Datastick Systems recently introduced its Datastick Connection suite of software products, designed to take advantage of the processor, sound, display, and embedded Bluetooth wireless capability of Palm Inc.'s new Tungsten T handheld. Datastick Systems hardware and software is aimed at industrial, technology, and scientific applications.

According to Datastick, working either through Bluetooth wireless technology or through Datastick's DAS-1245 snap-on peripheral with Palm's Universal Connector, data is acquired, recorded, and displayed from sensors measuring temperature, pressure, vibration, rates of acceleration, etc., on up to four input channels. Measurements are displayed in a number of ways using one of three Datastick Connection software programs running on the handheld.

"The new Tungsten T handheld enables our DAS-1245 data acquisition system to provide even greater performance than before. We have seen significant increases in sample rates in all our applications as a result of the power of the Tungsten T's new ARM processor. And, with embedded Bluetooth, sensing devices can easily transmit information wirelessly to our software running on the handheld," said Steve Sabram, President and Chief Technology Officer. "This increased power and flexibility are excellent news for Datastick and its customers."

The new version 3.1 of Datastick Connection Plus refines the alarms that alert the user whenever a measurement goes above or below a particular level. Visual alarms in Datastick Connection Plus are now color-coded to be more visible and allow the user more choice in different appearances for different alarms. The company said Tungsten T's enhanced graphics resolution further enhances alarm visibility. At the same time, the audible alarms take advantage of the Tungsten T's sound capability to play a wider variety of user-selectable sounds, allowing different alarms to be more easily distinguishable.

According to Datastick Systems, the new versions of its software titles include Datastick Connection v3.1, its most basic software program, which records and displays its measurements in the form of color bar graphs, line graphs, and gauge graphics. Datastick Connection Plus v3.1 adds user-selectable display, automatic recording, and alarm features, with both audible and visual alerts. The company said Datastick Connection Pro v1.1 is best suited for high-speed data acquisition. Rather than display the input data in real time, Datastick Connection Pro achieves its high sample rates by operating in capture-and-review mode. All three Datastick Connection software titles can write measurements to memory cards. Supported cards are SecureDigital, Multimedia Card, Compact Flash, MemoryStick and SmartMedia