Socket Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCKT) and ZIO Interactive, Inc. today announced a joint agreement to develop and market Bluetooth-enabled multiplayer games for Windows Powered Pocket PCs. By combining Socket's Bluetooth wireless technology with ZIO's 3D interactive game software, the companies will offer Pocket PC users "entertainment groupware" that will take advantage of the new Bluetooth standard for wireless personal area networking.
The first product expected from the collaboration between Socket and ZIO is a Bluetooth-enabled version of ZIOGolf, ZIO's popular golf emulator that features full-color, real-time 3D acceleration graphics, sound, and a library of scenic golf courses. By plugging Socket's Bluetooth Personal Network Card into the CompactFlash slot of a Pocket PC, users will be able to compete against other players up to 10 meters (30 feet) away.
"The full-color screens and multimedia capability of Pocket PCs combined with Bluetooth's on-the-fly wireless networking promise to make multiplayer entertainment a serious business opportunity," said Kevin Mills, president and CEO of Socket. "We are delighted to be working with ZIO to make Pocket PCs more fun."
"Socket's Bluetooth technology coupled with our multimedia gaming software will truly add a new dimension to handheld device entertainment," said Peter Kim, president and CEO of ZIO. "We are excited about working with Socket to enhance the Pocket PC user experience."
"Pocket PCs are designed for work and play," said Rogers Weed, general manager for the Mobile Devices Division at Microsoft Corp. "By making use of the standards-based expandability of Pocket PCs, Socket and ZIO have opened the door to an exciting new class of multiplayer entertainment products that harness the spontaneous connectivity of Bluetooth."
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