Using Bluetooth

Bluetooth is one of those technologies that actually does help simplify your life and save you time. For example, rather than spending hours entering names and numbers into the address book on your new cell phone with a miniscule keypad, you can use Bluetooth to wirelessly transfer your contacts directly from the address book on your PC.
You can also use Bluetooth to get around poor cell phone reception. If your home office is located in your basement, for example, pair up your Bluetooth-enabled cell phone with a Bluetooth headset. Leave your cell phone on the main floor, where the reception is strong, and then use the headset to make and receive calls while you are downstairs. (Glenn Kennedy, carrier sales manager at Motorola Canada , says a friend of his uses this strategy.)
Talk on your cell phone while driving with both hands on the wheel using a Bluetooth speakerphone kit for your car. BlueAnt’s Supertooth Light (US$99) is an easy-to-use handsfree kit that you can pair with up to five Bluetooth-enabled phones with Headset (HPS) or Hands-Free (HFP) profiles. The device rests on your visor via a magnetised metal clip. Talk time is up to 15 hours, and on standby, the device will last up to 800 hours. Calls will sound crystal clear from your end, although recipients might complain that they can hear too much – including your AC and surrounding traffic.
Print photos from your Bluetooth-capable cell phone, PDA or point-and-shoot camera by transferring them wirelessly to your printer via Motorola’s PC850 Bluetooth USB PC Adapter ($69.95). Transfer speed will fluctuate, but a 1MB file will take roughly 30 seconds to reach the printer. You can also use the adapter as an external USB dongle to provide Bluetooth capability to your PC.
Walk comfortably down the street with wireless headphones that rest discreetly at the base of your neck. Motorola’s S9 MOTOROKR Headset ($149.95) contains controls in the right and left speakers and will play music stored in your Bluetooth-enabled cell phone. If you prefer your iPod playlist, a kit ($189.95) is also available that includes the S9 and a Bluetooth iPod adapter. (You can also use this iPod adapter to connect your iPod to any other Bluetooth-enabled product.) The headset supports A2DP and AVRC, lasts for up to six hours of play and will also answer your phone calls.
Audiophiles who don’t mind the extra bulge can opt for Motorola’s S805 Bluetooth Stereo Headphones ($169.95). This headset includes an embedded mic and comes with a cable that you can plug into your MP3 player for those situations where Bluetooth isn’t suitable, such as on a flight. It also supports A2DP and AVRC, and lasts for up to 17 hours of listening or 20 hours of talk time.
Skype calling is more comfortable with a wireless headset, such as Gennum’s nXZEN VoIP Headset (US$159.95), which will keep you connected as long as you remain within 30 feet of your Bluetooth-enabled PC. The device supports Windows 2000/XP.
Chances are you own at least one Bluetooth-enabled product. But are you taking advantage of what this technology has to offer?
Bluetooth operates on an unlicensed band (2.4 GHz ISM), so there is no cost to use it. The only price you pay is for purchasing a Bluetooth-enabled product.
You don’t need to install any driver software to use Bluetooth. Pairing one Bluetooth device to another is a simple process you perform in a few steps.
In order for Bluetooth to operate, the devices need to be within a certain physical range of each other. There are three ranges for Bluetooth: Class 1 (up to 300 feet), Class 2 (up to 30 feet) and Class 3 (up to three feet). Most devices (including mobile phones) fall in the Class 2 range of 30 feet.
The speed at which data transfers from one Bluetooth device to another also varies, depending on the version of Bluetooth your device uses. (For example, when transferring a photo from your cell phone to a printer.) If your device uses Bluetooth Version 1.2, the speed is 1 Megabit per second (Mbps); Version 2.0 transfers up to 3 Mbps.
Bluetooth is a universal and global technology standard; a Bluetooth-enabled product from Canada will work with a Bluetooth-enabled product, from, say, Japan. To be certified as Bluetooth-compliant, devices from one manufacturer must play well with Bluetooth devices from any other manufacturer.
A Bluetooth-enabled device can pair with - and simultaneously operate with - up to seven devices at a time.
Bluetooth technology handles voice and data transmissions simultaneously, so while talking on your cell phone you can also listen to music stored in your phone by streaming it wirelessly to another device.
Bluetooth-enabled devices communicate with each other using particular Bluetooth profiles. Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) is one such profile used to transfer a stereo (two-channel) audio stream, like music from an MP3 player, to be decoded and played back by a headset or car radio. For the high quality audio to occur, both must support A2DP, which is not a given, especially in older Bluetooth devices. Interestingly, although Mac OS X has supported Bluetooth since 2002, Mac OS X 10.4 does not currently support A2DP. Windows XP and Vista will support A2DP, but you must install third party drivers.