Abstract:
An apparatus induces a first wireless device to transmit audio-related data to both the apparatus and a second wireless device by providing the first wireless device with a false indication of the apparatus being capable of performing an audio function that the apparatus is incapable of performing so as to enable the second wireless device to receive the audio-related data simultaneously with the apparatus, and wherein the second wireless device cooperates with the apparatus to leave the first wireless device unaware of the simultaneous receipt of the audio-related data by the second wireless device.

Description:
FIELD 
       [0001]    This description relates to sharing audio through wireless devices. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    It has become commonplace to use devices employing point-to-point wireless communications technologies to create a personal area network in the vicinity of a user of personal electronic devices carried about by the user (referred to by some as a “piconet”) to convey audio from one of those personal electronic devices to one or both ears of the user, as in the case of the playback of audio stored on an audio playing device to the user. It has also become commonplace to additionally convey audio from the user to one of those personal electronic devices, as in the case of cell phone in which the user engages in telephonic communication through such point-to-point wireless communications with that device. Among the forms of such point-to-point wireless communications being used for such purposes are those that conform to the widely used “Bluetooth” specification promulgated by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group of Bellevue, Wash. 
         [0003]    Wireless communications conforming to the Bluetooth specification have been in use for some time to wirelessly convey two-way audio between cell phones and so-called “earpieces” that incorporate both an acoustic driver to output audio to an ear of a user and a microphone to receive audio from the mouth of the user. More recently, there has been a growing emergence of audio playing devices employing wireless communications conforming to the Bluetooth specification to wirelessly convey one-way audio from those devices to one or more acoustic drivers to output audio to one or both ears of a user. 
         [0004]    Unfortunately, despite the growing acceptance of such point-to-point wireless communications for the conveying of audio between personal electronic devices, the point-to-point nature, the procedures required to securely establish wireless connections, and the conversions of audio between various analog and digital forms have presented various difficulties. Those difficulties include various impediments to providing audio to both ears of a user, allowing a user to easily transition from one choice of acoustic driver and/or microphone to another, and sharing audio with a personal electronic device carried by another user. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    An apparatus induces a first wireless device to transmit audio-related data to both the apparatus and a second wireless device by providing the first wireless device with a false indication of the apparatus being capable of performing an audio function that the apparatus is incapable of performing so as to enable the second wireless device to receive the audio-related data simultaneously with the apparatus, and wherein the second wireless device cooperates with the apparatus to leave the first wireless device unaware of the simultaneous receipt of the audio-related data by the second wireless device. 
         [0006]    In one aspect, the invention features an apparatus that includes a processor, a transceiver accessible to the processor and configured to engage in wireless communications with a first wireless device, a storage accessible to the processor and having a routine stored therein comprising a sequence of instructions. When the sequence of instructions are executed by the processor, the processor is caused to operate the transceiver to transmit to the first wireless device across a first wireless link formed with the first wireless device a false indication that the apparatus is capable of performing at least one audio function of which the apparatus is not capable of performing to induce the first wireless device to transmit a piece of audio-related data across the first wireless link to the apparatus, operate the transceiver to receive the piece of audio-related data across the first wireless link, and operate the transceiver to wirelessly communicate with a second wireless device to coordinate a substantially simultaneous receipt of the piece of audio-related data by the second wireless device. 
         [0007]    Implementations of the invention may include one or more of the following features. Implementations could include the processor being further caused to form a second wireless link between the apparatus and the second wireless device, to transmit information concerning the first wireless link to the second wireless device, to exchange a synchronization signal with the second wireless device to synchronize audible output of the audio-related data between the apparatus and the second wireless device, and/or to transmit an error signal to the first wireless device causing the first wireless device to retransmit the piece of audio-related data in response to receiving an indication from the second wireless device of an error in receiving the piece of audio-related data. Implementations could include the piece of audio-related data being a piece of audio having a first audio channel and a second audio channel, where the first audio channel is audibly output by the apparatus and the second audio channel is audibly output by the second wireless device, and where the apparatus and the second wireless device may each be an earphone. Implementations could include the piece of audio-related data being a piece of audio having a first audio channel and a second audio channel, where the first audio channel is audibly output by the second wireless device and the second audio channel is audibly output by a third wireless device, and where the second and third wireless devices are each an earphone. 
         [0008]    In one aspect, the invention features an apparatus that includes a processor, a transceiver accessible to the processor and configured to engage in wireless communications with a first wireless device and a second wireless device, a storage accessible to the processor and having a routine stored therein comprising a sequence of instructions. When the sequence of instructions are executed by the processor, the processor is caused to operate the transceiver to receive an indication that the first wireless device has successfully induced the second wireless device to transmit a piece of audio-related data as a result of the first wireless device transmitting a false indication that the first wireless device is capable of performing at least one audio function of which the first wireless device is not capable of performing, operate the transceiver to receive information from the first wireless device concerning a first wireless link formed between the first and second wireless devices that enables the apparatus to receive a piece of audio-related data substantially simultaneously with first wireless device as the second wireless device transmits the piece of audio-related data across the first wireless link, and operate the transceiver to receive the piece of audio-related data substantially simultaneously with the first wireless device. 
         [0009]    Implementations of the invention may include one or more of the following features. Implementations could include the apparatus exchanging a synchronization signal with the first wireless device to synchronize the audible output of portions of the piece of audio-related data between the apparatus and the first wireless device where the piece of audio-related data is a piece of audio data having multiple audio channels. Implementations could include the apparatus exchanging a synchronization signal with the first wireless device to synchronize the audible output of portions of the piece of audio-related data between the apparatus and a third wireless device where the piece of audio-related data is a piece of audio data having multiple audio channels. Further, the implementations could include one or more of the apparatus, the first wireless device and the above-mentioned third wireless device each being an earphone. 
         [0010]    In one aspect, the invention features a method that includes transmitting to a first wireless device across a first wireless link formed with the first wireless device a false indication that an apparatus is capable of performing at least one audio function of which the apparatus is not capable of performing to induce the first wireless device to transmit a piece of audio-related data across the first wireless link to the apparatus, receiving the piece of audio-related data across the first wireless link, and wirelessly communicating with a second wireless device to coordinate a substantially simultaneous receipt of the piece of audio-related data by the second wireless device. 
         [0011]    Implementations of the invention may include one or more of the following features. Implementations could include forming a second wireless link with the second wireless device, transmitting information concerning the first wireless link to the second wireless device to enable the simultaneous receipt of the piece of audio-related data by the second wireless device, signaling the first wireless device to retransmit the piece of audio-related data in response to receiving from the second wireless device an indication of an error in the substantially simultaneous receipt of the piece of audio-related data by the second wireless device, and/or wirelessly communicating with a third wireless device to coordinate a substantially simultaneous receipt of the piece of audio-related data by the third wireless device. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a wireless network incorporating multiple wireless audio devices and a personal electronic device. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a wireless audio device of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is another block diagram of a wireless network incorporating multiple wireless audio devices and a personal electronic device. 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a block diagram of a wireless audio device of  FIG. 3 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is still another block diagram of a wireless network incorporating multiple wireless audio devices and a personal electronic device. 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a block diagram of a wireless audio device of  FIG. 5 . 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is yet another block diagram of a wireless network incorporating multiple wireless audio devices and a personal electronic device. 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  is a block diagram of a wireless audio device of  FIG. 7 . 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
       [0020]      FIG. 1  depicts a network  1000  in which audio is transferred among three personal electronics devices, specifically, a personal electronic device  900  and a pair of wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b . The network  1000  is of a pseudo hub-and-spoke topology in which the personal electronic device  900  is presented with false indications of being in wireless communications to transfer audio solely to the wireless audio device  100   a  across a single wireless point-to-point link  915 , but with the purpose of inducing the personal electronic device  900  to also transfer the audio to the wireless audio device  100   b . In essence, the personal electronic device  900  is induced into occupying the hub position with each of the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  occupying spoke positions. Another wireless point-to-point link  115  is formed between the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  for network management purposes and to coordinate actions between them concerning receiving audio from the personal electronic device  900  as part of maintaining the pseudo hub-and-spoke topology. The technology on which either of the links  115  and  915  are based may be of any of a wide variety of types employing RF signals, infrared signals, or any of a variety of other forms of wireless transmission media, and the technologies used between the links  115  and  915  may differ. Where one or both of the links  115  and  915  employ RF signals, one or both may at least partially conform to the Bluetooth specification, or to any of a variety of other specifications for wireless networking as would be appropriate in shortness of range and limitation of power consumption for use between personal electronic devices carried by a user. 
         [0021]    The personal electronic device  900  may be of any of a variety of types of personal electronic device, including and not limited to, various multimedia, information handling and/or communications devices such as a cell phone, a digital music player (e.g., a typical MP3 music file player), portable camera with audio playback functionality, a personal data assistant (PDA), or a personal navigation device. At a minimum, the personal electronic device  900  is capable of providing audio in digital form across a wireless point-to-point link. This audio may be any of a variety of forms of audio, including and not limited to, digitized music stored on the personal electronic device  900 , and audio received by the personal electronic device  900  from an RF transmission (e.g., FM or satellite radio). The personal electronic device  900  may also be capable of receiving remote control commands from across a wireless point-to-point link to enable the remote control of various functions of the personal electronic device  900 , including commands related audio (e.g., commands to stop, pause, play, fast-forward, adjust a volume, change a channel, etc.). The commands may correspond to functions accessible through a manually-operable control  922  incorporated into the personal electronic device  900 . The personal electronic device  900  may also be capable of transmitting textual or other data beyond audio, including song titles, track titles, time, date, GPS coordinates, RF signal strength, etc. These various pieces of data may correspond to data displayable on an indicator  923  incorporated into the personal electronic device  900 . 
