Feeling Blue

Bluetooth technology can make life wire-less and driving much safer.

Bluetooth technology can make life wire-less and driving much safer.

An ideal bluetooth environment would be something like this. Users answer their mobile phone calls directly and safely,through their car music system. As they walk into office,the calls automatically shift to their headset. When they reach office,the landline recognises that they are indoors and adopts the calls from the mobile phone. When its time for a lunch-break,they play music from their phone through a sound box,wirelessly. This might sound rather futuristic to us in India,but thousands of people are already living in such a Bluetooth enabled environment in the US and Europe.

Bluetooth has been available on mobile phones and computers for almost a decade,but it is only in the last three or four years that short-length wireless technology has come to its own. Now,you find the technology in almost all personal gadgets as well as cars and even cameras. Heres a pick of the best Blue gadgets around:

The sound link

Sound quality has never been a big issue with Bluetooth-enabled speakers and boom boxes,but Bose-like sound quality,for which there are few parallels today,became possible only on September 15,when the worlds speaker experts launched SoundLink Wireless Mobile speaker.

SoundLink can pair with any Bluetooth enabled device in a few seconds and with the press of a single button. Once paired,it plays music from your iPad,iPod or mobile phone as if you were sitting at the Sydney Opera House; all from a unit as small as a retro transistor. With its leather flap,it seems as if the unit has been designed to look like a transistor from yesteryears. The flap doubles up as the stand and switches on the unit when opened and switches it off when closed.

The beauty of the SoundLink is that the entire repertoire of sound is produced by a book-size unit. The company claims the real technological feat of SoundLink is that it reproduces the entire range of audio from a single hand-held device. And I must confess that they have been more than successful.

SoundLink is built for the road and its end-caps,made from automotive-grade chrome,will survive being dropped,repeatedly, according to the company. The lithium-ion battery easily gives over six hours of music on a single charge,though it runs only about three hours when played on full volume. You can pair up to six devices to the unit at a time,so there is no need to pair it again when you decide to hear music from your iPad instead of your iPhone. The powerful antenna eliminates external interference,a common problem with other Bluetooth devices.

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This is a must-buy for people who are serious about their music. The SoundLink is competitively priced at Rs 19,013 for the standard model including the Cordura nylon cover. The LX model with a premium trim level and a dark brown leather cover costs Rs 23,513.

Down the Freeway

Every time you see an unusually slow car on an expressway,you can be sure the driver is talking on the phone. Powerful ad campaigns and a string of fatal accidents have been unable to deter people from putting off their call,however unimportant it might be,till they pull over to the side.

While some people prefer to use hands-free devices like Bluetooth headsets,variations of the same technology can help make it a safe drive for everyone. Jabra has,for long,been the leading name in hands-free Bluetooth devices,and its latest offering,the Freeway,only furthers its attempt to make driving as safe as possible.

Providing freedom from sore earlobes,an inevitability if you are using a Bluetooth headset,the Jabra Freeway can be easily clipped onto the sun visor of your car. Once switched on and paired with your phone,the device lets you take calls without so much as moving a finger. The device announces the name of the caller,or the phone number,as a call comes in. The call can be answered by either giving a voice command or tapping the answer button on the device. Users can also place calls with voice commands,but I found it a bit tough to make the device understand my accent.

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The speakers and microphone are good enough to capture any sound in the car,so be sure you turn down the volume of the car stereo before taking a call. Once the device has been paired to a phone,it will automatically switch on every time you enter the car. Plus,the device has a built-in FM scanner,which is definitely better than the one in my car stereo. The Freeway comes with a car charger and costs Rs 7,499.

J style

The latest Nokia J BH-806 Bluetooth stereo headset is among the most stylish headsets. Compatible with any Bluetooth mobile handset,the J has an ultra-sleek design resembling the alphabet it is named after. The headset offers seamless user experience with DSP noise reduction,adaptive volume adjustment and automatic call handling. The headset delivers up to five hours of talk time and up to three months of standby time. The Nokia J provides a minimum operating range of 10 metres and has multifunction keys,which are touch-sensitive. The 8 gm unit comes with a unique holster and costs Rs 5,570.