Bleill, 30, is one of two Iraq war veterans, both double leg amputees, to use the Bluetooth prosthetics. Computer chips in each leg send signals to motors in the artificial joints so the knees and ankles move in a coordinated fashion. Bleill’s set of prosthetics have Bluetooth receivers strapped to the ankle area. The Bluetooth device on each leg tells the other leg what it’s doing, how it’s moving, whether walking, standing or climbing steps, for example. “They mimic each other, so for stride length, for amount of force coming up, going uphill, downhill and such, they can vary speed and then to stop them again,” Bleill told CNN from Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where he’s undergoing rehab.

Read the full story at CNN.

We still cannot understand why Apple is taking so long to add the Bluetooth connectivity to their iPod line. Also, it is a shame to live with the iPhone supporting only mono connections. Well, if you cannot wait any longer here some instructions to make your iPod stream music with an internal Bluetooth connectivity, adding a Jabra A120S music adapter. Keep in mind that a good hand and decent soldering skills are required to get the job done. Also, you must be willing to live with the possibility that you will destroy your iPod.

To check the step by step instructions, just click here.

Via Gizmodo.com.

Using nothing a radio receiver, a sound card and a piece of software, Swiss security firm Dreamlab Technologies managed to capture and decode the radio communications between a keyboard and a PC. The attack opens the way up to all sorts of mischief including keystroke logging to capture login credentials to online banking sites or email accounts.

Dreamlab cracked the encryption key used within Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop 1000 and 2000 keyboards. As most products in Microsoft’s wireless range are based on the same technology other products are likely to be insecure. Max Moser and Phillipp Schrödel of Dreamlab Technologies succeeded in eavesdropping traffic from a distance of up to ten meters using a simple radio receiver. More sensitive receivers may make it possible to capture keystrokes over larger distances.

To our surprise, only the actual keystroke data seems to be encrypted. The Metaflags and identifier bits aren’t encrypted or obfuscated. The one byte USB Hid code is encrypted using a simple XOR mechanism with a single byte of random data generated during the association procedure.

This means that there are only 256 different key values possible per keyboard and receiver pair. We did not notice any automated key change interval and therefore assume that the encryption key stays the same until the user reassociates the keyboard. 256 key combination can be brute forced even with very slow computers today. We did not analyze the quality of the random number so far because it was not needed to successfully break the encryption.”

Says Dreamlab.

Probably after this alert the Bluetooth peripheral manufacturers will watch closely for security issues on their devices.

Mac OS X Tiger lacked the A2DP Bluetooth audio profile support, but we are lucky with the new Leopard OS. A2DP is the profile for stereo music, contrary to the lower quality mono profile for standard phone headsets. This means that you can now stream iTunes music without wires straight into from your MAC to you ears. In addition, we will find the inclusion of the AVRCP profile, meaning that you can make use of the controls on your Bluetooth headphones or stereo as well. The A2DP profile uses compression, so it’s not a high-fidelity solution for you.
Ryan from ThoughtsAbound.com successfully made an easy setup Leopard with a Motorola S805 Bluetooth stereo headset to stream music from iTunes, of course, wirelessly .

Another successful year for the Bluetooh wireless market. By the end of 2007, IMS – a market research company – forecast an increase of 40%, compared to 2006, shipping around 800 million Bluetooth-enabled devices.
IMS continues to forecast a big growth but raises caution flags regarding ultimate attach rates in the total cellular handset market. The growing demand for low-cost handsets in emerging markets will actively provide phones with only basic functionality and many handsets will probably not be Bluetooth-enabled.
The annual number of Bluetooth-enabled cellular handsets shipped is anticipated to surpass the 500 million unit mark for the first time ever in 2007.
Worldwide figures are still low for stereo headsets for a number of reasons including consumer acceptance, stereo headset design/price, and the fact that the other end of the equation (i.e. Bluetooth-enabled personal media players and A2DP-enabled phones) are yet to make a real impact on the market.
Once the three of these happen, and IMS Research definitely believes they will over the next 12 – 18 months, then we expect the stereo headset market to really take off. There is likely to be a big push at the end of 2007 and in 2008 but “considerable” worldwide volume won’t be reached until 2009 and beyond.

Via Yahoo News

Read the full article from tmcnet.com.

Samsung is offering the WEP430 headset which is designed for the active users . It sports two microphones for optimum voice quality and supports echo reduction. It connects via Bluetooth 2.0 while and offers 5 hours of talk time and 110 hours of standby time. The headset will be available in three flavors and no availability or pricing was released. A full review will be posted soon.

This is not the first time that I read an article about people using the Bluetooth technology to have some advantage.
Mobile phone technology is being used by thieves to seek out and steal laptops locked in cars in Cambridgeshire.
Up-to-date mobiles often have Bluetooth technology, which allows other compatible devices, including laptops, to link up and exchange information, and log on to the internet.
But thieves in Cambridge have cottoned on to an alternative use for the function, using it as a scanner which will let them know if another Bluetooth device is locked in a car boot.
Det Sgt Al Funge, from Cambridge’s crime investigation unit, said: “There have been a number of instances of this new technology being used to identify cars which have valuable electronics, including laptops, inside.”

Nokia has just announced a new and innovative Bluetooth headset. The HS-13W let you receive the calls using the handsfree, and also provide a color display to navigate the phonebook and incoming calls. You will be able to see who’s calling, make a call, browse your phonebook, and view images on the compact color display.

The HS-13W features include:

* Color display to view phonebook and see names or numbers of callers?
* Wireless handsfree call handling?
* View and share text or images on the 128 x 128-pixel color display?
* Speaker-independent voice dialing (accepts commands from multiple speakers)
* Strap included so you can easily carry it around your neck

Scosche Industries has announced its patent-pending Bluetooth wireless interface for iPod and MP3 players for aftermarket brand-name head units and home audio systems is a winner of the prestigious 2006 CES Innovations Award.

Unlike other “wired” interfaces, the Scosche transmitter connects directly to the headphone output connector of the iPod/MP3 unit and transmits to a Bluetooth receiver connected to the auxiliary input of a vehicle’s head unit or home audio system. Scosche’s Bluetooth wireless technology transmits digital continuous streaming audio with CD quality sound to a car or home receiver. Additionally, Scosche has added hands-free cellular functions to its interface for Bluetooth cell phones, allowing users to listen to their music and answer cell phone calls hands-free in their vehicles. “Scosche has been synonymous with innovative car audio accessories and we are pleased to offer another first to market product with our Bluetooth wireless technology,” said Kas Alves, vice president marketing and sales, Scosche Industries. “Customers now can enjoy their music without wired limitations. Our hands-free cell phone function adds increased value to our interface. Users can now answer their cell phones and talk completely hands-free eliminating the distraction of picking up your cell phone to talk while driving.”