Q: Dear Ms Connected,

What is meant by the term "Bluetooth"?

Donna K., Kalamunda, Western Australia

A: Dear Donna,

Bluetooth ear pieces, such as this model from Motorola, now come in a range of fashion-friendly colours.

Thanks for your question.

Bluetooth is a technology that provides short-range, cable-free connectivity between electronic devices. It allows you to “pair” two Bluetooth-enabled devices, which can then communicate and exchange information when they are within about ten metres of each other.

For consumers, the technology’s traditional application has been pairing of a mobile phone with a Bluetooth ear piece or headset. This enables users to operate their mobile phone hands-free.

In recent years, however, we’ve seen a huge leap in the number of Bluetooth-enabled devices on the market. In addition to mobile phones, they now also include notebooks, printers, GPS receivers, video-game consoles and even digital cameras.

If you had a Bluetooth camera, for example, you could send images and video to your Bluetooth-enabled notebook without plugging in any cables. You wouldn’t even have t leave the couch.

Bluetooth should not be confused with Wi-Fi. This is another form of wireless connectivity. It can cover longer distances and handle larger amounts of data, but also requires more expensive hardware and higher power consumption. Wi-Fi is like Bluetooth’s more complicated older brother.

One of the most intriguing things about Bluetooth is the origin of its name. It supposedly came from a tenth-century Scandinavian King, Harald Bluetooth, who is said to have united warring tribes from Denmark and Norway. Similarly, Bluetooth technology unifies our favourite electronics devices – hopefully with a lot less drama!

Yours in simplified technology,

Ms Connected

For her contribution to Ms Connected, Donna has won a ViewSonic digital photo frame valued at $199. Send your question to msconnected@connectedaustralia.com.

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