How Important is Bluetooth to You?

[Jason Dunn]

I was thinking about Bluetooth in Pocket PCs, and I was curious to see how important you felt Bluetooth was as a deciding factor in your next Pocket PC purchase.

[Jeff Song]

I find bluetooth to be very useful...not only do i use it to connect to my t610 to get online, i also use my ipaq 4355 to text my friends-the built in thumboard is so convenient for that. I also use it to transfer files to my computers, or my friends who have bt devices...it just makes things much easier.

[piperpilot]

To me, WIFI is more important simply because I use it more often. I think I would get more use out of BT if I had a Phone Edition device because I would use a BT headset with it.

[Jason Dunn]

To me, WIFI is more important simply because I use it more often. I think I would get more use out of BT if I had a Phone Edition device because I would use a BT headset with it.

I'll do a poll on WiFi later. ;-)

[surfer]

It's important to me since i can get up one the internet everywhere i go . :D

[collegea]

Bluetooth is a great alternative way for a mobile professional to connect to the Internet when Wifi is unavailable. Moreover, a good bluetooth headset sure beats getting entangled by wires when you are driving. So, for me, it's important to have at least one bluetooth phone and a bluetooth headset.

[don dre]

WiFi is definitely more important to me. I do not use my phone as a modem much b/c the speed is lacking and find mysellf using the wifi much more. BT is nice for the headsets but I prefer to have my phone separate form my PDA (if money were not an obstacle I'd have a PPC Phone and a regular phone.)

[OSUKid7]

Got the email about this post about two minutes after I plugged in my new Belkin Bluetooth adapter for the first time. With my new T-Mobile phone/plan, Bluetooth has become very important, but still nothing compared to WiFi.

[24va]

Sorry, the single dissenting vote was a mistake, I thought it said I will not buy a ppc without bt.

I gotta have bt

[DrtyBlvd]

I can't WiFi to other peoples devices as easily as I can BT... whether that be headsets, GPS, printers etc etc.... therefore for me, has to have both

[carphead]

How much do I use Bluetooth? All the time. Without Bluetooth I wouldn't be able to use GPS in my car (UV Reflective Screen), send files to my work desktop, use GPRS, talk on my phone.

So is BT important to me? More as much as Wifi and having a pocketpc. Not having BT in a PocketPC is unthinkable to me.

[Godsongz]

I'll do a poll on WiFi later. ;-)

The most interesting part of this will be comparing the responses between the bluetooth and wifi polls

[SeanH]

I am a big fan of Bluetooth and voted yes. A lot of people have responded as if the poll is do you prefer Bluetooth over WiFi. The poll is How important is Bluetooth in your next Pocket PC purchase.

WiFi is wireless Ethernet that is used for networking not peripherals

Bluetooth if for peripherals like wireless USB, a wireless serial port, a wireless printer port, wireless mice, wireless keyboards, wireless headsets. It’s used for networking to replace wires used in slower serial based peripherals from the past. Those networking applications typically used a low speed serial connection like a 56Kb serial modem, or a serial link to a GPRS cell phone. Bluetooth makes the serial connection wireless.

I think portable devices like a laptop or a PDA should have both to get rid of the wires for networking (WiFi) and wires for peripherals (Bluetooth).

Sean

[palmsolo]

I have been using Bluetooth to connect my mobile devices to my Nokia 3650 for over a year now and it is vital for getting connected away from a WiFi network. Now that I have a Phone Edition, MDA II, Bluetooth is still important for BT headsets and the awesome Pharos BT GPS receiver.

After using the Dell Bluetooth keyboard for a few days, I am hooked for good and will not buy another device that does not have Bluetooth integrated into it.

[arnage2]

id much rather have wifi than bt. (but thats just me)

[Kevin Daly]

Apart from anything else my views on the subject were solidified (that doesn't seem like the right choice of words but I'm late for work and my brain is already tired) when I got to try a Bluetooth keyboard a while ago.

