Gameboy Advance Users to Get Bluetooth Internet

AEton writes "According to this Extremetech article, X-Tra Fun has developed a Bluetooth module for the Gameboy Advance which is expected to ship by Christmas 2003. The $49 module includes Bluetooth connectivity, although a cellphone or other Bluetooth device with Internet access is required to use the Internet, and it comes with an embedded eCos Linux kernel with a Web browser and 255 pages' worth of cache. A $99 upgrade adds a Secure Digital card slot and a dongle!"

Comments

bluetooth compatibility

[smeenz]

It will be interesting to see if this works with nokia's bluetooth phones. My experience with them, and a number of google hits suggests that nokia bluetooth only talks reliably to nokia bluetooth

eCos isn't Linux

[Rheingold]

eCos is an embedded kernel that was developed by Cygnus, now owned by Red Hat. However, it is NOT a Linux kernel (although the userland tools are probably all GNU).

Another Internet OS for the GBA

[Anonymous Coward]

There is another Internet OS that currently is being ported to the GBA called Contiki. It currently features a lot of what it to be expected of a modern OS such as multitasking, TCP/IP support, web browser, screensavers, etc. Still, it only requires no more than 50k and ought to be a lot faster than eCos.

Re:*Secure* digital card?

[mesach]

ummm, you can call all the bullshit you want.

the Secure in Secure digital I believe refers to the level of extra security in the card over that of an MMC card.

It has nothing to do with wireless security, Its a Proper name I believe.

Secure Digital Card also known as SD, you can purchase them at all major electronics stores and they are used mainly in Cameras and PDAs.

My fault

[AEton]

I read the article; it said "Embedded in the module is an embedded eCos embedded Linux kernel" -- but it's quite likely that author Mark Hachman doesn't understand this discrepancy. Sure fooled me. If you're concerned about the misattribution, he's probably the person to contact about it -- again, that's Mark Hachman, Mark_Hachman@ziffdavis.com.

Re:Dongle?

[jshare]

You lie.

Well, ok, you are probably just misinformed.

Re:Nice

[davidstrauss]

Gonna be a HUGE annoyance browsing without a keyboard and backlight screen.

GBA SP has a backlit screen.

Thanks--it's been corrected

[MarkRH]

As the (corrected) story now states, I believe I accurately quoted Kramer that eCos was in fact a Linux kernel. However, either he or I was wrong, and the story has since been corrected to reflect that fact. I appreciate the "open source fact checking", even though the mistake shouldn't have been there in the first place.

And the embedded information about the embedded embedded eCos kernel embedded in the GameBoy has since been dis-embedded, in an attempt to clarify the embedding wording. (*ahem*)

Re:What's the range?

[bullestock]

You are supposed to own e.g. a Bluetooth-enabled phone and use that as the access point.

(Bluetooth range is typically 10 meters for a class 2 device ).

Re:What's the range?

[Locutus]

How come I have a 100 meter Bluetooth WAP here on the desk then? You are wrong rzbx, Bluetooth spec allows for 3 cleasses/ranges:

Class 1 : 100 meters
Class 2 : 10 meters
Class 3 : 2 meters

I've used Bluetooth to get an internet connection with a Bluetooth WAP( using the LAN Profile ), connected to the my local LAN via a Bluetooth connection to my Linux PC( using the Serial Prifile and ppp ), and finally, connected to a Bluetooth enabled mobile phone for internet connectivity( using the DUN Profile ).

People really need to understand that Bluetooth is not for just connecting a headset to a phone 1 meter away.

And I've not even started messing the PAN( Personal Area Network ).

LoB