When in the name of all that is good and pure, is the United States going to completely allow this?  Now, as I’ve mentioned before, the allowance of mobile phone calls in-flight has a plethora of pro’s and more than its fair share of cons.  While it WOULD be rad to call whomever you want whenever you want while flying, it most certainly WOULD NOT be rad to hear everyone else yacking at the very same time.  Yikes.

That said, the U.K. has officially approved in-flight mobile phone calls, just not during take-off and landing, and only after the plane reaches at least 3,000 meters according to reports.  According to the Office of Communications in the U.K., “The safety of passengers is paramount and mobile systems on aircraft will only be installed when they have secured approval by the European Aviation Safety Agency and the Civil Aviation Authority in the UK.”  Well at least they’ve thought it out.

Apparently the calls will be routed to an on-board base station and then sent out accordingly.  So, knowing this, how much do you want a Bluetooth headset to at least not have to HOLD the phone during your long flights?  Lets just hope they pre-install soundproof curtains between every seat from now on because the thought of hearing 250 passengers talking to 250 OTHER people all at the same time in a closed-in cabin at 30,000 feet is just, well, terrifying.

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Ever wanted to run around with one of those larynx microphones attached to your neck like Keanu Reeves’ moved Speed? Well, RoadRunner has just released their Bluetooth Communicator that does just that.

It is a regular Bluetooth headset that connects to your cell phone normally - except  that you wear this one around your neck instead of on your ear. The microphone “hears” the vibrations from your larynx in your throat. To listen, there is a piece that connects up to your ear.

If you’re wondering why anyone would want one (and I did!) - the larynx headset is not susceptible to any outside noises. It is a good device for loud venues or sensitive situations where you wouldn’t want the background noise telegraphed to the person you are speaking to - like concerts, conferences, or even the back of on a motorcycle.

It’s selling in the UK and EU for about $80.

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As we anticipate the rollout later this year for MoGo’s Bluetooth headset, more and more states are introducing laws that will make these headsets not only useful, but lawful.

A hands-free solution, like a Bluetooth, may be the only thing that stands between you and an expensive ticket.

Or, more importantly, an accident.

While there are no firm statistics yet that prove the danger of using a phone while driving, common sense and anecdotal evidence from accident reports both demonstrate that splitting your attention while driving just isn’t safe.

Over a dozen states as well as the District of Columbia have passed bans on cell phone usage (either talking without a headset or texting) while driving - most as restrictions for teenagers.

But California is now leading the pack with a recently passed law that goes into effect July, 2008.

The legislation is applicable to all drivers of all ages and makes it a violation to talk on your mobile without a headset while driving. The pain, if caught, is to the tune of a $285 ticket . That will be DOUBLED in construction zones.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s daughter turned driving age this year, which may explain why he signed the new law. However, make no mistake - this IS a sign of things to come nationally. The US is way behind the rest of the cell-phone world when it comes to these kinds of laws which have been in place for a long time abroad.

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A. Ever since Tyler first posted about his dislike of ‘Bluecasting’ (also known as Bluejacking) , it’s got a lot of people asking me - if it’s so easy to push unwanted information TO a Bluetooth headset, does that mean people can PULL information through my Bluetooth device, too?

The simple answer is yes.

Since almost the very moment Bluetooth was released, hackers have been building ways to crack it.

The first Bluetooth breaches were through an early security hole. Nicknamed “Bluebugging: “, hackers took advantage of this backdoor to eavesdrop as well as access and even overwrite a phone’s address book and text message files. As with any Bluetooth security breach, the hacker had to be within 30 feet of your phone.

Starting in 2005, most new Bluetooth-enabled phones were cured of this, although hackers are always writing new code and new programs to breach security.

As that hole was being plugged, hackers discovered that Bluetooth phones in ‘Discoverable’ mode could be accessed . This is called “Bluesnarfing“.

Unauthorized users ‘pair up’ to your Bluetooth and once linked, can steal the whole of your phone book, that’s your whole contact list, your calendar, your stored pictures, even your ring tones.