Kev must have.... 0X

[gibson042]

Bluetooth is ESSENTIAL. Use your phone's GPRS for always-available online connection, or listen to/talk on/control your Phone Edition with a wireless headset. The most convenient GPS receivers (in my opinion) use Bluetooth, and Bluetooth has finally given us non-proprietary portable PPC keyboards. Couple that with its low-power nature, and what's NOT to like. Now, if only the desktop world would catch up... :|

[ignar]

BT > Wifi

For sure, I'd like to have both in my PDA. But, if I have to choose one, BT will get my vote since it's more versatile. Yes, Wifi is much faster than BT for internet connection. But, internet usage on my PDA doesn't require high speed. Checking email and surfing mobile customed webpage are just fine with slower BT connection. And BT can do a lot more than internet such as GPS, file sharing, ActiveSync, Headset, ...

[disconnected]

Definitely essential.

I like WiFi too, but could live without it if I had to -- I mainly use it at home, and could substitute bluetooth if necessary. The initial thrill of hotspots disappeared after the first few tmobile bills for a few minutes browsing at Borders and Starbucks. Internet browsing is slower with iPAQ/bluetooth Sprint phone, but it's free with my calling plan and available almost everywhere I go, and I love my bluetooth GPS receiver.

[daS]

Sorry, the single dissenting vote was a mistake, I thought it said I will not buy a ppc without bt.

I gotta have bt
Well now there are 4 other "no Bluetooth" votes besides your one that was a mistake.

So from this we can conclude that Ed has three aliases. :wink:

[c38b2]

I don't have it and I don't need it, not saying that I won't buy a PPC that has it though - it's just not a factor in the descision. And, what may seem a huge shock, I don't need WiFi either. Heck, I don't even use IR! :roll:

In case you're wondering why I'm posting this it should be noted following these posts praising the wireless wonder that there are those out there that just don't have bluetooth equipped phones or PPCs and have no need to connect to other PPCs via this method.

[Sven Johannsen]

Poll could use a bit more granularity. Maybe 'has to have', 'figures prominantly in the decision', 'don't care', 'not high on the list', 'don't want it'.

In any case, for me, I have amassed enough peripherals that use it, that the next PPC will have it, or those peripherals suffer the same fate as those with the wrong connector.

[dwoloschuk]

I used to be a BT naysayer until I was given a BT mouse at work.

Once I started to explore the technology and came to realize that BT was *not* meant to be a wifi replacement, I became hooked.

Now I love using my BT GPS and and I'm dying to get the BT keyboard. Then I'll just need the BT adapter for my phone (for dial-up), a decent BT set of headphones and I'm set :D .

Anyway, all my future Pocket PC choices *must* have BT (and wifi too)...I want it ALL :wink: !

[PR.]

I'd only buy a bluetooth enabled device as I use it for the GPRS on my T68i

I don't have any other use for it at this time, I use WiFi for other connectivity issues

[bdegroodt]

Sorry, the single dissenting vote was a mistake, I thought it said I will not buy a ppc without bt.

I gotta have bt
Make that 2 :oops: Sorry!

[SHC]

I use bluetooth GPS so my PDA has to have it. That works like a dream, so I can never understand why its so difficult to get it to work with active sync.

[SeanH]

It’s great to see so many people using Bluetooth. It’s great to see so many people using GPRS over the cell phone for internet access. I had a discussion with a lot of people in this topic http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=31427&highlight=
most claimed they did not have access to GPRS. They claimed most hotels they stayed at did not have WiFi and they had to use Wired Ethernet or a wired 56Kb CF card to get on the net.

Every where I go seems to have access to GPRS using AT&T and in the last three weeks coverage has doubled since they share towers with Cingular. I was in a Downtown Chicago this week. When I turned WiFi on, there were at least 15 open AP’s everywhere I went.

Sean

[gibson042]

Sorry, the single dissenting vote was a mistake, I thought it said I will not buy a ppc without bt.

I gotta have bt
Make that 2 :oops: Sorry!

Any word from the people who really do insist on a device without Bluetooth? I can see demanding no camera because of the places where cameras are banned, but even if you wouldn't use Bluetooth, what's wrong with having a more flexible device?

[Duncan]

I had a discussion with a lot of people in this topic http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=31427&highlight=
most claimed they did not have access to GPRS.

That isn't actually true - anyone following the link to that thread will see that was not the point people were making.

[ctmagnus]

BT and WiFi!

