Bluetooth Wireless Audio Comes to the Palm OS

Posted By: Ryan Sunday, February 26, 2006 12:38:55 PM

Softick has released Audio Gateway v1.0, the first Bluetooth A2DP audio streaming solution for Palm OS handhelds. Audio Gateway enables users to connect a Palm OS handheld or Treo 650 to Bluetooth stereo headphones and listen to digital audio played by Palm OS applications including: MP3 players, audio book readers, and games.

Bluetooth Wireless Audio Comes to the Palm OSSoftick Audio Gateway can operate with any Bluetooth audio device which supports Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) designed to transfer a high-quality stereo audio stream wirelessly. The program captures digital audio from Palm OS audio subsystem and redirects it to the Bluetooth A2DP device: stereo headphones, desktop PC, car audio or A2DP speakers.

Features:

  • Advanced Audio Distribution Profile support (A2DP)
  • High quality stereo streaming, up to 304Kbps audio bitrate
  • Wide-range players and audio software compatibility
  • Easy setup and usage
  • Support for Mono and Stereo sound stream
  • Automatic upsampling/downsampling depending on blueooth headset capabilities
  • Built-in audio post filter to improve low bitrate audio quality

Audio Gateway v1.0 is currently compatible with the Palm LifeDrive, Palm TX, Treo 650, Tungsten E2, Tungsten T3, Tungsten T5 and Zire 72. It retails for $19.95 and comes with a free trial.

Thanks to LegoDude522, WindowsRookie & Joel Schneider for the tip.

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Very nice!

AdamaDBrown @ 2/26/2006 4:07:47 PM # Q
I didn't think it was possible to do this sort of thing without having access to the actual Bluetooth hardware. Kudos to the Softick guys. This makes my think I need to get around to repairing the T5 in my collection.

RE: Very nice!
Surur @ 2/26/2006 4:14:22 PM # Q
I saw this over at Palm24/7 a few days ago, and I'm seriously impressed. Palm should be extremely thankful that they have such dedicated and skillful 3rd party support.

Surur

They said I only argued for the sake of arguing, but after an hour I convinced them they were wrong...

RE: Very nice!
Altema @ 2/26/2006 4:22:36 PM # Q
Makes me want to go look for a BT stereo headset now! I have other Softick products and their stuff always impresses me.

RE: Very nice!
T. @ 2/26/2006 5:38:22 PM # Q
I use PPP and Card Export and they are both great products.

So now if they can just add functionality to use my Motorola bluetoth headset microphone for voice recording I'm there.

RE: Very nice!
Frenchie @ 2/26/2006 7:35:44 PM # Q
Guys this program is terribly buggy (no duh first release).
I've tried to run it on my Zodiac and it crashed. Be careful and backup prior to installing. Hopefully they work out some of the bugs. I want to listen to audio on my Zodiac over BT headphones!

The world will end in 2006. Just as it was predicted in the bible along with the release of Microsoft Longhorn.... :p
RE: Very nice!
achitnis @ 2/27/2006 12:56:07 AM # Q
It isn't supported on the Zodiac yet, so I wouldn't call it "buggy". :)


Atul Chitnis
http://atulchitnis.net

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Bluetooth headphones

roydfreeman @ 2/26/2006 9:15:02 PM # Q
I'd love to give this a try. Can anyone recommend any Stereo Bluetooth headphones/earphones? Preferably ones without an MP3 already built-in. lol.

Would love to be able to listen to music at the gym without the cables :o)

Thanks
Roy

RE: Bluetooth headphones
Gekko @ 2/26/2006 9:33:46 PM # Q


http://www.welectronics.com/Bluetooth/MOTOROLA_HT820.html



RE: Bluetooth headphones
AdamaDBrown @ 2/27/2006 2:35:35 AM # Q
You can get them cheaper from eBay, in the $60 range I think. I've been considering wiring my car for BT audio, so that I can send handheld audio through the stereo without wires. Unfortunately, the kind of thing I'd need for that is expensive for my taste, around $80. So it's not going to be a priority until spring.

RE: Bluetooth headphones
LiveFaith @ 2/27/2006 12:06:55 PM # Q
This is sweeeet if it's actually ready for prime-time!

Why Palm has depended on 3rd parties to provide such a thing amazes me more. I'm not just whining b/c I want every feature known to man on a device. I'm talking marketing and pop-culture here.

Of course, the iPod has been a gigantic paradigm-shifting success. Every body that leaves home > 1/month knows that. But, this wireless MP3 opportunity seems to me like the ultimate form of "one-ups-manship". Why nobody (Palm or other) seems to have taken this seriously suprises me.

Just imagine where Palm could have been 1 year ago at the release of the LifeDrive. Maybe even right now! Market this as the next wave of mobile audio. "Don't stay bound to THE WIRE ... Be FREE". Bundle with (partner / develop in conjunction with) a wireless headset and offer a top-of-the-line option. The advertising options are endless. I could see a dancing sillouhette (sp?) listen to an iPod snagging the wire on something and breaking it ... then cut to ... LifeDrive or Treo or Z33 in the pocket and wireless freedom. + gaming + movies. Hey, commercials are not long enough to show the 27 minute battery life! :-)

This could steal some serious thunder, but nobody seems too motivated ... except Softick.


