The world`s first commercial product to feature wireless Bluetooth technology, a hands-free headset by mobile phone company, Ericsson, is now available in South Africa.
Initiated by Ericsson, who developed the radio technology on which the specification is based and who were also the driving force behind the formation of the initial special interest group (SIG) of developers, which includes industry leaders such as IBM, Intel and Toshiba, Bluetooth is a wireless technology protocol which makes it possible to transmit signals over short distances between telephones, computers and other devices. It is a low-cost, low-power, short-range radio link for mobile devices and for WAN/LAN access points which allows fast and reliable digital transmissions of both voice and data over the globally available 2.4 GHz ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) band.
Hailed by industry watchers as one of the most significant development in wireless communications in 20 years, the Bluetooth mobile phone headset now enables users to connect their mobile phone and hands-free device with a radio link instead of a cable.
Weighing in at a lightweight 20 grams, the headset sits comfortably on either ear. It has an in-built Bluetooth radio chip that acts as a connector between the headset and the Bluetooth plug on the Ericsson phone to allow clear connectivity between these two devices over a distance of 10 meters.
Using the headset, one may therefore communicate easily and cordlessly even if your phone is up to 10 meters away from your headset, for example in a briefcase, coat pocket or in another room. A call may be answered by pressing a button on the headset while outgoing calls may be activated by voice dialling.
As a pioneer of the Bluetooth protocol, Ericsson sees this as the future industry standard for communication between mobile computers, mobile phones and other portable and Internet-centred hand-held devices as well as the future link between all consumer electronics in the home or office.
"By creating the Bluetooth open standard for wireless communication we are facilitating a world where all the electronic consumer devices that surround us will soon be connected without cables," said Peter Brasnyo, director, Consumer Division for Ericsson southern Africa.
The Bluetooth headset is compatible with Ericsson`s 3-Volt handsets such as the T28, A2618s and R320 with the use of a Bluetooth connector. All future Ericsson handsets will feature built-in Bluetooth compliance.
Additional information about Bluetooth(tm) is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.ericsson.se/bluetooth and at http://www.bluetooth.com
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