Bluetooth In Action
In the United States, Bluetooth gets absolutely no
respect. It is however, becoming more and more
common in notebooks, PDAs, and especially cell
phones. Bluetooth will provide wireless users a
way to transmit small amounts of data over short
distances.
Now, Bluetooth is facing stiff competition from
new wireless technology. Referred to as UWB or
Ultra Wideband, it promises data transfer of up
to 480 MB a second – while most current Bluetooth
devices transfer data up to 721 KB a second.
For the time being, Bluetooth devices are surely
cropping up. Below, we will look at some of
the accessories offered with Bluetooth technology.
Talking to the dashboard
When pairing it with a cell phone, the CCM Blue
Warrior car kit becomes a great speaker phone that
plugs into the power adapter of your vehicle. The
noise cancelling microphone will reduce background
noise efficiently, with the large buttons making
adjusting the speaker volume a snap. Although
the Blue Warrior is far from sexy or sleek, it’s
very practical.
Tiny tuning box
Part MP3 player and part hands free phone, the
compact and lightweight Sony HBM-30 is an attractive
gadget that lets you accept calls with minimal
interruption of your tunes. When you get an incoming
call it will automatically pause your music, then
you speak into the built in microphone that you
can wear around your neck or clip to your clothes.
The pen
With Nokia’s SU-1B digital pen, you can doodle and
make hand written notes in ink on a special pad
then transmit them from the pad to your Bluetooth
phone. Being an alternative to typing on a cell
phone keypad, the pen is very handy, although a
pricey tool from MMS fans.
Snapshots
If you want to make slide shows with your camera
photos, the Nokia SU-2 image viewer will let you
disply your pictures on a TV or projector. Simply
hook this square gray device to your TV’s input
with the built in cable, then beam the pictures
to the SU-2 from your Bluetooth enabled phone and
the photo fest will begin.
This device is a snap to set up and use, although
it displays resolutions of up to 640 by 480. If
you have a newer phone that takes high resolution
photos, you won’t be able to use the Nokia SU-2
image viewer.
Keep in mind, the 640 by 480 pixel photos will
appear blocky on TV screens, no matter what you
do. If your phone can send batches of photos, you
can create a slide show – although Nokia claims
you can use sequentially beamed shots as well.
435
How to get videos onto your iPod video
The iPod video is known as the last generation of iPods, which surprised the market and the sales since its appearance. Basically, this new device is able to play videos. If this seems like fun, the technical part might need some guidance.
Firstly, you should know that both the PSP and iPod can play H.264 / MPEG-4 encoded videos with AAC audio tracks. Due to this fact, the resolution is rather limited, together with the limitation of the bit rates that you can use on the device. For the new iPod video, this limits means for the H.264 video up to up to 768 Kbps, 320 x 240 and 30 frames per second. For the MPEG-4 video, the limits are up to 2.5 mbps, 480 x 480 and the same 30 frames per second. Even more, the AAC audio bit rate is around 160 Kbps. After establishing these limits, the next step is to establish the source of the video, which can be either from a DVD or a video of the computer.
In other terms, the company Apple claims, in a purely informative ad which is posted on the official website, that the new iPod, as they call the new iPod video, can store 15, 000 songs, 25, 000 photos and not less than 150 hours of video.
If wanting to get a video from a DVD, then the first thing you should do is to insert the DVD in the device. After this, you should open in case it doesn’t immediately open by itself the DVD, using file and open DVD from the menu. Check the options in the DVD menu, to set up everything as you like, meaning language, subtitles or chapters. Begin playing the movie, using the DVD menu to navigate. When the movie begins, you should press the record button and select the folder in which you want to store the recorded files. When you want to end the recording, simply click the stop button and if the recording goes well, there will be a screen confirmation that you have converted your file successfully.
If you wish to convert a video from your computer to your iPod video, then the first thing that you should do is go to the menu file and click open video file. After this, your video is supposed to begin to play, the perfect moment to adjust the video as you like. Also, you can set the perfect moment to start the recording, using the bottom playback controls. When you decided this, click the button record and feel free to stop it at any time. After recording, just like in the case of importing videos from a DVD device, there will be a message on the screen saying that everything went on successfully.
If respecting these basic rules, the videos and movies will be stored carefully in your iPod and you will be free to watch them, at any time. Still, be aware of the fact that the iPod offers limited space and resolution, which means that you should be picky when deciding what to keep and what to delete. The new iPod video is a challenging and innovative product that combines music with images, offering, for the first time, the possibility of playing video on such a small digital device.
