The term "Bluetooth USB" refers to a wireless-transfer technology that can be used by personal electronics---usually laptop or desktop computers---that are equipped with universal serial bus (USB) ports to exchange information with other devices that use the same technology.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a branded short-range wireless technology that uses radio waves to transmit and receive digital information---including music, telephone signals and other data---to and from devices over a relatively small distance, generally less than 30 feet.

USB

USB is an acronym for universal serial bus, a connection standard originally designed to link early smartphones and desktop PCs. Thirteen years later, nearly every digital device, from computers and phones to digital video recorders, features USB ports that can connect the device to virtually every other digital device via a single, nearly universal cable.

History

Digital device manufacturers founded the Bluetooth Special Interest Group in 1998 in order to develop and promote Bluetooth technology as a standard among most computer, phone and gadget brands. Shortly after the turn of the century, several companies married the Bluetooth technology to the emerging ubiquity of USB ports to offer plug-in adapters, or "dongles," that brought Bluetooth to computers, printers and other machines that didn't come preloaded with the technology.

Function

Bluetooth USB dongles allow non-Bluetooth-equipped devices to wirelessly communicate and swap data with other enabled machines within the effective range, making for a convenient and efficient network without the hassle of plugging and unplugging various cords.

Relevance

As more and more phones, printers, laptops, GPS devices and other gadgets come equipped with built-in Bluetooth technology, the Bluetooth USB dongle has become increasingly less revolutionary or relevant. It remains an easy and relatively inexpensive way, however, to keep older, refurbished or bargain-model digital devices in the loop.

Source:

Bluetooth Official Website

Everything USB