The advantage of Bluetooth-enabled devices is that Bluetooth is a standard operating system. Various devices from diverse manufacturers can communicate wirelessly. In many cases, involved companies may be competitors or have nothing in common except for Bluetooth.

IN-CAR SYSTEMS
From an automotive perspective, Bluetooth offers the ability to utilize your personal cell phone through an in-car system. Cars like the Chrysler 300C, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Saab 9-3, Toyota Prius, Ford Fusion and others offer Bluetooth as a factory-installed feature. Other automakers that currently offer Bluetooth capabilities include Acura, BMW, Land Rover, Lexus and Mini. What makes Bluetooth so appealing (in addition to ease of use) is its relatively low cost. For example, Chrysler’s system, called UConnect, costs about $290 and consists of a Bluetooth receiver, a microphone and a small control pad mounted to the dash. Aftermarket kits are also available if you’re not in the market for a new car. A company called Parrot makes several adapter kits as does Motorola and others. The kits are very affordable with prices starting well below $200.

SETTING THE STANDARD
Even if you do opt for an aftermarket system, Bluetooth offers all the safety and convenience of a factory-installed car phone combined with the freedom of a handheld cell phone. The user must have a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone in order to take advantage of the in-car feature, but these phones have become the standard rather than the option in today’s cell phone marketplace.

With a Bluetooth phone, you can make and receive calls from your car using your existing cell phone number. You use minutes in the normal way and the charges show up on your regular cell phone bill. But perhaps the best feature is that to make and receive calls on your Bluetooth phone, you don’t need a docking station or hard-wired connections.

HANDS-FREE CALLING
With Bluetooth, if your phone is on and somewhere in the car, you will be able to make and receive phone calls. No call forwarding is necessary as the phone "sees" your car like any other external accessory-similar to a wireless headset. If the car’s interface or your phone allows the use of voice commands, you can make and receive phone calls while in the car, without having to touch any buttons.

MOTORCYCLE OPTIONS
The application gets even more interesting for motorcycle owners, as the availability of a Bluetooth-enabled helmet makes it possible to talk on the phone while piloting a bike - not that we’re endorsing that kind of thing.

In cooperation with Motorola, Italian helmet maker Momo has developed a Bluetooth helmet that not only looks cool, but has an integrated speaker and microphone. This is not unlike pre-existing technology that allows bikers in close proximity to talk to each other via two-way radio technology, but clearly the ability to make and receive phone calls pushes the technology forward by leaps and bounds. The BMW System V helmet uses similar technology but is a full-face helmet that makes talking on the phone a more realistic endeavor.

A SAFE COMPROMISE
While the potential for Bluetooth technology seems almost limitless, its introduction into the automobile has proved to be more than just convenient. Both the federal and local governments have been increasingly scrutinizing the wisdom of letting motorists talk on the phone while driving. Bluetooth could be a technology that offers a safe compromise between those who want to exercise their right to talk on the phone and those whose job it is to protect us from those who talk on the phone while driving.

WHERE DID THE BLUETOOTH LOGO COME FROM?
A Scandinavian firm originally designed the logo at the time the technology was formally introduced to the public. Keeping within the same origin as the Bluetooth name, the logo unites the Runic alphabetic characters "H", which looks similar to an asterisk, and a "B", which are the initials for Harald Blatand. If you look close enough you can see both embodied in the logo.

WHY IS IT CALLED BLUETOOTH?
Harald I Bluetooth (Danish translation: Harald Blåtand) was the King of Denmark between 940 and 985 AD. He united war-torn Scandinavian Europe, today’s Denmark and Norway. Little did he realize the reach of his actions when the developers of Bluetooth technology used his last name as a code name for their wireless endeavors. The name stuck as time went on and the rest, as they say, is history.

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