It’s got an odd name, but there is nothing strange about how Bluetooth makes our lives easier. In fact it’s quite straightforward, because it’s the convenient way to connect electronics devices together without wires.

Using wires can be annoying. They get in the way, you have to carry them around, and they often have different connectors. Even when your devices are wired up, are they talking the same language?

Bluetooth sweeps away all the hassle. Devices with Bluetooth inside, such as mobile phones, computers, cameras, printers, or headphones, can be linked together quickly and simply - no wires, no set up and no cost. If your gadgets are within 10 meters of each other, they can connect automatically.

Devices equipped with Bluetooth talk to each other using radio waves, so they can link up even through walls and around corners.

A world of connections

There are so many ways that Bluetooth is useful. Your laptop can use your phone to connect to the Internet and get your e-mail. You can copy your address book from one phone to another. You can back up pictures and information from your phone to your computer. Share photos and music with your friends. Even listen to music on your stereo headphones – all without wires.

What’s more, you can do all this with devices from any manufacturer because Bluetooth is not owned by a single company. Instead, a group of companies decides how the technology should develop, so you can always find plenty of Bluetooth compatible products in the shops.

So, that’s a short overview of Bluetooth. How it got its name is another story, best left to someone else to tell (Hint - it’s named after an ancient Nordic king.)