560
Facts about the new iPod video
The newest member of the iPod family is found everywhere nowadays. As people get to understand more and more the usage of this new device, the Apple Company gains more customers. Till now, the sales indicate the fact that the iPod video is one of the best sellers from the series which began back in 2001.
Some of the most important accessories that the new iPod video provides are the universal clock, the contact book and the various games. From the last model in 2004, the iPod video brought a new feature regarding the photo storage. Now, the iPod provides full size thumbnails for these pictures and, even more, they can be organized as preferred, in slide shows.
The dimensions of the newest iPod are bigger than the ones belonging to the last model. This is due to the fact that the new iPod is destined, besides others, for watching music videos or even full length movies, so the iPod presents a larger color screen the screen size was modified to 2.5 inches 6.35 cm diagonally, 0.5 inches 12.7 mm. The fact that the screen is bigger is a good thing, but the surface is easy to scratch, an aspect that is less favorable.
The new iPod has other improvements, too, especially concerning the life of the battery. This improvement basically means that the new iPod has 20 hours of battery life and taking into account the advantage of watching music videos, TV shows, cartoons, photos and other videos, this aspect is very relevant. Another advantage is the iTunes Music Store, which has over 2 million songs available for all tastes and ages, 2,000 videos, ABC or Disney TV shows. Downloading them is easy and it can be done directly. Even more, with the help of special cables the downloaded files can be easily seen on the TV. There is another variant for all these activities – you may use the universal dock and the remote control. The other quality features are the easy control, the video feature, but the flaws regard the interruption of the sound between the tracks is one thing that gets criticism.
Regarding the looks, the new iPod comes, as the previous iPod the nano model of the 4th generation in 2 colors, white and black, but it has a wide range of applications and improved features: Screen Lock applications, a smaller earphone, a thin slipcase, AC adapter and FireWire cable. Regarding the dimensions, the new iPod is 4.1 x 2.4 x 0.43 inches for the 30 GB version and 4.1 x 2.4 x 0.55 inches for the 60 GB version which, in the case of the new video iPod model, are found at the same price on the market.
The latest member of the iPod series surprised the market in various ways: from the video capacities to the other evolved features in comparison with the 2004 model and from the style and looks to the wide and evolved spectrum of accessories that are available together with the new iPod video. The evolution of the iPod presents an increased interest in constantly improving this device and always considering the necessities of the target buyers. It is expected that the next generation of iPods to be even more evolved, with various changes in the video settings and more innovative accessories.
560
Bluetooth Security
These days, all communication technology faces the
issue of privacy and identity theft, with Bluetooth
being no exception. Almost everyone knows that email
services and networks require security. What users
of Bluetooth need to realize is that Bluetooth also
requires security measures as well.
The good news for Bluetooth users is that the
security scares, like most scares, are normally over
dramatized and blown entirely out of proportion. The
truth being told, these issues are easy to manage,
with various measures already in place to provide
security for Bluetooth technology.
It’s true that there has been some Bluetooth phones
that have been hacked into. Most devices that are
hacked into are normally those that don’t have any
type of security at all.
According to Bluetooth specialists, in order to hack
into a Bluetooth device, the hacker must:
1. Force two paired devices to break their
connection.
2. Steal the packets that are used to
resend the pin.
3. Decode the pin.
Of course, the hacker must also be within range of
the device, and using very expensive developer type
equipment. Most specialists recommend that you
have a longer pin, with 8 digits being recommended.
Fundamentals of security
The “pairing process” is one of the most basic levels
of security for Bluetooth devices. Pairing, is
two or more Bluetooth devices that recognize each
other by the profiles they share – in most cases
they both must enter the same pin.
The core specifications for Bluetooth use an
encryption algorithm, which is completely and entirely
secure. Once the devices pair with each other,
they too become entirely secure.
Until they have successfully paired, the Bluetooth
devices won’t communicate with each other. Due to
this pairing process and the fact that it is short
range – Bluetooth technology is considered to be
secure.
As the news has indicated, experienced hackers
have developed ways to get around this level of
basic security. There are ways to get around this
threat, as you can install software to prevent
hackers from getting in.
With Bluetooth becoming more and more popular, it’s
really no wonder that security is always in
question. As Bluetooth gets bigger and better,
security will always be something that no one
really takes lightly.
If you’ve been concerned about Bluetooth security
in the past, rest assured that newer devices will
offer bigger and better security. Preventing
hackers from getting in is something every owner
is concerned about – and the manufacturer’s are
very aware.
