Bluetooth was originally designed as an industry standard, for cross communication between devices, the idea was to create a common protocol that could connect all common household devices, like laptops, cellphones, music systems, televisions etc. using a single protocol. One of the biggest applications of Bluetooth is the transformation it has bought about, in the way mobile phones send and receive data with each other. Today there is a plethora of devices that can be linked up to a mobile phone using the Bluetooth protocol.

The first thing you need to know is that there are actually two types of Bluetooth enabled phones in the market, older handsets that support Bluetooth 1.1 or 1.2 based cell phones (the number indicates the version of the Bluetooth technology, so a lower number means an older version of the technology). Newer and more recent mobiles which support Bluetooth 2.0. There are a couple of features that are supported by handsets with Bluetooth 2.0 that are not supported by 1.1, however all features of a 1.1 version will be supported by 2.0 (the technical term for this is backward compatibility).

The objective of this article however is not to be a technical white paper, but to actually mention some of the really useful Bluetooth enabled gadgets that are available for mobile phones today. So without further specifications and details lets get straight to the list

Bluetooth Headsets

The most popular accessory which supports Bluetooth is the Bluetooth headset, almost all Bluetooth enabled phones support the Bluetooth headset, and the newer version of Bluetooth actually has support for the latest in music listening, Bluetooth enabled stereo headsets. The stereo headsets are a direct result of the implementation of the Bluetooth 2.0 technology, all phones that support streaming of audio in Bluetooth stereo will mention that they support stereo headsets or they usually mention that they support A2DP (Advanced Audio distribution profile).

Most high end phones today offer the stereo Bluetooth headsets as an accessory, especially newer Motorola phones have started supporting the A2DP technology, Nokia, Samsung and LG have also followed suit. So if you are a big music fan and love your music, check to see if your phone supports A2DP and go and get your self a stereo Bluetooth headset. Some popular manufacturers of both stereo and normal Bluetooth headsets are Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Jabra.

Bluetooth Printers

Click and Print is no longer a thing associated with cameras, today you can use your cell phone to take pictures, and simply send them to the nearest Bluetooth enabled printer to print them out, initially Bluetooth printers were used by laptop owners to get easy printing done without any wires at all, however with time Bluetooth enabled printers have become quite the rage and you can simply turn on the Bluetooth on your phone, search for the nearest Bluetooth enabled printer and send copies of your favourite photographs to be printed. And yes! It is actually at the press of a button. Printers supporting Bluetooth are available from all major printer manufacturers like HP, Canon, Compaq etc.