         [0022]    The wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  are meant to wirelessly receive audio and enable output of that audio in audible form. Although the pair of wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  are depicted as being a pair of earbuds (also commonly referred to as “in-ear” headphones), this is intended to be illustrative of one form of device, and each of the pair of wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  could be any of a number of types of devices capable of audibly outputting wirelessly-received audio (e.g., wireless speakers). Each of the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  incorporates at least one acoustic driver  170  (e.g., an electromagnetic speaker, a piezo-electric electric element, an electrostatic speaker, etc.), and each may further incorporate a manually-operable control  122  and/or an indicator (not shown). Where a given one of the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  incorporates the control  122 , the control  122  may be operable to enable a user to remotely control the personal electronic device  900  and/or the other of the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b . Where a given one of the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  incorporates an indicator, the indicator may enable non-audio data to be displayed to a user. 
         [0023]    Although the personal electronic device  900  may employ any of a variety of technologies in forming the link  915 , a number of available ones of these technologies rely on an assumption that a device transmitting a piece of audio with multiple audio channels will transmit that audio to only one other device that will receive and use all of those channels. As a result, some of these technologies are not meant to separately transmit different audio channels of a piece of audio to different other devices that will receive the different audio channels and separately make use of the different audio channels. In order to accommodate such a limitation, the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  cooperate to present the personal electronic device  900  with the appearance of forming the link  915  with only a single other device (namely the wireless audio device  100   a ) to which the personal electronic device  900  transmits a piece of audio. Though both of the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  receive signals from the personal electronic device  900 , only one of the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  transmits to the personal electronic device  900  (i.e., the wireless audio device  100   a , as depicted). 
         [0024]    While the personal electronic device  900  transmits the piece of audio across the link  915  to the wireless audio device  100   a , the wireless audio device  100   b  also picks up the same signal and receives the same piece of audio despite not being the intended recipient. Where a packet of digitized audio is either not received or is received as corrupted by the wireless audio device  100   a , the wireless audio device  100   a  transmits an error signal across the link  915  to the personal electronic device  900  to cause the packet to be retransmitted. Where a packet of digitized audio is either not received or is received as corrupted by the wireless audio device  100   b , the wireless audio device  100   b  transmits an error signal across the link  115  to the wireless audio device  100   a  to be forwarded on to the personal electronic device  900  across the link  915  to cause the packet to be retransmitted. 
         [0025]    The link  915  may also be used by the wireless audio device  100   a  to transmit remote control commands (perhaps generated as a result of a user operating the control  122 ) back to the personal electronic device  900 . Given that the wireless audio device  100   b  only receives signals from the personal electronic device  900 , and does not transmit to the personal electronic device  900 , where the wireless audio device  100   b  is caused by a user to generate remote control commands, those commands are transmitted across the link  115  to be forwarded to the personal electronic device  900  across the link  915 . 
         [0026]    The technologies on which the links  115  and  915  are based dictate what is entailed in forming those links, and those links may be of any of a wide variety of types employing RF signals, infrared signals, or any of a variety of other forms of wireless transmission media. It is preferred for the sake of efficiency, though not necessary, that both of the links  115  and  915  be based on technologies that are at least similar enough to avoid having to incorporate two completely separate transceivers into either of the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b , since both must receive the same signal conveying audio from the personal electronic device  900 . Where RF signals are employed, these links may at least partially conform to the Bluetooth specification, or to any of a variety of other specifications for wireless networking as would be appropriate in shortness of range and limited power consumption for portable devices that may be carried by a user on his or her person. As those familiar with such wireless specifications will readily recognize, such wireless communications are often accompanied with security mechanisms that include requiring two devices that are to be in such communication with each other to first undergo a link establishment procedure between them by which identification codes, security keys, etc., are exchanged between them. Depending on the technology on which each of the links  115  and  915  is based, one or both of the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  may engage in such link establishment procedures. 
         [0027]    Depending on the technology employed in the link  915 , the wireless audio device  100   a  may be required to provide information to the personal electronic device  900  about its own functionality. The wireless audio device  100   a  addresses this requirement by providing a false indication across the link  915  to the personal electronic device  900  that the wireless audio device  100   a  is, itself, capable of receiving and audibly outputting audio having multiple audio channels. The wireless audio device  100   a  does this, instead of more truthfully indicating that it can audibly output only a single audio channel, in order to induce the personal electronic device  900  into transmitting multiple audio channels of a piece of audio to the wireless audio device  100   a  across the link  915 . This is allow the wireless audio device  100   b  the opportunity to also pickup the transmission of the multiple channels of audio transmitted by the personal electronic device  900  to the wireless audio device  100   a . During the transmission of this audio by the personal electronic device  900  including multiple channels, both of the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  receive all of the multiple channels, but each of the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  make use of only the one or more audio channels that are of use to each. In other words, the wireless audio device  100   b  to is able to “listen in” and make use of the transmissions of audio directed by the personal electronic device  900  to the wireless audio device  100   a , and make use of whatever channels of audio it needs. 
         [0028]    More specifically, where the link  915  at least partially conforms to the Bluetooth specification, the wireless audio device  100   a  falsely indicates having support for one or more Bluetooth “profiles” (more commonly referred to as protocols in other forms of wireless technology) to induce the personal electronic device  900  to transmit multiple channels of a given piece of audio across the link  915 . Further, where either of the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  incorporate either the control  122  or some form of indicator (not shown), the wireless audio device  100   a  may also indicate having support for profiles (protocols) allowing for either remote control commands to be transmitted back to the personal electronic device  900  or non-audio data (such as text data) to be transmitted by the personal electronic device  900 . Among the Bluetooth profiles that the wireless audio device  100   a  may falsely indicate having support for may be the general audio/video distribution profile (GAVDP), the advanced audio distribution profile (A2DP), the human interface device protocol (HIDP), the audio/video remote control profile (AVRCP), and the serial port profile (SPP). 
         [0029]    The link  115  may or may not require similar link establishment procedures to be formed. This will depend on the degree to which the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  may be received by a user as already configured to locate each other and interact with each other, and/or the degree to which each has been configured to employ a simplified link establishment procedure. 
         [0030]    With the links  115  and  915  established and needed exchanges of information to enable required protocols already completed, the links  115  and  915  are able to be used in the transfer of audio from the personal electronic device  900  to both of the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b . As already discussed, the personal electronic device  900  transmits audio across the link  915  to the wireless audio device  100   a , but the wireless audio device  100   b  also receives the same signal, and each of the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  extract the audio channels of use to each in audibly outputting audio to a user. The link  115  is used to coordinate various aspects of this activity between the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b , including and not limited to, synchronizing timings, exchanging volume and various audio signal processing settings, and sharing data to implement noise cancellation functions. The link  115  may be employed for network management functions, most especially for the management of the link  915 , including passing identity codes to the wireless audio device  100   b  to enable the wireless audio device  100   b  to “listen in” on transmissions across the link  915 , and passing decryption keys to the wireless audio device  100   b  to enable the wireless audio device  100   b  to decrypt audio transmitted across the link  915 . By way of example, whichever one of the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  incorporates a manually-operable control (e.g., the control  122 ) that is employed as a volume control may transmit user volume settings to the other of these two devices. 
         [0031]    Where the wireless audio device  100   a  incorporates the depicted control  122 , and the control  122  is configured to send remote control commands to the personal electronic device  900  when manually operated, the link  915  is employed to convey those remote control commands from the wireless audio device  100   a  to the personal electronic device  900 . Where the wireless audio device  100   b  incorporates a manually-operated control (not shown), and that control is configured to send remote control commands to the personal electronic device  900  when manually operated, the link  115  is employed to convey those remote control commands from the wireless audio device  100   b  to the wireless audio device  100   a , which forwards those commands onward to the personal electronic device  900  via the link  915 . 
         [0032]    Where the wireless audio device  100   a  incorporates an indicator (not shown) enabling non-audio data to be displayed to a user, and that indicator is configured to be used to display-data received from the personal electronic device  900 , that data is conveyed to the wireless audio device  100   a  via the link  915 . Where the wireless audio device  100   b  incorporates an indicator (also not shown) enabling non-audio data to be displayed to a user, and that indicator is configured to be used to display data received from the personal electronic device  900 , that data is conveyed to the wireless audio device  100   a  via the link  915 . However, just as in the case of audio data, the non-audio data is also received by the wireless audio device  100   b  by “listening in” on information transferred by the personal electronic device  900  across the link  915 . 
         [0033]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of one possible internal architecture of either or both of the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  of  FIG. 1 . Although the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  may incorporate differing architectures, it is preferred that the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  of  FIG. 1  be of the same architecture, such that their roles as described with regard to  FIG. 1  could be reversed. This would be advantageous to achieve greater manufacturing efficiencies and to allow one replacement part to be required to resolve device failures, rather than two different parts. 
         [0034]    The wireless audio device  100  incorporates a wireless transceiver  110 , a user interface  120 , a processor  130 , a storage  135 , a digital-to-analog (D-to-A) converter  140 , an amplifier  145 , a connector  150 , an acoustic driver  170  and a power storage  190  storing and providing electrical power to the rest of these. As those skilled in the art of processor-based systems will readily recognize, a wide variety of bus architectures linking various ones of these may be employed, however, regardless of the exact architecture employed, the processor  130  is provided access to at least the wireless transceiver  110 , the user interface  120 , the storage  135  and the D-to-A converter  140 . As will be explained in greater detail, the processor  130  accesses the storage  135  to retrieve a sequence of instructions making up a routine  132 , and in executing the routine  132 , the processor  130  is caused to perform various functions during the operation of the wireless audio device  100 . 
