As cell phones have continued to evolve past the bag phone your parents used to have in their car like mine did, to the sleek Apple iPhone multifunction devices we rely upon today, cell phone accessories have continued to change, too. No longer must you get tangled up in the wired headsets of yesterday, now you can experience wireless freedom with a Bluetooth headset. And as many states and local municipalities have already passed Hand-free Driving legislature, having a Bluetooth headset can be more than just a convenience, it can be the law. Plus, don’t you hate seeing people trying to drive with one hand on the wheel while they juggle their cell phone in the other? Me too.

The technology behind the Bluetooth headset is pretty straightforward, your phone connects to your Bluetooth headset using a short-range radio frequency, and that’s it, you’re ready to talk! The actual process of connecting your cell phone to your Bluetooth headset is known as pairing, and each Bluetooth headset will come with step by step instructions on how to complete the setup process. And don’t forget, if you ever run into any bugaboos, you can always reach us at our toll-free customer service number for help!

What’s the deal with the name Bluetooth?
Not that you would be losing any sleep at night if you didn’t know this fact, but the name Bluetooth stems from the 10th-century Danish king, Harald Blatand (or Bluetooth) who brought together Denmark, Norway and Sweden. And as legend has it, he loved blueberries, which as you might guess, can give your teeth a blue hue.

Define Bluetooth?
So in essence, Bluetooth is a wireless highway for data to flow over between compatible devices. As of today, there are three classes of Bluetooth:

Class	Maximum Permitted Power mW(dBm)	Range (approximate)
Class 1	100 mW (20 dBm)	~300 feet
Class 2	2.5 mW (4 dBm)	~30 feet
Class 3	1 mW (0 dBm)	~3 feet

So what does this mean for us? Well, in the recent past, almost anytime you purchased a Bluetooth headset, it was a class 2 with a range of 30 feet. This works fine for in your car in your office, etc. But we are in the world of wireless internet now, we want more! Enter Bluetooth class 1 in the form of a Bluetooth headset. Now you can leave your phone in your purse, go to your daughter’s soccer game and take calls while you are running down the sidelines screaming. Hopefully someone is keeping an eye on your purse.

Bluetooth is used in many more applications today than just a Bluetooth headset or a Bluetooth enable phone. In fact, there are many activities going on around you today where Bluetooth is used and you probably don’t even know it:

• Nintendo’s Wii and Sony’s PlayStation 3 both use Bluetooth for their wireless controllers. A far cry from the original Nintendo controllers we used!
• Bluetooth is now used for wireless communications between computers and output devices. Think wireless mouse, keyboard and printer.
• Bluetooth is being used to replace controls where infrared was traditionally used.
• Bluetooth is even bringing the world of music to life, by connecting MP3 devices such as your phone, your iPod and your computer to Bluetooth speakers. I was never a big fan of wires anyway.
• Bluetooth enabled vehicle systems, such as the Microsoft Sync software being installed in some new cars, allows for wireless communications between GPS and your cell phone.

Bluetooth vs. Wi-Fi
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are both versions of unlicensed spread spectrum. Bluetooth differs from Wi-Fi in that the latter provides higher throughput and covers greater distances, but requires more expensive hardware and higher power consumption. They both use the same frequency range, but the bottom line for now is that Bluetooth is used for transmitting data between devices such as a Bluetooth headset and a phone and Wi-Fi is used for larger scale networking applications.

Bluetooth Headset Choices
So now that you know all the science and uses for Bluetooth in our society, how do you choose a Bluetooth headset that is right for you? Well, as with most things, it depends on who you are as a person. I know that sounds a little kooky, so bear with me here. As the market for Bluetooth and the Bluetooth headset has grown, so have the choices. They come in all colors, from pink to black, red to silver, and all sizes, from the Argard micro headset (think the diameter of a nickel) to the Jabra BT2020 that wraps around your entire ear! You can purchase a Bluetooth headset made by Motorola, Jawbone, LG, Nokia or Samsung, to name a few. So in order to make this process a little easier for you, our product specialist team at Gammoth tests and reviews every new Bluetooth headset that we list for sale on our site. You can read the product reviews and watch the video clips here to help you in making your choice. In addition, we have a 15 day return policy and a 1 year warranty on all products we sell, so rest assured, we’ll help you choose the Bluetooth headset that is right for you.

Some things to consider before purchasing your Bluetooth headset:

• Battery life; broken down into actual talk time and standby time. This will give you a good indication on how often you will need to charge your Bluetooth headset.
• Manufacturer; as with TV’s (I’m a big fan of Samsung TV’s) everyone has different companies they are comfortable with. Also, if you have a Motorola phone, some people feel more comfortable with a Motorola Bluetooth Headset
• Style factor; yes looks do count, so make sure to get something that you feel good wearing while on the road and on the go.
• Technology; when the Jawbone Bluetooth headset came out, it was the first with noise cancellation technology, which in essence, blocked out background noise while you were talking. No more guy yelling for a taxi interrupting your phone calls. As with any new technologies, there are hiccups, so weigh the benefits of adopting early versus established ones that are proven to work.
• Price; how did I almost forget this one!? Just a standard rule of thumb, you get what you pay for. Can you purchase a cheap Bluetooth headset? The answer is of course, yes. If you want something that is going to last a year or more and provide good quality performance, look more into a middle of the road/upper price tier Bluetooth headset.

Alternatives to a Bluetooth headset
So now that you have learned more than you would ever want to know about a Bluetooth headset, what if you are not comfortable with any of them. Fear not, there are many good alternative solutions to keep your hands on the wheel while driving:

• Bluetooth speaker- I know this through personal experience, my girlfriend was not a big fan of wearing a Bluetooth headset. So, I ended up getting her a BlueAnt Supertooth which clips right to your visor like a garage door opener. When she gets into her car, all she has to do is push one button on the side of the speaker and the mic pops out and she is connected. Sound quality is excellent and I feel better knowing she is driving safe.
• Bluetooth car kits - For those that do not have Bluetooth installed in their car, and do not want a Bluetooth headset, they can have the best of both worlds with a professionally installed Bluetooth car kit. A speaker is placed under the dashboard and a small controller is place on the console. These normally connect automatically when your car starts, and have voice recognition, so you can press one button, say the name of the person you are trying to call, and you are connected. Isn’t Bluetooth great? Motorola makes a good one
• Bluetooth GPS - As some of you may of heard by now, yes, Garmin, the GPS navigation company, is making a phone! Well maybe its because so many people have started using their GPS units as a Bluetooth headset/speakerphone. For models that have Bluetooth, you can connect your phone and yes, use the Garmin GPS unit as a Bluetooth speaker.

The Future for Bluetooth
Now that Bluetooth has proven to be a user friendly technology and has been adopted by millions of users across the world, the future for Bluetooth looks bright. And for us consumers, that means fewer wires, more gadgets and a day when everyone drives with both hands on the wheel! Imagine that…..

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This entry was posted on Monday, February 11th, 2008 at 3:11 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.