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  • Aug 23, 2007, 10:40 AM
    snowflake22
    Computer Questions
    Since Bluetooth can be used with PCs I thought asking this in other computers would be OK.

    Someone told me the following and I wanted to know if this is true.
    Bluetooth is what wireless is? If it says bluetooth, it is wireless.
    If one has a Bluetooth keybaord than why does it use batteries. The person told me whether they are plugged into the device batteries are needed because they need a power source to send the wireless signals out to the device.
    If Bluetooth is wireless than why would some keyboards plug into the device it's being used with. I always thought wireless meant something didn't have to be plugged into something else to use it.

    I found some info about Bluetooth at Bluetooth - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    I had some questions to ask about the link I shared. It talks about paring devices. How does one pair for instance a Bluetooth keyboard with lets say a PC or PDA? Does a code have to be used for both things so the keyboard will only work with one PC or PDA?
  • Aug 23, 2007, 11:16 AM
    Smith21000
    Yes, simply put Bluetooth is wireless. However please realize that when people speak of wireless they are generally speaking of signals sent to and from a device giving it instructions. They are not talking about power. There was a write up not to long ago of a group from the of the major universities that created "wi-tricity" as they called it. Basically being able to send power "wirelessly" to something that needed power. Realize that this technology is not yet up to speed and I personally don't think it will be anytime soon. However could you imagine if power could be transferred wirelessly, good bye batteries, gasoline, etc etc. I believe it would be revolutionary. That's just my thoughts, hope it helps
  • Aug 23, 2007, 11:24 AM
    ScottGem
    Bluetooth communicates wirelessly but its NOT "wireless". When most people say wireless they are referring to either cellular phone service or WiFi (802.11) networking. Bluetooth is neither.

    Bluetooth is short range (100M) wireless two-way communication between Bluetooth enabled devices. Bluetooth does need power in both ends to manage the signal.

    There are other wireless technologies besides Bluetooth. InfraRed for example.
  • Aug 23, 2007, 11:43 AM
    retsoksirhc
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by snowflake22
    Since Bluetooth can be used with PCs I thought asking this in other computers would be ok.

    Someone told me the following and I wanted to know if this is true.
    Bluetooth is what wireless is? If it says bluetooth, it is wireless.
    If one has a Bluetooth keybaord than why does it use batteries. The person told me whether or not they are plugged into the device batteries are needed because they need a power source to send the wireless signals out to the device.
    If Bluetooth is wireless than why would some keyboards plug into the device it's being used with. I always thought wireless meant something didn't have to be plugged into something else to use it.

    I found some info about Bluetooth at Bluetooth - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    I had some questions to ask about the link I shared. It talks about paring devices. How does one pair for instance a Bluetooth keyboard with lets say a PC or PDA? Does a code have to be used for both things so the keyboard will only work with one PC or PDA?

    You friend was correct that it needed the batteries for a power source. If the device has rechargeable batters, sometimes you can plug it in with a USB cable, straight into a regulr USB port to charge it. Another reason to plug it in might be that, even if the batteries are dead, the device (lets say that same keyboard), will run on a cable if the battery power runs out.

    As for pairing, yes, you usually need a code. This is how I had to do it with my bluetooth headset that I use with my laptop:

    Charge the power on the headset (with a USB cable, which also came with a separate charger, so I can use it either way)
    Turn on the headset and put it in pairing mode (which lets it respond to someone looking for new devices)
    Have the laptop search for wireless devices (the headset knows it should respond)
    The computer finds the headset, but the headset wants a code to let the computer access it (the code was preset, and came in the instruction manual. I think it was 1234 or something... just a small security measure)
    The laptop and headset talk to each other, then they remember who the other is. If you want to switch the headset to a different computer, do it all over again. Same with using a different headset on that computer. Just put the headset back in pairing mode, and have the computer search again.
  • Aug 23, 2007, 12:09 PM
    snowflake22
    Smith21000
    I agree with what you said about could you imagine if power could be transferred wirelessly, good bye batteries, gasoline, etc etc. I believe it would be revolutionary.
    I wonder if it would be expensive to have wi-tricity if that could ever happen. I mean how could a vehicle run wirelessly.