         [0035]    The processor  130  may be any of a variety of types of processing device, including but not limited to, a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor or other more specialized processor having a limited instruction set optimized for a given range of functions, a microcontroller or combinational logic. The storage  135  may be based on any of a wide variety of information storage technologies, including but not limited to, static RAM, dynamic RAM, ROM of either erasable or non-erasable form, FLASH, magnetic memory, ferromagnetic disk storage, phase-change storage or magneto-optical storage. The storage  135  stores at least the routine  132 , and depending on what audio processing and/or audio buffering functions are caused by the routine  132  to be performed by the processor  130 , the storage  135  may also store an audio data  139 . 
         [0036]    The technology on which the wireless transceiver  110  is based depends on the technology of whatever wireless point-to-point links the wireless audio device  100  forms with other devices. At a minimum, execution of the routine  132  causes the processor  130  to operate the wireless transceiver  110  to receive audio from a personal electronic device, perhaps along with non-audio data. In various embodiments, and depending on the role occupied by a given one of the wireless audio device  100 , the processor  130  may be further caused by the routine  132  to operate the wireless transceiver  110  to convey commands across a wireless point-to-point link, either to a personal electronic device or to another wireless audio device to be forwarded on to a personal electronic device. Where a wireless point-to-point link between the wireless audio device  100  and another device at least partly conforms to the Bluetooth specification or a similar specification for point-to-point wireless communication, the processor  130  may be caused by the routine  132  to operate the wireless transceiver  110  to carry out a link establishment procedure to establish that point-to-point link. The processor  130  may be further caused, either during the link establishment procedure or during a subsequent link initialization procedure, to operate the wireless transceiver  110  to exchange information concerning functional capabilities between the wireless audio device  100  and another device. Where the given role of the wireless audio device  100  is to engage a personal electronic device in two-way communications (as was the case with the wireless audio device  100   a  in  FIG. 1 ), and where the exchange of information is with that personal electronic device, then as previously discussed, the wireless audio device transmits false information about its own function capabilities to induce the wireless device to enable the use of various protocols and/or data formats to be used in communicating audio having multiple audio channels. 
         [0037]    The user interface  120  incorporates one or both of the previously-discussed control  122  and indicator  123 . The control  122  may be any type of manually-operable control, including but not limited to, a button, a lever switch, a rotatable knob, a touch-screen sensor, a pressure sensor, a proximity sensor or an orientation sensor. The indicator  123  may be any of a number of possible devices conveying information to a user of the wireless audio device  100 , including but not limited to, a graphical display capable of depicting various symbols and/or language characters, one or more LEDs, a buzzer, or a vibration-generating device. Alternatively, information may be provided to a user of the wireless audio device  100  through the output of audio conveying that information which is mixed with the audio received by the wireless transceiver  110 , with the mixed audio being output to the user. Where the control  122  is provided, the control  122  may be employed by a user of the wireless audio device  100  for one or more of initiating the performance of some form of link establishment procedure, controlling one or more aspects of the provision of audio to a user (e.g., the volume employed in outputting audio to the user), and remotely controlling another wireless device with which a point-to-point link is formed. Where the indicator  123  is provided, the indicator  123  may be employed to display information received by the wireless transceiver  110  from another wireless device and/or information generated by the wireless audio device  100 , itself. 
         [0038]    The D-to-A converter  140  and the amplifier  145  may each be of any of a wide variety of designs and forms. The D-to-A converter  140  may be accessible by the processor  130 , not only to enable the processor  130  to supply the D-to-A converter  140  with audio data, but also to enable the processor  130  to operate the D-to-A converter to support differing timings, bit formats, etc., of the audio data received from another wireless device through the wireless transceiver  110 . The amplifier  145  may be accessible by the processor  130  to enable the processor to control aspects of the amplification of the analog form of audio provided by the D-to-A converter  140 , including the gain used in amplification, perhaps as a form of volume control. 
         [0039]    The connector  150 , at a minimum, enables an external power source to be connected to the wireless audio device  100 , and may enable that external power source to recharge the power storage  190 . In various embodiments, the connector  150  may also enable amplified audio from the audio amplifier  145  to be provided to an external acoustic driver, where either the wireless audio device  100  does not incorporate the acoustic driver  170 , or a user desires to use an external acoustic driver in place of or in addition to the acoustic driver  170 . Also, although a conventional implementation of the connector  150  may tend to incorporate multiple electrically-conductive contacts for conveying at least power and perhaps also commands and other data, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the connector  150  may incorporate non-electrically-conductive approaches to conveying power, audio, commands and/or other data. By way of example, electromagnetic induction may be employed to convey power, where the connector  150  simply provides a physical guide by which an external power source is brought close enough to the connector  150  to put coils within close enough proximity to enable induction to occur. By way of another example, the connector  150  may incorporate one or more fiber optic components to enable audio, commands and/or other data to be conveyed using light, instead of electricity. 
         [0040]    As previously discussed, depending on the nature of a point-to-point link between the wireless audio device  100  and another device, a link establishment procedure may be required to form the point-to-point link. In some embodiments, a user of both the wireless audio device  100  and another device (such as a personal electronic device or another wireless audio device) would operate both devices to initiate a link establishment procedure between them. For the wireless audio  100 , this may entail the processor  130  being caused by the routine  132  to monitor the control  122  for an instance of the control  122  being operated by the user to initiate the link establishment procedure, and then operating the transceiver  110  to carry out the link establishment procedure. 
         [0041]    Following at least the establishment of the wireless point-to-point link, the processor  130  may be further caused by the routine  132  to provide information concerning functionality to the other device with which the link is formed. Whether such provision of information is necessary and the nature of that information depends on the technologies employed in the wireless point-to-point link. It is likely that during the course of forming and/or initializing the wireless link, such information will have to be provided to the other device, especially if the wireless link is based on a wireless networking standard such as the Bluetooth specification. As already discussed, where the other device with which the wireless audio device  100  has formed a given link is a personal electronic device from which audio having multiple audio channels is to be received, then the processor  130  may be caused by the routine  132  to operate the transceiver  110  to provide the other device with a false indication that the wireless audio device  100  is capable of both receiving and audibly outputting multiple audio channels of a piece of audio having multiple audio channels, despite this not being true. 
         [0042]    By way of example, where this link conforms to the Bluetooth specification, this may be done by the processor operating the transceiver  110  to transmit an indication across the link that the wireless audio device  100  is capable of all of the functionality associated with the Bluetooth A2DP profile to induce the other device to transmit audio with at least left and right audio channels. In this way, the wireless audio device  100  and another cooperating wireless audio device each receive audio from a personal electronic device with at least a stereo pairing of audio channels, with each of the wireless audio device  100  and the cooperating wireless audio device using a different one of the left and right audio channels to separately audibly output left and right audio channels to a user. 
         [0043]    With the point-to-point link established and initialized, the processor  130 , in executing the routine  132 , is caused by the routine  132  to operate the wireless transceiver  110  to receive audio and to separate the desired one or more audio channels from the audio. Depending on the number and configuration of audio channels in the received audio, and depending on the number and configuration of wireless audio devices receiving the transmissions of audio emanating from a given personal electronic device, the processor  130  may also be caused to perform some degree of signal processing to derive the audio to be audibly output by the wireless audio device  100 . Then, the processor  130  is further caused to transfer audio to the D-to-A converter  140  where that audio is converted to analog form before being provided to the audio amplifier  145  to create amplified audio. Depending on whether or not the wireless audio device  100  incorporates the acoustic driver  170  and depending on whether or not the audio amplifier  145  is connected to the connector  150 , the amplified audio output by the audio amplifier  145  is caused to be audibly output to a user by being presented to one or both of the acoustic driver  170  and the connector  150  to which an external acoustic driver may be connected. 
         [0044]    The processor  130  may be further caused to buffer the received audio as the audio data  139  stored within the storage  135  for various reasons. It may simply be deemed desirable to buffer the received audio as part of handling possible instances of interruptions in the point-to-point link so as to avoid a break in the output to the user through the wired device. It may be necessary to buffer the received audio to allow the processor  130  to perform various forms of signal processing on the received audio. Such signal processing may be part of implementing a volume control function in the digital domain. Such signal processing may further be part of converting received audio from having one quantity of audio channels of a given configuration to having a different quantity of audio channels of a different configuration. Further, it may be necessary to buffer the received audio to enable the processor  130  to decompress it under the control of the routine  132  before the audio is audibly output. 
         [0045]    Where a wireless device supports it, the establishment and initialization of a point-to-point link also enables the transfer of commands across that point-to-point link. Commands to remotely control the wireless audio device  100  may emanate from either a personal electronic device that also transmits audio or another wireless audio device. Similarly, commands emanating from the wireless audio device may control one or both of a personal electronic device and another wireless audio device. Other forms of data may similarly emanate from a personal electronic device and/or another wireless audio device. By way of example, where the wireless audio device  100  incorporates the control  122 , the processor  130  may be caused by the routine  137  to monitor the control  122  for instances of a user operating the control  122  to remotely control an aspect of the operation of a personal electronic device, such as remote control commands to play, fast-forward or pause an audio recording that the wireless device is playing. In response to the user so operating the control  122 , the processor  130  may be further caused to operate the wireless transceiver  110  to transmit a corresponding command to the wireless device. Similarly, the processor  130  may take similar action in response to the user operating the control  122  to remotely control and aspect of another wireless device, such as a volume setting, muting, treble/bass adjustments, etc. By way of another example, where the audio interposer device  100  incorporates the indicator  123 , the processor  130  may be caused by the routine  137  to respond to the receipt of a piece of data from a personal electronic device by operating the indicator  123  to provide an indication corresponding to that data, such as textual information concerning the origins of a piece of audio transmitted by the personal electronic device where the indicator  123  is capable of displaying textual information. Similarly, the processor  130  may take similar action in response to receiving a piece of data from another wireless audio device. 