411
How Bluetooth Works
Bluetooth devices will normally operate at 2.4 GHZ
in the license free, globally available ISM radio
band. The advantage to this band includes worldwide
availability and compatibility. A disadvantage to
this however, is that the devices must share this
band with other RF emitters. This includes
automobile security systems, other wireless devices,
and other noise sources, such as microwaves.
To overcome this challenge, Bluetooth employs a
fast frequency hopping scheme and therefore uses
shorter packets than other standards within the
ISM band. This scheme helps to make Bluetooth
communication more robust and more secure.
Frequency hopping
Frequency hopping is basically jumping from frequency
to frequency within the ISM radio band. After a
bluetooth device sends or receives a packet, it
and the device (or devices it’s communicating with
hop to another frequency before the next packet is
sent. This scheme offers three advantages:
1. Allows Bluetooth devices to use the
entirety of the available ISM band, while never
transmitting from a fixed frequency for more than a
short period of time. This helps insure that
Bluetooth conforms to the ISM restrictions on the
transmission quantity per frequency.
2. Ensures that any interference won’t
last long. Any packet that doesn’t arrive safely
to its destination can be resent to the next
frequency.
3. Provides a base level of security as
it’s very hard for an eavesdropping device to predict
which frequency the Bluetooth devices will use
next.
The connected devices however, must agree upon the
frequency they will use next. The specification
in Bluetooth ensures this in two ways. First, it
defines a master and slave type relationship between
bluetooth devices. Next, it specifies an algorithm
that uses device specific information when
calculating the frequency hop sequences.
A Bluetooth device that operates in master mode can
communicate with up to seven devices that are set in
slave mode. To each of the slaves, the master
Bluetooth device will send its own unique address
and the value of its own internal clock. The
information sent is then used to calculate the
frequency hop sequences.
Because the master device and each of the slave
devices use the same algorithm with the same initial
input, the connected devices will always arrive
together at the next frequency that they have agreed
upon.
As a replacement for cable technology, it’s no
wonder that Bluetooth devices are usually battery
powered, such as wireless mice and battery powered
cell phones. To conserve the power, most devices
operate in low power. This helps to give Bluetooth
devices a range of around 5 – 10 meters.
This range is far enough for wireless communication
but close enough to avoid drawing too much power
from the power source of the device.
450
How Bluetooth Works
Bluetooth devices will normally operate at 2.4 GHZ
in the license free, globally available ISM radio
band. The advantage to this band includes worldwide
availability and compatibility. A disadvantage to
this however, is that the devices must share this
band with other RF emitters. This includes
automobile security systems, other wireless devices,
and other noise sources, such as microwaves.
To overcome this challenge, Bluetooth employs a
fast frequency hopping scheme and therefore uses
shorter packets than other standards within the
ISM band. This scheme helps to make Bluetooth
communication more robust and more secure.
Frequency hopping
Frequency hopping is basically jumping from frequency
to frequency within the ISM radio band. After a
bluetooth device sends or receives a packet, it
and the device (or devices it’s communicating with
hop to another frequency before the next packet is
sent. This scheme offers three advantages:
1. Allows Bluetooth devices to use the
entirety of the available ISM band, while never
transmitting from a fixed frequency for more than a
short period of time. This helps insure that
Bluetooth conforms to the ISM restrictions on the
transmission quantity per frequency.
2. Ensures that any interference won’t
last long. Any packet that doesn’t arrive safely
to its destination can be resent to the next
frequency.
3. Provides a base level of security as
it’s very hard for an eavesdropping device to predict
which frequency the Bluetooth devices will use
next.
The connected devices however, must agree upon the
frequency they will use next. The specification
in Bluetooth ensures this in two ways. First, it
defines a master and slave type relationship between
bluetooth devices. Next, it specifies an algorithm
that uses device specific information when
calculating the frequency hop sequences.
A Bluetooth device that operates in master mode can
communicate with up to seven devices that are set in
slave mode. To each of the slaves, the master
Bluetooth device will send its own unique address
and the value of its own internal clock. The
information sent is then used to calculate the
frequency hop sequences.
Because the master device and each of the slave
devices use the same algorithm with the same initial
input, the connected devices will always arrive
together at the next frequency that they have agreed
upon.
As a replacement for cable technology, it’s no
wonder that Bluetooth devices are usually battery
powered, such as wireless mice and battery powered
cell phones. To conserve the power, most devices
operate in low power. This helps to give Bluetooth
devices a range of around 5 – 10 meters.
This range is far enough for wireless communication
but close enough to avoid drawing too much power
from the power source of the device.
450
Bluetooth Profiles
The profile found in Bluetooth will describe how
the technology is used. Profiles can be best
described as vertical slices through the protocol
stack. It will define options in each protocol
that are mandatory for the profile.