Pat Horne; www.churchoflivingfaith.com

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Snap, Crackle, Pop

Gekko @ 2/26/2006 9:30:39 PM # Q

I bet this sounds like shiit.



RE: Snap, Crackle, Pop
Pathdoc @ 2/26/2006 9:42:41 PM # Q
According to people who have tried it over on 1src, your statement and the subject are correct. Here is the

http://www.1src.com/forums/showthread.php?t=106826


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RE: Snap, Crackle, Pop
freakout @ 2/27/2006 3:40:41 AM # Q
There you have it: "High quality stereo streaming, up to 304Kbps audio bitrate." Should be great with any decent pair of Bluetooth headphones (*not* your standard bluetooth phone earpiece, which don't usually support high bitrates and will indeed Snap, Crackle, Pop). If I had the money to waste I'd buy a pair.

Anyone tried this?

Also, how on earth did they manage this? I thought it was a hardware or firmware problem. Since it's obviously neither of those, why the heck isn't this a standard feature on all Palms?

Tim Carroll
Your friendly customer service robot
(and big Treo fan)

RE: Snap, Crackle, Pop
SoS @ 2/27/2006 5:56:35 AM # Q
bet it chews the battery life big time!!!

I'm sure things were easier before they became more simple

Tungsten T, Lexar 256Mb, Mac G4Ti OSX

RE: Snap, Crackle, Pop
costein @ 2/27/2006 9:43:54 AM # Q
Don't know about battery life yet, but the sound blows any iPod out of the water. I use: Treo 650 Audio Gateway v. 1.01 and a Logitech mp3 bluetooth headset model: F-0361A. Works great, loud as blazes when I turn it up.
OK, I can't get more than 2 Meters away and ist starts to, uhuh...snap, crackle and pop. But I don't care, since I have my Treo in my pocket or on a table near me. It maybe the building in which I work. I'll test a lot of other instances.
Just always hated cable. This config is on it's (a)way...

RE: Snap, Crackle, Pop
bcombee @ 2/27/2006 3:27:55 PM # Q
The two-way Bluetooth audio used for phone headsets is implemented with an SCO connection between the BT chip on the device and the phone hardware. However, the A2DP profile used for one-way audio streaming is a data protocol and doesn't require special hardware -- the hard work is adding the profile and modifying the Palm OS sound manager code to reroute audio from the device's codec to a software driver that compresses and sends the audio information.

Of course, as people have already noted, the audio only works as well as the Bluetooth connection allows. This protocol allows data loss since it's real time, and that means once you've got enough 2.4MHz noise, it's tough to get enough good data on the stream to the headset.

RE: Snap, Crackle, Pop
costein @ 2/27/2006 4:15:39 PM # Q
OK, there are limitations ...snap, crackle, pop...if something's in the way, then the sound starts going haywire: the transfer starts breaking off, the song starts playing faster for a few seconds, it breaks altogether for a few seconds.
I was walking back home from work (yes I am one of the fortunate few) and had my Treo in my jacket pocket. It's icy cold here in Switzerland and just my leather jacket and my wollen cap were enough to break the transfer. I had to position the hangar in such a way, that it worked. Any position other than that brought interference. Maybe our district is loaded with too much Wifi, gsm, umts, and radar frequency (airport Basel-Mulhouse)
The actual problem I would think is the weak transfer that bluetooth has to offer (being a short range frequency), not so much the protocol within the software
Still I think it's OK. With the included dongle for my notebook it's still worth the while...y'all know: I just hate cables.

RE: Snap, Crackle, Pop
costein @ 2/27/2006 4:15:39 PM # Q
OK, there are limitations ...snap, crackle, pop...if something's in the way, then the sound starts going haywire: the transfer starts breaking off, the song starts playing faster for a few seconds, it breaks altogether for a few seconds.
I was walking back home from work (yes I am one of the fortunate few) and had my Treo in my jacket pocket. It's icy cold here in Switzerland and just my leather jacket and my wollen cap were enough to break the transfer. I had to position the hangar in such a way, that it worked. Any position other than that brought interference. Maybe our district is loaded with too much Wifi, gsm, umts, and radar frequency (airport Basel-Mulhouse)
The actual problem I would think is the weak transfer that bluetooth has to offer (being a short range frequency), not so much the protocol within the software
Still I think it's OK. With the included dongle for my notebook it's still worth the while...y'all know: I just hate cables.

Bluetooth mic
fedatoc @ 2/27/2006 6:40:27 PM # Q
And now, what about a bluetooth mic? It would be great to use a standard bluetooth headset for present and future (hopefully) VOIP sw on a TX-T5-TE2 without great efforts!
I think there must be brigth minds working on it at the moment!
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Doesn't really work on LifeDrive yet

Mike Chicag0 @ 2/28/2006 6:50:09 PM # Q
Concerning the LifeDrive, per Softick: "Sound glitches during access to HDD or SD card. Softick is working on resolving this issue."

Reply to this comment

Can you stream sound from your Palm TX to a Motorola HS850?

eddierouge @ 5/22/2006 8:51:07 PM # Q
Can you stream sound from your Palm TX to a Motorola HS850? Via Bluetooth????

I downloaded the Audio Galaxy but wants to have A2DP devices! Which the Moto HS850 isn't! Any suggestions?

do you guys now of any driver that would stream the sound to my current headset?

any suggestions and comments, greatly appreatiated.



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