There is also something called a ‘DoS’ attack. A Denial-of-Service is a malicious hacker who broadcasts a code that makes your device unavailable to you until it reboots (turned off and then turned on again). There’s usually no breach of your information in a DoS attack, or harm to your headset or phone. It’s just idiocy for idiocy’s sake.

Should these security concerns keep you from buying and using say… a new MoGo headset?No. The good news is that there are things you can do to keep your calls and information safer.

1) Turn off discoverable mode.

Most phones are “visible” (or set to ‘Discoverable mode’) by default when Bluetooth is switched on. The safest mode is ‘Non-discoverable’:

1. Non-discoverable mode: Does not respond to inquiry - highest safety for your phone. .
2. Limited discoverable mode (or ‘Hidden’): Discoverable only for a limited period of time, during temporary conditions or for a specific event - this provides medium safety.
3. General discoverable mode: Discoverable continuously or for no specific condition - no safety from Bluejacking or Bluesnarfing.

2) Use a strong PIN code for you headset.
Not only should you choose a strong PIN, you should also be careful not to use it in public where it can caught by someone watching. If your headset and phone become unpaired, go somewhere private to link them back up .... not standing in the middle of the mall.

3) Never, ever let an unknown device pair to your phone. Periodically watch the Bluetooth symbol on your phone. If it looks different, or you see an unexpected message appear on your device asking to pair up, well, to quote Nancy Reagan - just say NO.

Unsure what the Bluetooth symbol is supposed to look like? Apple has a great article showing all the Bluetooth icons and their meanings here.

4) Keep Moving. PC Today said it well: “Unless your attacker has invested vast amounts of time and money in a long-range Bluetooth transmitter/receiver, chances are great that they will be operating within standard Bluetooth range (within 10 meters [33 feet]). If you notice something wacky happening with your smartphone or PDA and don’t know what else to do, simply get up and move away.

“If you are on a bus, train, airplane, or other confined area, simply power off your device and wait to see who reacts. If you catch them, make sure to give them a dirty look. ”

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On Fridays, MoGo Mobility’s Elizabeth will seek to answer your MoGo (and non-MoGo) technical questions.

Elizabeth is a professional writer & geek with most of the last decade spent in senior management at a leading global IT provider. Thousands have attended her seminars in the US & Canada on subjects ranging from basic TCP/IP networking to high-end data storage solutions.

Got a question? Ask Elizabeth.

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Q. I’ve searched the MoGo documentation, MoGo reviews and your blog looking for mention of whether or not it is a good idea to simply leave the MoGo mouse in the PC Card slot after it has fully charged, but when it is not being used. My concern is whether or not the mouse continues to drain power from the battery even when it is fully charged? (From Rob)

A. Rob asks a good question. To find the answer, I hunted down Jack Corrao, a VP of Newton Peripherals (maker of MoGo Mouse).

I suspected MoGo used a smart battery, and that’s exactly what Jack confirmed;

The MoGo Mouse includes an intelligent battery management systems that slowly ramps down charging requirement from PC Card slot as it gets close to full charge. Once the MoGo is fully charged, the MoGo does not drain any power from your laptop.

Q. I hadn’t considered using my Bluetooth headset with my laptop before. Can I do that, and then still use it with my phone at the same time? C. (Anon.)

A. In short? Yes.

But you need a ‘multipoint’ kind of headset that is designed specifically to do this.

Normally, however, you can synch (or ‘pair’) your Bluetooth headset to multiple devices but you can only connect it to with one thing at a time.

This is how it works. Say you’ve paired up your headset to your phone. Then a co-worker sends you a rough cut of your company’s latest ad campaign and you want to watch it on your Bluetooth-enabled laptop without broadcasting the sound, but your wired headphones are riding somewhere in the back pocket of a 747 where you accidentally left them.

No problem. Simply put your headset in pairing mode and use your laptop’s Bluetooth manager to find it. Now the sounds of the MVID will be sent to your ear but not your neighbors’.

(If your laptop has never ‘found’ your headset before, then you’ll have to initialize it the first time. If your laptop is Bluetooth-enabled [or you’ve purchased a ‘dapter], start by putting your headset into ‘pairing mode’. This is usually holding down a button until a light blinks, see your manufacturer’s instructions. Then go into the Bluetooth control panel on your laptop and have it ‘discover’ your headset. Once your laptop finds it, you’ll be be prompted for a PIN. Once you’ve done this the first time, you’re off to the races - switching is a matter of holding down the button on the headset and having the device ‘find’ it.)

