. Bluetooth This panel, radically redesigned for Leopard, shows up only if your Mac is equipped with a Bluetooth transmitter, either built-in or in the form of an external USB gadget. | . Bluetooth This panel radically redesigned for Leopard shows up only if your Mac is equipped with a Bluetooth transmitter either built-in or in the form of an external USB gadget. Bluetooth is a short-range low-power wireless cable-elimination technology. It s designed to connect gadgets in pairings that make sense like cellphone earpiece wireless keyboard Mac Palm organizer Mac or Mac cellphone to connect to the Internet or to transmit files . Now you wouldn t want the guy in the next cubicle to be able to operate your Mac using his Bluetooth keyboard. So the first step in any Bluetooth relationship is pairing where you formally introduce the two gadgets that will be communicating. Here s how that goes 1. Open System Preferences Bluetooth Make sure Bluetooth Power is turned on. The only reason to turn it off is to save laptop battery power. Also make sure Discoverable is turned on that makes the Mac visible to other Bluetooth gadgets in range. 2. Click the button below the list at left. The Bluetooth Setup Assistant opens offering a list of typical Bluetooth equipment that your Mac can talk to Mobile Phone Headset Printer etc. 3. Click the kind of gear you have and then click Continue. The Mac whirs for a moment and then displays the names of all Bluetooth gadgets that it can sniff out. Usually it finds the one you re trying to pair. 4. Click the name of the phone headset keyboard whatever and then click Continue. If you re pairing a mobile phone or something else that has a keypad or keyboard the Mac now displays a large eight-digit passcode. It s like a password except you ll have to input it only this once to confirm that you are the true owner of both the Mac and the phone. If it weren t for this passcode business some guy next to you at the airport could enjoy free laptop Internet access through the cellphone in your pocket. At this point your phone or palmtop displays a message to the effect that you have 30 seconds to type that passcode. Do it. When the
