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Personal Area Network using Bluetooth

The latest technology of Bluetooth has allowed brought about a fair amount of revolution in the way devices communicate with each other. It is a technology that has been in use since 1999 but now is being put to widespread use. This amazing piece of technology allows the user to connect the PDA, mobile phone, MP3 player and just about any digital device, that supports the function, to communicate with each other. This concept of having all your devices Bluetooth enabled so that they can exchange information is being called PAN or Personal Area Network.

Like the 802.11 wireless technology, Bluetooth also uses radio signals to create bandwidth but it does not require a receiver to be plugged in the USB port of the computer. The range of Bluetooth is much better than this erstwhile technology and is allowing people to go further into a world devoid of entangled wires.

Developed and designed to be a low cost, secure and easy to use technology, Bluetooth is available in two classes: class 1 and class 2. Class 1 is relatively uncommon one and can detect other Bluetooth devices in the range of 100 meters. Class 2 is the more used and common one and enables access up to a range of 10 meters only.

A Bluetooth enabled computer has a receiver installed inside and can connect simultaneously with a maximum of 7 other devices. Though most of the computers being manufactured today (and definitely all the Apple Macs) have a Bluetooth receiver installed, if your older computer needs does not have one, it can easily be made to accept and send Bluetooth messages. This can be done by using a USB to Bluetooth adaptor or installing it internally. Also if it is a notebook that needs to be Bluetooth enabled and you have a spare PCMCIA slot, you could use a Bluetooth card to get going with Bluetooth.

The ease of use, affordability and instant compatibility one can now download all the data on addresses, contacts, things to do and notes on to the computer in a jiffy. Downloading pictures from digital cameras, saving mp3 audio files from the mp3 player and sending a print command to the printer have now become much easier without the need for long twisted and messy looking cables. It is also being used in areas other than that of computers. Hands free headsets for mobiles phones are today hands free and wire free. Car phones can use the same concept to enable speaking on the phone and driving a seamless affair. The list of devices that Bluetooth can be used with includes cordless phones, faxes, headsets and video.

As always people have discovered new applications for the latest technology. One of such uses is called ‘Bluejacking’. In ‘Bluejacking’ people can send messages from their mobile phones to other mobile phones in the vicinity without accessing the mobile service providers network. The first ever message that was sent using ‘Bluejacking’ was ‘Buy Ericsson’. Though it seems to have limited use it can be a fun thing to do among friends. “Bluecasting’ is another such use which has captured the interest of advertisers. In this process, Bluetooth enabled billboards and signposts can be used to send relevant and appropriate messages to all Bluetooth devices in the area. This method of advertising is extremely relevant for location specific businesses like food service restaurants, malls and the like.

January 3rd, 2008 Posted by admin | Mobile Phone, News, multimedia | no comments

Downloading Podcasts

One of the best ways to share files that you’ve found online is to download a podcast. A podcast is a way that the creators and/or distributors of content can send their online materials directly to the computer of a subscriber. The subscriber can then view or listen to the content whenever they want to. Podcasting works because of small files called RSS files, which are located somewhere on a web page. This RSS file is regularly updated, usually through an automatic update, with text and links to new medial files that are available to be downloaded. A podcast client accesses the RSS file from the subscriber’s computer. Podcast clients are programs that go online to find RSS files for data the subscriber has chosen to view. Most podcast clients are available for free, and many different ones are available to suit any unique need.

A download happens when the client downloads and views the file that is being offered at the feed’s web site. The client finds links to media files that are included in the RSS file, and then it downloads those files, storing them on a subscriber’s computer until the user wants to see them. Podcast files can be comedy shows, music mixes, or radio shows. Subscribers are often able to download parts of regular shows and play them on a home computer.

Downloads can be applied to any kind of file. The RSS file that allows generally audio and video files to be downloaded can also be tailored to apply to any data file. Some experts believe that podcasting may be used to distribute software updates, as well as demonstration programs, and go beyond simply sharing media files. Users would just have to subscribe to a feed with a podcast client. This could be a way to update users about anything.

Many possibilities for file distribution are provided with podcast downloads. This represents a different way of using the Internet by allowing information to come to users, instead of having users actively go out and visit each site. Podcasting could ultimately change how the Internet works. With broadband access becoming faster and more available, content will have a good chance of being delivered directly to a consumer more easily and more quickly than ever before. This approach could mean major changes for the Internet and make the Web even more integrated with the personal lives of its users.

January 1st, 2008 Posted by admin | ipod, multimedia | no comments

Podcast History

What we know as a podcast had its beginnings in the creation of MP3 files that could be downloaded and played on the iPod device developed by Apple Computer. The release of the iPod encouraged people to share their music with others. They then realized that they could create, upload, and download information other than music. Some iPod users reverse engineered the device and loaded various types of firmware or operating system software. Other users decided that they would share sound files to be played on the iPod, since the technology for distributing such files already existed. RSS feeds provide a way to generate machine-readable files, which could then share data between servers and users. Many blogs used RSS to keep their readers up to date on blog posts. Some visionary podcasters realized that they could enclose links to sound files inside the RSS feed and download these files to a computer.

The iPod podcast became increasingly popular as this change in RSS feeds was implemented. Podcasting became a common way to share files, and users began to view podcasting as a way to become, essentially, radio-show hosts or DJs. Then software was developed that would automatically check the RSS feeds, extract links to podcast episodes, and download the files. This software is called a podcast client.

By the time all this was happening, podcasting had expanded far beyond Apple’s iPod device. Developers had even discovered ways to use PlayStation Portable gaming systems as a podcast player. While this was more difficult than downloading a podcast to an iPod because of PSP’s different file format, more PSP podcasts began appearing on the Internet. Podcasting also expanded into use by individuals who didn’t have iPods, but who viewed podcasting as a very convenient technology for receiving news, music, and entertainment over the Internet.

Now, iPod podcasting remains in use, but fewer people subscribe to podcasts in order to get portable media files. This still represents an attractive feature of podcasting, but it is overshadowed by the use of podcasting as a content delivery system. Podcasting is currently associated with a large and growing number of audio and video blogs, for example. With these offerings, content is not delivered via posting, but through media files that are uploaded to the blog. These types of blogs, and podcasting in general, benefit from the constantly decreasing cost of broadband Internet connections and the growing number of people who have high-speed access to rich online content that includes multimedia files.

December 30th, 2007 Posted by admin | News, ipod | no comments