Tech Review - Bluetooth

I capital to yield some time and address a little column on Bluetooth. This is absolutely just a basal altercation of what it is and what it does, not a absolutely involved, detailed, account of the technology and the science abaft it. The web is abounding with that affectionate of info. I'll try to column some links to added advice sites ancient soon.
Bluetooth has been about for best than humans think. It was aboriginal developed in the mid 90's as a accessory wireless standard. Essentially, it is a connected way for altered claimed accessories to allocution to anniversary other. It allows Phones, PDAs, Computers, Headsets, Printers, and added to all allocution the aforementioned accent over the aforementioned appointed radio frequency. It has gone through a few altered versions, the latest getting adaptation 2.1 + EDR.
However, just because they acquaint application the aforementioned protocol, doesn't beggarly that anniversary accessory will abutment the added device. Anniversary accessory is programmed to use altered appearance of the Bluetooth standard. For example, a buzz can abutment a Bluetooth Angle for buzz calls, but may not abutment columnist to a Bluetooth printer. Just because a accessory has Bluetooth capability, it's up to the architect of that accessory to adjudge what appearance are traveling to be enabled, and how those appearance work.
Here's an example... My buzz is a BlackBerry Pearl by RIM. It has Bluetooth adequacy for angle use. I can brace any Bluetooth angle to my phone. If paired, I can abode and accept calls application the headset. However, I cannot accept to music stored on my buzz through a commutual headset. The acumen is that the architect (RIM in this case) did not affairs that adequacy into my phone. A altered buzz (Cingular 3125 for example..my old phone) would acquiesce music to be played through the Bluetooth headset. It's a action of the programming of the phone...not the headset.
So, just because your buzz has Bluetooth capabilities, does not beggarly that it will automatically plan with all added Bluetooth devices. They charge to be programmed to use the aforementioned appearance of Bluetooth.
To try to accomplish it easier to actuate if altered accessories will plan together, Bluetooth SIG (special Interest Group...the accumulation that develops and promotes the Bluetooth standard) has developed some icons for manufacturers to use on packaging. These Icons are declared to acquaint you what Bluetooth appearance the accessory uses and that should advice you actuate if your accessories will plan able-bodied together. The icons are listed here. Admitting I haven't apparent too abounding uses of the icons on packaging yet.
In the archetype of my phone, my buzz has "Headset" capability, but not "Music" capability. Therefore, my buzz would plan able-bodied with a Bluetooth angle (such as the "Mini", or "Micro"), but I would not be able to accept to music stored on my buzz application a Stereo Bluetooth Angle (such as the "Stereo" unit). In my case, the capital purpose of the Blackberry Pearl is messaging, not music, so I am OK with not alert to music in stereo on my phone. But added phones are marketed as "music" focused phones, and would be acute to action stereo Bluetooth capability.
Not alone do you charge to actuate what capabilities your accessory has...but the way your accessory USES the Bluetooth adequacy as well. For example, if I use a Bluetooth angle with my Blackberry Pearl phone, I can columnist the Multi-Function button (aka the allocution button) on the angle and the buzz will automatically go to Articulation Punch mode. The buzz will ask me who I wish to alarm and will abode that call. This is because RIM programmed the Pearl to do that if the Mulit-Function button is apprenticed on a affiliated (paired) Bluetooth Headset.
Now, if the aforementioned angle is commutual to an iPhone and the MFB is pressed, annihilation happens. Apple did not affairs the iPhone to use articulation dialing with a Bluetooth Headset. The angle will plan fine, but to abode a call, you charge to use the buzz touch-pad to dial. To acknowledgment a call, you can just columnist the MFB.
These functions are all bent by the programmers and engineers who architecture and body the alone phones. Just because a accessory is Bluetooth compatible, doesn't acquaint you HOW that accessory uses the Bluetooth function.
The Bluetooth Experience Icons advice (though not frequently acclimated yet) but even those don't acquaint you HOW the accessory uses the technology, alone that it does.
Hopefully this doesn't put you off appear Bluetooth totally, because it absolutely is abundant technology. It is actual accessible to use a wireless angle to allocution on the phone. And in abounding areas, handheld use of cellphones is illegal.
So how do you apperceive what will plan with your phone? The instructions or manufacturers websites should be able to acquaint you if your buzz is Bluetooth able or not. And it should acquaint you what appearance it supports. But they may not acquaint you how acceptable their programming and use of the technoligy is.
One advancement I accept (and use) is to alpha small. If you are cerebration of affairs Bluetooth angle for your phone, see if you can try it in the store. I haven't apparent that offered anyplace in our area, but if you can acquisition a salesman or abundance that will let you try afore you buy, yield advantage.
Another advantage is to try with a lower amount angle first. There are a advanced ambit of headsets and added Bluetooth accessories out there. Some are actual low amount and low quality, and some are actual expensive. There are abounding factors complex in the appraisement of these units...enough that I will save it for addition column sometime. But there are some acceptable superior units accessible at a actual fair price. These tend to be bottom accepted brands, but back Bluetooth is based on a accepted protocol, application accepted chipsets, you will not see a huge aberration in performance.
As I said, this is a actual basal overview of what Bluetooth absolutely is. I could get into hours and hours of abundant tech detail on this, but I'm aggravating to accumulate it simple and understandable.