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Stereo Bluetooth coming to iPod Touch & iPhone!

Friday, March 20th, 2009

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Bluetooth Headset Buyers Guide

Friday, September 26th, 2008

When choosing a Bluetooth Headset, its easy to become overwhelmed by the vast range of headsets available. They all look the same, do the same basic job, so whats the difference and what should you be looking for when choosing a Bluetooth Headset?

Design:
Bluetooth Headsets come in a range of shapes and sizes. They range from the more conventional "over the ear" with a boom microphone, to small "in the ear" headsets that are barely visible. Each style has its advantages – In ear headsets can be more comfortable, especially for those who wear glasses, where as "over the ear" headsets can be a bit more secure, with less risk of them falling off. All headsets can be adjusted to be worn on either the left or right ear.

Weight:
The smaller the headset, the lighter it should be. If you’re going to be wearing your headset for long periods, a lighter headset will be more comfortable, but with less weight and smaller size, you may have to compromise on battery life. The weight of a Bluetooth Headset ranges from around 9g to over 20g.

Battery Life:
Battery times on headsets have improved significantly over the last few years. It’s not unusual to find headsets with upto 12 hours talktime and upto 300 hours standby time. If you’re going to be using your headset more for making regular calls, talktime will be more important to you. If you don’t really make that many calls, but need a headset for when you do get the occasional call, then opt for one with a longer standby time.

Music:
Bluetooth Headsets aren’t just for taking calls. Stereo Bluetooth Headsets allow you to listen to your music in stereo (if supported by your phone). They work in the same way as a normal Bluetooth Headset, and will automatically pause your music when a call comes in. Stereo Bluetooth Headsets aren’t recommended if you’re driving, but are ideal for using at the gym, or during sporting and leisure activities. Most Stereo Bluetooth Headsets have music controls on them, allowing you to control your music without having to touch your phone. In order to stream music to a Stereo Bluetooth Headset you will need to make sure your phone supports the A2DP profile. Read our Bluetooth Guide for more information.

Charging:
How your headset charges can be quite important. A lot of headsets charge using the same connector as mobile phones, so its normally a good idea to opt for a headset that’s made by the same manufacturer as your phone. By using the same charger as you use on your phone, you won’t have to purchase a second charger for in the car, and you will only have to carry one charger around with you when you travel. Some headsets also support USB charging, making it easy to charge using a USB cable connected to your laptop if you’re out and about.

Multipoint:
Multipoint is a relatively new technology in Bluetooth Headsets. Standard Bluetooth Headsets normally allow you to pair with 2 or more phones, but only one can be active at any one time. Multipoint Bluetooth Headsets allow you to connect and use two phones at the same time – ideal if you carry a work mobile and a personal mobile. With Multipoint, both phones are connected, and when a call comes in, the audio is transferred to the headset automatically. If a call comes in on your other phone, you can easily switch between calls, just by pressing a button on the headset.
For more information on Multipoint and how it works, check out our guide to Multipoint.

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What is Bluetooth?

Tuesday, June 17th, 2008

Bluetooth is a way of wirelessly transferring data from one device to another. Bluetooth first appeared around ten years ago as a quicker and easier method of data transfer than infra-red. With infra-red you had to point two devices together in order for it to work (the same way as you have to point your television remote at your TV.) There were a number of problems with this kind of connection; it was unstable, slow and limited in its uses.

With Bluetooth, you no longer have to line up two devices, you just simply turn on Bluetooth and send to the device you want. Bluetooth technology was initially used for personal hands free kits. The lack of wires made it much more convenient – especially when driving. Over the last few years as prices have fallen and phones have advanced, Bluetooth’s increasing range and even faster speeds has meant it could be used for far more than just hands free kits.

Bluetooth Classes
There are different Bluetooth Classes which give an indication of the range over which data can be transferred:

• Class 1 – up to 100m
• Class 2 – up to 10m
• Class 3 – less than 10m

In order to achieve data communication at these distances you will need both devices to be from the same class.

