The Features of Bluetooth and Your Cell Phone

Bluetooth us designed to greatly enhance the versatility of cell phone products and cell phone units -- as well as other high tech gadgets. Bluetooth is designed to enhance the versatility and usability of things such as cell phone units, wireless personal computer units, handheld computer units and other types of electronic devices.

Thanks to Bluetooth technology, your cell phone can become a comprehensive communication unit. You can use your cell phone in hands free fashion. In addition, you can also use Bluetooth technology to link your cell phone to the Internet … making your cell phone effectively a wireless personal computer unit.

Thanks to Bluetooth you can use your cell phone for a wide range of different purposes … both for personal purposes and business purposes. In your pocket, you will be able to have a device -- your cell phone -- that allows you all of the communication technology that you do need (again, either for personal or business purposes).

IP address

IP addresses are analogous to telephone numbers – when you want to call someone on the telephone, you must first know their telephone number. Similarly, when a computer on the Internet needs to send data to another computer, it must first know its IP address. IP addresses are typically shown as four numbers separated by decimal points, or “dots”. For example, 10.24.254.3 and 192.168.62.231 are IP addresses.

If you need to make a telephone call but you only know the person’s name, you can look them up in the telephone directory (or call directory services) to get their telephone number. On the Internet, that directory is called the Domain Name System, or DNS for short. If you know the name of a server, say www.cert.org, and you type this into your web browser, your computer will then go ask its DNS server what the numeric IP address is that is associated with that name.

Every computer on the Internet has an IP address associated with it that uniquely identifies it. However, that address may change over time, especially if the computer is

* dialing into an Internet Service Provider (ISP)
* connected behind a network firewall
* connected to a broadband service using dynamic IP addressing.

Cell Phones and Hearing Aids

If you have patients or family members who wear hearing aids, you may know that they often have trouble using cell phones. Some cell phones cause radiofrequency interference with hearing aids, so the user hears high-pitched whistling sounds through the hearing aid, or static, or thumping sounds.

But all cell phones aren't alike in this respect. Some of the phones have lower radiofrequency emissions or different technology that can reduce the unwanted effects on hearing aids. So you should advise hearing aid wearers shopping for a cell phone to try several brands and models before they decide. Some hearing aids may be so susceptible to interference that they simply won't work with any of the cell phones available, while others are designed to be resistant to interference. So the same trial and error approach is also important when shopping for hearing aids.

Fortunately, hearing aids are improving and before long it's going to be much easier for hearing aid wearers to find a compatible phone. Also, FDA has begun working with the hearing aid industry on ways to help clinicians and consumers choose hearing aids and cell phones that are likely to work together. The phones will be improving, too. The Federal Communications Commission recently announced that they'll require cell phone manufacturers to make at least some models usable by hearing aid wearers within the next two years.