Bluetooth And Apple

The new Apple powerbook G4 are among the first
computers to offer Bluetooth technology 2.0+EDR.
The 2.0+EDR technology, which still backwards
compatible with 1.0, is up to three times faster
than previous versions, offering maximum data rate
transfers of up to 3 MBps. Being the first company
to certify a system with 2.0+EDR, Apple continues
to make great use of the Bluetooth technology.

Full support
In addition to the powerbook G4 portables, there
are other Bluetooth enabled computers available
from Apple, including the iBook, iMac G5, eMac,
and the Power Mac G5.

Making life easier
When you turn the Bluetooth feature on, your Mac
can easily perform a file transfer or even a
synchronization. From the Bluetooth selection
menu, you can choose to either send a file or
browse devices, quickly and easily. Or, you can
click the sync button in iSync to update your
cell phone or Palm OS handheld.

The Mac and GSM/GPRS mobile phone with Bluetooth
work to make each other more useful. By using
iSync, you can keep your phone updated without
having to type any info, as you can keep the
information in the more manageable address book
on your Mac instead.

You can also use your Bluetooth enabled Mac to
print documents and digital images to select a
printer that also supports the technology of
Bluetooth. Or, you can also use a headset to
talk to your friends during an iChat session.

Your Mac also has the ability to use Bluetooth
technology to communicate with your Palm OS
handheld. This way, you can perform a HotSync
operation without using any cables. You can also
send your business card or calendar events directly
to someone else's handheld usingthe technology of
Bluetooth.

The implementation of Bluetooth by Apple is the
latest in a series of moves that have caused
great shift in the computer industry. Apple
established USB as the standard interface with
the launching of the first Mac back in 1998.

Since then, Apple established the 802.11 wireless
standard of networking with the launch of the
iBook and AirPort in 1999. During 2003, Apple
launched AirPort Extreme, which was based on
the new 802.11g high speed technology of wireless.

Now, Bluetooth helps to further strengthen the
dominant position of the Mac in wireless
communications, helping to preserve Apple's
reputation for being the first to market with
innovative technology that integrates right into
the operating system.

Bluetooth Technical Operations

Bluetooth is a high speed, low powered wireless link
technology that's designed to connect phones or other
portable equipment together with little to no work
required by the user. Unlike infrared, Bluetooth
doesn't require line of site positioning to work.

Current prototype circuits are contained on a board
that is 0.9 cm square, with a much smaller circuit
board being developed.

When one Bluetooth device comes in contact with
another, they will automatically exchange addresses
and details of capability. Then, they can establish
a 1 MB link with security that they will use as
required. The protocols involved with handle both
data and voice, with a very flexible topography.

The technology achieves its goal by embedding tiny,
non expensive short range tranceivers into the
devices available today. The radio operates on the
2.45 GHz frequency band, and supports up to 721
KBps, along with three voice channels.

Each devices offers a unique 48 bit address from
the IEEE 802 standard, with the connections being
point to point or multipoint. The max range is
10 meters, although it can be extended to 100
meters by increasing the power. The devices are
also protected from radio interference by changing
their frequencies, also known as frequency hopping.

What's important, is the fact that Bluetooth
devices won't drain battery life. The specification
targets power consumption of the device, limiting
the drain on the battery. The radio chip will
consume only 0.3mA in stand by mode, which is less
than 5% of the power that standard phones use.

Bluetooth will also guarantee security at the bit
level. The authentification is controlled by the
user via a 128 bit key. The radio signals can
be coded with anything up to 128 bit. With the
frequency hopping, Bluetooth is already very
hard to listen into.

The baseband protocol is a combination of both
circuit and packet switches. Slots can be reserved
for synchronous packets as well. Each packet
will be transmitted in a different hop frequency.
Normally, a packet covers a single slot although
it can be extended to cover up to five slots.

Bluetooth can also support data channels of up to
three simultaneous voice channels. Therefore,
it's possible to transfer the data while you talk
at the same time. Each individual voice channel
will support 64 KB.