[dma1965]

Bluetooth is essential to me, both for GPRS and my GPS. I do not use GPRS often, but when I need it I love having it. I do, however, constantly use my Bluetooth GPS, since I can get lost driving around my neighborhood, and I love the ease with which it works. The connection is instant, and it never goes down.

[SeanH]

I had a discussion with a lot of people in this topic http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=31427&highlight=
most claimed they did not have access to GPRS.
That isn't actually true - anyone following the link to that thread will see that was not the point people were making.
I will post my response at.

Compact Flash slots - spawn of Satan, or useful tool?
http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/posting.php?mode=quote&p=280821

Sean

[Marcel_Proust]

:D

A little while ago, I didn't think I needed bluetooth for my little E805.
Now I have the Socket SD bluetooth card, it's incredible.
First my Belkin GPS bluetooth device is incredible for the car.
Second, I was shipped the new Stowaway bluetooth keyboard 2 days ago. It's incredible, number row or not. Extremely responsive, unlike my old IR. With my pivot I can place the e800 anywhere. it's better than a laptop!
Now all I need is a bluetooth phone....does anyone know what choices are available in Ontario.?

(I still love WIFI - I think it's as essential.)

[upplepop]

Any word from the people who really do insist on a device without Bluetooth? I can see demanding no camera because of the places where cameras are banned, but even if you wouldn't use Bluetooth, what's wrong with having a more flexible device?

Simple, I don't want to pay extra for a feature I do not need/want.

[ignar]

I also have to add that in my search for a new laptop, bluetooth is essential. I have a BT dongle which works fairly well, but I much prefer integrated BT solution. It's shame not many laptops in the US market have BT built in.

[Anthony Caruana]

Bluetooth is absolutely mandatory for me. All my PDAs, phones, desktop PCs and Mac have Bluetooth either in-built or through BT dongles.

iPAq or Zire bluetoothing to my phone is the only way I can get reliable web access anywhere and anytime. WiFi hotspots are few and far between and the cost is still too high in my part of the world.

Throw in applications like Salling Clicker (http://homepage.mac.com/jonassalling/Shareware/Clicker/) for controlling my Mac from my T630 and BT is an absolute show stopper for me.

As well connectivity between peripherals like PDAs to pohones to laptops to mice, I rely on it as quick and dirty file transfer solution for getting files from my PDA to iBook (and vice versa) when I don't have a data cable or Activesync/Pocket Mac connection handy.

Now that there seems to be more stability and maturity in the platform it's a MUST HAVE for me.

[alizhan]

Any word from the people who really do insist on a device without Bluetooth? I can see demanding no camera because of the places where cameras are banned, but even if you wouldn't use Bluetooth, what's wrong with having a more flexible device?

Simple, I don't want to pay extra for a feature I do not need/want.
I would normally agree with this sentiment, but the writing on the wall is that those without BT will be left behind. Now that the BT bug has finally hit (after four years of "real soon now" promises and horribly buggy software), it seems like everyone is jumping on the bandwagon. A similar "critical mass" effect happened a few years ago with USB. Now it's getting hard to find non-USB peripherals. How long before serial ports become equally rare on PPCs?

That which we think we don't need or want has a nasty tendancy to become that which we must have down the road. :)

-- Mark

[alizhan]

Though it may surprise those who have seen me arguing with SeanH over in another thread, I actually voted "must have it." Why? Because all the neat toys use it now. Whether or not BT was the best choice, it is the technology which won the PAN contest. If you ever plan on connecting anything to your PDA (and right after you say "I'll never need that" is when that must-have device usually gets announced), you need BT. It doesn't add much to the cost of the device these days, is about as stable as the rest of Windows Mobile, and doesn't hurt battery life unless turned on.

Unless something changes radically, my next PDA will have both BT and WiFi. But I'm in no hurry to genuflect to the BT overlords before then. :)

-- Mark

[PetiteFlower]

Bluetooth would have much more mainstream acceptance if it really worked like wires, meaning you could connect ANY BT device to ANY OTHER BT device. Get rid of the whole stupid profiles thing and people would like it a lot more. The area under my desk would be so much less scary if the only cord coming out of the back of my computer was the power cord! But alas, it can't happen.

