[Report says built-in Bluetooth connectivity and reliable software needed before technology can go mainstream.]

by Rob Pegoraro -- "A lot of computer desks these days are suffering from too many devices, too many cables and too much confusion.

The usual PC-monitor-printer combination has been joined by a handheld organizer, Internet-capable cell phone and maybe a laptop -- and they all want to share the same contacts list.

Isn't there a way to get these gadgets to communicate without turning the room into a spaghetti factory of wiring?

You just read the sales pitch for Bluetooth, a wireless technology that connects computers and gadgets from as far as 30 feet apart. (The name comes from a 10th-century Viking monarch who united Denmark and Norway, apparently without putting too many people to the sword.)

Unlike infrared beaming used on handheld organizers, Bluetooth doesn't require devices to be aimed at each other. At a reported speed of 700 to 800 kilobits per second, it also easily outstrips infrared, although it also falls short of universal serial bus cable connections.

Now that actual Bluetooth products are arriving in stores, I gathered up an assortment of hardware to see if this technology could live up to its billing."

More...

Back to Headlines...