uploads and transfers among a wide range of BluetoothTM-enabled products, including TVs, cellular phones, PDAs, PCs and digital cameras. The pocket server will allow users to capture and save data as diverse as TV broadcasts, music files or map information and download them to a PC or PDA, allowing anytime access to stored data."<br /><br />Thanks to Dale Coffing's <a href="http://www.pocketpcpassion.com">Pocket PC Passion</a> site for the original link.

[michael]

WOW! It would be so cool to have 5gb of storage all the time. There's so many possibilities to it. I suspect the RIAA and MPAA will freak over it though, as theoretically you could have one of these and share the contents with anyone within 10 meters or so.

[st63z]

What kind of profile do these things use?

Also, will handhelds like the OQO (w/ 802.11/BT and 10GB Toshiba), or even any PPC w/ BT and large storage, be able to do the same thing as a wireless personal storage server?

[seanturner]

I believe I heard somewhere that in Apple's iPod they are using the Toshiba 10GB harddrive, and they they are also incorporating bluetooth into the device. I wonder if it is based on this Toshiba model...

[Wuss912]

what kind of security does bluetooth support?
i mean what is gonna stoip somebody from sniffing my boluetooth packets or just downloading my pocketserver?

[st63z]

Ya know, it would be even better if this mini Toshiba device also has a USB 1.1/2.0 port, so it can be a storage device for any USB host (in addition to being a BT peer-to-peer storage server). I'd buy that in a heartbeat (anyone knows the dimensions of this thing)?

[usbnuts]

st63z,

This thing does come with a USB interface... but i doubt it's USB 2.0.

[seanturner]

Wouldn't the limited range of bluetooth provide some security? Exactly how far is the range anyway?

[Wuss912]

Wouldn't the limited range of bluetooth provide some security? Exactly how far is the range anyway?

isn't it like 39 feet? and i'm sure that it can be extended like wifi with amplifiers and antenni&lt;G>

[seanturner]

i'm sure that it can be extended like wifi with amplifiers and antenni&lt;G>


You wouldn't happen to know how to extend the range of 802.11b would you?

[Wuss912]

i'm sure that it can be extended like wifi with amplifiers and antenni&lt;G>


You wouldn't happen to know how to extend the range of 802.11b would you?


well the pringles can antenna can extend your range quite a bit but i think that is a fairly directional solution. do a google search for it. i know slashdot has run quite a few articles about it.