Signature Q4 2008 - (Page 27) Experience More@bluetooth.com/signature Bluetooth Technology 101 | By Jackie Zack | Q4 ’08 Does the word “Bluetooth” have any link to blue teeth? Not really. “Bluetooth” actually refers to Harald “Bluetooth” Blatand, the 10th-century Danish king known for unifying Denmark and Norway, just as Bluetooth technology unites wireless devices for seamless interoperability. OK, so maybe the origin of the Bluetooth name is not the most pressing question consumers have (although we would like to know exactly how Harald got his name), but there are a few common misconceptions about the technology that we would like to clear up. Isn’t Bluetooth technology just a hands-free headset for my mobile phone? Stereo Headphone (31) Printer (39) Mono Headset (137) Although there are Bluetooth enabled headsets – and a lot of them – everywhere you look, Bluetooth technology is so much more. This short-range wireless communications technology was developed to connect a wide range of portable and fixed devices without the need for cables. Bluetooth technology cuts the cord by replacing cables with a radio chip that is embedded into mobile phones, computers, printers, etc. Information normally carried by a cable is transmitted by the chip at a special frequency to another Bluetooth wireless chip. Bluetooth enabled devices are produced by individual manufacturers and sold through their own sales channels with their own branding. The Bluetooth word mark simply indicates that the device has Bluetooth wireless capabilities. Although the headset was one of the first and most successful Bluetooth devices introduced, today there are more than 1,000 categories of Bluetooth enabled products, including mobile phones, printers, laptops, keyboards, GPS receivers, digital cameras, MP3 players, watches, picture frames and medical equipment. Is the Easy Pairing feature of Bluetooth technology the same thing as near field communication (NFC)? Car Kit (164) PC (327) Mobile Phone (574) 2008 New End Product Listings by Product Type 100 200 300 400 500 600 The technologies are similar but not identical. In many cases, for two Bluetooth enabled devices to communicate, they must first be paired, something that both technologies can accomplish. Easy Pairing is a feature within the Bluetooth Core Specification Version 2.1 + EDR that reduces the number of steps required to establish a Bluetooth wireless connection. It also improves the security of the connection. Near field communication (NFC), on the other hand, is a short-range wireless technology that offers users an intuitive method for establishing a connection. Communication between two NFC-compatible devices is initiated by bringing the devices within 4 cm of each other. This “handshake” pairs the devices together; Bluetooth technology is then used to transfer data, e.g. images or text. Although not a requirement in the Bluetooth technology core specification, more and more manufacturers are implementing both Easy Pairing and NFC technology in a single device. “When this is the case, NFC is typically used to complement the Easy Pairing feature by discovering devices as well as exchanging or transferring cryptographic numbers used in the pairing process,” explains Peter Cook, specification program manager for the Bluetooth SIG. “The differentiators for Bluetooth technology are its higher bandwidth, longer range and ability to support complex piconets.” Jackie Zack is a Michigan-based business and technical writer. Sure About That? Let’s accentuate the positive: Market penetration must be pretty good before a technology can have common misconceptions. That said, we’d like to clear up a few myths you may have heard about Bluetooth technology. Experience More Bluetooth Special Interest Group | 27 http://www.bluetooth.com/signature
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Signature Q4 2008 Signature Q4 2008 Contents Connect: Raising Awareness Experience More Online: .com In the News Ask the SIG: Keeping It Real Perspectives: We Do Windows Bluetooth Technology in Retrospect: We’ve Come a Long Way Bluetooth Technology @ Retail: Selling Points Bluetooth Technology in Industry: Heavy-Duty Hardware Bluetooth Technology in Motion: Handy Technology Bluetooth Technology @ Work: Wireless Your Way Bluetooth Technology @ Heart: Livestock Lifeline Checkout: Your Gift Guide Bluetooth Technology 101: Sure About That? Bluetooth Technology 501: Faster Efficiency Wacky Apps: Warm Regards [R]evolution: A Fitting Yarn Get in the Game: Tag, You're Hit Signature Q4 2008 Signature Q4 2008 - Signature Q4 2008 (Page Cover1) Signature Q4 2008 - Signature Q4 2008 (Page Cover2) Signature Q4 2008 - Contents (Page 1) Signature Q4 2008 - Contents (Page 2) Signature Q4 2008 - Connect: Raising Awareness (Page 3) Signature Q4 2008 - Connect: Raising Awareness (Page 4) Signature Q4 2008 - Experience More Online: .com (Page 5) Signature Q4 2008 - In the News (Page 6) Signature Q4 2008 - In the News (Page 7) Signature Q4 2008 - In the News (Page 8) Signature Q4 2008 - Ask the SIG: Keeping It Real (Page 9) Signature Q4 2008 - Perspectives: We Do Windows (Page 10) Signature Q4 2008 - Perspectives: We Do Windows (Page 11) Signature Q4 2008 - Bluetooth Technology in Retrospect: We’ve Come a Long Way (Page 12) Signature Q4 2008 - Bluetooth Technology in Retrospect: We’ve Come a Long Way (Page 13) Signature Q4 2008 - Bluetooth Technology in Retrospect: We’ve Come a Long Way (Page 14) Signature Q4 2008 - Bluetooth Technology in Retrospect: We’ve Come a Long Way (Page 15) Signature Q4 2008 - Bluetooth Technology @ Retail: Selling Points (Page 16) Signature Q4 2008 - Bluetooth Technology @ Retail: Selling Points (Page 17) Signature Q4 2008 - Bluetooth Technology in Industry: Heavy-Duty Hardware (Page 18) Signature Q4 2008 - Bluetooth Technology in Industry: Heavy-Duty Hardware (Page 19) Signature Q4 2008 - Bluetooth Technology in Industry: Heavy-Duty Hardware (Page 20) Signature Q4 2008 - Bluetooth Technology in Motion: Handy Technology (Page 21) Signature Q4 2008 - Bluetooth Technology @ Work: Wireless Your Way (Page 22) Signature Q4 2008 - Bluetooth Technology @ Heart: Livestock Lifeline (Page 23) Signature Q4 2008 - Checkout: Your Gift Guide (Page 24) Signature Q4 2008 - Checkout: Your Gift Guide (Page 25) Signature Q4 2008 - Checkout: Your Gift Guide (Page 26) Signature Q4 2008 - Bluetooth Technology 101: Sure About That? (Page 27) Signature Q4 2008 - Bluetooth Technology 501: Faster Efficiency (Page 28) Signature Q4 2008 - Bluetooth Technology 501: Faster Efficiency (Page 29) Signature Q4 2008 - Wacky Apps: Warm Regards (Page 30) Signature Q4 2008 - [R]evolution: A Fitting Yarn (Page 31) Signature Q4 2008 - Get in the Game: Tag, You're Hit (Page 32) Signature Q4 2008 - Get in the Game: Tag, You're Hit (Page Cover3) Signature Q4 2008 - Get in the Game: Tag, You're Hit (Page Cover4)
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