Audio systems

An area where Bluetooth is starting to make some inroads is in the realm of audio systems. This really should come as no surprise, considering that cell phone audio (for example, hands-free and headset systems) is where the vast majority of Bluetooth action occurs.

What we're talking about here is Bluetooth devices that carry higher-quality audio signals - hi-fi (as opposed to Wi-Fi), as it were. Well, this is an exciting new area for the Bluetooth world because Bluetooth is designed for audio and supports relatively high-quality digital audio transmissions.

You may find Bluetooth audio devices in two distinct places:

• Headphones: Many of us now carry iPods or other portable digital audio players (MP3 players, as they're commonly known) wherever we go. You can identify us by our ubiquitous (at least among the 80 percent or so of MP3 player owners who use iPods) white headphone cords snaking up out of our pockets and into our ears. Well it's time to cut that cord too. With systems like the Jabra Wireless Headphones ($13, www.Jabra. com), you can be up to 30 feet from your iPod while grooving to the latest single from White Stripes. The Jabra BT620s system even includes integrated controls so that you can not only listen but also adjust the volume, pause, or skip to the beginning of Blue Orchid. It even works as a headset for your music-capable smartphone and will stop the music so you can answer a call without missing a beat - so to speak.
• Speaker systems: If you have a stereo or multichannel audio system in your house, you know the Achilles' heel of all such systems: those ugly speaker wires running from the back of your receiver or amplifier to the speakers. For home theater systems, this problem is particularly acute because you have speakers in the back of the room (we wrote Home Theater For Dummies and even we have trouble dealing with that speaker wire run). Well, Bluetooth can come to the rescue. Many manufacturers make Bluetooth speaker systems that work with your Bluetooth-enabled devices. Companies such as iBluon and Motorola manufacture Bluetooth transmitters that take the signal from your stereo's headset Out jack. So cut the cord and still enjoy your music.