         [0046]    As previously discussed, more than one wireless audio device must cooperate to receive and use multiple audio channels of audio that a personal audio device transmits to one of those wireless audio devices. As previously discussed, such coordination is enabled through the formation of additional wireless point-to-point links formed between the wireless audio devices (e.g., the link  115  between the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  in  FIG. 1 ). Across that link, a wireless audio device having a link with a personal electronic device can transmit network management information such as authentication, identification and/or decryption information needed for other wireless audio devices to receive and use the transmissions of multi-channel audio (as well as other data) from the personal electronic device. Across that link, wireless devices are also able to synchronize audio timings so that different channels are audibly output by different wireless audio devices to a user in a manner that is synchronized. Across that link, remote control, indications of errors from packets of audio not received or received with corrupted audio data, and non-audio data may be exchanged between wireless audio devices and/or conveyed through a wireless audio device having a link with the personal electronic device. 
         [0047]    The processor  130  is caused by the routine  132  to either generate or receive a synchronization signal, and to use that synchronization signal as needed to synchronize its own audible audio output with that of other wireless audio devices. Further, the processor  130  is caused to operate the transceiver  110  to pass on commands, non-audio data and/or error indications as needed between other devices where needed, and to buffer those commands, non-audio data and/or error indications where needed in the storage  135 . 
         [0048]    As previously noted, it is preferred that the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  of  FIG. 2  be of substantially the same design, whether that design incorporates the architecture of the wireless audio device  100  of  FIG. 2 , or not. Where substantially similar designs are used, then any one of multiple wireless audio devices employed by a user with a personal electronic device may be given the role of having a wireless point-to-point link with the personal electronic device to induce it to transmit multiple-channel audio. 
         [0049]      FIG. 3  depicts a network  2000  in which audio is transferred among three personal electronics devices, specifically, a personal electronic device  900  and a pair of wireless audio devices  100  and  200 . The network  2000  is substantially similar to the network  1000  of  FIG. 1 , being a pseudo hub-and-spoke topology in which the personal electronic device  900  is presented with false indications of being in wireless communications to transfer audio solely to a single wireless audio device (the wireless audio device  200 , as depicted) across a single wireless point-to-point link  915 , but with the purpose of inducing the personal electronic device  900  to also transfer the audio to at least one other wireless audio device (the wireless audio device  100 , as depicted). Indeed, where possible, many of the same numeric labels have been used between the  FIGS. 1 and 3  depictions of the networks  1000  and  2000 , respectively, where there are substantial similarities. Also, the wireless audio device  100  is substantially similar to the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  of  FIG. 1 , being a wireless audio device that receives and audibly outputs audio, and may also be capable of exchanging remote control commands and/or non-audio data. The most substantial difference between the networks  1000  and  2000  is that the wireless audio device  100   a  of the network  1000  has been replaced with the wireless audio device  200 , which unlike the wireless audio devices  100 ,  100   a  and  100   b  of this and earlier figures, is capable of wireless transmitting other audio detected with a microphone across a wireless point-to-point link. 
         [0050]    In occupying the same role as the wireless audio device  100   a  of  FIG. 1 , the wireless audio device  200  forms the link  915  with the personal electronic device  900 . However, given the ability of the wireless audio device  200  to transmit other audio detected with a microphone, the wireless audio device  200  is able to engage in a two-way exchange of audio with the personal electronic device  900  directly through the link  915 . It should be noted that in other embodiments, the roles of the wireless audio devices  100  and  200  could be switched such that the wireless audio device  100  has the direct two-way communication through the link  915  with the personal electronic device  200 . However, this would require that the other audio from a microphone transmitted by the wireless audio device  200  be relayed through the wireless audio device  100 , thereby adding a timing delay in the receipt of that other audio by the personal electronic device  900 , and requiring the wireless audio device  100  to consume what may be a limited reserve of electric power at a faster rate to carry out such relaying. 
         [0051]    Not unlike the wireless audio devices  100 ,  100   a  and  100   b  of this and earlier figures, the wireless audio device  200  is meant to wirelessly receive audio and enable output of that audio in audible form. Although the wireless audio device  200  is depicted as being a wireless earpiece (sometimes also referred to as a wireless headset), this is intended to be illustrative of one form of device, and the wireless audio device  200  could be of any of a number of types of devices capable of audibly outputting wirelessly-received audio and wirelessly transmitting detected audio (e.g., a wireless speakerphone). The wireless audio device  200  incorporates at least one acoustic driver  170  (e.g., an electromagnetic speaker, a piezo-electric electric element, an electrostatic speaker, etc.), a microphone  275  (or in other embodiments, may support the connection of an external microphone) and a manually-operable control  222 . The wireless audio device  200  may further incorporate an indicator (not shown). Where the wireless audio device  200  incorporates the control  222 , the control  222  may be operable to enable a user to remotely control the personal electronic device  900  and/or the wireless audio device  100 . Where the wireless audio device  200  incorporates an indicator, the indicator may enable non-audio data to be displayed to a user. 
         [0052]    As previously discussed, a number of the available technologies on which the link  915  may be based rely on an assumption that a device transmitting a piece of audio with multiple audio channels will transmit that audio to only one other device that will receive and use all of those channels. In order to accommodate such a limitation, the wireless audio devices  100  and  200  cooperate to present the personal electronic device  900  with the appearance of forming the link  915  with only a single other device (namely the wireless audio device  200 ) to which the personal electronic device  900  transmits a piece of audio. Though both of the wireless audio devices  100  and  200  receive signals from the personal electronic device  900 , only one of the wireless audio devices transmits to the personal electronic device  900  (i.e., the wireless audio device  200 , as depicted). 
         [0053]    While the personal electronic device  900  transmits the piece of audio across the link  915  to the wireless audio device  200 , the wireless audio device  100  also picks up the same signal and receives the same piece of audio despite not being the intended recipient. The link  115  may be employed by the wireless audio device  200  to provide various pieces of network management information to the wireless audio device  100  to enable the wireless audio device  100  to pick up and identify the signal by which the piece of audio is transmitted. Where a packet of digitized audio is either not received or is received as corrupted by the wireless audio device  200 , the wireless audio device  200  transmits an error signal across the link  915  to the personal electronic device  900  to cause the packet to be retransmitted. Where a packet of digitized audio is either not received or is received as corrupted by the wireless audio device  100 , the wireless audio device  100  transmits an error signal across the link  115  to the wireless audio device  200  to be forwarded on to the personal electronic device  900  across the link  915  to cause the packet to be retransmitted. 
         [0054]    The link  915  is also used by the wireless audio device  200  to transmit audio detected with the microphone  275  (or an externally connected microphone) to the personal electronic device  900 . The link  915  may also be used by the wireless audio device  200  to transmit remote control commands back to the personal electronic device  900 . Given that the wireless audio device  100  only receives signals from the personal electronic device  900 , and does not transmit to the personal electronic device  900 , where the wireless audio device  100  is caused by a user to generate remote control commands, those commands are transmitted across the link  115  to be forwarded to the personal electronic device  900  across the link  915 . 
         [0055]    Depending on the technology employed in the link  915 , the wireless audio device  100   a  may be required to provide information to the personal electronic device  900  about its own functionality. Not unlike the wireless audio device  100   a  of  FIG. 1 , the wireless audio device  200  addresses this requirement by providing a false indication across the link  915  to the personal electronic device  900  that the wireless audio device  200  is, itself, capable of receiving and audibly outputting audio having multiple audio channels. This induces the personal electronic device  900  into transmitting multiple audio channels of a piece of audio to the wireless audio device  200  across the link  915 , thereby allowing the wireless audio device  100  the opportunity to also pickup the transmission of the multiple channels of audio transmitted by the personal electronic device  900  to the wireless audio device  200 . During the transmission of this audio by the personal electronic device  900  including multiple channels, both of the wireless audio devices  100  and  200  receive all of the multiple channels, but each of the wireless audio devices  100  and  200  make use of only the one or more audio channels that are of use to each. 
         [0056]    More specifically, where the link  915  at least partially conforms to the Bluetooth specification, the wireless audio device  200  the audio interposer device  200  may falsely indicate having support for one or more of the Bluetooth “profiles” mentioned earlier with regard to the wireless audio device  100   a  of  FIG. 1 . Alternatively and/or additionally, the two-way audio exchange capabilities of the wireless audio device  200  allows false indications for a greater number of Bluetooth profiles, and so some of the other Bluetooth profiles that the wireless audio device  200  may falsely indicate having support for may be the headset profile (HSP), the hands-free profile (HFP), the intercom profile (ICP) and the cordless telephony profile (CTP). 
         [0057]    The link  115  may or may not require similar link establishment procedures to be formed. This will depend on the degree to which the wireless audio devices  100  and  100  may be received by a user as already configured to locate each other and interact with each other, and/or the degree to which each has been configured to employ a simplified link establishment procedure. 
         [0058]    With the links  115  and  915  established and needed exchanges of information to enable required protocols already completed, the links  115  and  915  are able to be used in the transfer of audio from the personal electronic device  900  to both of the wireless audio devices  100  and  200 . The link  115  is used to coordinate various aspects of this activity between the wireless audio devices  100  and  200 , including and not limited to, synchronizing timings, exchanging volume and various audio signal processing settings, sharing data to implement noise cancellation functions, conveying authentication or identification information, and conveying decryption keys. By way of example, whichever one of the wireless audio devices  100  and  200  incorporates a manually-operable control (e.g., the control  222 ) that is employed as a volume control may transmit user volume settings to the other of these two devices. 
         [0059]    Additionally, the link  915  is able to be used in the transfer of audio detected with a microphone from the wireless audio device  200  to the personal electronic device  900 . If the roles of the wireless audio devices  100  and  200  are reversed such that it is the wireless audio device  100  in direct communication with the personal electronic device  900  through the link  915 , then the link  115  would be further used to convey the detected audio from the wireless audio device  200  to the wireless audio device  100  to be relayed to the personal electronic device  900 . 