[JonathanWardRogers]

I find it interesting that I've seen several comments about how BT would be more important if they had a PPC Phone Edition, cause then they could use a BT headset. Am I the only one that uses a BT headset on a non-phone edition device? I spend 30-60 hours a month listening to my audiobooks, so stereo is not a requirement. I love the idea of being able to listen without wires, even though I don't use it as a phone. I can also leave my sound on all the time, even in meetings, because I have my audio piped through my headset.

[SeanH]

Though it may surprise those who have seen me arguing with SeanH over in another thread, I actually voted "must have it." Why? Because all the neat toys use it now. Whether or not BT was the best choice, it is the technology which won the PAN contest. If you ever plan on connecting anything to your PDA (and right after you say "I'll never need that" is when that must-have device usually gets announced), you need BT. It doesn't add much to the cost of the device these days, is about as stable as the rest of Windows Mobile, and doesn't hurt battery life unless turned on.
Very well put. I agree 100% with everhting you posted.

Sean

[gibson042]

Any word from the people who really do insist on a device without Bluetooth? I can see demanding no camera because of the places where cameras are banned, but even if you wouldn't use Bluetooth, what's wrong with having a more flexible device?

Simple, I don't want to pay extra for a feature I do not need/want.
I would normally agree with this sentiment, but the writing on the wall is that those without BT will be left behind. Now that the BT bug has finally hit (after four years of "real soon now" promises and horribly buggy software), it seems like everyone is jumping on the bandwagon. A similar "critical mass" effect happened a few years ago with USB. Now it's getting hard to find non-USB peripherals. How long before serial ports become equally rare on PPCs?

That which we think we don't need or want has a nasty tendancy to become that which we must have down the road. :)

-- Mark
Thank you. This hints at what I was really trying to say. Not only will Bluetooth likely become standard on all PDAs within a year or two, but even now it doesn't hurt to have it... it adds very little cost to the device, and doesn't use any power when turned off.

[nuka_t]

i dont see any use for bluetooth as i dont have a bluetooth phone.

i have it on mine, so its future proof, but ATM its just deadweight.

[whatsnext?]

To me, WIFI is more important simply because I use it more often. I think I would get more use out of BT if I had a Phone Edition device because I would use a BT headset with it.

yeah bluetooth is not as important to me as WiFi is. that is only cause i dont have a BT enabled phone or anything to use with it. whereas, my school has a wireless network and i hope that in the near future i can talk my parents into getting DSL so i can set up a wifi network. :helpme:

[Ed Hansberry]

So from this we can conclude that Ed has three aliases. :wink:
Hahahahaha :rotfl: hahahahahaha

I voted that I'd only buy a PPC with BT. BT sucks, but sucks less than nothing. ;-)

(posting via Wifi though :rock on dude!: )

[Sven Johannsen]

I find it interesting that I've seen several comments about how BT would be more important if they had a PPC Phone Edition, cause then they could use a BT headset. Am I the only one that uses a BT headset on a non-phone edition device?

Remember that there aren't that many PPCs that support the headset profile out of the box yet. When all BT managers have "connect to a headset' as an option, more will start to investigate that.

[djdj]

BlueTooth is one of those technologies that you don't appreciate until you have it, and after that you wonder how you ever got along without it.

Kind of like the Internet in its early days... a lot of people wondered what you'd ever do with it, now if you're not online you're left in the dark ages. (Does anyone remember how we looked up lyrics to a song, or who starred in a movie prior to the Internet? or remember when we ordered from ... mail order catalogs?)

I find it very useful on my Pocket PC, but I use it more with my phone. The speakerphone kit in my car uses Bluetooth, which is far better than getting a new car kit every time I upgrade my phone. Now I just have to get a phone with Bluetooth and I'm set. And I don't ever even have to remember to put the phone in the cradle; as soon as I turn the key the speakerphone becomes active. Very, very handy.

And you'll never appreciate a wireless headset until you've tried one and try to go back to wired. Ick. :razz:

[hollis_f]

Bluetooth would have much more mainstream acceptance if it really worked like wires, meaning you could connect ANY BT device to ANY OTHER BT device.
But BT does work just like wires in that respect. I have to use the correct sockets (read 'profile') for the correct device. I can't plug my speakers into a serial port because they don't communicate using the same profile.

