"But only now, after fits and starts, are consumers seeing the first easy-to-use Bluetooth products hit store shelves....
Developers had hoped that by now, consumers would be installing cheap Bluetooth mice, keyboards and printer modules -- the start of wireless "personal area networks," or PANs. Under the PAN concept, users move Bluetooth devices into the radio range, and the devices automatically connect to home base stations and to each other. The technology supports up to seven connections at one time.
Instead, wireless networking via Wi-Fi, formally known as 802.11b, has beaten Bluetooth to the marketplace.
Wi-Fi, however, is primarily used to network computers over a much larger range. Bluetooth is designed to be used point-to-point, linking phones, notebooks and PDAs in a smaller, slightly more secure arrangement....
Microsoft didn't incorporate the technology into the first versions of Windows XP because too few devices used it. But the next version of XP will support it, the industry heavyweight says. Microsoft will soon release a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.
Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs previously showed little interest in the PAN concept. But at the recent Macworld Expo, Jobs wowed Macintosh fans by introducing iSync software, which lets Macs communicate with Palm PDAs, cell phones, PCs and other Macs using Bluetooth." [The Salt Lake Tribune, via 80211b News]
This article provides a good overview of the idea behind Bluetooth for those who aren't already familiar with it. I've been talking about Bluetooth in my presentations for a couple of years now, and it's great to finally see BT products hit the market. Other illustrative uses include a VCR recording from/playing on a nearby TV and an electric guitar playing through a nearby amplifier, all without cables.