         [0060]    Where the wireless audio device  200  incorporates the depicted control  222 , and the control  222  is configured to send remote control commands to the personal electronic device  900  when manually operated, the link  915  is employed to convey those remote control commands from the wireless audio device  200  to the personal electronic device  900 . Where the wireless audio device  100  incorporates a manually-operated control (not shown), and that control is configured to send remote control commands to the personal electronic device  900  when manually operated, the link  115  is employed to convey those remote control commands from the wireless audio device  100  to the wireless audio device  200 , which forwards those commands onward to the personal electronic device  900  via the link  915 . 
         [0061]    Where the wireless audio device  200  incorporates an indicator (not shown) enabling non-audio data to be displayed to a user, and that indicator is configured to be used to display data received from the personal electronic device  900 , that data is conveyed to the wireless audio device  200  via the link  915 . Where the wireless audio device  100  incorporates an indicator (also not shown) enabling non-audio data to be displayed to a user, and that indicator is configured to be used to display data received from the personal electronic device  900 , that data is conveyed to the wireless audio device  200  via the link  915 . However, just as in the case of audio data, the non-audio data is also received by the wireless audio device  100  by “listening in” on information transferred by the personal electronic device  900  across the link  915 . 
         [0062]      FIG. 4  is a block diagram of one possible internal architecture of the wireless audio device  200  of  FIG. 3 . The wireless audio device  200  incorporates a wireless transceiver  210 , a user interface  220 , a processor  230 , a storage  235 , a digital-to-analog (D-to-A) converter  240 , an amplifier  245 , a connector  250 , an analog-to-digital (A-to-D) converter  260 , perhaps an acoustic driver  270 , perhaps a microphone  275  and a power storage  290  storing and providing electrical power to the rest of these. The architecture of the wireless audio device  200  depicted in  FIG. 4  is substantially similar to the architecture of the wireless audio device  100  depicted in  FIG. 2  with the substantial difference being the addition of a few components to support wirelessly transmitting audio detected with a microphone to one or more other devices. Indeed, where substantially similar components performing substantially similar functions exist, they have been designated with labels in which the last two digits are identical to ease between them. Regardless of the exact architecture employed, the processor  230  is provided access to at least the wireless transceiver  210 , the user interface  220 , the storage  235 , the D-to-A converter  240  and the A-to-D converter  260 . As will be explained in greater detail, the processor  230  accesses the storage  235  to retrieve a sequence of instructions making up a routine  232 , and in executing the routine  232 , the processor  230  is caused to perform various functions during the operation of the wireless audio device  200 . 
         [0063]    The processor  230  may be any of a variety of types of processing device, and the storage  235  may be based on any of a wide variety of information storage technologies. The storage  235  stores at least the routine  232 , and depending on what audio processing and/or audio buffering functions are caused by the routine  232  to be performed by the processor  230 , the storage  235  may also store an audio data  239 . 
         [0064]    The technology on which the wireless transceiver  210  is based depends on the technology of whatever wireless point-to-point links the wireless audio device  200  forms with other devices. At a minimum, execution of the routine  232  causes the processor  230  to operate the wireless transceiver  210  to receive audio from a personal electronic device (either directly or relayed), perhaps along with commands and/or non-audio data. Also at a minimum, the execution of the routine  232  causes the processor  230  to operate the wireless transceiver  210  to send audio detected with a microphone back to the same personal electronic device (either directly or relayed), perhaps along with commands and/or non-audio data. Where a wireless point-to-point link between the wireless audio device  200  and another device at least partly conforms to the Bluetooth specification or a similar specification for point-to-point wireless communication, the processor  230  may be caused by the routine  232  to operate the wireless transceiver  210  to carry out a link establishment procedure to establish that point-to-point link. The processor  230  may be further caused, either during the link establishment procedure or during a subsequent link initialization procedure, to operate the wireless transceiver  210  to exchange information concerning functional capabilities between the wireless audio device  200  and another device. Where the given role of the wireless audio device  200  is to engage a personal electronic device in direct two-way communications (as was the case with the wireless audio device  200  in  FIG. 3 ), then as previously discussed, the wireless audio device transmits false information about its own function capabilities to induce the wireless device to enable the use of various protocols and/or data formats to be used in communicating audio having multiple audio channels. 
         [0065]    The user interface  220  incorporates one or both of the previously-discussed control  222  and indicator  223 . The control  222  may be any type of manually-operable control and the indicator  223  may be any of a number of possible devices conveying information to a user of the wireless audio device  200 . Alternatively, information may be provided to a user of the wireless audio device  100  through the output of audio conveying that information which is mixed with mixed audio being output to the user. Where the control  222  is provided, the control  222  may be employed by a user of the wireless audio device  200  for one or more of initiating the performance of some form of link establishment procedure, controlling one or more aspects of the provision of audio to a user (e.g., the volume employed in outputting audio to the user), and remotely controlling another wireless device with which a point-to-point link is formed. Where the indicator  223  is provided, the indicator  223  may be employed to display information received by the wireless transceiver  210  from another wireless device and/or information generated by the wireless audio device  200 , itself. 
         [0066]    The D-to-A converter  240 , the amplifier  245  and the A-to-D converter  260  may each be of any of a wide variety of designs and forms. The D-to-A converter  240  and/or the A-to-D converter  260  may be accessible by the processor  230  to enable the processor  230  to operate either to support differing timings, audio bit formats, etc. The amplifier  245  may be accessible by the processor  230  to enable the processor to control aspects of amplification including the gain as perhaps a form of volume control. 
         [0067]    The connector  250 , at a minimum, enables an external power source to be connected to the wireless audio device  200 , and may enable that external power source to recharge the power storage  290 . In various embodiments, the connector  250  may also enable amplified audio from the audio amplifier  245  to be provided to an external acoustic driver, where either the wireless audio device  200  does not incorporate the acoustic driver  270 , or a user desires to use an external acoustic driver in place of or in addition to the acoustic driver  270 . In various embodiments, the connector  250  may also enable audio detected by an external microphone to be provided to the A-to-D converter  260  where either the wireless device  200  does not incorporate the microphone  275 , or a user desires to use an external microphone in place of or in addition to the microphone  275 . Also, as an alternative to or in addition to using multiple electrically-conductive contacts for conveying at least power and perhaps also commands and other data, the connector  250  may incorporate non-electrically-conductive approaches to conveying power, audio, commands and/or other data. 
         [0068]    As previously discussed, depending on the nature of a point-to-point link between the wireless audio device  200  and another device, a link establishment procedure may be required to form the point-to-point link. In some embodiments, a user of both the wireless audio device  200  and another device (such as a personal electronic device or another wireless audio device) would operate both devices to initiate a link establishment procedure between them. For the wireless audio  200 , this may entail the processor  230  being caused by the routine  232  to monitor the control  222  for an instance of the control  222  being operated by the user to initiate the link establishment procedure, and then operating the transceiver  210  to carry out the link establishment procedure. 
         [0069]    Following at least the establishment of the wireless point-to-point link, the processor  230  may be further caused by the routine  232  to provide information concerning functionality to the other device with which the link is formed. As already discussed, where the other device with which the wireless audio device  200  has formed a given link is a personal electronic device from which audio having multiple audio channels is to be received, then the processor  230  may be caused by the routine  232  to operate the transceiver  210  to provide the other device with a false indication that the wireless audio device  200  is capable of both receiving and audibly outputting multiple audio channels of a piece of audio having multiple audio channels, despite this not being true. 
         [0070]    With the point-to-point link established and initialized, the processor  230 , in executing the routine  232 , is caused by the routine  232  to operate the wireless transceiver  210  to transmit and receive audio. The processor  230  is caused to separate the desired one or more audio channels of the received audio from the rest of the received audio, and the processor  230  may also be caused to perform some degree of signal processing to derive the audio to be audibly output by the wireless audio device  200  from various ones of the audio channels of the received audio. Then, the processor  230  is further caused to transfer audio to the D-to-A converter  240  where that audio is converted to analog form before being provided to the audio amplifier  245  to create amplified audio that is driven to one or both of the acoustic driver  270  (if present) and an external acoustic driver connected to the connector  250 . Audio detected by one or both of the microphone  275  (if present) and an external microphone connected to the connector  250  is provided to the A-to-D converter  260 . Then, the processor  230  is further caused to transfer audio from the A-to-D converter  260  to the transceiver. The processor  230  may be further caused to buffer either or both the audio received through the transceiver  210  and the audio to be transmitted through the transceiver  210  as the audio data  239  stored within the storage  235  for various reasons in which signal processing, synchronization, or other operations must be performed on either received audio or audio to be transmitted. 
         [0071]    Where the wireless audio device supports it, the establishment and initialization of the point-to-point link also enables the transfer of commands and/or non-audio data across that point-to-point link. Commands to remotely control the wireless audio device  200  may emanate from either a personal electronic device that also transmits audio or another wireless audio device. Similarly, commands emanating from the wireless audio device  200  may control one or both of a personal electronic device and another wireless audio device. Other forms of data may similarly emanate from a personal electronic device and/or another wireless audio device. 
         [0072]    As previously discussed, more than one wireless audio device must cooperate to receive and use multiple audio channels of audio that a personal audio device transmits to one of those wireless audio devices. As previously discussed, such coordination is enabled through the formation of additional wireless point-to-point links formed between the wireless audio devices (e.g., the link  115  between the wireless audio devices  100  and  200  in  FIG. 3 ). Across that link may be transmitted authentication, identification and/or decryption information needed for wireless audio devices to receive and use the transmissions of multi-channel audio and other data, as well as audio synchronization signals remote control commands, and indications of errors from packets of audio not received or received with corrupted audio data. 
         [0073]    The processor  230  is caused by the routine  232  to either generate or receive a synchronization signal, and to use that synchronization signal as needed to synchronize its own audible audio output with that of other wireless audio devices. Further, the processor  230  is caused to operate the transceiver  210  to pass on commands, non-audio data and/or error indications as needed between other devices where needed, and to buffer those commands, non-audio data and/or error indications where needed in the storage  235 . 
