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  #1  
Old 03-29-2002, 10:21 PM
Jason Dunn
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Default Anycom Bluetooth CompactFlash Card Review

Anycom Bluetooth CompactFlash Card Review
Bluetooth frustrations are not mitigated by nice packaging

I received one of these cards yesterday, so I'm going to do a new type of review - a "stream of consciousness" review where I type this post as I'm setting up the card and using it. This might be a colossal failure, or it may usher in a whole new world of online reviews. ;-)



Device Requirements
It will work in any Pocket PC that accepts Type 1 CompactFlash cards.

In Brief
Either I'm doing something wrong, or Bluetooth is a very immature technology that is difficult to understand and implement. The Anycom Bluetooth card showed much promise in the beginning, but it quickly became my arch nemesis.

Where to Buy
The card can be purchased online from Anycom for $159 US.

Getting Started
Packaging was nice, although there's no mention of XP on the box. The manuals are entitled "Windows 98 User Guide" and "Windows 2000 User Guide". What does Joe user who has XP do? He gets confused and calls tech support for help, which costs Anycom money. Solution: put a card in the box that says "Hey XP users, you can use the Windows 2000 User Guide without any problems". Problem solved!

Next up, we plug the card into the PC card adaptor they provide (nice touch Anycom!) and plug into my XP Pro laptop. Driver disk goes in, and I�m prompted to select from a list of four drivers � all four are nearly identical, and none are digitally signed for XP. Another phone call to tech support from Joe User. After the driver install, Windows XP tells me that the device is ready to use. Here we go!

Wherefor Art Thou Bluetooth?
I�ve sent my iPAQ 3870 searching for Bluetooth device in the area�none found. Not a good sign! Back to the instruction book � ah yes, I have to install the Bluetooth software. Unlike 802.11b, XP doesn�t have built-in support for Bluetooth so the card can�t chatter to the OS until I install it. The software tells me that I now have COM4 through COM7 as �virtual serial ports� � cool, but why emulate such retro technology? Next it asks me if I want to install �RedMon redirection port monitor�. I can�t find any mention of this software in the instruction book, and the software install doesn�t give me any explanation as to what this software does. Being the over-eager computer user that I am, I�ll install it.

The Readme file is next, and curiously the default radio button is set to know. I read it anyway, and discover that ActiveSync doesn�t work via Bluetooth on Windows 9x, the client sometimes fails to discover the server, some legacy applications can�t see the virtual COM ports, and only one process at a time may use the Bluetooth stack. Ah, the joys of using 1st generation technology. Pet peeve: applications that ask me to restart my PC. More often than not, it�s not necessary under 2000/XP, but the app assumes I�m running 9x and reboots anyway.

The Lumps of Learning
Bluetooth is a technology I have basically no experience with, so this is quite interesting for me � I have no basis of knowledge as to how this is supposed to work. On the laptop with the Anycom card, I started up the wizard and selected �Pairing�. Seems like a logical choice to connect to my iPAQ. It goes into a mode where it�s waiting for �incoming pairing requests�. On the iPAQ, I�ve found the Anycom card, and I�m requesting a list of services from the Anycom card. Now back on the laptop it asks me to enter the PIN code to connect to the iPAQ � I�ve never set a PIN code on the iPAQ. Then the iPAQ asks for the PIN code of the Anycom card � ditto, I haven�t created one. I enter a number for both, and while the iPAQ says it failed to create a connection, the laptop reports a successful bonding with the iPAQ. But what does that mean exactly?

Let�s try something different � I want to have my iPAQ connect to my laptop via Bluetooth and get a �net connection over the 802.11b card my laptop has. My first attempt at using the LAN Access wizard didn�t work very well � the iPAQ is reporting there are no devices in the area to connect with. I�ve double-checked that the Bluetooth card is in discoverable mode, so it should work. Playing a hunch, I eject the 802.11b card and try searching again from the iPAQ � no dice, they still can�t see each other. The Anycom card has a light on the top, but it never seems to come on at all � that�s a bit disconcerting.

After some more fiddling, I can get the Anycom card to see the iPAQ, and even make a bond with it. I�m trying to get the LAN associated on COM5 with the iPAQ � I can discover it (twice, with a different service � �OBEX File Transfer� and �Serial Port�). Curiously, I can select the device, but NEXT is greyed out � I can�t proceed. Ah yes, this function must be to connect the Anycom card to a Bluetooth LAN Access Point. Why doesn�t this wizard have an explanation of what each function is?

Ok, here we are three hours later, and after much fiddling and manual reading, and I can�t seem to get anything to work properly. The Anycom card can see the iPAQ, but the iPAQ can no longer see the Anycom card. I don't think the Anycom card is at fault, but I can't be sure. I'll try using the Anycom card in my Jornada to see if I can get the two Pocket PCs to talk to each other and perhaps do a second part to this article.

Conclusion
The bottom line for me here is that if Bluetooth wants to be taken seriously, it needs to make more sense. There should be a more involved setup wizard, something that asks the user what they want to do. The Bluetooth wizard should communicate what is possible, not just give a few icons. And above all, Bluetooth should work - that seems to be it's biggest hurdle at the moment.

I'm very much open to hearing from other Anycom Bluetooth CF users who have gotten it to work and can give me some suggestions and things to try. I'm used to succeeding with technology on the first try, so perhaps I'm spoiled! :-)
 
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  #2  
Old 03-29-2002, 11:21 PM
Steven Cedrone
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Maybe I'm a bit naive....

Bluetooths' promise was the elimination of cabling between peripherals and the "box" (ie. keyboard, mouse, etc.). I would tend to think this should be seamless (well, at least after setting up your "PAN")......

Can you get access to any other Bluetooth cards for comparison (Socket)?

