Bluetooth

In case you missed it, the jailbreak-like application Bluetooth OnOff is still available in the iTunes App Store. Even though the app seems to be in violation of Apple's App Store guidelines, it has managed to survive for six days now. It's unknown whether Apple will pull the app or let it remain, but to be safe, you should probably act quickly.

Bluetooth OnOff offers a simple solution to one of the biggest iPhone complaints -- the ability to activate and deactivate your bluetooth easily. Normally a user must navigate to Settings/General/Bluetooth/Toggle to switch their bluetooth on or off. This application saves you time by allowing you to toggle your bluetooth settings just by launching the app. It also offers some kind of bluetooth chat option, but most iPhone owners will only be interested in the simple toggle feature.

A new jailbreak-like app has snuck its way into the Apple App Store. Bluetooth OnOff allows you to activate or deactivate your bluetooth just by launching the app. This is much better than having to go to Settings/General/Bluetooth/Toggle to switch your bluetooth on and off. However, the app does access iOS settings which is a violation of Apple's app guidelines. This means it will probably be pulled.

You can download the app for $0.99 in the iTunes App Store while it's still available. Bluetooth OnOff is compatible with the iPhone and iPad. It requires iOS 4.1 or later.

Withings has finally brought their popular Smart Baby Monitor to the U.S.. The smart sensor allows parents to communicate with their baby by speaking through their iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. It also detects sound, movement, temperature, humidity levels, and is capable of switching on/off lullabies.

The Withings Smart Baby Monitor features a 3-megapixel camera with night vision, extra wide view lens and a 4X zoom. It can be controlled from anywhere using a Wi-Fi hotspot, Ethernet cable or even Bluetooth. The two way microphone allows parents to hear and speak to their baby from any room in the house. You can even set an alarm based on the baby's movement, audio levels or temperature in the room.

Maybe you've never heard of OBD-II. Simply put, this On-Board Diagnostic system is a computer found on cars built after 1996. Now the data collected by this computer can now be accessed by the Griffin CarTrip On-Board Diagnostic Computer Reader. But why would anyone need this data on their iPhone?

Well for one you can find out exactly why your "check engine" light is on by retrieving the code, even reset the lamp without going to a garage. This alone could save some money, but performance monitoring can help save gas, too.

The crippling of Bluetooth functionality on the iPhone is another one of life's mysteries. As users are painfully aware, the only thing Bluetooth is capable of doing in firmware 2.2 is connecting to a wireless headset. Fortunately for those with jailbroken devices it appears that all of this is about to change.

The iSpazio Repository will soon host software from the iBluetooth project allowing users to unlock Bluetooth on the iPhone and transfer files using a computer or another Bluetooth-enabled phone. This is only the tip of the iceberg. The Bluesn0w project promises to allow developers full access to Bluetooth on the iPhone.

One of the still outstanding "head scratchers" regarding the Apple iPhone is the continued lack of support for the A2DP Bluetooth profile. Considering the iPhone's roots are in the iPod, a stereo music player, it is quite astounding that as we sit here already up to iPhone firmware 1.1.1, there is still no native support for A2DP. The good news is that this doesn't mean A2DP is unavailable to iPhone users.

For those of you unfamiliar with A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile), A2DP is a Bluetooth profile that allows for the wireless transmission of stereo audio from a source (i.e. a phone or computer) to an A2DP receiver (a set of Bluetooth headphones or stereo system).

Back to the good news. Though the iPhone itself does not support A2DP directly (at this time), all iPhone owners can still

The Bluetooth version of the Jawbone headset from Aliph is one of the best selling and highest rated BT headsets on the market. Though also marketed as the stylish man's Bluetooth headset, the Jawbone is sold mainly based on lofty claims made by manufacturer Aliph about the Jawbone's noise reduction/elimination technology. According to Aliph, this "revolutionary Noise Shield technology combines the latest innovations in acoustics, audio processing and product design to produce a quantum leap in headset performance."

Outlets such as CNET (who gave the Jawbone it's highest ever ranking for a Bluetooth headset), Walt Mossberg of the WSJ, and the Financial Times have already given the Jawbone rave reviews. Regardless, I was skeptical. You see, I've tried many other Bluetooth headsets that were positively reviewed. However, I've never found one of them the least bit useable or practical. Sound quality is always lousy (both in and out), pairing is often difficult and unreliable, and most headsets are downright unwearable because of comfort or fit issues.

So, I figured I'd give the Jawbone a try.

When the package arrived, I was certainly eager to give it a shot. The Jawbone lures you in with it's