7.7 Graphical Applications

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Linux has several popular graphical user interface systems, the most well-known being KDE and GNOME. These projects both have tools that provide an easy-to-use interface to your system's Bluetooth devices. At the time of writing, neither project is an official part of the KDE or GNOME desktop, but both will be integrated in future. This section presents a brief survey of the tools available and where to get them.

7.7.1 KDE

The KDE Bluetooth Framework's home page is at http://kde-bluetooth. sourceforge .net/. Its features include:

  • A control center plug-in to configure Bluetooth devices

  • An OBEX server application

  • An OBEX sending client

  • Graphical exploration of remote devices

  • Cell phone handsfree implementation using your computer's microphone and speakers

  • Proximity-based screen locking

The KDE Bluetooth Framework can be downloaded from the project's web page. Figure 7-8 and Figure 7-9 show KDE's Bluetooth applications in action.

Figure 7-8. Browsing a device's services in KDE
figs/luw_0708.gif
Figure 7-9. Receiving a file via OBEX in KDE
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7.7.2 GNOME

The GNOME Bluetooth subsystem's home page is available at http://usefulinc.com/software/gnome-bluetooth. Download it from the project's home page. RPM and Debian packages are also available. Features of the GNOME Bluetooth subsystem include:

  • An OBEX server application

  • An OBEX sending client

  • A phone manager application allowing sending and receiving of SMS messages

  • Graphical exploration of remote devices

  • Programming libraries for creating Bluetooth-aware applications in C, Python, or C#

Figure 7-10 and Figure 7-11 show GNOME's Bluetooth features in action.

Figure 7-10. Exploring nearby Bluetooth devices in GNOME
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Figure 7-11. Sending a file via OBEX in GNOME
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7.7.2.1 Synchronization

If your PDA uses Bluetooth and you use Ximian Evolution as your calendar and contacts management tool, you can synchronize the two over Bluetooth using the Multisync application. Multisync is available in most Linux distributions, and you can download it from its home page at http:// multisync .sourceforge.net.

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Linux Unwired
Linux Unwired
ISBN: 0596005830
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 100

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