The profile will also define the parameter ranges
for each protocol. The concept of the profile is
used to decrease the risk of interoperability
problems between the different products. These
profiles won’t normally define any additions to
the Bluetooth specification, which is why you can
add new profiles where you need them. The
Bluetooth underlying technology is the same, only
the specific method that it’s used is defined.
Generally speaking, all profiles of Bluetooth are
based on the GAP (Generic Access Profile. There
are 9 profiles that fall in the GAP category, and
they are below:
1. AVRCP – Audio/Video Remote Control
Profile
2. ESDP – Extended Service Discovery Profile
3. CIP – Common ISDN Access Profile
4. PAN – Public Area Network Profile
5. HCRP – Hardcopy Cable Replacement
Profile
6. GAVDP – Generic Audio/Visual Distribution
Profile
7. A2DP – Advanced Audio Distribution Profile
8. VDP – Video Distribution Profile
9. HID – Human Interface Device Profile
To put it another way, usage models will describe
Bluetooth device applications and the associated
profiles that are used. The usage model focuses
mainly on three categories – voice/data access points,
peripheral interconnects, and PAN (Personal Area
Networking.
The voice and data access points involve connecting
computing devices to communicating devices through
a wireless link. This way, data can be transferred
in a wireless manor, without the need of cables or
other types of connectivity.
PAN is another very important usage model with
strong appeal to business customers. Bluetooth
networks are easy to set up in virtually any type
of environment. An example would be meeting
others at a trade show.
Instead of having contact information beamed via
infrared, business cards can quickly and easily be
transferred via Bluetooth wireless. The fact is
that many documents can be exchanged this very
same way – making the uses and possibilities
virtually endless.
The Bluetooth profile is very important to the
specification, as it enables you to do so much
more. You can use peripherals and devices with
the profiles, and virtually anything else that you
decide.
As Bluetooth expands and gets bigger and better,
you can count on the profiles to expand and get
even more functions. If you have experience with
Bluetooth profiles, you should know exactly what
they are and what you can do with them. If not,
all you need is a Bluetooth device – and a vivid
imagination.
436
Bluetooth Wireless Networking
Bluetooth technology offers three different types
of defined ranges, based on output ranges. Class
1 devices are the most powerful, as they can have
up to 100 mW of power, with a regular antenna
giving them a range of around 130 – 330 feet.
The class 2 devices are lower power, offering up
to 2.5 mW of power. A regular antenna will give
them a range of around 50 – 100 feet. Class 3
devices use even less power, up to 1 mW of power
to be exact. With a regular antenna, they will
have a range of around 16 – 33 feet.
Even though you may not realize it, Bluetooth
wireless technology has never been intended for
anything other than short distance types of
communication. With Bluetooth wireless, the short
range is actually a benefit.
For one, the short range will reduce the change of
interference between your devices and those that
belong to others who are nearby. Overall, this
is a basic type of security, designed to protect
you and your devices.
Secondly, the lower power used for short range
means a longer battery life. Most Bluetooth
devices will get their power from a battery,
meaning that anything you can do to lengthen the
battery life is very important.
The wireless networking offered by Bluetooth is
actually among the best, even though it uses
short range communication. Bluetooth is used
with wireless controllers, the internet, and
even wireless headsets.
For the best in short range technology, Bluetooth
is extremely hard to beat. If you’ve never tried
Bluetooth before, now is the time. It’s the best
with wireless networking, especially for those
who enjoy hands free talking on their cell phone.
282
Cellular phone wallpapers, give your phone personality
In the modern society we live in, cellular phone is already a necessity; no longer valid is the notion that this is merely a luxurious toy. For minors, however, cellular phone usage is very popular as a dress up gadget. Although, the parents think of it is a necessary communication for them to be able to check their children wherever there are. Although they never foresee this boom some years back, manufacturers are quick to flood the marketplace with functional and high-tech cellular phones. Various beneficial features of cellular phones are not available in a landline telephone; this is what can make cellular phones outpace landline telephony. For those who want to dress up their cellular phones, you may also find cellular phone useful. Manufacturers and computer experts introduce the possibility of giving your phone personality by introducing cellular phone wallpapers.