So what can it do?
Bluetooth is most commonly used for transferring pictures, music and ringtones between phones and connecting to Bluetooth headsets, personal hands free kits and car kits. As more and more phones become multimedia handsets, Bluetooth can also be used to stream music in stereo to wireless speakers and car kits using A2DP technology. With the introduction of Internet Telephony, Bluetooth headsets are now being used with Home PCs to enable wireless calling.

What Bluetooth Devices are available?

Listed below are some of the most popular types of Bluetooth devices available.


Bluetooth Dongles
Bluetooth dongles vary in size, range, and specification. When choosing your dongle it’s important to consider that not all dongles support all bluetooth functions. Bluetooth Dongles have a range of up to 10 metres or up to 100 metres. If you are looking to connect a Bluetooth headset to make and receive voice calls you will need to make sure it supports the Headset and Handsfree profiles. See the Bluetooth glossary for information on Bluetooth Profiles.

Personal Handsfree
The Conventional Bluetooth Headset. These come in a range of shapes and sizes, but what should you look out for when choosing one? Most headsets have the same features; they will answer and end calls, dial the last number you called and activate voice dialling on your phone, as well as adjust the volume of the speaker. The main differences are battery stand by times, weight and call quality.

Stereo Handsfree
A fairly new device in terms of Bluetooth headsets. With a stereo Bluetooth headset you can connect it to a compatible Bluetooth device and have your music play in stereo – the same as it would through normal stereo headphones but without the wires.

When a call comes in your music is paused while you take the call and resumes when the call is over. You get all the same features as a standard Bluetooth headset, but depending on the model you may get music control features too. For stereo streaming your phone will need to support the A2DP profile. To control your phone’s music playback your phone will need the AVRCP profile. See the Bluetooth glossary for information on Bluetooth Profiles.


Simple Car Kits
Simple Car Kits are becoming an extremely popular way of safely using your phone whilst driving. With no complicated installation needed, simple Bluetooth Simple Car Kits are battery powered and are normally clipped to your sunvisor or sit in you car’s cigarette lighter socket. These give you the same control over your calls as a personal handsfree but instead of sitting on your ear, they act as a loud speaker in your car. More advanced models will have an LCD screen so you can see the name or number of who is calling you.

Multimedia Simple Car Kit
A lot more simple than the name suggests, these have exactly the same functionality as a standard Simple Car Kit, but with a built-in FM Transmitter so you can attach your MP3 player by cable or stream music via Bluetooth from your phone through to your car stereo for high quality sound. Depending on the kit you chose, you can have the callers ID or song information shown on your car stereo display.

For stereo streaming your phone will need to support the A2DP profile. To control your phone’s music playback your phone will need the AVRCP profile. See the Bluetooth glossary for information on Bluetooth Profiles.

Professionally Installed Car Kit
Professionally installed car kits will give you the best possible experience while using your phone hands free in the car. They have a separate speaker and microphone, and with some extra adapters can be routed through your car stereo. Most Bluetooth kits have an LCD screen so you can see who is calling before you answer. Some kits will also allow you to transfer your phonebook contents to the car kit so you can make calls with out having to touch your phone at all.

Professionally Installed Multimedia Car Kits
As the name suggests, these have exactly the same functionality as a professionally installed car kit but as they are connected to your car stereo you can stream music from your phone or MP3 player for high quality sound. Multimedia Kits will normally give you full control over your music and some will have the option to connect non-Bluetooth MP3 players. For stereo streaming your phone will need to support the A2DP profile. To control your phone’s music playback your phone will need the AVRCP profile. See the Bluetooth glossary for information on Bluetooth Profiles.

Bluetooth GPS Receiver
Sat Nav is the latest must have device on your mobile. Bluetooth GPS receivers can add Sat Nav functionality to your phone. The features on a GPS receiver are pretty standard and the only things you would need to bear in mind are size, weight and most importantly compatibility with your phone. Not all handsets will support the required GPS software.

Bluetooth Speakers
Bluetooth speakers offer the same kind of functionality as Simple Car Kits but are designed to be used in the home. Some models have LCD displays that can display album art and keys to answer – end calls. For stereo streaming your phone will need to support the A2DP profile. To control your phone’s music playback your phone will need the AVRCP profile. See the Bluetooth glossary for information on Bluetooth Profiles.


