Although it may sound mysterious, "Bluetooth" is actually the name for a (relatively) new technology that allows PCs, computer peripherals and other devices to be connected using wireless communications. Basically, it's a short-range radio link that's designed to eliminate all those messy cables that are now used to connect keyboards, mouses, printers, modems and the like.

The BT007 Bluetake USB Dongles (MicroGram Cat. 11904-7) are basically small radio transceivers which plug directly into USB ports. They are Class 1 devices with a range of about 100 metres.

Bluetooth is also intended to render IrDA (infrared communication) obsolete. The problem with IrDA is that it is line-of-sight only, its range is strictly limited and communication can only take place between two devices at any one time. Bluetooth overcomes all these problems and, once set up, is easier to use as well.

In fact, ease of use is touted as one of the big advantages of Bluetooth. The devices automatically find each other (eg, when you bring a laptop in range of a desktop PC), after which the user can carry out a range of tasks, including dial-up networking, faxing, network access, file transfers and information exchange.

Technically, Bluetooth operates in the unlicensed 2.4GHz band and uses frequency-hopping spread-spectrum techniques. This not only helps ensure security (other security measures are built in) but also protects the system from interference. And because RF transmissions are used, communication between two machines is not just limited to line-of-sight.