There are some technologies that even when working in the computing field as I do that you sometimes have limited contact with and one such technology which has up until this point eluded me is Bluetooth. Of course, like the majority of my readers I understand that it is a wireless technology which links different devices together via a universal standard but knowing how something works and actually using it are two entirely different things.
This week has changed that ignorance however with my purchase of a Bluetooth handsfree kit. I was always one of those annoying drivers who drove around whilst talking on his mobile phone which is obviously a very stupid habit and one that needed to change; not only from a legal standpoint but also due to the fact that I was endangering both my own life and the lives of other motorists. For that reason I opted to get a handsfree kit installed in my car and having a Bluetooth mobile phone I went for a Bluetooth handsfree kit which means that essentially my car can now talk to my phone.
When I get into the vehicle it links wirelessly to my phone automatically so if someone calls I just talk normally with the phone still firmly in my pocket and the car picks up my voice by a concealed microphone and projects the callers´ voice through my car stereo speakers. If I want to make an outgoing call I just say who I want to call and my phone does it; all very cleaver stuff which in the past would have been only possible by physically connecting your phone to an intrusive holder mounted inside your car. When I get out my car it recognizes that I´ve left and disconnects itself but then I if I walk into my flat, the laptop notices that my phone is in the vicinity and starts communicating with it in case I would like to backup my phone book or copy some MP3´s onto it.
This is the perfect example of three very different devices communicating with one another through a universal technology; I must be honest I haven´t yet tried getting my car to talk to my laptop directly but that experiment can be left for another day.
Bluetooth does have many more useful applications as it allows a whole manner of devices to communicate together such as Mice, Keyboards, Gamepads, Printers, Mobile Phones, PDA´s (Personal Digital Assistants), Headphones, Portable MP3 players and GPS Units. Whilst most of them will communicate with each other in some way or another it is worth bearing in mind that some devices will be practically useless when used in synergy due to the fact they have nothing in common.
There are a great number of unique products on the market that use Bluetooth technology; a large number of which I can guarantee that you never knew existed. One such product that stood out for me was the Nokia Digital Pen; a device you carry around in your pocket and it remembers everything that you´ve written during the day. When you get back home it links with your PC and copies everything you have written for the day onto the hard drive; perfect for students who would normally have hundreds of pages of notes that they would rather transfer straight onto the computer.
I do like to see continuity and so it is nice to see such different devices working to a universal standard so no matter how different they are as it gives them the opportunity to work more efficiently together. Take a look at BlueTooth.com for more information on the Bluetooth standard and the Bluetooth products that are available.
By: Computer Articles 2007
