Bluetooth

Bluetooth is an industrial specification for wireless personal area networks (PANs), also known as IEEE 802.15.1. Bluetooth provides a way to connect and exchange information between devices like personal digital assistants (PDAs), mobile phones, laptops, PCs, printers and digital cameras via a secure, globally unlicensed short range radio frequency.The name Bluetooth was born from the 10th century king of Denmark, King Harald Bluetooth (whose surname is sometimes written as Bluetooh).

Bluetooth is a radio standard and communications protocol primarily designed for low power consumption, with a short range (power class dependent: 1 meter, 10 meters, 100 meters) based around low-cost transceiver microchips in each device. Bluetooth lets these devices communicate with each other when they are in range.

Bluetooth is in a variety of new products such as phones, printers, modems, and headsets to name a few. Bluetooth is acceptable for situations when two or more devices are in close proximity with each other and don’t require high bandwidth. Bluetooth is most commonly used with cell phones, either using a Bluetooth headset or transferring files from phones to computers. Instead of that, Wi-Fi uses the same radio frequencies as Bluetooth, but with higher power consumption resulting in a stronger connection. As mentioned earlier, Wi-Fi is sometimes called a wireless Ethernet. Wi-Fi is popular among the computing world, virtually all new laptop computers come with Wi-Fi built in, and all desktop computers are able to be adapted to have a Wi-Fi connection. However cell phones do not have this ability.

The Applications of Bluetooth are:

Wireless control between a cell phone and a hands free headset.
Wireless networking between PCs with a little bandwidth.
Wireless communications with PC input & output devices such as mice, keyboards and printers.
Replacement of traditional wired serial communications.
Sending commands and software to the upcoming LEGO Mind storms NXT instead of infra red.
Transfer of files between devices via OBEX.