         [0074]      FIG. 5  depicts a network  3000  in which audio is transferred among four personal electronics devices, specifically, a personal electronic device  900  and a triplet of wireless audio devices  100   a ,  100   b  and  300 . The network  3000  is substantially similar to the networks  1000  and  2000  of  FIGS. 1 and 3 , respectively, being a pseudo hub-and-spoke topology in which the personal electronic device  900  is presented with false indications of being in wireless communications to transfer audio solely with a single wireless audio device (the wireless audio device  300 , as depicted) across a single wireless point-to-point link  915 , but with the purpose of inducing the personal electronic device  900  to also transfer the audio to at least one other wireless audio device (the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b , as depicted). Indeed, where possible, many of the same numeric labels have been used between the  FIGS. 1 ,  3  and  5  depictions of the networks  1000 ,  2000  and  3000 , respectively, where there are substantial similarities. Also, the wireless audio device  300  is substantially similar to the wireless audio device  200  of  FIG. 3 , being a wireless audio device that transmits audio detected by a microphone, and may also be capable of exchanging remote control commands and/or non-audio data. The most substantial differences between the network  3000  from the networks  1000  and  2000  is that the personal electronic device  900  is now transmitting multiple-channel audio to three wireless audio devices, instead of two, and that in comparison to the network  2000 , the audio detection and audible audio output functions of the wireless audio device  200  of the network  2000  have been split between two wireless audio devices in the network  3000 . 
         [0075]    The wireless audio device  300  occupies the same role as the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  200  of the networks  1000  and  2000 , respectively, in forming the link  915  with the personal electronic device  900  and in providing a false indication of capabilities to the personal electronic device  900  to induce the personal electronic device  900  to transmit multiple-channel audio across the link  915 . Like the wireless audio device  200  of the network  2000 , the ability of the wireless audio device  300  to transmit other audio detected with a microphone enables the wireless audio device  300  to participate in a two-way exchange of audio with the personal electronic device  900 . However, unlike the wireless audio device  200 , the wireless audio device  300  is not capable of audibly outputting audio, and so that function must be performed by other wireless electronic devices (e.g., the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b , as depicted). It should be noted that in other embodiments, the roles of the wireless audio devices  100   a ,  100   b  and  300  could be switched such that one of the wireless audio devices  100   a  or  100   b  has the direct two-way communication through the link  915  with the personal electronic device  200 . However, this would require that the audio from a microphone transmitted by the wireless audio device  300  be relayed through that wireless audio device, thereby adding a timing delay in the receipt of that other audio by the personal electronic device  900 , and requiring that wireless audio device to consume what may be a limited reserve of electric power at a faster rate to carry out such relaying. 
         [0076]    Not unlike the wireless audio device  200  of this and earlier figures, the wireless audio device  300  is meant to wirelessly transmit audio detected with a microphone. Although the wireless audio device  300  is depicted as being in a form meant to be strapped to possibly an arm or a wrist, this is intended to be illustrative of one form of device, and the wireless audio device  300  could be of any of a number of types of devices capable of transmitting detected audio (e.g., a wireless microphone). The wireless audio device  300  incorporates one or both of a microphone  375  (or in other embodiments, may support the connection of an external microphone) and a manually-operable control  322 . The wireless audio device  300  may further incorporate an indicator (not shown). Where the wireless audio device  300  incorporates the control  322 , the control  322  may be operable to enable a user to remotely control the personal electronic device  900  and/or one or both of the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b . Where the wireless audio device  300  incorporates an indicator, the indicator may enable non-audio data to be displayed to a user. 
         [0077]    In a manner very much like what has been previously discussed, the wireless audio devices  100   a ,  100   b  and  300  cooperate to present the personal electronic device  900  with the appearance of forming the link  915  with only a single other device (namely the wireless audio device  300 ) to which the personal electronic device  900  transmits a piece of audio. Though all three of the wireless audio devices  100   a ,  100   b  and  300  receive signals from the personal electronic device  900 , only one of the wireless audio devices transmits to the personal electronic device  900  (i.e., the wireless audio device  300 , as depicted). 
         [0078]    While the personal electronic device  900  transmits the piece of audio across the link  915  to the wireless audio device  300 , the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  also picks up the same signal and receive the same piece of audio despite neither being the intended recipient. Despite receiving packets of audio from the personal electronic device  900 , the wireless audio device  300  ignores them since it has no ability to drive an acoustic driver to audibly output audio. Where a packet of digitized audio is either not received or is received as corrupted by one or both of the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b , one or both transmits an error signal across corresponding links  115   a  and  115   b  to the wireless audio device  300  to be forwarded on to the personal electronic device  900  across the link  915  to cause the packet to be retransmitted. 
         [0079]    The link  915  is also used by the wireless audio device  300  to transmit audio detected with the microphone  375  (or an externally connected microphone) to the personal electronic device  900 . The link  915  may also be used by the wireless audio device  300  to transmit remote control commands back to the personal electronic device  900 . Where either of the wireless audio devices  100   a  or  100   b  is caused by a user to generate remote control commands, those commands are transmitted across the links  115   a  and  115   b , respectively to be forwarded to the personal electronic device  900  across the link  915 . 
         [0080]    Not unlike the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  200  of  FIGS. 1 and 3 , respectively, the wireless audio device  300  provides a false indication across the link  915  to the personal electronic device  900  that the wireless audio device  300  is, itself, capable of receiving and audibly outputting audio having multiple audio channels, despite the fact that the wireless audio device  300  is incapable of audibly outputting any audio. In essence, the wireless audio device  300  plays the role of arranging the transmission of audio by the personal electronic device  900  entirely for the benefit of the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b . During the resulting transmission of audio by the personal electronic device  900  including multiple channels, all three of the wireless audio devices  100   a ,  100   b  and  300  receive all of the multiple channels, but the wireless audio device  300  ignores this audio data while each of the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  make use of only the one or more audio channels that are of use to each. 
         [0081]    The links  115   a  and  115   b  may or may not require similar link establishment procedures to be formed. This will depend on the degree to which the wireless audio devices  100   a ,  100   b  and  300  may be received by a user as already configured to locate each other and interact with each other, and/or the degree to which each has been configured to employ a simplified link establishment procedure. Not unlike the links  115  of the networks  1000  and  2000 , the links  115   a  and  115   b  are used to coordinate various aspects of the transfer of audio from the personal electronic device  900  and to the wireless audio devices  100   a ,  100   b  and  300 , including and not limited to, synchronizing timings, exchanging volume and various audio signal processing settings, sharing data to implement noise cancellation functions, and conveying decryption keys. By way of example, where the control  322  of the wireless audio device  300  is employed as a volume control, the resulting remote control commands may be conveyed via the links  115   a  and  115   b  to the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b , respectively. 
         [0082]    Additionally, the link  915  is able to be used in the transfer of audio detected with a microphone from the wireless audio device  300  to the personal electronic device  900 . If the roles of the wireless audio devices  100  and  200  are reversed such that either of the wireless audio devices  100   a  or  100   b  are in direct communication with the personal electronic device  900  through the link  915 , then audio from the wireless audio device  300  detected with a microphone would have to be relayed through another wireless audio device to reach the personal electronic device  900 . 
         [0083]    Where the wireless audio device  200  incorporates the depicted control  322 , and the control  322  is configured to send remote control commands to the personal electronic device  900  when manually operated, the link  915  is employed to convey those remote control commands from the wireless audio device  300  to the personal electronic device  900 . Where either of the wireless audio devices  100   a  or  100   b  incorporate a manually-operated control (not shown), and that control is configured to send remote control commands to the personal electronic device  900  when manually operated, the links  115   a  and  115   b , respectively, are employed to convey those remote control commands from the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  to the wireless audio device  300 , which forwards those commands onward to the personal electronic device  900  via the link  915 . 
         [0084]    Where the wireless audio device  300  incorporates the indicator  323  enabling non-audio data to be displayed to a user, and that indicator is configured to be used to display data received from the personal electronic device  900 , that data is conveyed to the wireless audio device  300  via the link  915 . Where either of the wireless audio devices  100   a  or  100   b  incorporate an indicator (also not shown) enabling non-audio data to be displayed to a user, and that indicator is configured to be used to display data received from the personal electronic device  900 , that data is conveyed to the wireless audio device  300  via the link  915 . However, just as in the case of audio data, the non-audio data is also received by the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b , directly, by “listening in” on information transferred by the personal electronic device  900  across the link  915 . 
         [0085]      FIG. 6  is a block diagram of one possible internal architecture of the wireless audio device  300  of  FIG. 5 . The wireless audio device  300  incorporates a wireless transceiver  310 , a user interface  320 , a processor  330 , a storage  335 , a connector  350 , an analog-to-digital (A-to-D) converter  360 , perhaps a microphone  375  and a power storage  390  storing and providing electrical power to the rest of these. The architecture of the wireless audio device  300  depicted in  FIG. 6  is substantially similar to the architecture of the wireless audio device  200  depicted in  FIG. 4  with the substantial difference being the removal of a few components to support audibly outputting audio. Indeed, where substantially similar components performing substantially similar functions exist, they have been designated with labels in which the last two digits are identical to ease between them. Regardless of the exact architecture employed, the processor  330  is provided access to at least the wireless transceiver  310 , the user interface  320 , the storage  335  and the A-to-D converter  360 . As will be explained in greater detail, the processor  330  accesses the storage  335  to retrieve a sequence of instructions making up a routine  332 , and in executing the routine  332 , the processor  330  is caused to perform various functions during the operation of the wireless audio device  300 . 
