Do you remember the days when if you wanted to listen to music, you had to plug in your stereo and hope that the power didn’t go out? Those days are long gone and there are now tons of devices that make it easy to take your music with you. I’m sure that some people still prefer their portable CD players, but almost everyone nowadays either already owns or has their eye on those spanking new mp3 players that are all the rage.

Mp3 players are much more lightweight than CD players, because they don’t require CDs. In fact, most of the top mp3 players allow you to download music directly to your mp3 players’ hard drive. This has drastically reduced the space requirements and today’s mp3 players can easily fit into a shirt or pants pocket. While many brands have their own versions of mp3 players, by far the most popular is undoubtedly the Apple iPod. Here’s why the iPod is so much ahead.

Mp3 players can be put into two categories; those which use flash memory and those which have a hard drive. The iPod Nano boasts an amazing 2GB of storage space, which translates to over 500 songs. The accompanying software is upgradeable so you don’t need to change mp3 players to keep up. You can fine tune the sound quality by using a number of equalizer presets and the device is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems.

You really see the iPod’s popularity though when you consider hard drive mp3 players. These typically have a much higher storage capacity than flash memory mp3 players and the iPod is no exception. Although much of the features are the same as its flash memory counterparts, iPod hard drive mp3 players top the scale with a whopping 30 GB of storage and the ability to recognize and play video files as well.

The amount of space offered, and the accompanying features, have put Apple’s mp3 players at the top of many consumers’ wish lists and the iPod continues to hold off challengers. High sales of Ipods have led to a jump in the associated market of iPod accessories. Think of a possible accessory, and it’s probable been made. Today’s iPod accessories comprise the typical headphones and rechargeable adapters, but there is some more creative fare. These iPod accessories include docking stations, speakers and LCD displays. Even the garment industry has jumped on the bandwagon and created iPod accessories in the form of special pockets for your iPod.

With different electrical devices produced everyday, the problem of connecting things is becoming more and more complex. The system that comprises the computers and other electronic devices makes use of varieties of connecting wires, cables and the likes. These parts communicate trough light beams, lasers, radio signals and infrared. However, the problem with this devices and technologies is often the connection between each component. Thus, most systems are not used to their full extent due to complexities.

To simplify things, a solution was created to streamline the process of connections- bluetooth.

Bluetooth is wireless and automatic and offers users with varieties of excellent features that has recreated the art of connection. It has revolutionized the standard method of connecting things that virtually anything can be connected on a single system. From computers to mobile phones and from keyboards to headphones by means of wireless, automatic and inexpensive connection.

Other than the bluetooth technology, there are other ways of connecting things. Take for example the infrared or IR. It allows low frequency light waves which the eye can no longer interpret to transmit signals to another component. The technology is easy to create and cost of incorporating the IR device into a system is in barest minimum. Yet it has limited operations that seldom obstructs the process of connection.

Infrared technology is one to one process. Due to this limitation, you may only send signals from one component to another, like the case of the television set and the remote control. The same is true between laptops and desktops. You may only transmit signals between the two but not with another separate system, say a PDA through simultaneous actions.

It also works only on the line of sight principle wherein one has to point the infrared device directly to the host system to achieve a desirable result.

In spite of the fact that these two natures of infrared technology are obstacles to acquiring results, these same qualities have worked in advantage to connection. Because infrared devices need to be lined up directly on opposing locations, too little interference occurs between transmitters and receivers. The one to one principle on the other hand is designed to transmit signals only to the original recipient. Given that there are varieties of infrared recipients in a location, the intended recipient alone will receive the signal coming from a transmitter.

However, technology was not contented with what infrared offers. They resolved these limitations through creating the bluetooth solution.

Bluetooth technology works by transmitting signals via low frequency radio signals. The path of communication is approximately working on 2.45 gigahertz. The same frequency band is utilized in ISM devices.

The design of the technology was such that it has created a new system that does not interfere with the other devices that make use of the same frequency band (e.g. ISM). One way of doing this is the programming of the bluetooth technology to only transmit signals that has 1 milliwatt or less. Beyond this, other systems may be affected. By comparison, cell phones and other mobile devices send signals at a rate of 3 milliwatts and more.

The standard range of the bluetooth is around ten meters. This lessens the possibility that interference between device may occur. With this low transmission, it is still possible for the user to transmit bluetooth signals between obstructing walls.

Bluetooth in many ways have contributed much in connecting individual systems without being bothered by the bulk of the cables and wires.