Hello Party People,

Amazing Tech Guy here to tell you about a little technology that I’m sure you’ve noticed, but may not fully understand. Your phone may have it, or your laptop. You may not even know you have Bluetooth, but you may recognize that logo. Whatever your familiarity with Bluetooth may be, it’s likely that you’re missing out on a great opportunity to clear yourself of wires.

Bluetooth is all about creating what’s called a “Personal Area Network” around you. When you have a Bluetooth device that sends and a Bluetooth device that receives, you can send all kinds of information between the two devices without needing any wires or cables.

For example: I have a cellphone that is Bluetooth compatible. I can use a Bluetooth headset to talk hands free without needing wires. Additionally, I can “pair” my cellphone to my Mac Mini and share address book information between my computer and my phone.

Pairing is a system that’s used to link two Bluetooth devices together. You don’t want your cellphone connecting to hands free headsets all willy nilly, do you? In order to use two Bluetooth devices together, you need to link them together. It’s an added layer of security to keep people from accidentally listening in on your phone calls.

So, what can you use Bluetooth for? The most common use is the aforementioned hands free headset, but there are lots of other uses:

• Headphones: Many new MP3 players are coming with Bluetooth built in, and use an adapter if your portable audio solution isn’t hip to the newest technology. Just plug the adapter into your headphone jack, and it will beam the sound to your headphones. The range on Bluetooth is decent enough that you can leave your MP3 player on your desk and not get any crackle as you move around the office.
• Virtual Keyboards: We’ve discussed these on the blog before. They beam a laser map of a keyboard on any flat surface, and let you type on your phone or PDA.
• Printers: It’s not as reliable of a connection as using network cable, but if you want to share a printer with a few computers, it’s hard to beat the flexibility of only needed an electrical socket to find a home for your printer.
• Gaming: The Wii uses Bluetooth to connect those wireless remotes to the system, and enterprising tech heads like to re purpose them for all kinds of Bluetooth hijinks. The Playstation 3 uses Bluetooth to pair their gaming headsets to the system, allowing you to shout obscenities at 8th graders with crystial clear audio.
• Keyboards and Mouses: The wireless mouse and keyboard is nothing new, but most require connecting a receiver to your USB port. If your computer has built in Bluetooth, that’s a USB port you’re wasting unnecessarily. Link your mouse to your computer through Bluetooth and save that port for the little dog that makes humping motions when you plug it in.

What’s your favorite use of Bluetooth? Leave it in the comments!