         [0086]    The processor  330  may be any of a variety of types of processing device, and the storage  335  may be based on any of a wide variety of information storage technologies. The storage  335  stores at least the routine  332 , and depending on what audio processing and/or audio buffering functions are caused by the routine  332  to be performed by the processor  330 , the storage  335  may also store an audio data  339 . 
         [0087]    At a minimum, the execution of the routine  332  causes the processor  330  to operate the wireless transceiver  310  to send audio detected with a microphone to a personal electronic device (either directly or relayed), and to perhaps engage in exchanging commands and/or non-audio data. Where a wireless point-to-point link between the wireless audio device  300  and another device at least partly conforms to the Bluetooth specification or a similar specification for point-to-point wireless communication, the processor  330  may be caused by the routine  332  to operate the wireless transceiver  310  to carry out a link establishment procedure to establish that point-to-point link. The processor  330  may be further caused to operate the wireless transceiver  310  to exchange information concerning functional capabilities between the wireless audio device  300  and another device. Where the given role of the wireless audio device  300  is to engage a personal electronic device in direct two-way communications (as was the case with the wireless audio device  300  in  FIG. 5 ), then as previously discussed, the wireless audio device transmits false information about its own function capabilities to induce the wireless device to enable the use of various protocols and/or data formats to be used in communicating audio having multiple audio channels. 
         [0088]    The user interface  320  incorporates one or both of the previously-discussed control  322  and indicator  323 . The control  322  may be any type of manually-operable control and the indicator  323  may be any of a number of possible devices conveying information to a user of the wireless audio device  300 . The control  322  may be employed by a user of the wireless audio device  300  for one or more of initiating the performance of some form of link establishment procedure, controlling one or more aspects of the provision of audio to a user, and remotely controlling another wireless device with which a point-to-point link is formed. The indicator  323  may be employed to display information received by the wireless transceiver  310  from another wireless device and/or information generated by the wireless audio device  300 , itself. 
         [0089]    The A-to-D converter  360  may be of any of a wide variety of designs and forms. The A-to-D converter  360  may be accessible by the processor  330  to enable the processor  330  to operate either to support differing timings, audio bit formats, etc. The connector  350 , at a minimum, enables an external power source to be connected to the wireless audio device  300 , and may enable that external power source to recharge the power storage  390 . In various embodiments, the connector  350  may enable audio detected by an external microphone to be provided to the A-to-D converter  360  where either the wireless device  300  does not incorporate the microphone  375 , or a user desires to use an external microphone in place of or in addition to the microphone  375 . Also, as an alternative to or in addition to using multiple electrically-conductive contacts for conveying at least power and perhaps also commands and other data, the connector  350  may incorporate non-electrically-conductive approaches to conveying power, audio, commands and/or other data. 
         [0090]    As previously discussed, a link establishment procedure may be required to form the point-to-point link, and a user of both the wireless audio device  300  and another device (such as a personal electronic device or another wireless audio device) may operate both devices to initiate a link establishment procedure between them. For the wireless audio  300 , this may entail the processor  330  being caused by the routine  332  to monitor the control  322  for an instance of the control  322  being operated by the user to initiate the link establishment procedure, and then operating the transceiver  310  to carry out the link establishment procedure. As already discussed, where the other device with which the wireless audio device  300  has formed a given link is a personal electronic device from which audio having multiple audio channels is to be received, then the processor  330  may be caused by the routine  332  to operate the transceiver  310  to provide the other device with a false indication that the wireless audio device  300  is capable of both receiving and audibly outputting multiple audio channels of a piece of audio having multiple audio channels, despite this not being true. 
         [0091]    With the point-to-point link established and initialized, the processor  330 , in executing the routine  332 , is caused by the routine  332  to operate the wireless transceiver  310  to transmit audio detected by a microphone. Audio detected by one or both of the microphone  375  (if present) and an external microphone connected to the connector  350  is provided to the A-to-D converter  360 . Then, the processor  330  is further caused to transfer audio from the A-to-D converter  360  to the transceiver. The processor  330  may be further caused to buffer the audio to be transmitted through the transceiver  310  as the audio data  339  stored within the storage  335 . 
         [0092]    Where the wireless audio device supports it, the establishment and initialization of the point-to-point link also enables the transfer of commands and/or non-audio data across that point-to-point link. Commands to remotely control the wireless audio device  300  may emanate from either a personal electronic device that also transmits audio or another wireless audio device. Similarly, commands emanating from the wireless audio device  300  may control one or both of a personal electronic device and another wireless audio device. Other forms of data may similarly emanate from a personal electronic device and/or another wireless audio device. 
         [0093]    As previously discussed, more than one wireless audio device must cooperate to receive and use multiple audio channels of audio that a personal audio device transmits to one of those wireless audio devices. Not unlike what has been previously discussed, such coordination is enabled through the formation of additional wireless point-to-point links formed between the wireless audio devices (e.g., the links  115   a  and  115   b  between the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  in  FIG. 5 ). Across that link may be transmitted authentication, identification and/or decryption information needed for wireless audio devices to receive and use the transmissions of multi-channel audio and other data, as well as audio synchronization signals remote control commands, and indications of errors from packets of audio not received or received with corrupted audio data. 
         [0094]    Despite the wireless audio device  300  not being capable of audibly outputting audio, the processor  330  is caused by the routine  332  to generate a synchronization signal, or to perhaps receive and relay a synchronization signal to enable other wireless audio devices to synchronize their audible audio output. Further, the processor  330  is caused to operate the transceiver  310  to pass on commands, non-audio data and/or error indications as needed between other devices where needed, and to buffer those commands, non-audio data and/or error indications where needed in the storage  335 . 
         [0095]      FIG. 7  depicts a network  4000  in which audio is transferred among four personal electronics devices, specifically, a personal electronic device  900  and a triplet of wireless audio devices  100   a ,  100   b  and  400 . The network  4000  is substantially similar to the network  3000  of  FIG. 5 , being a pseudo hub-and-spoke topology in which the personal electronic device  900  is presented with false indications of being in wireless communications to transfer audio solely with a single wireless audio device (the wireless audio device  400 , as depicted) across a single wireless point-to-point link  915 , but with the purpose of inducing the personal electronic device  900  to also transfer the audio to at least one other wireless audio device (the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b , as depicted). Indeed, where possible, many of the same numeric labels have been used between the  FIGS. 5 and 7  depictions of the networks  3000  and  4000 , respectively, where there are substantial similarities. Also, the wireless audio device  400  is substantially similar to the wireless audio device  300  of  FIG. 5 , being a wireless audio device that is unable to audibly output audio, and may also be capable of exchanging remote control commands and/or non-audio data. The most substantial difference between the networks  3000  and  4000  is that the wireless audio device  400 , unlike the wireless audio device  300 , is incapable of detecting audio with a microphone in order to transmit that audio to another device. Indeed, not unlike the network  1000  of  FIG. 1 , within the network  4000 , as depicted, is only the ability to audibly output audio, and not to detect audio. 
         [0096]    The wireless audio device  400  occupies the same role as the wireless audio devices  100   a ,  200  and  300  of the networks  1000 ,  2000  and  3000 , respectively, in forming the link  915  with the personal electronic device  900  and in providing a false indication of capabilities to the personal electronic device  900  to induce the personal electronic device  900  to transmit multiple-channel audio across the link  915 . Like the wireless audio device  300  of the network  3000 , wireless audio device  400  is essentially arranging for the personal electronic device  900  to transmit audio to other wireless audio devices, since the wireless audio device  400  does not audibly output audio. However, unlike the wireless audio device  300 , the wireless audio device  400  does not detect audio with a microphone, either. Therefore, whatever audible outputting or detecting of audio is to occur in any network employing the wireless audio device  400  in this capacity will have to rely on other wireless audio devices to perform those functions. It should be noted that in other embodiments, the roles of the wireless audio devices  100   a ,  100   b  and  400  could be switched such that one of the wireless audio devices  100   a  or  100   b  has the direct two-way communication through the link  915  with the personal electronic device  200 , and given the lack of audio outputting and detecting functionality of the wireless audio device  400 , such a switch could likely be made without adversely affecting the overall cooperative functionality achieved among all of the devices of the network  4000 . 
         [0097]    Although the wireless audio device  300  is depicted as being in a box-like form that might be strapped to a belt or worn about the neck as a pendant, this is intended to be illustrative of one form of device, and the wireless audio device  400  could be of any of a number of types of devices. The wireless audio device  400  incorporates one or both of a manually-operable control  422  and an indicator  423 . Where the wireless audio device  400  incorporates the control  422 , the control  422  may be operable to enable a user to remotely control the personal electronic device  900  and/or one or both of the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b . Where the wireless audio device  300  incorporates an indicator, the indicator may enable non-audio data to be displayed to a user. 
         [0098]    In a manner very much like what has been previously discussed, the wireless audio devices  100   a ,  100   b  and  400  cooperate to present the personal electronic device  900  with the appearance of forming the link  915  with only a single other device (namely the wireless audio device  400 ) to which the personal electronic device  900  transmits a piece of audio. Though all three of the wireless audio devices  100   a ,  100   b  and  400  receive signals from the personal electronic device  900 , only one of the wireless audio devices transmits to the personal electronic device  900  (i.e., the wireless audio device  400 , as depicted). 
         [0099]    While the personal electronic device  900  transmits the piece of audio across the link  915  to the wireless audio device  400 , the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  also picks up the same signal and receive the same piece of audio despite neither being the intended recipient. Despite receiving packets of audio from the personal electronic device  900 , the wireless audio device  400  ignores them since it has no ability to drive an acoustic driver to audibly output audio. Where a packet of digitized audio is either not received or is received as corrupted by one or both of the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b , one or both transmits an error signal across corresponding links  115   a  and  115   b  to the wireless audio device  400  to be forwarded on to the personal electronic device  900  across the link  915  to cause the packet to be retransmitted. The link  915  may also be used by the wireless audio device  400  to transmit remote control commands back to the personal electronic device  900 . Where either of the wireless audio devices  100   a  or  100   b  is caused by a user to generate remote control commands, those commands are transmitted across the links  115   a  and  115   b , respectively to be forwarded to the personal electronic device  900  across the link  915 . 
