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BlueSkimming
From the "slightly over-the-top" department, comes this BBC Three exposition on how hackers can scam mobile phones over Bluetooth. They connect to "vulnerable" phones (incorrectly positioned in the item as "any phone with Bluetooth turned on") and they get the phone to dial a premium rate number they own. Good scam, and well described for the most part.
My only gripe is the things they do not cover:
- Not all phones with Bluetooth would let you dial out
- Not all phones with Bluetooth would let any external connection access the dial function without either a) asking permission via the UI and / or b) pairing first
- Anyone who finds themselves scammed this way will of course get their funds refunded when they report the Premium Rate scam to the authorities and their mobile company; the scam-boys can of course be caught this way (it's getting harder and harder to create scam premium rate gigs, at least in Ireland and the UK it is)
These are minor gripes though. If their item was accurate, they managed to scam STG 500 in a relatively short amount time. Serious enough.
18 Mile Bluetooth? Really? Eh, no.
From the department of "Really? You can do that????" comes the announcement of an 18 Mile range Bluetooth dongle!!
Apparently, "when installed professionally", the Aircable Host XR has a range of up to 18 miles!!
Good Lord! That means I could (for example), listen to music on my home PC from anywhere around Dublin on my Moto Rokr headphones.
When I read this I thought "yeah, bet they cost $1,000, sheesh!". Nope - $129. However, I then thought the antenna must cost a fortune (the ones they come with have a range of up to a mile). Nope - they're not too pricy either.
So what's the catch?
Well - the devil is in the detail. From the Wireless Cables Website FAQ:
Generally speaking we give range figures using 2 XR devices (AIRcable Host XR or AIRcable Industrial XR) with the same antenna talking to each other outdoors in a line of sight environment and in beautiful Santa Cruz weather, for example: on the beach.The standard range you can expect with the included antenna is about 1km range. The largest rubber duck antenna (9dBi) gives you 2km range. This is about the limit of the FCC certification for omni-directional antennas. Using directional antennas we can reach a range of about 10km within the FCC regulations using two 18dBi directional antennas.
If you use one XR and one other device with a weaker radio you get less range. With a cell phone or PDA you can expect about 100m range depending on the antenna. With a good directional antenna you get about 1km range maybe more communicating with a cell phone.
Bluetooth headsets attached to your ear will have a more limited range. Bluetooth radio waves do not pass through your head, and in fact don't even get through the outer layers of the skin. If you turn your head so that your head is between the antennas, your head will reduce the range.
Stereo Bluetooth headsets are better since right and left ears are connected, which helps the reception even if the antenna is only on one of the ear muffs.
Anything between the transmitters will reduce signal strength. A wall will reduce the range. The range reductions will depend on the wall's material and thickness.
Bluetooth radio waves bounce off walls too. A staircase between stories allows the signal to go from one level to another, even in a steel reinforce concrete building.
OK, fair enough. I think this means that, unless I find a way to attach a directional antenna to my ROKR headphones, and point myself at my house from somewhere in Dublin, ideally with no walls in between me and my house, it aint' gonna work.
Pity. I'll just have to keep doing it the old way
Wireless DVI - now THAT rocks (if you're within 3 feet) !!!!!
More sad techno-lust stuff. Toshiba are first out of the blocks to ship a consumer version of a "wireless dock" for some of their laptops. It uses Ultra-Wideband, costs $500 (versus $180 for non-wireless version).
The really sweet bit is the Wireless DVI - you bring your laptop near the dock (within 3 feet) then BING! Your video pops up on your external monitor. Sweet.
I saw a demo last year of Philips HD TVs using a very early version of UWB to play DVDs streamed over UWB from a player to the TV. This is (I think) the first consumer product to do this for real.
Yummy.