    ScottGem
    Thanks for telling me what people consider as being wireless. If Bluetooth isn't wireless than why does it say it's wireless. I have heard of InfraRed, but I heard it's harder to use InfraRed because you have to aim for example a InfraRed keyboard at the right angle to the device it's being used with in order for the two things to communicate.

    retsoksirhc
    That is good my friend was correct that it needed the batteries for a power source.
    How can what you said about if a device has rechargeable batters, sometimes one can plug it in with a USB cable, straight into a regulr USB port to charge it? Are you talking about using a computer tower or laptop USB port? Now that you bring up the USB port thing I do have a device that has rechargeable batteries and when the device is plugged into a USB port it is charging the device.
    You said another reason to plug it in might be that, even if the batteries are dead, the device (lets say that same keyboard), will run on a cable if the battery power runs out. The only thing with that is when I plug the device I have into a USB port to charge it I can't actually use the product. What I mean is I can add things to the products memory, but I can't view what is on the device while it's plugged into a USB port.

    If a code is needed to get two things to communicate with each other than how does one get the code. You sort of told me how you did it with the headset you are using for your laptop. Why did you want a Bluetooth headset? Why not use a regular headset? Lets say two head sets were in the same room when trying to pair one of them with the laptop would that affect the headset from communicating with the laptop if both headsets were on.
  • Aug 23, 2007, 12:28 PM
    retsoksirhc
    Computers can usually handle more information. If you've got two headsets, most computers will remember each one separately. I'm not sure if you could use both at the same time, as I've never tried that, but you shuold be able to use just one, even if the other one is turned on. They work like computers do on a network. If the computer doesn't need some data that's being sent over the line it's connected to, it just doesn't listen for it. Likewise, the computer knows which devices it's listening to, and it just ignores all the others. That's why you have to pair them.

    As for the code, it should be in the manual that came with the device. If it's a keyboard, it should say in the manual either what the code is, or where to find the code.

    As for the dead batteries, not all devices are the same. My mom can't use her MP3 player while it's charging, plugged into the USB port of her computer, but I can use my wireless mouse if it's plugged into the USB port on my laptop. It just depends on the capabilities of the device you're using.
  • Aug 23, 2007, 12:40 PM
    snowflake22
    retsoksirhc
    Why would one want to use more than one headphone at the same time with a computer? Is it so two people can listen to the same thing at the same time without disturbing others.
    I have not bought the Bluetooth keyboard as I was talking about for this thread so I don't know if a manual is sent with the keyboard or not. Someday I might buy a Bluetooth keyboard, but not in the next month or two. I just like to know how things work before I actually buy something.
    Thanks for telling me what device can be used when it's plugged into a USB port. If a computer mouse is wireless than why do you need to plug it into a USB port. Does a wireless mouse take batteries?
  • Aug 23, 2007, 01:33 PM
    retsoksirhc
    Yep, Pretty much everything that's wireless needs batteries to run. Otherwise it won't be able to communicate with the computer.

    About the only thing I can think of right now that doesn't require a battery is a crystal set radio. They use the energy from the radio waves themselves as power.

    And I don't know why you would want two headsets. I guess that could be a reason. People need all sorts of crazy stuff sometimes.
  • Aug 23, 2007, 04:34 PM
    ScottGem
    Check out this site:

    Home - SD Card Association

    4G and higher cards are "on the way" but not here yet.
  • Aug 24, 2007, 04:16 AM
    snowflake22
    ScottGem
    The site you shared said something about SD speed class. What is speed class and why is it used for SDHC cards? Do regular SD cards use speed class?

    Here is the 4GB card that I was talking about that didn't show anything about it being an SDHC card. Not seeing HC on the card makes me wonder why the card didn't work in the computers own card reader. I hope the card was just defective and the next one will work.
    What does it mean by extreme performance and could the card saying extreme performance be the reason why the card didn't work in the card reader. I hope that wasn't the cause of the card not working in the card reader.

