QUICK GUIDE TO BLUETOOTH HEADSETS
By Kent German

If you think your choice of cell phones is already too extensive, choosing a headset can be just as bewildering. With so many styles available, headsets are quickly becoming fashion accessories in their own right. And as their use proliferates, especially with the advent of hands-free legislation for drivers, you now can go far beyond clunky, tangle-prone wired headsets. Bluetooth headsets, which offer a convenient and user-friendly wireless connection between a headset and a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone, are now an "in" feature for frequent gabbers. But until recently, there weren't enough capable phones to match the wide array of headsets. Now with all the headsets on the market new statics are coming out that headsets can only be worn by user's for a certain lengths of time and for some they are painful to the ears of their users. Today, there are great options in speaker phones out there, like TalkNBlueTooth.

What's in a name? In case you were wondering, Bluetooth gets its name from a 10th-century Danish king, Harald Blatand (or Bluetooth) who unified Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. According to legend, he had an affinity for teeth-staining blueberries. Oh, and the logo combines the runic alphabetic characters for H and B.

What is Bluetooth? Bluetooth is probably the most misunderstood child born in the wireless age. Beyond its oddball name, what it can do and how it works isn't exactly common knowledge. IDC now estimates there will be more than 100 million Bluetooth devices worldwide by the end of the year, and In-Stat/MDR expects a compound annual growth rate of 60 percent from 2003 to 2008. Truly, you now can find Bluetooth in an array of products: wireless phones, PCs, cameras, GPs devices, handhelds, and even cars.

While it may sound complicated, Bluetooth works in a simple manner. First developed by Ericsson, then formalized in 1999, it provides a way for different devices to communicate with each other by sending data via a secure, low-cost short-range radio frequency. Using the technology, cell phones can talk to headsets, PCs can talk to printers or keyboards, and handhelds can talk to each other without any wires. Up to seven connections can be made at one time, at a speed of 1Mbps. But even that's not the whole story. With the introduction of the Bluetooth-capable 2004 Toyota Prius and Lexus S430, drivers now can use their cell phone via the car's audio system and onboard navigation screen. All that's needed for any two Bluetooth-enabled devices to work is for them to be paired--normally, a hassle-free "handshaking" process for establishing a connection that takes seconds and can be found in most wireless connectivity menus.

While Bluetooth may resemble Wi-Fi in its use of the same frequency range (the 2.45GHz band), the similarities stop there. Bluetooth covers one-fifth the total range of Wi-Fi, and Wi-Fi requires more-expensive hardware and reaches greater distances. Additionally, Bluetooth lets two devices communicate with each other while Wi-Fi establishes a wireless network.

Pairing up
Before you start talking, you do need to know a few facts. Bluetooth has a range of 30 feet (10 meters), and the devices in question must use compatible versions of Bluetooth. The majority of products currently in the marketplace work on Bluetooth 1.1. (Two previous versions, 1.0 and 1.0B, were plagued with compatibility issues and have since been discontinued.) The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), a trade association and development group, is releasing newer versions that promise several upgrades and backward compatibility. The most recent release, Bluetooth 1.2, includes the addition of an anonymity mode, which masks the hardware address of the device to protect from identity snooping and tracking, and adaptive frequency hopping, which cuts interference by avoiding crowded frequencies. And set for release possibly by the end of the year is Bluetooth 2.0. Among its expected enhancements are narrowband channels, which will enable messages to be broadcast to a high number of devices without the pairing process, and higher connection speeds of up to 12Mbps.

Be secure
As with any wireless device, Bluetooth has some some minor security concerns. The SIG has admitted that bluebugging, where a hacker secretly accesses a phone's commands (such as eavesdropping on conversations), and bluesnarfing, where a hacker can access a phone's data--such as the contacts--are possible, yet the group downplays both actions. While they work through Bluetooth, they also require the hacker to use a PC and to be within range of the victim. Still, Nokia and Sony have said these issues affect only older handsets that are available mainly outside of the United States, and Nokia is promising a software upgrade. To help combat both, Bluetooth devices can be locked with a code or simply turned off or put in Hidden mode when not in use. Another concern, depending on how you look at it, is bluejacking. This involves creating an often flirtatious introductory message, then sending it to another Bluetooth-discoverable phone nearby as a text message, only you can't get charged for it as you would a typical text message sent over a wireless data network.

