Bluetooth moves beyond phones
Gold Latern BlueX watches are Bluetooth MP3 players, while the GL Communicator is a full-fledged cell phone for your wrist, with Bluetooth built in.
Bluetooth, a wireless technology that's designed to get rid of cables, is moving beyond hands-free cell phone use.
The headsets themselves are so common now that they're adding unique twists to grab your attention. Jabra allows you to decorate the headset online before it's shipped, while the new LG phone comes with a Bluetooth headset built-in.
In fact, even landlines are starting to let you link to your headset.
But Bluetooth is helping erase even more of your cables now. The next hot area Bluetooth is moving to: speakers. There are a ton of portable wireless speakers available for playing music from your cell phone out loud.
Samsung Home Theater Soundbar offers the same functionality as those that can play from your cell phone, but now acts as part of your at-home surround sound system.
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"It includes a wireless subwoofer, as well as Bluetooth audio connectivity so you can connect to a phone, a Bluetooth media player wirelessly, and listen to music as you walk around the room or any other audio that you have on board the device," explained Dan Lantowski of Samsung.
Bluetooth is also traveling to your wrist. Gold Latern BlueX watches are Bluetooth MP3 players, while the GL Communicator is a full-fledged cell phone for your wrist, with Bluetooth built in.
"The GL Communicator is a GSM watch phone, works with ATT and TMobile and uses a standard SIM card, so it works internationally as well," said Stepan Cich of Gold Lantern. "You can use a Bluetooth mono headset, Bluetooth stereo headset, or you can talk inside the microphone embedded in the watch."
And, as more people use their phones to take pictures, Bluetooth expands to the realm of printers.
"This is the new Polaroid Pogo," said Andy Mitchelides of Polaroid. "The printer has two main functionalities. It does have Bluetooth, so the billions of images stored on phones that no one knows how to print can finally be printed in the moment. But it also has 'pictbridge,' so pictures on digital cameras can be printed anytime anywhere. The output is a 2 by 3 fun print that also act as stickers, as well."
Finally, Bluetooth is also invading the clock radio. A version from iHome lets you answer calls on an iPhone from across the room.