         [0100]    Not unlike the wireless audio devices  100   a ,  200  and  300  of  FIGS. 1 ,  3  and  5 , respectively, the wireless audio device  400  provides a false indication across the link  915  to the personal electronic device  900  that the wireless audio device  400  is, itself, capable of receiving and audibly outputting audio having multiple audio channels, despite the fact that the wireless audio device  400  is incapable of audibly outputting any audio. In essence, the wireless audio device  400  plays the role of arranging the transmission of audio by the personal electronic device  900  entirely for the benefit of the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b . During the resulting transmission of audio by the personal electronic device  900  including multiple channels, all three of the wireless audio devices  100   a ,  100   b  and  400  receive all of the multiple channels, but the wireless audio device  400  ignores this audio data while each of the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  make use of only the one or more audio channels that are of use to each. 
         [0101]    The links  115   a  and  115   b  may or may not require similar link establishment procedures to be formed. This will depend on the degree to which the wireless audio devices  100   a ,  100   b  and  400  may be received by a user as already configured to locate each other and interact with each other, and/or the degree to which each has been configured to employ a simplified link establishment procedure. Not unlike the links  115  of the networks  1000  and  2000 , the links  115   a  and  115   b  are used to coordinate various aspects of the transfer of audio from the personal electronic device  900  and to the wireless audio devices  100   a ,  100   b  and  400 , including and not limited to, synchronizing timings, exchanging volume and various audio signal processing settings, sharing data to implement noise cancellation functions, and conveying decryption keys. By way of example, where the control  422  of the wireless audio device  400  is employed as a volume control, the resulting remote control commands may be conveyed via the links  115   a  and  115   b  to the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b , respectively. 
         [0102]    Where the wireless audio device  400  incorporates the depicted control  422 , and the control  422  is configured to send remote control commands to the personal electronic device  900  when manually operated, the link  915  is employed to convey those remote control commands from the wireless audio device  400  to the personal electronic device  900 . Where either of the wireless audio devices  100   a  or  100   b  incorporate a manually-operated control (not shown), and that control is configured to send remote control commands to the personal electronic device  900  when manually operated, the links  115   a  and  115   b , respectively, are employed to convey those remote control commands from the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  to the wireless audio device  400 , which forwards those commands onward to the personal electronic device  900  via the link  915 . 
         [0103]    Where the wireless audio device  400  incorporates the indicator  423  enabling non-audio data to be displayed to a user, and that indicator is configured to be used to display data received from the personal electronic device  900 , that data is conveyed to the wireless audio device  400  via the link  915 . Where either of the wireless audio devices  100   a  or  100   b  incorporate an indicator (also not shown) enabling non-audio data to be displayed to a user, and that indicator is configured to be used to display data received from the personal electronic device  900 , that data is conveyed to the wireless audio device  400  via the link  915 . However, just as in the case of audio data, the non-audio data is also received by the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b , directly, by “listening in” on information transferred by the personal electronic device  900  across the link  915 . 
         [0104]      FIG. 8  is a block diagram of one possible internal architecture of the wireless audio device  400  of  FIG. 7 . The wireless audio device  400  incorporates a wireless transceiver  410 , a user interface  420 , a processor  430 , a storage  435 , a connector  450 , another connector as part of a cradle  455 , and a power storage  490  storing and providing electrical power to the rest of these. The architecture of the wireless audio device  400  depicted in  FIG. 8  is substantially similar to the architecture of the wireless audio device  300  depicted in  FIG. 6  with the substantial difference being the removal of a few components to support the detection of audio by a microphone for transmission. Indeed, where substantially similar components performing substantially similar functions exist, they have been designated with labels in which the last two digits are identical to ease between them. Regardless of the exact architecture employed, the processor  430  is provided access to at least the wireless transceiver  410 , the user interface  420 , and the storage  435 . As will be explained in greater detail, the processor  430  accesses the storage  435  to retrieve a sequence of instructions making up a routine  432 , and in executing the routine  432 , the processor  430  is caused to perform various functions during the operation of the wireless audio device  400 . 
         [0105]    The processor  430  may be any of a variety of types of processing device, and the storage  435  may be based on any of a wide variety of information storage technologies. The storage  435  stores at least the routine  432 , and depending on what audio processing and/or audio buffering functions are caused by the routine  432  to be performed by the processor  430 , the storage  435  may also store an audio data  439 . 
         [0106]    At a minimum, the execution of the routine  432  causes the processor  430  to engage in exchanging commands and/or non-audio data, and perhaps to control the recharging of one or more other wireless audio devices inserted into the cradle  455 . Where a wireless point-to-point link between the wireless audio device  400  and another device at least partly conforms to the Bluetooth specification or a similar specification for point-to-point wireless communication, the processor  430  may be caused by the routine  432  to operate the wireless transceiver  410  to carry out a link establishment procedure to establish that point-to-point link. The processor  430  may be further caused to operate the wireless transceiver  410  to exchange information concerning functional capabilities between the wireless audio device  400  and another device. Where the given role of the wireless audio device  400  is to engage a personal electronic device in direct two-way communications (as was the case with the wireless audio device  400  in  FIG. 7 ), then as previously discussed, the wireless audio device transmits false information about its own function capabilities to induce the wireless device to enable the use of various protocols and/or data formats to be used in communicating audio having multiple audio channels. 
         [0107]    The user interface  420  incorporates one or both of the previously-discussed control  422  and indicator  423 . The control  422  may be any type of manually-operable control and the indicator  423  may be any of a number of possible devices conveying information to a user of the wireless audio device  400 . The control  422  may be employed by a user of the wireless audio device  400  for one or more of initiating the performance of some form of link establishment procedure, controlling one or more aspects of the provision of audio to a user, and remotely controlling another wireless device with which a point-to-point link is formed. The indicator  423  may be employed to display information received by the wireless transceiver  410  from another wireless device and/or information generated by the wireless audio device  400 , itself (e.g., an indication of the progress of recharging a wireless audio device inserted into the cradle  455 ). 
         [0108]    Although the connector  450  may conventionally employ multiple electrically-conductive contacts for conveying at least power and perhaps also commands and other data, the connector  450  may incorporate non-electrically-conductive approaches to conveying power, audio, commands and/or other data. Both the connector  450  and a connector incorporated into the cradle  455  are connected to the power storage  490 . Through the connector  450 , the power storage  490  may be charged from an external power source, and through the connector incorporated into the cradle  455 , one or more other wireless devices inserted into the cradle  455  may be recharged using electrical power either from the power storage  490  or from an external power source connected to the connector  450 . The processor  430  may be further caused by the routine  432  to monitor the recharging of the power storage  490  and/or of a wireless audio device inserted into the cradle  455  to prevent overcharging. 
         [0109]    As previously discussed, a link establishment procedure may be required to form the point-to-point link, and a user of both the wireless audio device  400  and another device (such as a personal electronic device or another wireless audio device) may operate both devices to initiate a link establishment procedure between them. For the wireless audio  400 , this may entail the processor  430  being caused by the routine  432  to monitor the control  422  for an instance of the control  422  being operated by the user to initiate the link establishment procedure, and then operating the transceiver  410  to carry out the link establishment procedure. As already discussed, where the other device with which the wireless audio device  400  has formed a given link is a personal electronic device from which audio having multiple audio channels is to be received, then the processor  430  may be caused by the routine  432  to operate the transceiver  410  to provide the other device with a false indication that the wireless audio device  400  is capable of both receiving and audibly outputting multiple audio channels of a piece of audio having multiple audio channels, despite this not being true. 
         [0110]    Despite the lack of ability of the wireless audio device  400  to either audibly output audio or to use a microphone to detect audio, the processor  430  may be caused by the routine relay audio between two other devices having point-to-point links formed with the wireless audio device  400 . Furthermore, the processor  430  may be further caused to buffer relayed audio as the audio data  439  stored within the storage  435 , and/or to carry out various signal processing operations on audio relayed through the wireless audio device  400 . 
         [0111]    Where the wireless audio device supports it, the establishment and initialization of the point-to-point link also enables the transfer of commands and/or non-audio data across that point-to-point link. Commands to remotely control the wireless audio device  400  may emanate from either a personal electronic device that also transmits audio or another wireless audio device. Similarly, commands emanating from the wireless audio device  400  may control one or both of a personal electronic device and another wireless audio device. Other forms of data may similarly emanate from a personal electronic device and/or another wireless audio device. 
         [0112]    As previously discussed, more than one wireless audio device must cooperate to receive and use multiple audio channels of audio that a personal audio device transmits to one of those wireless audio devices. Not unlike what has been previously discussed, such coordination is enabled through the formation of additional wireless point-to-point links formed between the wireless audio devices (e.g., the links  115   a  and  115   b  between the wireless audio devices  100   a  and  100   b  in  FIG. 7 ). Across that link may be transmitted authentication, identification and/or decryption information needed for wireless audio devices to receive and use the transmissions of multi-channel audio and other data, as well as audio synchronization signals remote control commands, and indications of errors from packets of audio not received or received with corrupted audio data. 
         [0113]    Despite the wireless audio device  400  not being capable of audibly outputting audio, the processor  430  is caused by the routine  432  to generate a synchronization signal, or to perhaps receive and relay a synchronization signal to enable other wireless audio devices to synchronize their audible audio output. Further, the processor  430  is caused to operate the transceiver  410  to pass on commands, non-audio data and/or error indications as needed between other devices where needed, and to buffer those commands, non-audio data and/or error indications where needed in the storage  435 . 
         [0114]    Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.