It's great not having to deal with the frustration of creating an 802.11b ad-hoc network. Unlike 802.11, which only defines the physical and link layers, bluetooth defines what happens from the physical layer all the way up to the presentation layer so you don't have to deal with TCP/IP. Bluetooth deals with the discovery and browsing of the network which means that you don't have to run zeroconf/rendezvous, mDNS servers, and all that nonsense. You peer with another system in a piconet, usually as ridiculously simple as pressing a single button, and start doing whatever it is you want to do. Apparently you can even control xmms from your phone but I haven't spent enough time with a bluetooth enabled phone to get that to work.
If you're looking for a good book on Bluetooth, I would suggest Bluetooth: Operation and Use; the first half is rather hefty with radio theory and practice but that can be safely ignored and the second-half jumped straight into. Though where's the fun in that, you cry-baby?
What's next? A Bluetooth printer?
# — 26 May, 2003