From a technical standpoint, Bluetooth is very
different indeed. It's the best wireless method
in the world, surpassing even infrared. For
communication on the go, Bluetooth is indeed
very hard to compete with.

Advantages And Disadvantages

Bluetooth has a lot to offer with an increasingly
difficult market place. Bluetooth helps to bring
with it the promise of freedom from the cables and
simplicity in networking that has yet to be matched
by LAN (Local Area Network).

In the key marketplace, of wireless and handheld
devices, the closest competitor to Bluetooth is
infrared. Infrared holds many key features,
although the line of sight it provides doesn't go
through walls or through obstacles like that of the
Bluetooth technology.

Unlike infrared, Bluetooth isn't a line of sight and
it provides ranges of up to 100 meters. Bluetooth
is also low power and low processing with an
overhead protocol. What this means, is that it's
ideal for integration into small battery powered
devices. To put it short, the applications with
Bluetooth are virtually endless.

Disadvantages
Bluetooth has several positive features and one
would be extremely hard pressed to find downsides
when given the current competition. The only real
downsides are the data rate and security. Infrared
can have data rates of up to 4 MBps, which provides
very fast rates for data transfer, while Bluetooth
only offers 1 MBps.

For this very reason, infrared has yet to be
dispensed with completely and is considered by
many to be the complimentary technology to that
of Bluetooth. Infrared has inherent security due
to its line of sight.

The greater range and radio frequency (RF) of
Bluetooth make it much more open to interception and
attack. For this reason, security is a very key
aspect to the Bluetooth specification.

Although there are very few disadvantages, Bluetooth
still remains the best for short range wireless
technology. Those who have tried it love it, and
they know for a fact that Bluetooth will be
around for years to come.

10 Benefits Of Bluetooth

Below, are 10 benefits and reasons to use Bluetooth
technology.

1. Wireless
As you probably already know, there are many benefits
and advantages to using wireless devices. Along with
improving safety as a result of eliminating wires
you don't need, wireless also offers you plenty of
other advantages. When traveling with your laptop
or other wireless devices, you'll no longer have to
worry about bringing connection cables.

2. Bluetooth is actually inexpensive
The technology of Bluetooth is cheap for companies
to implement, which results in lower costs for the
company. These savings are then passed from the
company on to you.

3. Bluetooth is automatic
Bluetooth doesn't have you set up a connection or
push any buttons. When two or more devices enter
a range of up to 30 feet of each other, they will
automatically begin to communicate without you
having to do anything.

4. Standardized protocol
Bluetooth is standardized wireless, meaning that
a high level of compatibility among devices is
guaranteed. Bluetooth will connect devices to
each other, even if they aren't the same model.

5. Low interference
Bluetooth devices almost always avoid interference
from other wireless devices. Bluetooth uses a
technique known as frequency hopping, and also
low power wireless signals.

6. Low energy consumption
As a result of Bluetooth using low power signals,
the technology requires very little energy and will
use less battery or electrical power as a result.
This is an excellent benefit for mobile devices,
as Bluetooth won't drain the battery.

7. Sharing voice and data
The standard for Bluetooth will allow compatible
devices to share data and voice communications.
This is great for mobile phones and headsets, as
Bluetooth simplifies driving and talking on your
cell phone.

8. Instant PAN (Personal Area Network)
You can connect up to seven Bluetooth devices to
each other within a range of up to 30 feet, forming
a piconet or PAN. For a single room, you can
also set up multiple piconets.

9. Upgradeable
Upgradeable is the standard for Bluetooth. There
are newer versions of Bluetooth in the works,
which offer many new advantages and backward
compatible with older versions.

10. The technology stays
Bluetooth technology is a world wide, universal
wireless standard. With it being as popular as
it is, you can count on it being around for years
to come. As more and more devices start to use
Bluetooth technology, more manufacturers will be
eager to make their products compatible. A chain
reaction will occur, making Bluetooth the standard
for cutting edge wireless.

Joel Benson Okoro