ALL ABOUT CALIFORNIA WHERE MOST OF OUR CUSTOMERS ARE LOCATED:

The State of California is a state located in the western Pacific region of the United States and was the 31st admitted to the Union. It is the most populous state of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, and Arizona to the southeast in the United States, as well as Baja California in Mexico to the south. California's capital city is Sacramento, with the four largest cities being Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco. California is known for its diverse climate and geography, as well as ethnically diverse population. The state has 58 counties.

Before becoming a part of the United States, Alta California was colonized by the Spanish Empire in 1769. After Mexican independence in 1821, Alta California remained as part of Mexico until 1846, when it was the independent California Republic for one brief week. Following the conclusion of the Mexican-American war of 1848, California was annexed by the United States and was admitted to the Union as the thirty-first state on September 9, 1850.

California is the third largest state by area in the US; its size gives it a diverse geography, which ranges from sandy and rocky beaches of the Pacific coast, to the rugged snowcapped Sierra Nevada mountains in the east, to desert areas in the southeast and the forests of the northwest. The center portion of the state is dominated by the Central Valley, one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world and the largest of any US state. The Sierra Nevada mountains contain Yosemite Valley, famous for its glacially-carved domes, and Sequoia National Park, home to the giant sequoia trees, the largest living organisms on Earth. The state is home to Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States, as well as the second lowest and hottest place in the Western Hemisphere, Death Valley. Many of the trees located in the California White Mountains are the oldest in the world; one Bristlecone pine has an age of 4,700 years.

The California Gold Rush began in 1848, dramatically changing California to accommodate an influx of population and an economic boom. The early 20th century was marked by Los Angeles becoming the center of the entertainment industry, in addition to the growth of a large tourism sector in the state. Along with California's prosperous agricultural industry, other industries include aerospace, petroleum, and computer and information technology. California ranks among the top ten largest economies in the world, and were it a separate country, it would be 34th amongst the most populous countries, just behind Poland, as well as the 6th World's largest economy.

California borders the Pacific Ocean, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, and the Mexican state of Baja California. With an area of 160,000 mi² (411,000 km²) it is the third largest state in the United States in size, after Alaska and Texas.

California's geography is rich, complex, and varied. In the middle of the state lies the California Central Valley, bounded by the coastal mountain ranges in the west, the Sierra Nevada to the east, the Cascade Range in the north and the Tehachapi Mountains in the south. The Central Valley is California's agricultural heartland and grows approximately one-third of the nation's food. Divided in two by the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the northern portion, the Sacramento Valley serves as the watershed of the Sacramento River, while the southern portion, the San Joaquin Valley is the watershed for the San Joaquin River; both areas derive its name from the rivers that transit them. With dredging, the Sacramento and the San Joaquin Rivers have remained sufficiently deep that several inland cities are seaports. The Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta serves as a critical water supply hub for the state. Water is routed through an extensive network of canals and pumps out of the delta, that traverse nearly the length of the state, including the Central Valley Project, and the State Water Project. Water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta provides drinking water for nearly 23 million people, almost two-thirds of the state's population, and provides water to farmers on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. The Channel Islands are located off the southern coast.

The Sierra Nevada (Spanish for "snowy range") include the highest peak in the contiguous forty-eight states, Mount Whitney, at 14,505 ft (4,421 m), Yosemite National Park, and the deep freshwater lake, Lake Tahoe, the largest lake in the state by volume. To the east of the Sierra Nevada are Owens Valley and Mono Lake, an essential migratory bird habitat. In the western part of the state is Clear Lake, the largest freshwater lake by area entirely in California. Though Lake Tahoe is larger, it is divided by the California/Nevada border. The Sierra Nevada falls to Arctic temperatures in winter and has several dozen small glaciers, including Palisade Glacier, the southernmost glacier in the United States.

