Bluetooth CF cards... which one?

[TheNewSteve]

They are all very low in power consumption. I'm sure the SocketCom is the lowest, but it's like $125 at Amazon.com.

Belkin's offering is only $64 at CompUSA's website, and I also found this BillionTon one at http://www.moonlight-tech.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=699 for $60... the power specs for the BillionTon are as follows:

Power Consumption: Typical: 40mA/5V Maximum: Transmit : 60.4 mA/5V (peak), Receive: 69.6mA/5V (peak) Idle: 6.3mA/5V

I want to use this and a USB BT adapter to connect to the internet, AIM and email, and maybe sync with my computer wirelessly in my home.

Will I notice a large difference in battery life with these different cards (the Dell has good battery life to start with)? I know speed is much slower than WiFi (WiFi can do 11MB/s, but cable modem only puts out 10MB/s max, comared to Bluetooth doing like 1MB/s max- is that right?), but for IM email and what browsing you can do on a pocketpc it doesn't seem worth the extra money to get a WiFi router and CF card just for pocketpc. I want a BT card to start with to connect to GPRS w/ bluetooth phone.

Thanks! 8O

[NicolasW]

Personally, I would stick to bluetooth only if you're going to be either connecting to your cell phone to connect to the internet or using a bluetooth GPS receiver.

If you get a wi-fi CF card, you'll end up paying a lot less and can travel around the house (and outside) with it.

Good luck!
Wes

[TheNewSteve]

Actually, I guess I should have prefaced this post with the fact that I'm getting a Bluetooth CF card MAINLY to connect to T68i anyway...

So, given that, my options for wireless browsing at home would be:

A: Buy a WiFi Router ($70 after rebate is lowest) and a WiFi CF card ($65 for Linksys ones to $120 for low power SocketCom- and low power is good b/c WiFi uses a lot)
Total= $135-190

B: Buy a Bluetooth Router- at least $300 for slow connection, not worth it.

or,
C: Buy a Bluetooth USB adapter for $50. Connect to the internet & sync with desktop wirelessly.

I'm in college and do work, but adding $50 to my system is much easier than $135-190...

-Steve