Q. Does the new MoGo mouse have to be used with a laptop? I want to use it on my regular PC. (Anon.)

A. While some PC’s and most MAC’s do generally come now Bluetooth-enabled and adapters are available (or on the way) if yours isn’t, the other thing a MoGo mouse needs is a PC Card slot to charge up - something not commonly found in a desktop system.

So you can certainly pair up a MoGo mouse to work with your PC, you may need to hunt up a laptop to charge it. However, now that you’ve asked the question maybe you’ll spur some product development

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On Fridays, MoGo Mobility’s Elizabeth will seek to answer your MoGo (and non-MoGo) technical questions.

Elizabeth is a professional writer & geek with most of the last decade spent in senior management at a leading global IT provider. Thousands have attended her seminars in the US & Canada on subjects ranging from basic TCP/IP networking to high-end data storage solutions.

Got a question? Ask Elizabeth.

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Could it be that the new Apple iPhone actually allows you to charge both the phone AND Bluetooth Headsets on the same dock?! Now, I’m not making fun of Apple here, but in my experience with the company, anytime an additional functionality is needed, it usually means whipping out the checkbook yet again. If it’s true that they’re actually tossing in headset charging to the dock, I will be both excited and pleasantly surprised.

The photo above is one I found over at Engadget and all I can really gather so far from it is that 1) it is Apple White…2) That’s it. So, whether or not it WILL or will NOT charge the headsets remains to be seen. Regardless, for all you non iPhone users, I suggest when the MoGo Headset comes out, you get one, or three for you and friends; it really will set the bar for new design in Bluetooth Headset.

Head over, check it out, then let us know if you think it will, or will not support Bluetooth Headset charging. Sound off!

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Here’s a question for all you tech freaks, gadget lovers, and all around electronic guru’s…Will the whole Speech To Text thing be the next wave of the future, or will it be a passing phase?  Will it be the technology that revolutionizes how we do, well, just about everything, or will it be another Chia Pet?  I really want to know what all of YOU think about this.

The reason I ask is simple, I just saw over on the Scoble Show, a video with the two founders of a new company called Mobeus.  Mobeus is a technology that lets you literally talk to your cell phone, and when I say talk TO your cell phone, I mean that, not through it, To it.  The video even offers up a pretty cool little demo where Mike Phillips, the company’s CTO searches for a Creedence Clearwater song by simply talking to it.  The speech-to-text in this new technology is waaaaaaaay beyond your simple “Training” style speech-to-text your phone probably has right now, and can literally (with very few errors) type what you say, as you say it, accurately.

So, my question is, in this Bluetooth age of wireless tech, simple innovations, and the whole world getting a lot smaller, where will speech-to-text fit in?  I’m thinking of the exciting implications of this when you pair it with an awesome Bluetooth headset like the MoGo headset.  Imagine being able to just speak directly into your headset, with your phone in your pocket, and being able to dial people, search the internet for songs or videos, or compose entire blog posts without Ever having to use your fingers.  Wow.

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Guess what friends, things are getting lighter, stronger, faster, more efficient, and most of all, SMALLER.  With every day hour that passes someone somewhere is coming out with a tinier version of whatever it is you’re using right now.  I think we saw that in an extreme case last week with the Bluetooth Headset that literally fit INSIDE your ear canal.  Scary.

Nevertheless, technology certainly is catching up with the science fiction of our imaginations, and I just found a cool little article packed with Tech ideas for all you “space conscious” Road Warriors out there.  Lets face it, with airports cracking down on that 50lb rule, any extra size and/or weight we can drop without dropping the technology we know, love and desperately need, the better.

Head over, read up on some of Their tech ideas, then head back here for a daily onslaught of Our tech ideas.  I hate to toot our own horns, but folks, can you get any cooler, any more “Road Warrior-ish” than a fully operational mouse that weighs next to nothing and literally fits INSIDE your computer?  I don’t think so.

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