Agilent and Link Evolution develop IrFM-compliant smart dongle.

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) and Link Evolution Corp., a wireless communications software development company, has announced an agreement to collaborate on the development of an IrFM-compliant (infrared financial messaging) smart dongle solution for the Japanese infrared mobile-payment market. IrFM smart dongle serial adapters can easily be attached to millions of point-of-sale devices to provide instant infrared connectivity for secure wireless payment.

The collaboration will combine Agilent's expertise in infrared hardware development and manufacturing with Link Evolution's software development capability. The companies plan to introduce IrFM solutions in Japan later this year, then subsequently address other markets.

"As the leader in infrared connectivity solutions, we recognize the opportunity for growth in IrFM applications worldwide, particularly in Japan, where many unique services are offered," said Kee Hane Ngoh, vice president and general manager of Agilent's Infrared Product Division. "Link Evolution has proven expertise in both software development and the Japanese market. We believe this collaboration will enable market-leading IrFM solutions in Japan and other markets worldwide."

"We expect this joint effort to quickly provide a solution to the complicated Japanese infrared financial payment system," said Gontaro Kitazumi, chief technology officer and executive vice president of R&D at Link Evolution. "Agilent provides the best IR hardware, and Link Evolution provides the best IrFM software. Joining forces creates a powerful combination that will help us capture the Japanese IrFM market."

Link Evolution was an early pioneer of IrFM software for the Japan market. The company developed the world's first IrDA-compliant (Infrared Data Association) IrFM software.

Earlier this year, Agilent announced the HSDL-D100 family of smart dongles, a comprehensive hardware and software platform that supports a wide range of customizable IrDA applications. These include point-and-pay IrFM financial payment services, picture and music file transfers between mobile devices, and kiosk data distribution to mobile devices. The platform complies with the IrDA SIR specification and supports data rates from 9.6 kb/s to 115.2 kb/s.

Agilent IrDA smart dongles are microcontroller-based standalone systems, complete with an embedded IrDA protocol stack. The smart dongles handle IrDA communication transparently without the need for constant host supervision. Smart dongles are connected to host terminals using a three-wire null-modem serial RS-232 interface, which is used for transferring data, command and control, and firmware updating.