Now, Bluetooth is facing stiff competition from
new wireless technology. Referred to as UWB or
Ultra Wideband, it promises data transfer of up
to 480 MB a second – while most current Bluetooth
devices transfer data up to 721 KB a second.

For the time being, Bluetooth devices are surely
cropping up. Below, we will look at some of
the accessories offered with Bluetooth technology.

Talking to the dashboard
When pairing it with a cell phone, the CCM Blue
Warrior car kit becomes a great speaker phone that
plugs into the power adapter of your vehicle. The
noise cancelling microphone will reduce background
noise efficiently, with the large buttons making
adjusting the speaker volume a snap. Although
the Blue Warrior is far from sexy or sleek, it’s
very practical.

Tiny tuning box
Part MP3 player and part hands free phone, the
compact and lightweight Sony HBM-30 is an attractive
gadget that lets you accept calls with minimal
interruption of your tunes. When you get an incoming
call it will automatically pause your music, then
you speak into the built in microphone that you
can wear around your neck or clip to your clothes.

The pen
With Nokia’s SU-1B digital pen, you can doodle and
make hand written notes in ink on a special pad
then transmit them from the pad to your Bluetooth
phone. Being an alternative to typing on a cell
phone keypad, the pen is very handy, although a
pricey tool from MMS fans.

Snapshots
If you want to make slide shows with your camera
photos, the Nokia SU-2 image viewer will let you
disply your pictures on a TV or projector. Simply
hook this square gray device to your TV’s input
with the built in cable, then beam the pictures
to the SU-2 from your Bluetooth enabled phone and
the photo fest will begin.

This device is a snap to set up and use, although
it displays resolutions of up to 640 by 480. If
you have a newer phone that takes high resolution
photos, you won’t be able to use the Nokia SU-2
image viewer.

Keep in mind, the 640 by 480 pixel photos will
appear blocky on TV screens, no matter what you
do. If your phone can send batches of photos, you
can create a slide show – although Nokia claims
you can use sequentially beamed shots as well.

Bluetooth headsets can never be as small or as light
as wired headsets, simply because it needs to include
the battery and extra functions. This extra size
will impact how the headset mounts on or around
your ears.

Comfort
There seems to be two main styles of headsets for
Bluetooth. Some are held into place with a loop
around the ear. These styles are normally more
comfortable, although they may be less secure. The
others are held in place by being jammed into
your ear – and usually prove to be less comfortable.

Factors to consider

Cost
The cost is an obvious issue, something that you
really need to think about.

Ergonomics
1. Check to see if the device is easy to
quickly and conveniently put on your ear then take
it off again.
2. Are the control buttons on the headset
easy to use?
3. The headset should be comfortable to
wear for long phone calls.
4. Can you use it with a pair of glasses?
5. Check to see if you can wear it with
either ear.
6. When you aren’t wearing it, you’ll
need to se how you would carry it with you.
7. The weight is important as well, as you
don’t want something that has the risk of falling
off.

Ease of use.
1. The commands and controls should be
easy to remember.
2. The volume level should be easy to
adjust.
3. The unit should turn on quickly.
4. The manual should be very well written
and easy for you to understand.
5. There should be a support number for
you to call if you should experience any types of
problems.

Features
1. You’ll need to know about the battery,
the talk time, type, and how to tell when it is
going dead or fully charged.
2. How many devices can the unit be paired
with?
3. Compatability is also important, as
well as the warranty period.
4. Check the sound quality for both
sending and receiving audio.
5. What type of range does the headset offer
you?

Other important capabilities include voice tags,
last number redial, tranfer calls, 3 way calling,
link to other phones, call reject, and mute. You’ll
also want to note if it looks attractive, and if
it’s too big or too small.

These parts will communicate through light beams,
lasers, radio signals, and infrared. The problem
however, is the devices and technology is often the
connection between each component. Therefore, most
electronic systems aren’t used to their full extent
due to the problems and imperfections.

To help simplify things, a solution was created -
the solution of Bluetooth. Bluetooth is wireless
and automatic, offering users a variety of features
that have simplified the art of connection. Bluetooth
has revolutionized the standard methods of connecting
things to enabling almost anything to be connected
to a single system.

Aside from Bluetooth, there are other ways of
connecting wireless devices. One example of such
is the IR or infrared. Infrared allows low frequency
light waves to transmit signals to another component.
This technology is easy to create and the cost of
putting the IR device into a system is rather low.

Infrared technology is a one to one process. Due
to the limitation, you may only send signals from one
device to another, similar to a television set and
remote control. You can only transmit signals
between the two although not with a seperate system.

Aside from the fact that these two natures of
infrared are obstacles to acquiring results, these
same qualities have worked in advantage to the
connection. Infrared devices need to be lined up
directly, meaning too little interference can occur
between the transmitters and receivers.

The technology behind Bluetooth works by transmitting
signals through low frequency radio signals. The
path of communication is working on 2.45 GHz, which
is the same frequency band used in ISM devices.

Capabilities
The Bluetooth definition is a wireless technology
that is a worldwide specification for a small form
factor, low cost solution that will provide link
between mobile devices and other electronic
devices.

Similiar to 802.11 b/g wireless and many cordless
telephone systems, Bluetooth operates on 2.4 GHz
radio signals. The 2.4 GHz band seems to be a bit
crowded, with interferences between the devices a
bit hard to avoid. Telephones are now being offered
at the 5.8 GHz frequency band, which will help to
remedy this.

The technical specifications of Bluetooth will
indicate a maximum transfer rate of 723 kbps with
a range of 65 – 328 feet, all depending on the
class of that particular device. The speed is a
fraction of what is offered by wireless standards,
so it’s obvious that Bluetooth doesn’t really
pose a threat to replacing your wireless network.

Applications
There are numerous products that will take advantage
of Bluetooth capabilities, such as laptops, PDAs,
headphones, and even wireless printer adapters.

A lot of laptops out there will include an onboard
Bluetooth adapter which allows the system to
connect to any Bluetooth device right out of the
box. For computers that don’t have an adaptor
built right in, there are several USB adaptors
available for Bluetooth.

For an awesome technology, Bluetooth is actually
hard to compete with. For short range wireless,
Bluetooth is easily one of the best. The standard
for Bluetooth keeps getting better and better,
making it a wireless technology that will be around
for years and years to come.