At least with BT I don't have to scrabble about at the back of my PC trying to figure out what those stupid icons mean next to each of the sockets.

[Jonathon Watkins]

Sorry, the single dissenting vote was a mistake, I thought it said I will not buy a ppc without bt.

I gotta have bt
Well now there are 4 other "no Bluetooth" votes besides your one that was a mistake.

So from this we can conclude that Ed has three aliases. :wink:

:eek: Bad Tinky! :twak: :lol:

[CTSLICK]

Whew 5 pages of replies...but I'll throw in my 2 cents.

BT has become a part of my life when it comes to connecting my Axim to the internet when on the road. I am using a BT CF card right now but my next device will have it integrated. Tired of the expansion card hanging out of my device but I want it there all the time. I am simply too accustomed to connecting almost anywhere anytime. I don't have enough WiFi available to match that capability yet.

BT has become a part of my life when it comes to connecting my Powerbook to the internet when on the road. Part of my "must have" selection crtieria for a laptop was BT.

BT has become part of my life when synching my PDA to my Windows desktop at work. Not essential...but nice.

BT has become part of my life for transferring files to and from my Powerbook (and probably soon to support synching too)

Oh yeah...my next PDA MUST have BT! 8)

[PetiteFlower]

But BT does work just like wires in that respect. I have to use the correct sockets (read 'profile') for the correct device. I can't plug my speakers into a serial port because they don't communicate using the same profile.

Blah Blah Blah.

When I can connect my monitor, keyboard, mouse, webcam, speakers, printer, PDA cradle, SD card reader ALL to my PC wirelessly with BT, easily and without hassle "out of the box", then it can be considered indispensable. When I can easily connect the same keyboard I use for my PC to my PDA, or my printer or my webcam, or a headset/headphones or a phone, EASILY and WITHOUT CONFIGURATION, then it will be accepted. Until then, it's a PITA that techies like and normal people have never heard of.

I would LOVE for BT to make wires obsolete, but it hasn't happened yet, and at this point I'm not holding my breath.

[seccles]

I use a bluetooth GPS system and notice that they are becoming increasingly more popular (or at least more and more come on the market). I think BT is a great application for GPS & Pocket PC's.

--Steve

[Jonathon Watkins]

Anyway, all my future Pocket PC choices *must* have BT (and wifi too)...I want it ALL :wink: !

Yup, that sounds about right for me too. :mrgreen:

[dmy]

WiFi gives you network connectivity.... and this is a good thing.

Bluetooth gives you that (albeit a little slower) but it also gives you automated convergance of your devices.... which is more useful on a daily basis? WiFi can do that too..... but it's not a part of the standard implementation and a lot of code would have to be written to support it. Bluetooth does it out of the box. Why buy a PPC with a built in phone/GPS when you can buy the best PPC and the best phone and the best GPS and have them all work together seamlessly... along with a keyboard/mouse/printer/headset/handsfree kit/laptop/desktop/...

I'd be willing to use a CF or SDIO WiFi card, but bluetooth needs to be built in for me to buy.

D.

[MountDan]

My primary use for Bluetooth is for peripheral connectivity; headset, keyboard etc. I never use it for Internet access and only occasionally for file transfers.

[fmcpherson]

I've used Bluetooth to connect Pocket PCs to my cell phone, and I use Bluetooth to connect to my GPS receiver. I now use my Jabra Freespeak headset with my IPAQ H6315. I've also used Bluetooth to synchronize Pocket PCs with desktop computers, and one time I used Bluetooth in combination wit Microsoft's Remote Display powertoy during a presentation to show what was running on my Pocket PC. Soon I will have the Stowaway Bluetooth keyboard.

The point is that I use Bluetooth with a lot of peripherals and I only see that number growing. What I like is that I can now use these peripherals with any Pocket PC that has Bluetooth, so no more buying special keyboards or GPS cables/receivers for each Pocket PC brand. As my investment in these peripherals grows my requirement for Bluetooth on any new Pocket PC increases.

[mcq]

I use BT to connect to GPS and to sync with my computers at home and at work. I also use the BT keyboard when I have "production" typing to perform.

