Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Do You Know About Bluetooth Technology of Your Mobile?

History of Bluetooth
Bluetooth can be traced to the King of Denmark from 949 to 981. Harold Bluetooth was famous for his ability to help people communicate with one another more effectively. The characters on the Bluetooth logo come from characters in the runic alphabet. The reference to this particular king is somehow appropriate as Bluetooth technology also accomplishes the often-difficult task of keeping people connected and communicating effectively.

Each Bluetooth-enabled device can simultaneously communicate with up to seven other devices within a single personal area network, called a piconet. Each device can simultaneously belong to several piconets. Each device negotiates with each other via a defined device name so that each device can keep track of who it is communicating with. Bluetooth technology offers built-in security with 128-bit encryption and PIN code authentication. When Bluetooth products identify themselves, they use the PIN code the first time they connect, thereafter staying securely connected.

Uses of Bluetooth technology
Some of the popular applications of Bluetooth technology are in wireless networking between a mobile phone and a laptop/desktop, between a mobile phone and a hands-free headset, between PCs in a restricted space and between the input and output devices of a PC (e.g., mouse, keyboard, printer). Bluetooth technology can also be used to transfer files, images and MP3 files between mobile phones or between MP3 players/digital cameras and computers.

Limitations of Bluetooth Technology
Short communication range (up to 100 m) is the greatest limitation of Bluetooth technology. Also, the data transfer rates are much lower compared to other wireless communication technologies. Susceptibility to interference from other devices operating in the 2.4 MHz band, notwithstanding adaptive frequency hopping, is another limitation. The Bluetooth technology is still not fully developed, so there is plenty of room for improvement.

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