Bluetooth is a real find for communication

The name “Bluetooth” sounds more like a children’s story than the latest cable-replacement technology. But Bluetooth is a technology that promises to dispense with many of the wires associated with your computer, mouse, printer, PDA, digital camera and camcorder.

Bluetooth is named after a Swedish Viking king, Harald Blatand, who ruled Norway, Sweden and Denmark around 1000 A.D. His Danish name, “Blatand,” roughly translates to Bluetooth. King Blatand united various countries in Scandanavia and fostered networks of commerce and trade. Bluetooth technology seeks to unite diverse electronic devices, hence the namesake.

Bluetooth — developed and supported by Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Lucent, Nokia, 3COM, Microsoft and Motorola — has become the standard technology for a tiny, inexpensive radio chip whose objective is to build a network of wireless, inter-communicating devices. That means devices would be able to send both voice and data to other devices without the need for cables — essentially, the future of wireless connections.

Let’s start at the beginning. If you look at a traditional workstation setup, a monitor, mouse, keyboard, and printer are connected to the computer by a myriad of cables. As peripherals such as scanners or MP3 players are added, the cabling becomes even more complex.

Infrared is another technology used to reduce the number of cables coming into and going out of a computer. Used in many television remote control systems, infrared has worked well, but requires direct line-of-sight. That is, the signal from one device must be pointed at another device. As a one-to-one technology, infrared also has limited scope. Data can be sent between a desktop computer and laptop computer, but it cannot be sent between a desktop, laptop and PDA at the same time.

This is where Bluetooth steps in. Bluetooth transmits information between devices within a range of 30 feet. By using short-range radio frequencies, Bluetooth technology provides a universal bridge that integrates existing data networks, seamlessly linking and synchronizing mobile devices. It enables laptops, PDAs, and cellular phones, as well as many other devices, to communicate without any visible barriers.

Plus, Bluetooth does not require any real human intervention to work. Devices using Bluetooth technology “find” each other and begin talking without any user input at all. Since this wireless technology uses a globally available frequency band (2.4GHz) for worldwide compatibility, you can go anywhere without having to worry about toting the right cables around with you.

Bluetooth technology is already here and is in use. It’s found in cellular phones, Apple computers, PDAs, and headsets. Now, it’s just a matter of imagination. With the wireless, low-cost, short-range radio tying stationary and mobile communication environments together, anything is possible. Soon home-based networks will be simplified without the clutter of wires. All laptops will be able to print documents on any available printer. Movie theaters could turn cell phones off when ticket holders enter the door. Conference attendees could request papers be transmitted to their handhelds. Even students could have their classroom assignments transferred to their laptops.

If you’re not quite prepared for this latest shift in technology, don’t panic. Although Bluetooth chips are being incorporated into the electronics of new devices, you can still use cables to make connections. But remember, you don’t have to. After all, the wireless world offers freedom. And freedom is what America is all about.