About 35% of the state's total surface area is covered by forests, and California's diversity of pine species is unmatched by any other state. California contains more forestland than any other state except Alaska. In the south is a large inland salt lake, the Salton Sea. Deserts in California make up about 25% of the total surface area. The south-central desert is called the Mojave; to the northeast of the Mojave lies Death Valley, which contains the lowest, hottest point in North America, Badwater Flat. The distance from the lowest point of Death Valley to the peak of Mount Whitney is less than 200 miles (322 km). Indeed, almost all of southeastern California is arid, hot desert, with routine extreme high temperatures during the summer.

Along the California coast are several major metropolitan areas, including Greater Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, and San Diego.

By 2007, California's population has reached 37,700,000, making it the most populated state, and is the 13th fastest-growing state. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 1,909,368 people (that is 3,375,297 births minus 1,465,929 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 774,198 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 1,724,790 people, and migration within the country produced a net decrease of 950,592. According to the Sacramento News & Review, California's population will increase to 50 million people by 2025.

California is the second most populous state in the Western Hemisphere, exceeded only by São Paulo State, Brazil. More than 12 percent of US citizens live in California and its population is greater than that of all but 34 countries of the world. California has eight of the top 50 US cities in terms of population. Los Angeles is the nation's second-largest city with a population of 3,849,378 people, followed by San Diego (8th), San Jose (10th), San Francisco (14th), Long Beach (34th), Fresno (36th), Sacramento (37th) and Oakland (44th). Los Angeles County has held the title of most populous county for decades, and is more populous than 42 US states. The center of population of California is at the town of Buttonwillow in Kern County.

As of 2005, The gross state product (GSP) is about $1.62 trillion, the largest in the United States. California is responsible for 13% of the United States gross domestic product (GDP). As of 2005, California's GDP is larger than all but seven countries in the world (and all but eight countries by Purchasing Power Parity).

California is also the home of several significant economic regions, such as Hollywood (entertainment), the California Central Valley (agriculture), the Silicon Valley and Tech Coast (computers and high tech), and wine producing regions, such as the Napa Valley, Sonoma Valley and Southern California's Santa Barbara and Paso Robles areas.

The predominant industry, more than twice as large as the next, is agriculture, (including fruit, vegetables, dairy, and wine). This is followed by aerospace; entertainment, primarily television by dollar volume, although many movies are still made in California; music production and recording studios; light manufacturing, including computer hardware and software; and the mining of borax. Oil drilling has played a significant role in the development of the state.

Per capita personal income was $38,956 as of 2006, ranking 11th in the nation. Per capita income varies widely by geographic region and profession. The Central Valley is the most impoverished, with migrant farm workers making less than minimum wage. Recently, the San Joaquin Valley was characterized as one of the most economically depressed regions in the US, on par with the region of Appalachia.

Many coastal cities include some of the wealthiest per-capita areas in the US The high-technology sectors in Northern California, specifically Silicon Valley, in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, are currently emerging from economic downturn caused by the dot.com bust, which caused the loss of over 250,000 jobs in Northern California alone. As of spring 2005, economic growth has resumed in California at 4.3%.

California levies a 9.3% maximum variable rate income tax, with 6 tax brackets. It collects about $40 billion per year in income taxes. California's combined state, county and local sales tax rate is from 7.25 to 8.75%. The rate varies throughout the state at the local level. In all, it collects about $28 billion in sales taxes per year. All real property is taxable annually, the tax based on the property's fair market value at the time of purchase. This tax does not increase based on a rise in real property values (see Proposition 13). California collects $33 billion in property taxes per year.

The state of California has 478 incorporated cities and towns, of which 456 are cities and 22 are towns. Under California law, the terms "city" and "town" are explicitly interchangeable.

The majority of these cities and towns are within one of five metropolitan areas. Sixty-eight percent of California's population lives in its three largest metropolitan areas, Greater Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area and the Riverside-San Bernardino Area also know as the Inland Empire. Although smaller, the other two large population centers are the San Diego and the Sacramento metro areas. California is home to the largest county in the contiguous United States by area, San Bernardino County.