While I have been plagues by minor problems with BT on the desktops, it is still much more convenient than keeping cradles handy on a crowded desk.

I plan to purchase BT headphones to listen to audio books and music, for which I already use my ipaq 2210. When I replace the pda, I'll be looking for another bt.

[daS]

BT sucks, but sucks less than nothing. ;-)
Hey Ed! They way you state your opinion here, its not that far away from my own!
:jawdrop:
Bluetooth vendors have done a poor job to date of implementing the standard. I'm confident that it will get better. I'm also confident that Bluetooth has enough of a head start and momentum over wireless USB, Zigbee, Wi-Fi Pan, etc., that by the time they get to where Bluetooth is today, we will see Bluetooth working the way that USB is now. (Remember the first couple of years of USB. As you would so eloquently put it: It sucked almost as much as nothing. :wink: )

[dmy]

BT sucks, but sucks less than nothing. ;-)
Hey Ed! They way you state your opinion here, its not that far away from my own!
Bluetooth vendors have done a poor job to date of implementing the standard.

:crazyeyes:
While I can agree that a vendor or two has mucked up their Bluetooth implementation (Can you say "Nokia"? I knew you could!) if you stay away from that you can't possibly convince me that bluetooth comes anywhere near sucking. I was ready for my bluetooth stuff to not work much more than a headset with my cell phone. I do that, and use the headset with my 2215 as well. In addition, when I'm in the car, bluetooth automagically knows it.... and knows to use the handsfree kit rather than the headset. I hit a button on the headset (or steering wheel in my car) and it opens up the PDA to look up an appointment or contact. If I say "Dial" my 2215 drops it's connection to the headset, connects to the cell phone, dials the number, and drops it's connection whereupon the cell phone connects to the headset/handsfree and I'm talking on the phone (Note both the 2215 and Cell phone are usually in the back seat or trunk in whatever breifcase or bag I'm carrying... or in my pocket if I don't have a bag with me).

Bluetooth also knows when I walk into my house and has the cell phone forward to the land-line so I get better call quality (and don't use minutes). Or forwards to my desk-phone when I walk into the office. Both un-forward when I walk more than about 30 feet away from the environment.... I don't touch a thing.

Oh, and it also syncs the PDA/Desktop/Cell/Laptop contact list and/or appointments as soon as I walk into the house or office (well.... within the proximity that a connection can be detected and established), again I don't touch a thing.

And as others have mentioned it lets me get online from my laptop or PDA when I'm in O'Hare or other places where there's no WiFi connection (or it's just unwieldy/too expensive), use a keyboard / mouse / printer / GPS / headset / Presentation device / whathaveyou with not only my Laptop, but my 2215 and Cell phone as well (Yeah... the cell phone only really uses the headset... but I could use a mouse with my cell phone if it had the stack Y?BIC! The printer is actually useful on my cell to recieve and print faxes, although even that I typically do via my 2215 so I can keep an electronic copy of the fax).

Just 10 seconds to pair the device and a minute to set the configurations and it *just works*. I added a handsfree kit to my truck last week, paired it with the cell and PDA and didn't even have to configure.... works the same as when I'm in my car. Friends and family think it's magic or that I spent an s-load of time and money getting the pieces and writing all the code... Well.... I did buy the bluetooth-enabled devices, and a couple of extra pieces of software for the 2215 to support the voice dialing and phone management.... but not much.

Sucks?? :shocked!: Heh.... without getting too graphic I guess some sucking can be a good thing.

D.

[debbi8]

I like the fact that the peripherals I use with BT are brand interchangable, making it both cost effective (fewer brand-specific adapters) and more versatile (I can change brands ( :mrgreen: Hello, Dell!)). For now it's the most elegant solution we have available to us.

[Ed Hansberry]

WiFi gives you network connectivity.... and this is a good thing.

Bluetooth gives you that (albeit a little slower) but it also gives you automated convergance of your devices....
You and I define "automated" differently. My definition would be things like plugging in a printer to your PC and Windows detects it, grabs the driver off of the CD and fully installs it without any configuration on your part.

