Bluetooth Technology: Benefits and Convenience

Bluetooth technology has revolutionized how the public uses electronic devices. Bluetooth makes it possible for any Bluetooth-compatible device to communicate and interact with any other piece of Bluetooth technology.


Bluetooth phones can connect to Bluetooth-enabled printers. Bluetooth earpieces make driving and using cell phones safer. Bluetooth technology has affected all areas of life, from high-end business meetings to informal video gaming competitions.

Bluetooth runs on the globally unlicensed 2.4GHz radio frequency. All Bluetooth devices use this frequency, which solves many compatibility problems. Many cell phones use different frequencies, and can only work in specific parts of the world. Bluetooth phones will work anywhere in the world, as they all use the same frequency.

Bluetooth technology found its first widespread success through Bluetooth phones. The success of cell phones caused a new driving hazard: accidents caused as people used their phones by driving.

Holding a cell phone to an ear necessitates taking a hand off the wheel, reducing control over the vehicle. Dialing, checking messages and using phone address books also take people's attention off the road.

The situation became dangerous enough that many areas banned the use of cell phones while driving. It took Bluetooth technology to provide a safe solution.

Bluetooth phones can connect to a Bluetooth earpiece, allowing phone users to use cell phones while keeping their hands free for driving. Bluetooth earpiece users can do more than just talk on phones: Bluetooth phones are voice sensitive: users can dial, search address books and perform other functions, all by talking into the Bluetooth earpiece.

Bluetooth technology has made printing from digital cameras and other electronic devices extremely simple. Any Bluetooth device can link to a Bluetooth-enabled computer, whether the device is a PDA, a digital camera or a cell phone. Simply bringing Bluetooth phones or other devices in range of the printer is all you need to do.

Bluetooth technology resolves two of the most frustrating aspects of today's electronic entertainment systems: tangled cables and system compatibility.

Back when a television, stereo system and VCR constituted the entirety of a person's electronic entertainment, people didn't worry too much about device compatibility and cable tangles were kept to a minimum.

Consider the electronic media in many houses today: widescreen televisions, TiVo, DVD players, CD players, surround sound systems, camcorders, digital cameras, gaming consoles, MP3 players and satellite radio. Add the many entertainment possibilities provided by personal computers and laptops: Internet connections, online gaming and instant messaging, image editing and downloadable media.

With so many entertainment options, compatibility between multiple systems suddenly becomes a priority. Connecting multiple systems to each other by cable quickly becomes an unsightly "cable octopus."

Bluetooth technology has a simple solution to device compatibility: if the device is Bluetooth-enabled, it will connect to and work with any other Bluetooth device. No long hours spent trying to determine if your laptop and your surround sound system are compatible, or having to jury-rig elaborate systems to force compatibility. With two Bluetooth devices you just need to position the systems within range of one another.

Bluetooth's wireless feature means even a small space can house a wide variety of entertainment devices without the twisted tangles of cable octopi.

Older remotes or wireless game controllers use infrared technology. Should something block the infrared signal, the remote would not work. Bluetooth remotes use radio signals, so you can operate entertainment systems from anywhere in range, even if walls separate the remote from its parent device.

The workplace offers numerous opportunities to use Bluetooth technology. Bluetooth's ability to quickly transfer information from PC to PDA and back again makes it easy to transport material to and from work.

In today’s business meetings, it's not unusual for everyone at the table to have a BlackBerry or other PDA device. Bluetooth technology makes it simple to transfer a meeting schedule or other information from your PDA to seven others with a single command, and without fiddling with connection settings.