Tip #1411 - Bluetooth
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WorldStart
Q:
What is Bluetooth?
A:
That's what your dentures get after eating blueberry pie, but you may hear about
mobile phones and other devices having "Bluetooth Technology". Basically,
it's a short-range wireless technology that simplifies communication between
internet devices like mobile phones, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) and
computers. Bluetooth's has a range of about 30 feet and allows you to do away
with messy cables.
The Bluetooth Special Interest
Group, a cabal of over 3000 manufacturers, oversees the standards and security
of the technology. It gets its unusual name in honor of Harald Bluetooth, king
of Denmark in the mid-tenth century for no other reason than to recognize the
contribution of Baltic countries (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland) to the
communications industry.
If you look around you'll
find a ton of devices that use Bluetooth. Everything from wireless printers,
wireless keyboards, even home appliances (I still don't know why my computer
and washing machine need to communicate).
Bluetooth enabled mobile
phones have recently been under attack by hackers who gain access to information
being stored on the phone. This is often called bluesnarfing or bluebugging.
In order to carry out a bluejacking, the sending and receiving devices must
be within 10 meters of one another. If you use enabled devices, the Official
Bluetooth website has a page explaining how to protect yourself—it's worth
reading...
http://www.bluetooth.com/protect.asp
I hope this demystifies
this new technology so when you are out shopping for a mobile phone, PDA, laptop,
or other device you'll be aware of what Bluetooth can do.
~ David
David Samuel Thomas
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