 | Steve Finley is the General Manager of Business Systems, Inc. He has been with BSI for 28 years and is available to assist in any IT, Software or Workflow projects you may be considering. You may contact him at (316) 262-2478 or come by and visit their Show Room and Technology Lab at 222 W. Murdock, Wichita, KS 67203, Monday thru Friday. |
Business
2004-10-01 15:07:00
What is ‘Bluetooth’?
: What is 'Bluetooth’?
ANSWER: Conceived in 1998, Bluetooth is a wireless standard that lets electronic devices connect and communicate wirelessly up to approximately 30 feet apart. Bluetooth was basically designed for "personal connectivity" eliminating the need for wires such as those used in connecting to printers, phone headsets, PDA's, and other electronic devices. You may be asking where did the name Bluetooth come from, the Swedish engineers that developed the standard named it after Harold Blue-tooth, a Viking king who lived in Den-mark from 910 to 940 AD. In the original language, Blue-tooth meant, "dark complexion", which means the king had dark hair. King Harold brought Christianity to Scandinavia and also unified Denmark and Norway, thus the connection, as its’ purpose was to unify the worlds of telephony and computers.A good way to think about the differences between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi / 802.11 standard is that Bluetooth replaces short cables and Wi-Fi replaces long cables. Bluetooth’s purpose is not really to eliminate any other types of wireless networks rather to complement with its ease of configuration and setup. A Bluetooth device will recognize when another Bluetooth device is nearby and provide options for transferring information such as printing or synchronizing data.An example of how you may see Bluetooth being used today would be using your Bluetooth enabled cell phone to connect your notebook or desktop computer with a Bluetooth enabled modem internet service. Microsoft has also developed a mouse and keyboard that works with a Bluetooth hub that connects to your USB port on your computer to give you a completely wireless keyboard and mouse. Among other devices currently available are:• Telephone Headsets• Desk Telephones• Mobile Phones• Digital Video Cameras• Printer Adapters• Computer Keyboards and Mice• Networked Print Servers• PDA's and PDA Add-On Cards• PC Cards
