BLUETOOTH OR WIFI? HOW ABOUT BOTH
Some commonly asked questions I hear these days
are coming from users who don't understand the differences between
Bluetooth and WiFi, two of the newer computer wireless standards. I'd
like to help clear up that confusion. A good explanation lies in
looking at some of the commonly used wired standards that correspond
to these wireless protocols, namely USB and Ethernet.
USB or Universal Serial Bus has become the most
popular way of connecting personal computers to nearby peripherals
that only require a slower communication speed such as printers,
keyboards and mice. USB lets you easily add such devices by simply
plugging them in and letting them go to work. Ethernet and the newer
Firewire are used for devices that require a much higher rate of data
communication such as external hard drives or even other computers on
a network although Ethernet is still more commonly used to network
computers to each other. So for the purposes of my explanation,
Bluetooth would be most comparable to USB and WiFi would be used as
you would Ethernet. If you do choose to go wireless, just as computers
commonly use both USB and Ethernet at the same time to perform
different chores, so it is the same with wireless. You can easily use
Bluetooth and WiFi on one computer to perform different tasks. One
other note here is that these technologies are not mutually exclusive.
If it suits you, both wired and wireless can be used on the same
computer, all at the same time.
To compare speed and accuracy, the wireless
methods are still much slower and can be less reliable than their
wired counterparts. So if you can see your way to hooking things up
with wires, I suggest you go that route. However, wireless is sexier
and many times far more practical and less costly than trying to
string cables in your home or office. But whatever method you select,
be guided by your particular situation and give these options some
consideration before making the choice.
Looking at Bluetooth a bit more closely, it
seems like the industry is embracing it in a big way. Apple Computer
recently unveiled their D-Link DWB-120M USB Bluetooth Adapter ($49.95)
for Mac OS X. The small transceiver plugs into any available USB port.
From there, any Bluetooth enabled device such as the Sony Ericsson
T68i Bluetooth cell phone can transfer data to and from the computer.
 Microsoft
has just introduced their Bluetooth keyboard, mouse and adapter. And
as you may have guessed, the only color they come in is blue. The
mouse and keyboard are available separately or packaged together. Both
come with the Bluetooth adapter that also connects to the computer via
any USB port. The mouse and keyboard have an operational range of up
to 30 feet. The sculpted ergonomic keyboard offers extra keys for
Internet navigation and user-definable hot keys. The Bluetooth mouse
uses Microsoft's optical technology and has a scroll wheel. In fact,
if it wasn't for the color, you wouldn't even know you were using
Bluetooth. But unlike ordinary cordless mice and keyboards, embracing
Bluetooth will let you use other consumer electronic devices with your
PC such as the aforementioned cell phone. In fact, Motorola has just
announced their Bluetooth enabled cell phone as well.
 The
combination Bluetooth mouse and keyboard package is called the
Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop for Bluetooth and sells for $159.
The Microsoft Wireless IntelliMouse Explorer for Bluetooth sells for
$84.95. Both come with the Bluetooth adapter.
Bottom line is that Bluetooth is receiving
industry support in both the computer and consumer electronic
industry. A good example is a Bluetooth wireless printer adapter from
3Com ($250 for the transmitter and one receiver, $149 for additional
receivers) that connects to most parallel inkjet or laser printers
allowing them to work with your Bluetooth computer. And HP has
introduced their DeskJet 995C color inkjet printer with Bluetooth
already built in. For short range, low speed communications, it looks
like Bluetooth is here to stay and investing in equipment that uses
this standard will be money well spent.
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