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.

Other Bluetooth enabled devices

More and more devices everyday are beginning to support Bluetooth, from speakers that can be linked up to without wires, to digital photo frames that support Bluetooth, there is no limit to the endless possibilities that Bluetooth enabled cell phones can full fill. The most popular Bluetooth device from the above mentioned are the new Bluetooth enabled speakers, using the A2DP technology mentioned earlier, instead of sending audio to a headset you can actually send it straight to a speaker, and listen to the music of your choice without getting special adapters for your mobile phone. Similarly you can display your favourite pictures using a digital photo frame, just send the photos to the digital photo frame and enjoy the crystal clarity and sharpness of the photo frame.