Other Devices
The list of Bluetooth enabled devices is growing all the time. Other devices that now come with Bluetooth technology include cameras, camcorders, keyboards, mice and photo frames to name a few.


Bluetooth Glossary

This Bluetooth Glossary will explain more about the different profile types and help you to understand bluetooth compatibility.

Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP)
The A2DP profile describes how stereo quality audio can be streamed from a media source. A typical usage scenario can be considered as the “walkman” class of media player. The audio source would be the music player and the audio output is the wireless headset. A2DP defines the protocols and procedures that allow the distribution of high quality audio content in mono or stereo.

Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP)
AVRCP is designed to provide a standard interface to control TVs, Hifi equipment, etc… This profile is used to allow a single remote control (or other device) to control all the A/V equipment that a user has access to. AVRCP defines how to control characteristics of streaming media. This includes pausing, stopping, starting playback and volume control as well as other types of remote control operations.

Bluetooth Profiles
Bluetooth profiles are general behaviours through which Bluetooth enabled devices communicate with other devices. Bluetooth technology defines a wide range of profiles that describe many different types of use cases. In order to use Bluetooth technology, a device must be able to interpret certain Bluetooth profiles. The profiles define the possible applications.

Dial-up Networking Profile (DUN)
DUN provides a standard to access the Internet and other dial-up services via Bluetooth wireless technology. The most common scenario is accessing the Internet from a laptop by dialling up on a mobile phone, wirelessly.

Generic Object Exchange Profile (GOEP)
GOEP is used to transfer an object from one device to another. The object may be any object such as a picture, document, business card, etc. The profile defines two roles, a server that provides the location from which an object is pulled or pushed, as well as a client that initiates the action. GOEP provides a generic blueprint for other profiles using the OBEX protocol.

Hands-Free Profile (HFP)
HFP describes how a gateway device can be used to place and receive calls for a handsfree device. A typical configuration is a car using a mobile phone as a gateway device. In the car, the stereo is used for the phone audio and a microphone is installed in the car for sending outgoing audio of the conversation. HFP is also used for a personal computer to act as a speakerphone for a mobile phone in a home or office environment.

Headset Profile (HSP)
The HSP describes how a Bluetooth enabled headset should communicate with a mobile phone or other Bluetooth enabled device such as a computer. When connected and configured, the headset can act as the remote device’s audio input and output interface.

Human Interface Device Profile (HID)
The HID profile defines the protocols, procedures and features to be used by Bluetooth enabled HID, such as keyboards, pointing devices, gaming devices, and remote monitoring devices. Sony Ericsson handsets support the HID profile.

Object Exchange (OBEX) Protocol
OBEX is a transfer protocol that allows devices to exchange files, such as Images, Videos and Music Files

Pairing
The process of establishing a new relationship between two Bluetooth enabled devices. During this process a passkey is exchanged either before connection establishment was requested or during connecting phase. Some devices will need to be put into “pairing mode” before pairing can begin.

Passcode
When pairing devices, it is strongly recommended to use a pass code to authenticate incoming connections. Also, in certain connection situations you may desire additional assurance that you are connecting to the device or person you expect. A pass code can normally be any combination of keys (letters or numbers). Do use caution as some devices do not map characters similarly. Passkeys are valid only for the connection and may be different for other devices or users.

Personal Area Networking Profile (PAN)
PAN describes how two or more Bluetooth enabled devices can form an ad-hoc network and how the same mechanism can be used to access a remote network through a network access point. The profile roles include the network access point, group ad-hoc network and personal area network user.

SIM Access Profile (SAP)
SAP allows devices such as car phones with built in GSM transceivers to connect to a SIM card in a Bluetooth enabled phone. Therefore the car phone itself does not require a separate SIM card.

Synchronization Profile (SYNC)
The SYNC profile is used in conjunction with GOEP to enable synchronization of calendar and address information (personal information manager (PIM) items) between Bluetooth enabled devices. A common application of this profile is the exchange of data between a PDA and computer.

Pairing Mode
Most Bluetooth devices will need to be put into pairing mode before it can be linked to another device. During pairing mode the device will send out a signal that will allow it to be found by the device that is trying to link to it. By having a pairing mode it prevents unauthorised users from accessing a device.

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