01-10-2003, 06:04 PM
|
|
Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
|
|
Project "Canadian Bluetooth" Was a Success!
Yesterday I said I was giving Bluetooth another try, this time with a client of mine who wanted to be set up with a Bluetooth Phone and Pocket PC. After the initial snag of discovering that Toshiba simply wouldn't sell the Bluetooth version of the E740 in North America, we switched to a Dell Axim and a Socket CF Bluetooth card. So how did the process go?
All in all, quite painless. There were a few glitches though - I installed the driver off the CD onto the Pocket PC, disconnected the Pocket PC, soft reset it, put in the Socket card...and got a "Card Not Recognized" error. :? I then went to the Socket Web site, downloaded the newest driver (which was dated pre-Axim anyway), and tried to install it again. This time the install took, and I walked through the wizard. It was pretty easy to get it bonded to the phone, and once I called Rogers AT&T and got the "phone number", (*99#9 or something), I was nearly done. One glitch though that Microsoft should address - they're still using the default dialing preferences from the Windows desktop. How many of us really need to put 9 in front of all dialing strings to get an outside line? :lol: I'm sure there are quite a few of you that use a dial-up modem to get Internet access, but let's face it: wireless is the future. It took me a few clicks to find the dialing preferences screen (it's not easily accessible from the control panel), delete the 9, and try to connect. BAM!
I was really impressed with the speed of the hand off, and strangely enough, the GPRS connection seems to initialize even faster than on my XDA. Different carriers though, so Rogers may have a more optimized routine than the Fido network.
All in all, I'd say I had a pretty good Bluetooth experience. 99% of the reason why is Socket Communications - way to go guys! The step by step wizard was nothing short of amazing, and if it wasn't there it would have taken me much longer to get things up and running. This only reinforces my opinion that Bluetooth itself is never the problem - it's the implementation and drivers from the company selling the product that either makes it painful or wonderful. If only more companies were like Socket Communications!
|
| |
|
|
|
01-10-2003, 06:16 PM
|
|
Theorist
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 262
|
|
I agree that Bluetooth, give the correct implemantation can be painless. I have an old ipaq + silver slider + socket BT card connected to my T68i and it works great. The socket install wizard really shows what 'consumer friendly' should be like...unfortunately my socket card died on me  After a while I started to get a 'card not recognized error' . Usually a soft reset would solve the problem, but after time it got worse. Apparantly this is a known, but not that common problem...I've contacted expansys (the retailer) and I'll receive a new card shortly.
BT rox ! sort off ! ;-)
Ivan
|
| |
|
|
|
01-10-2003, 06:40 PM
|
|
Thinker
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 396
|
|
Bluetooth is definitely getting better, and Socket's forums and attentiveness to customer opinion certainly help.
Whenever I've had to reinstall (PDA requiring hard reset, etc.) Connection Manager and the Dialing Patterns in particular is always the bit that takes the longest to sort out. e.g. In the UK, when dialing from abroad you have to leave off the initial "0" but there seems to be no way to do this without a work around (even in XP).
Fred
|
| |
|
|
|
01-10-2003, 06:57 PM
|
|
Pontificator
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,466
|
|
Does anyone make an SD BT card?
|
| |
|
|
|
01-10-2003, 07:01 PM
|
|
Mystic
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,639
|
|
Palm sell a BT card that I have used in the past on an old 505. I believe the card is made by Toshiba who also sell it under their own brand.
__________________
Cheers!
David
|
| |
|
|
|
01-10-2003, 07:04 PM
|
|
Thinker
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 437
|
|
The Toshiba BT SD Card has been out for a while.
I don't know how well it's doing these days though. The last time I heard anything about it was when I heard that it only works in Toshiba Pocket PCs. I haven't been able to confirm this though so I don't know whether these are just false rumors or terrible truths.
|
| |
|
|
|
01-10-2003, 07:21 PM
|
|
Sage
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 651
|
|
I have to say that like Jason my first BT encounter was horrible. It wasn't the technology that caused the frustration, it was the implementation that one company took that had me cursing my laptop and Ipaq. Once I tried the Belkin BT dongle things went smooth and I haven't had any problems since. As I type this while sitting outside enjoying the weather, my 3970 is connected to this laptop via BT doing it's sync thing.
|
| |
|
|
|
01-10-2003, 07:25 PM
|
|
Pupil
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 16
|
|
Jason,
Did you have to sign up for the Rogers data service in order to get the connectivity? Last time I tried, several months back, that was the only way and it still didn't work. Rogers said they weren't supporting it.
Hmmph... and to think I helped set up their GPRS network!
Cheers!
|
| |
|
|
|
01-10-2003, 07:32 PM
|
|
Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
|
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Calculon
Did you have to sign up for the Rogers data service in order to get the connectivity? Last time I tried, several months back, that was the only way and it still didn't work. Rogers said they weren't supporting it.
|
My customer has a regular phone plan with them, we called up and signed up for their $50 a month flat-rate plan, and we were off.
|
| |
|
|
|
01-10-2003, 07:34 PM
|
|
Ponderer
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 75
|
|
I agree the Socket Card is great. I think their support forum is the best. BTW: Socket does or will have an SD bluetooth card.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Linear Mode
