Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology used today for connecting and transferring information between devices such as mobile phones, laptops, PCs, PDAs, printers, digital cameras, mice and keyboards.
As different devices use different cables and plugs to connect to other devices, it can be tricky to move data around -- most phones have a unique, proprietary port to serve as an interface, for example. Bluetooth defines wireless standards that allow data to be transferred between such devices securely, easily and, of course, free of cables.
In the wireless world, Bluetooth is a snail: home Wi-Fi networks and wireless hotspots are almost 20 times faster. With the latest incarnation of Bluetooth (version 2.0), devices must be within about 15 metres of each other to connect, and achieve data transfer speeds up to 2 or 3Mbps (megabits per second) -- real world experiences are usually half of this. Expect an average-length song to transfer from a Bluetooth-capable laptop to a phone with Bluetooth in a minute; pictures or ring tones take about 10 seconds.