Geekzone Reviews Bluetooth Printer Adapter

[Crystal Eitle]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?contentid=1109' target='_blank'>http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.a...?contentid=1109</a><br /><br /></div>Geekzone has posted a review of a nifty little gadget: a Bluetooth adapter that plugs into the parallel port of a printer and takes the place of a cable, allowing your Pocket PC (or other device) to communicate with the printer via Bluetooth. <a href="http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?contentid=1109">Check it out</a>.

[Bandito]

Has anyone actually used these? Are they really worth the cost? The best price I can find for these printer dongles is >$200 CDN, whereas I can buy a USB BT Dongle for &lt;$100 CDN and just share the printer from my PC. Or buy a JetDirect box which is still &lt;$200 CDN and have access to the printer over LAN, WiFi and Bluetooth LAN. Doesn't this make mroe sense?

Has anyone found a price for these printer dongles that makes them worthwhile? I'm eager to hear other opinions on this, because I think I'm missing something to justify the cost right now.

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

Yeah, very cool device, but I'm not sure I'm willing to pay more than $50 for one.

[James Fee]

I got so excited reading this and then was crushed seeing how much it costs. How can this be so expensive? Hmm, my old LaserJet will still not be on my network... :(

[regtien]

If you want to check out an alternative BT printer adapter, have a look at the Epox one at www.PocketPCReviews.net where they have been reviewed.
Cheers,
Martin

[jimski]

I don't think a BT Adapter should cost more than the printer. If they just built the darn thing into the printer in the first place (for about $5) we wouldn't need to have this conversation.

[ctmagnus]

I don't think a BT Adapter should cost more than the printer. If they just built the darn thing into the printer in the first place (for about $5) we wouldn't need to have this conversation.

They could do that, but it would cost more to manufacture the printer. They don't want to jack up prices on the hardware, they want to do that to the consumables.

Another factor: society relies on the written word. That's been happing for a gazillion years. We buy printers for that reason. Concepts like producing the written word from a machine are centuries old. Concepts like doing that with a machine that is not attached to the first machine are light years ahead of most people. They still avoid cell phones because they might get cancer and die a few seconds earlier than they would otherwise.

Sure, we'll spring for a Bluetooth-enabled printer. But most people won't for the aforementioned reasons. Especially since a lot of them still only have one PC and one printer, that never move from the desk.

[pelucidor]

Yeah, very cool device, but I'm not sure I'm willing to pay more than $50 for one.When Bluetooth first came out (3 years ago?) I remember being promised chipsets for $5 (in quantitiy) and add-on printer dongles like this for $10-$20 within a year. Anything more than $30 is insane to replace a bit of wire costing $5. This is why Bluetooth is not everywhere in the home yet.

[pelucidor]

I don't think a BT Adapter should cost more than the printer. If they just built the darn thing into the printer in the first place (for about $5) we wouldn't need to have this conversation.

They could do that, but it would cost more to manufacture the printer. They don't want to jack up prices on the hardware, they want to do that to the consumables.

Another factor: society relies on the written word. That's been happing for a gazillion years. We buy printers for that reason. Concepts like producing the written word from a machine are centuries old. Concepts like doing that with a machine that is not attached to the first machine are light years ahead of most people. They still avoid cell phones because they might get cancer and die a few seconds earlier than they would otherwise.

Sure, we'll spring for a Bluetooth-enabled printer. But most people won't for the aforementioned reasons. Especially since a lot of them still only have one PC and one printer, that never move from the desk.I completely disagree.

1. Printer manufacturers add stuff like CF or MMC card readers and LCD displays to printers all the time. Also most printers have printer and USB ports. Just lose the printer port (save $3) and add built-in Bluetooth ($10?) and charge $20 more. Adding features differentiates your product and allows you to charge more (much more than the cost of that feature). You will still make the same profit on consumables.

2. Who have you met that avoids a cell-phone (and also knows what a computer is). How about 900Mhz cordless phones in the house - is it alien hyper-technology (oh my god no wires and it works like a wired phone!). In many countries of the world there are better than 1 cellphone per inhabitant (many not used and sitting in drawers obviously, but the statistics don't differentiate). This is such a ridiculous argument... I control my TV from a device that is not attached to the TV itself by wires and it doesn't shock people that come to visit me.