Maybe it's implementation......

I have a socket card I can send you if you promise to send it back!
 
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  #3  
Old 03-29-2002, 11:33 PM
bitbank
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Jason,
I am on the same path, but from both a developer and user point of view. So far, I have tested various pieces of hardware and nothing really works well. By the end of next week I should have more equipment to test, and will post my findings here. Overall I am very disappointed with bluetooth. It appears that the hardware spec is reasonably stable and complete, but the software and developer support for it is in a state of utter chaos.

L.B.
 
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  #4  
Old 03-30-2002, 12:08 AM
Master O'Mayhem
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Hey Jason,

I have had the luxury of being able to test multiple types of Bluetooth devices and have found quirks in each of them. Its funny but some BT devices do not play nicely iwith each other. here is a list of devices that i have tested:

IBM A30P Laptop with built in BT and WIFI running WINXP PRO
IBM PCMCIA Bluetooth Card
Socket BT CF card
IPAQ 3870
HP 995C Printer
Ericsson T39m
Ericsson T68
Ericsson HBH-10, HBH-20 Headsets
Motorola (Oreo) headset
Anycom CF, PCMCIA and Printer Module


I will start with my IPAQ 3870 and what i can succesfully connect it to. What i mean by sucessfully is that I can Pair or bond the devices and bring up services on each device like dial up networking or Serial ports.

IPAQ 3870:
IBM A30p (Active sync YES)
IBM PCMCIA card in anothe laptop (Activesync YES)
Ericsson T68 - T39m
Jornada 568 with Socket BT card
HP 995c printer

With these i also use software such as Sunnysoft GSM manager or Running voice. (BTW I really Liek Sunnysoft and Running voice... they rock over BT)

But to be honest with you, At the time I tested the Anycom products, I noticed interoperabilty problems with other BT devices ( note... this may have changed with newer software and i know the printer module needs a firmware upgrade per the people from Anycom. This was what the Anycom people told me)

I agree with Jason that the documentation is very scarce and the knowledge must be obtained in newsgroups or word of mouth or someone who has used these product together.

I have found that out of all the produts listed above the easiest to set up is the Socket BT card with your BT phone and other devices.

Bluetooth is a nice an usable solution if you have the right combinations working together. I still think IMHO that Bluetooth will be around for some tme and it will be more prevalent in the near future.
 
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  #5  
Old 03-30-2002, 12:39 AM
willowpc
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Default BT: trial and error unfortunately

I also started with a cf bt card from Socket which worked fine with my old iPAQ 3670 and Ericsson R520 bt phone, but they still haven't delivered BT windows drivers. Didn't want to take a chance with the Anycom CF card after reading various posts. I gave up waiting for Socket and tried the IBM (Motoroloa) pcmcia card and couldn't get it to work for active synching. Gave up, sent it back and purchased an IBM Ultraport BT module for my Windows 2000 Thinkpad T22 work laptop. This works great. Activesynch works fine as do lan connections and serial connection services. When the laptop is connected I am able to browse the internet at either broadband or dialup speed depending on the connection I'm using at the time. I now have an Ericsson T68 phone with Voicestream GSM/GPRS services, and can also use either my new 3870 or the laptop wirelessly via either BT dialup to the phone at either speed. The phone has a data counter which helps me manage the monthly GPRS data cost. It was a real pain to get to this point but it was worth it. Next step for me will probably eventually be to wait for a CDMA 1XRTT BT phone and then switch to the higher speed network (unless Voicestream is able to increase data speeds beyond the GPRS 40 to 50kbps I get now).
 
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  #6  
Old 03-30-2002, 12:54 AM
Jason Dunn
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People, voting is free! Come on, vote! ;-)

I've also realized that "stream of consciouness" reviews only work with products that aren't as complicated as this one. Sorry for the rough read! ;-)
 
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  #7  
Old 03-30-2002, 01:55 AM
tonyrxman
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Default Anycom BT Failure....

Jason,
I recieved my Anycom BT CF card last week. Trying to connect to desktop (vis USB
BT adaptor) and no success. After many hours reading online post and manuels, I'm
ready to give up. Been e-mailing a guy named Wilson (at Anycom), but after a few days he gave up on me?!?! If anyone gets theres working please show me the way>>>>>>>>>>>>
Thanks for this site,
Anthony ([email protected])
 
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  #8  
Old 03-30-2002, 05:48 AM
grahame
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I've had an Anycom CF BT card since they were first released - originally I was using it in my 3670 to talk to my Ericsson T39 for dialup. At that stage some funky workarounds were needed to get the Anycom card to work in my Win2000 laptop...

Now I have a 3870, and the Anycom drivers for Win2000 work for me just fine. I can Activesync with my 3870 no problem, though I wish the Anycom drivers would allow more than 1 app to use the stack... I can also dialup via GPRS on my T39 from either my Laptop or my 3870.

I'll agree that the setup process could be a lot clearer, but now that everything is setup it works seamlessly. Of course I've never tried using the Anycom card on XP...
 
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  #9  
Old 03-30-2002, 11:09 AM
JohnnyFlash
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Default Anycom BT Failure....

Quote:
Originally Posted by tonyrxman
I recieved my Anycom BT CF card last week. Trying to connect to desktop (vis USB
BT adaptor) and no success. After many hours reading online post and manuels, I'm
ready to give up.
buy 3870 or abandon hope of using BT CF card for activesync.
bt cf card vendors are too stupid to make drivers cooperating with activesync, compaq is not.
 
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  #10  
Old 03-30-2002, 11:39 AM
oswald808
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Default jornada 568 and T68

I was going to buy a Socket CF card, I'm not to sure now. Anyone give me any advice ?
 
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