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Computer Blue Tooth Accessories

Bluetooth is a short distance radio wave communication method. Compared to other similar technologies like Wi-Fi, it’s very slow, but speed wasn’t the main concern when it was invented. Bluetooth is mainly used in mobile phones to communicate with hands free earphones and microphones, but its applicability doesn’t stop there. It’s also suitable for small file transfers between phones or between a phone and a PC. Sharing a dial-up (HSDPA, 3G, WCDMA …etc.) internet connection is also possible through Bluetooth between a mobile phone and a PC (in both ways). The Bluetooth specification was developed in 1994 by Jaap Haartsen and Sven Mattisson, who worked for Ericsson in Sweden. The first two versions, 1.0 and 1.0b had a lot of problems, the biggest of them all was poor interoperability between two different brand devices.

With the implementation of version 1.1 in 2002 most problems previous versions were fixed, but the first practical connection was possible with Bloutooth V1.2 (ratified in 2005) that had a 721kbit/s (90K/s) transfer rate speed. This was enough for small jpegs, sharing an internet connection, and of course for high-quality audio devices. Most laptops, phones and other devices available in stores today use Bluetooth version 2.1 + EDR (enhanced data rate) communication modules. Ratified in 2007 the new Bluetooth version supports transfer rates up to 3Mbits/s (up to 384KB/s), still not comparable with Wi-Fi speeds that range from 54Mbit/s to 600Mbit/s, but enough for smaller file transfers and Internet connection sharing.

Although two more revisions have been made to the Bluetooth communication method, for some reason manufacturers hesitate to adopt the new specifications. Version 3.0 supports transfer speeds of up to 24Mbit/s (3MB/s) while Bluetooth version 4.0 has focused on efficiency, and kept the same maximum speed as v3.0. For computers version 2.1 is more than enough. Bluetooth connections are used for connecting keyboards, mice, wireless headsets …etc. to the computer. None require greater transfer speeds or bigger than 20m functioning distances. One of the most popular accessories for computers connected through Bluetooth is the Apple wireless keyboard:

It’s small, resistant and with a stylish aluminum exterior captivates anyone’s attention. Keeping the number of cables around the computer is essential, so using wireless headsets for Skype, Yahoo Messenger and other types of chat programs that allow voice and video calls makes a lot of sense. With Wi-Fi capabilities spreading to all devices a Bluetooth modem doesn’t seem so practical anymore, it may have some advantages in specific special situations.

USB to Bluetooth adapters have been significantly reduced in size, for laptop mice (but also compatible with any Bluetooth device) they made a very small adapter that has a body of a few millimeters beyond the USB plug itself, and it’s also rounded so you don’t accidentally brake it off with a cable or while getting the laptop in or out of the laptop case. In conclusion Bluetooth is a very handy connection type, hopefully most manufacturers will start to adopt the new 4.0 standards until the end of this year.