A (Measured) Defense of Bluetooth Headsets

Bluetooth headsets have gotten a bad rap for a while. Named for Danish king Harald Bluetooth, the technology allows two electronic devices to talk to each other. The device could me a computer and its mouse, a printer and a camera, or most popularly a cell phone and headset. This last instance is what has people riled up. There is just something smarmy about a guy wandering the streets of Atlanta, talking to no one, with a blue light flashing in the eyes of passers-by.

But the devices are useful, and make a lot of sense for a lot of people. Here's why.

• Bluetooth headsets are truly handsfree, allowing you to take or make calls with the phone being in a different room.
• Traditional wired headsets are not hands free, and are limited by the length of the cord inserted in the phone.
• For driving, bluetooth is a lifesaver, and in many places it keeps you within the law.
• With new technology, the phone calls are clearer than on traditional headsets.
• Whether you are running with baggage through an airport, or keeping tabs on a conference call off site - the clarity and convenience cannot be beat.

Of course, there are some indefensible abuses of the bluetooth technology.

• There is absolutely no reason to have the headset on if you are not expecting a call.
• If you are in an office building, you have your own office with speakerphone and closing door, and you are not leaving the building - using your bluetooth is just stupid.
• Using a bluetooth set in the club is just asking for trouble.

And then there is the interesting phenomenon of using a bluetooth set while driving at night... I was looking over my shoulder for miles.