    4GB SD Card
  • Aug 24, 2007, 05:51 AM
    ScottGem
    The key to that linked card is this:

    Compliant with the SD Card Associations specification

    As far as what they mean, the site explains what they mean. As to why iut didn't work it is probably that the card reader was designed with an earlier spec that can't read those cards.

    As for speed class, what does the site say about it?
  • Aug 24, 2007, 06:42 AM
    snowflake22
    I didn't see the following Compliant with the SD Card Associations specification on the site I shared for the 4GB SD card that you said it said. Since you saw it thanks for pointing it out. What does Compliant with the SD Card Associations specification mean?

    The site you shared that talked about speed class said SDHC cards have to have a speed class. What is the difference between speed class and a card that says 60X or 150X on it?

    Was the following As far as what they mean, the site explains what they mean. As to why iut didn't work it is probably that the card reader was designed with an earlier spec that can't read those cards. Said on the link you shared or the link I shared. If the new card won't work in the card reader for the computer I use than I guess only a 2GB or smaller card will work with the card reader.
  • Aug 24, 2007, 06:49 AM
    ScottGem
    C'mon Snowflake. You seem to be a reasonably intelligent person. You con't know what the word compliant means? Don't have access to a dictionary?

    If your built in card reader won't work, you can purchase an external reader that may be compatible.

    Speed Class appears to be a requirement of SDHC cards to produce faster transfer rates. But I'm not sure what the specification means. Try contacting the association.
  • Aug 24, 2007, 06:51 AM
    snowflake22
    I have a 1GB SD card for a digital camera and the card reader will read it and allowe me to put things back on the card. I put pictures on the card that I scanned to the computer or saved to the computer from the digital camera when I used the SD card to take the pictures with or saved pictures I was sent to the computer. I was wondering when I put the SD card back into the digital camera none of the pictures I put onto the card from the card reader will work with the digital camera even the ones that were taken from the digital camera that were taken off the card and put back onto the card won't work with the digital camera. Could changing the name of the file for the pictures taken from the digital camera be the reason this has happened? I did find out that if I plug the camera into the USB port I can see all the pictures that are on the card when I choose which pictures I want to put onto the computer. Just wondering why that is.
  • Aug 24, 2007, 06:53 AM
    ScottGem
    The reason has to do with the file system. The camera will only read pictures tio actually stored on the card. But a computer will read the whole card.
  • Aug 24, 2007, 06:58 AM
    snowflake22
    What do you mean by pictures that are actually stored on the card? I thought if a picture is on the memory card it's being stored on it. I know when I added the pictures to the memory card with the card reader I get less space to add more pictures to the card with the card reader or to take pictures with the digital camera to be stored on the card.

    I have a DVD player that has a slot to read memory cards in so one can view pictures on the card right on the TV screen. I was wondering why the DVD player won't show the pictures on the memory card anymore when it did when I first bought the DVD player. I bought the DVD player in the spring of 2006.
  • Aug 24, 2007, 08:07 AM
    ScottGem
    That was supoosed to be IT (meaning the camera) actually stored to the card.
  • Aug 24, 2007, 08:22 AM
    snowflake22
    Are you saying only pictures the digital camera actually stored on the memory card will show up when one views the pictures right from the camera? If so again how come if one puts pictures back onto a memory card that were originally taken from that camera it still won't read it. It makes sense now why pictures that were not taken from the camera won't show up on the camera when you try to view them using the camera.
  • Aug 24, 2007, 08:29 AM
    ScottGem
    Yes that's exactly what I'm saying. Why it works that way, I'm not sure. But I've used cameras from different mfgs and they all work that way.
  • Aug 24, 2007, 08:32 AM
    biggsie
    Simple explanation --- I have a wireless mouse, and a wireless keyboard they

    Both transmit a signal (wirelessly) to their respective (recievers) which are

    Powered from USB ports... The mouse requires 2 -AA batteries to send a

    Signal to its receiver -- the keyboard also requires 2 - AA to send signal to its

    Receiver... It's great to be wireless, don't forget to keep new batteries handy for

    When it dies...

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