If you want cellular phone wallpapers, getting one from the internet is very easy. You may also transfer images as cellular phone wallpaper from Cellular phone to another cellular phone. Even the pictures shot from your own cellular phone can be your cellular phone wallpaper. Additionally, this modern technology also allows a picture taken from a digital camera to function as your cellular wallpaper you may just need to upload the image to your phone. You may even add texts to the pictures to add distinctness to your cellular phone wallpaper. Cellular phone wallpapers are merely to add beauty and personality to your cellular phone. However, if your cellular phone does not support uploading cellular phone wallpapers, do not despair, this does not mean you will not get the benefits of owning a cellular phone. Additionally, cellular phones even without cellular phone wallpapers may have its own personality; personalized ring tones may do the job of giving your phone personality as well. Having no cellular phone wallpaper does not say you have an inferior cellular phone. Anyway, the basic features of cellular phone like sending and receiving calls do not require personality or cellular phone wallpapers. Even sending and receiving text messages do not require cellular phone wallpapers. Functionality does not necessitate cellular phone wallpapers; their use is only to dress up your phone and for the purpose of flaunting your cellular phones high technology features, nothing more.
Finally, keep in mind that intelligent cellular phone usage include keeping in mind cellular phone etiquette. Cellular phone etiquette do not just give your cellular phone personality, cellular phone etiquette exhibits your personality, the users personality is more important that your phone having personality. Even if your phone do not include such high technology and innovative features, if you can turn off your phone during meetings and avoid having to annoy the other person in front of you, you are exhibiting a personally that is intrinsic in you.
If you exhibit cellular phone etiquette, even without cellular phone wallpapers, you will get all the benefits of this modern day gadget. You may even get the respect from other users, if you respect them they will not use their phone unethically that may annoy you. It is a two-way traffic, if you exhibit telephone etiquette, the people around you will do the same. Moreover, you do not need cellular phone wallpapers to gain respect from exhibiting telephone etiquette.
Capabilities of the new iPod video
The capabilities of the new iPod video continue the developing process of the old capabilities – software, hardware and compatibility with other devices.
Concerning the software, it is well-known that the iPod in general and the iPod video in particular play MP3, audible audio book, WAV, M4A/AAC, protected AAC, AIFF and Apple Lossless audio file formats. Since the 5th generation iPods there is another possibility of playing m4v and mp4 MPEG-4 video file formats. Only non copy-protected WMA files may be copied to an iPod. Other formats are not possible to be played by the iPod and this is the case of FLAC and Ogg Vorbis formats.
Besides, the iPods are especially designed for matching the iTunes media library software. This online music store appeared in 2003 and it sells songs and it was thought exclusively for the iPod users and not for other portable music players. This may have contributed to the success both the iPods and the iTunes music store and to the great development and improvements of the iPod’s capabilities.
The software of the new iPod video has new features – personalized recommendations and video content that can be played on a Pc or transferred to the iPod. The software was upgraded to Version 6, fact that represents a development and a distinct achievement.
Concerning the hardware of the iPods one may say that the first generation iPods were recharged only through FireWire with the help of a small power adapter. The 4th generation iPods may have been charged over USB. The 5th generation iPod may be charged with the help of a dock connector allowing the FireWire cable to be plugged in for the recharge.
Compatibility of the iPods with Windows is the idea of Apple, realized in 2002, fact that contributed to the creation of a Windows version of iTunes in 2003. The iPods could be made to be compatible with a Macintosh and there is also an iPodLinux project.
Some additional features may be mentioned while speaking about the iPods in general and iPod video in particular. The iPods can display text files, fact which is very useful. There are also PDA calendars, some games that were interesting several years ago but they seem outdated nowadays. The games available on almost every iPod except the iPod shuffle are brick, parachute, solitaire, music quiz. The most interesting game is the music quiz, playing some fragments of some songs and waiting the user to identify the song from a list. The disadvantage of this game is that it uses a lot of battery power.
All these capabilities seem to be improved in the case of the new iPod video except the creation of other games or the introduction of new ones. This may be seen as a disadvantage, but if taking into account the fact that it is a case of a portable music player this aspect does not have such a great importance.
The innovation is of course the video capability, although the main features of the new iPod stress on great improvements in the image and sound quality. The video image is surprisingly smooth and in this way may replace the skeptical attitudes with joyful exclamations.
Although it is not the first attempt of bringing video on a portable handheld device, this achievement seems to be the most successful. This success is due to a lot of required work and complicated changes in the software and hardware as well. In a way or another, Apple seems to be the champion in creating special portable devices and maybe some other steps will be taken in the development of the small video portable devices. In this way, maybe a special compatibility with more devices may be developed, ensuring other periods of great success. Other online stores may appear and develop in the tradition of the iTunes music store. Due to iPods from the Apple Company legal content of the downloaded and paid music or TV shows, episodes or other materials is ensured.
671