Yours sounds more like installing a modem into your Windows 3.1 machine. You spend a few hours tweaking the config.sys file making sure your himem.sys line and emm386.exe flags are just so. Now, load your modem real mode driver in autoexec.bat and pray Windows boots up normally. Now, mess with some IRQ and DMA settings in the pretty Win3.1 control panel and finally be able to talk to the modem.

Now for the fun part. Getting that modem talking to your ISP with your very own initialization string. Where is my book on "S" registers? :twisted:

[dmy]

You and I define "automated" differently. My definition would be things like plugging in a printer to your PC and Windows detects it, grabs the driver off of the CD and fully installs it without any configuration on your part.

Yours sounds more like installing a modem into your Windows 3.1 machine. You spend a few hours tweaking the config.sys file making sure your himem.sys line and emm386.exe flags are just so. Now, load your modem real mode driver in autoexec.bat and pray Windows boots up normally. Now, mess with some IRQ and DMA settings in the pretty Win3.1 control panel and finally be able to talk to the modem.

Now for the fun part. Getting that modem talking to your ISP with your very own initialization string. Where is my book on "S" registers? :twisted:

Woohoo.... I think I still have my original 300 Baud Hayes modem around here somewhere.... I remember thinking how blindingly fast (and expensive) it was in it's day (Of course it was connected to my wire-wrapped 6800cpu based system with it's whopping 4K of RAM.... but even then I still ran a version of BSD that I ported to it! 8O )

Ed, you apparently didn't read my response to David Shier near the bottom of Page 6 in this thread, which explains what I mean by "automated convergence". I didn't have to tweak anything near like what we used to do with HiMem and EMM.... or most of the other config.sys settings that I used to love tweaking (or the registery of today). Did I have to install drivers?? Not really. Software? Well... OK, but basically only the applications I needed. Bluetooth could and should do plug-and-play, and having written plug-and-play drivers it's actually as simple to do with Bluetooth as it is with USB device, PCI card, or any other hardware that supports P&P.

However, the extent of *my* configuration to get the stuff working that I mentioned in my earlier post, was to tell MoblePhoneTools what type of cell phone I have, and to pair my car (and truck's) handsfree kit with the 2215 and cell phone before I paired it with the headset (so it has priority). Actually... the hardest thing I had to configure was to tell the Laptop and Desktop that they should search for known devices rather than the default passive connections so that they'd automagically sync and forward as I walk into detection range.

That was it. All the rest worked out of the box. There's currently no other solution that can do most of what I can do today with Bluetooth, wired or wireless. I want WiFi, but can easily live with it on an SDIO card (and in fact while it's more convienient to have it built in, built-in doesn't let me upgrade quickly and easily to 802.11g when they become available). WiFi is great near an access point.... Bluetooth is useful no matter where you are.

Cheers,
D.

[PetiteFlower]

Bluetooth also knows when I walk into my house and has the cell phone forward to the land-line so I get better call quality (and don't use minutes). Or forwards to my desk-phone when I walk into the office. Both un-forward when I walk more than about 30 feet away from the environment.... I don't touch a thing.

Now I must admit, that is pretty cool. How is that done?

[yankeejeep]

For me, a perfect device would have both wifi and BT, both SDIO and CF slots, and a 4" (or better) screen supporting true VGA all with a 6+ hour battery life. But life is full of compromises. So I place wifi as more necessary for my own uses (going onto client networks when in their offices) and carry a card for those times I need BT (for non-networked peripheral access or to dial-up my ISP through my cell phone). I don't consider BT unimportant and would definitely opt for a device that supports both, but I would put wifi as a higher priority in my own use.

[jmjstandin]

Having had an Axim X30 for a few weeks, I can't imagine how I lived without Bluetooth before. I leave the cradle at home for syncing with the desktop PC there but at the office, which is out of a WiFi zone I sync with my laptop and connect to the Internet, via BT. No cable to carry when travelling. I also sync the laptop with my Siemens S55 phone via BT. BT is also great for transferring phone photos and other files to the PPC. The WiFi in the Axim is also excellent, hard to say which would toughest to live without.[/quote]

[jmjstandin]

Another little thing that I love about BT: tapping a contact in the PPC's contacts list and tell my phone to dial the number without touching the phone.