WizCore and Brainboxes today unveiled one of the first implementations of Bluetooth PC hardware to support digital voice. The demonstration, shown on the Brainboxes booth at the annual Bluetooth Congress, allows a user to transmit voice signals to the PC, using a Bluetooth device such as the Ericsson headset or a cordless telephone. The software enables the user to make an IP telephony call over a Bluetooth connection.

A Brainboxes PCMCIA Bluetooth card is installed into the laptop, along with the Windows™ based WizGate™ software from WizCore. The voice data is then transported digitally from the Bluetooth headset, via the PC Card, to the IP Telephony client. This increases the potential uses for the Bluetooth products, as it enables them to deal with both voice and standard data signals.

Stephen Evans, Marketing Manager for Brainboxes said, “One of the most exciting aspects of Bluetooth is the ability to use one Bluetooth device for multiple purposes. This application opens the possibility of a Bluetooth phone being used as a cordless microphone for the PC, as well as being used to dial the Internet and pick up emails. WizCore’s software gives our products access to the important VoIP market.”

Per Brunsberg, Managing Director of WizCore commented, “Innovative applications are needed to drive the take-up of the Bluetooth headsets and phones that are now on the market. Applications supporting voice profiles, like WizGate, fill that gap. Brainboxes’ hardware products provide the ideal platform for our products, as they are proven, qualified Bluetooth hardware designs.”