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Bluetooth Gets Useful

Techstination feature for Thursday, April 24, 2003

Bluetooth gets useful. Bloomberg Boot Camp, a report on today's technology. Bluetooth is the name of a wireless technology designed to replace wires between a variety of devices. It can allow a handheld computer to access the Internet through a cell phone, for instance, provided they both have Bluetooth capability. Now Belkin is out with a Bluetooth access point...

"It is both a print server that will facilitate connections via Ethernet and it is a wired connection into an Ethernet port on an existing network. But it also enables Bluetooth devices that are within the specified range to also communicate with each other and communicate with an existing network."

Belkin's Keith Renty. Bluetooth devices can access the Internet and use printers attached to the USB ports on the access point. Renty says while Bluetooth doesn't have the range of 802.11 technology... he expects its popularity to rise in a variety of electronic devices...

"You could have a wireless Bluetooth headset and you could literally play MP3 files and walk around. There's a possibility that it could be incorporated in home stereo systems, things of this nature. So there's quite a bit of upside potential for this technology."

The Belkin Bluetooth Wireless Access Point sells for under 150 dollars. Set up is simple, unlike some other Bluetooth devices we've seen. Bloomberg Boot Camp, I'm Fred Fishkin.