Problem: Bluetooth printing, HP 928 & HP 450cbi

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Hello all,

I'd really appreciate someone helping me out with this. I've got a HP928 PPC (fone edition) and just got a HP450cbi (printer) to go with it. Problem is I can't get the PPC (or my Toshiba laptop) to find the device at all much less print from it.

When I search for bluetooth devices in range from the laptop or the PPC they find anything discoverable (each other, a Nokia 7650, Ericsson R520 etc.) and I even do Activesync between them using bluetooth now. But the printer just won't show up even though the bluetooth card is in and flashing its LED.

Both laptop and PPC can print to the 450cbi using infrared and the laptop can also use cables (LPT or USB)

In the laptop I have a Belkin PCMCIA bluetooth card. In the 928 and the 450cbi I have identical generic bluetooth cards. HP recommends Anycom's CF 2001 card but I thought I could work around that.

So do I HAVE to have Anycom's card or am I just doing something wrong (read dumb if you like). Please help guys...

Thanks for 'listening' to me whine,
Aide

(I'm kind of a newbie so I'll take all the help I can get, please!)

[dhettel]

My understanding is you have to have the **special** Printer card by Ayncom, it's not just a normal Anycom Bluetooth card, but a special one just for this printer.

David

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AWWW rats!!!

I was afraid of that. Now I have to spend even more money.

Anyway, thanks a lot David.

I'll still nose around in the (vain) hope that somewhere there is a workaround but...I can see an Anycom printer card in my future.

I think HP should have been clearer about that though. I didn't spot the info that it was restricted to that specific card anywhere (they just recommended it and they did not say the printer would not work with other 'non-printer' bluetooth cards. I'm thousands of miles away so I doublecheck everything before I buy. :evil:

In anger,
Aide

[dhettel]

I have to agree with you. I saw one of these at my local CompUSA store and was thinking of getting it. The box that I saw seem to suggest that it came with a Bluetooth card, the sales person I talk to assured me it did. Said he had in fact just checked that with the sales rep the day before. I went to another store Microcenter that had the same box, and they let me check inside of it no card! And from my reading of there manual, only the special anycom card would work with it. Not just any Bluetooth card. That made me rethink my decision. If you need a special card that Hp does not supply, or make and this is the only card it will work with. Then to my mind this is a great way to point fingers when you have problems. This printer is marketed as a mobile Bluetooth printer, to my mind it should come with the Bluetooth radio and a battery! :devilboy:

David

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Can't find the Anycom printer card in stock anywhere :devilboy: . I've had a couple of bad experiences so I don't order anything which says 'usually ships in ?-? days' (or anything like that).

Seems Anycom's release date for the item was just Aug 15 (2003). If anyone has spotted a store that says they've got it in stock please let me know.

Thanks,
Aide