Q&A / Patrick Marshall
Don't expect Bluetooth to work in any old car

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Q. I've been hearing a lot about a technology called Bluetooth. I like the idea of being able to drive with both hands on the wheel and still talk to friends. So I'd like either to get a cellphone with this software in it or add it to my current Motorola phone. Can you tell me how or where I can get it?

— Janeausten@hotmail.com

A. Bluetooth is a wireless protocol built in to a few cars and cellphones, as well as a number of other devices, such as headsets.

While you can get cards that will add Bluetooth capability to some nonBluetooth cellphones, that won't do you much good for hands-free operation in your car.

Just sticking a Bluetooth SD card in your phone doesn't mean your phone can handle the Hands Free Protocol. Support for the protocol has to be designed into both sides of the connection, the cellphone and the automobile.

At the cellphone end, many handset makers, including Nokia, Siemens and Ericsson, offer Bluetooth HFP support.

At the automobile end, Acura, BMW, Jeep, Lexus and Toyota are among those who offer Bluetooth cars; the feature is generally an option that adds about $300 to the car's price.

Once you pair the phone with the car via Bluetooth, you can use built-in microphones, speakers and controls provided on the steering wheel to interact with your cellphone.

You can even use an onboard phone book to dial numbers. Some cars with navigation systems will automatically look up phone numbers for you.
 
There are retrofit kits, though they are generally more expensive than new-car options. Full-featured retro kits can cost as much as $750. Some with less functionality are available for about $200.

Bear in mind this technology is still in its infancy. You have to make sure to match up the right phone with the right car; even, then you'll run into glitches.

But we can expect hands-free telephony soon will be an integrated feature in virtually all cars.

Q. As I plan to buy a new PC and shift from Windows 98 to Windows XP, I'm wondering how I will run my few old favorite DOS-based applications. I also wonder how I can write and run programs in BASIC and FORTRAN. Finally, I wonder if there is a procedure in Windows equivalent to the use of the wildcard character with the "Rename" command in MS-DOS for renaming large blocks of files in one stroke (very useful in renaming large blocks of digital camera image files).

— Elliott W. Brogren

A. Alas, support for DOS applications fades with each new Windows version. Some run, some don't. And while you can continue to program in BASIC and FORTRAN, you may have difficulty finding operating systems that can run such applications. That's just the nature of things: Programs have to be written for the operating systems they are running under.

You can write programs in Visual Basic and other Windows-compatible programming languages that will do batch renames of files.

You can also find some programs that have been written by others to do the trick. One, File Renamer, is available for download at: www.moochers.com/index.html?w95rename.html.

The only built-in function in Windows XP for batch renaming is rather limited. You can highlight a group of files in Windows Explorer, right-click and choose Rename from the menu that pops up. Type a new name and hit Enter. All the files will have that name plus a sequential number.

Questions for Patrick Marshall may be sent by e-mail to pmarshall@seattletimes.com or pgmarshall@pgmarshall.net, or by mail at Q&A/Technology, The Seattle Times, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111. More columns at www.seattletimes.com/columnists.