Wireless standard set

The standards board of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standards Association approved the communications "Bluetooth" specification for wireless personal area networks.

The standard will help foster wider adaptability of wireless communications in small electronic devices.

It establishes a communications standard for sending data to and from small, low-cost wireless radio communications devices, such as notebook and handheld computers, consumer electronics, personal digital assistants, cellular phones and other portable, handheld devices.

The institute licensed wireless technology from the Bluetooth Special Interest Group Inc., a coalition of device makers, such as 3Com Corp., Santa Clara, Calif.; IBM Corp., Armonk, N.Y.; Intel Corp. Santa Clara; Microsoft Corp., Redmond, Wash.; and Motorola Inc., Schaumburg, Ill.