08-22-2003, 09:00 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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The Bluetooth Blues
"They said 2000 would be the year of Bluetooth. Then they said 2001 would be. Then 2002 was to be the year Bluetooth took off. I don't know who "they" are, but boy were they wrong. It's now 2003, and while we do at long last have Bluetooth products on the market, the potential of Bluetooth is still not being fully utilized. And mostly, it's due to laziness and short-sightedness on the part of the companies making Bluetooth hardware..."
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08-22-2003, 09:26 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 160
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Larry has it right. On two points:
Manufacturers need to support as many profiles as the hardware can support (Headset profile for PPCs anyone?)
Give me a minimal phone with BT to pair (Pair? Network!) with my PPC and BT Headset.
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Common Sense is Not Common
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08-22-2003, 09:38 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 119
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just so you know - we are going backward with bluetooth. I used to be able to sync via bluetooth, send files back and forth as well as connect to my t68 pretty easily using ppc2002. Now I have 2003 (axim) and I have to make a choice -
sync/cell phone connection using the socket drivers
-- or --
transfer files network using built in microsoft drivers.
currently - I choose sync/cell phone, but sync only works once in awhile before disconnecting. The drivers don't get along, i'm using sockets ppc2003 drivers and the connectivity tab on my axim shows no bluetooth available, I get a device manager error everytime I start up. But I can connect using the socket bluetooth icon.
oh, and it is definately much slower email/web browsing with ppc2003
yes, I understand that this is probably sockets fault - but the fact is, the ppc2003 driver was released and it doesn't work properly
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08-22-2003, 09:47 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 41
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I would tend to agree.
<rant>
When I got my first Bluetooth headset, I thought "Great! Now I can use it with my cell phone, VoIP apps on my Pocket PC and PSTN calls on my PC using a voice modem!"... only to realize that virtually all of the headsets currently on the market only support one partner. This is the OEMs saying to us "You only need to use your headset with your cell phone. Why would you ever want to use it with another device when you have a CELL PHONE?!". Oh, and did I mention that the big manufacturers of Bluetooth headsets also manufacture, um, cell phones?
What about the HID Profile? Wouldn't this be GREAT on cell phones, PDAs, and anything else with a less-than-perfect text entry method? Yet how many of these devices support the HID profile? As far as I know, ZERO. How many keyboards are there that support the HID Profile? One that I'm aware of, and it's a full-size keyboard. Not something that could be easily carried with your cell phone.
And Activesync... wonderful Activesync. I configure it to listen on COM4 (my Bluetooth COM port), but when I cradle my device (USB), Activesync inevitably decides to reset this COM port to COM1. What happens next time I try to connect via Bluetooth? Absolutely nothing. Is this Bluetooth's fault? I don't think so, but from a user perspective it's DEFINITELY Bluetooth's fault, because when you take Bluetooth out of the picture it works again.
I'm not even going to talk about software support and what a developer must do if he wants to write a "generic" Bluetooth application. For a good explanation check out the thread at http://www.bluetoothnews.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=94 .
</rant>
... but I digress. I've had great visions for Bluetooth, but without the hardware/OEM support they are just that, visions. I don't want to say that the situation might be better if MS had embraced Bluetooth more, but I'm not going to backspace it either :wink:
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08-22-2003, 09:57 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 59
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Bluetooth will die of decay
I am a HUGE fan of Bluetooth. I will not buy a phone or pda without it. However, I am beginning to realize that Bluetooth is destined to die a slow, but unseen death.
I blame the ODM/OEMs for this! As well as for the BT leadership. While the protocol/standards are there... there is no uniformity in ensuring that the device manufactures play with BT in the same way.
Case in point is when someone tries to establish Dial-up networking over GPRS. Each phone manufacture has different ways in which to establish the "hand-shaking" that is required to establish the connection. As a result, consumers must fumble through configurations and spend hours on cue for tech-support escalation.
Exacerbation of the situation also occurs when you consider the fact that the Bluetooth receivers can be either single layer or multi layer. Not to mention the fact that the ODM/OEM drives might not contain all the different uses of Bluetooth within their software. So while some will offer Personal Network Client support, no one is offering the server support.
It truly is a mess!
On the positive side, I think as we become more and more wireless, the need for a strong (stringent) standard will emerge. One that offers a good bandwidth with ultra low power consumption.
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08-22-2003, 11:12 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 147
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Bandito
<rant>And Activesync... wonderful Activesync. I configure it to listen on COM4 (my Bluetooth COM port), but when I cradle my device (USB), Activesync inevitably decides to reset this COM port to COM1. What happens next time I try to connect via Bluetooth? Absolutely nothing. Is this Bluetooth's fault? I don't think so, but from a user perspective it's DEFINITELY Bluetooth's fault, because when you take Bluetooth out of the picture it works again.
</rant>
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Actually, this happens with IR also. ActiveSync resets the COM port back to COM 1! :evil:
However, while IR sync works as reliably as (albeit much slower than) USB, Bluetooth sync drops on any large file transfers. Consistently. :twak: Come on, Microsoft, get it together!
Sorry, vacating :soapbox: now.
Jon
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Jonathan Rogers
Email
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08-22-2003, 11:25 PM
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Oracle
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 841
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I've read the article last night (yep, it was night in New Zealand when the Infosync newsletter came out) and noticed the author lists things in a way that don't reflect reality.
For example he complains about having to use third party to connect the Palm to the network using a Serial connection. I've sent an e-mail pointing that this is not the case, since the LAN Access can be used (and I used it since the first Palm with Bluetooth I had a few years ago).
Hmmm... No reply but no surprise.
Overall I agree with the rest of the article. I actually posted a rant about this in one of our discussions before.
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08-23-2003, 12:52 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 226
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YES!!!
Someone finally gets it. Give me a Bluetooth dumb phone! There's a reason I'm carrying around a Pocket PC, you know!
(now that T-Mobile's offering the Nokia 3650 for free I don't care as much, but what a waste of hardware...)
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08-23-2003, 04:53 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 309
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"Here's what I want from a Bluetooth-based phone: A dumb phone. Not a smartphone, a dumb phone."
This guy is SO right! Why do we need a smartphone if our PDA�s can do everything well? we just need a phone to make calls and surf the web with GPRS and BT, but we don�t need a lot of games onto the phone!
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This site should go the way of msmobiles.com. Forget WM and start talking android. Androidthoughts.com
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08-23-2003, 12:45 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 18
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Bluetooth for the masses may be a while off, but don't agree that it's getting worse not better. Com ports are only an issue with activesync and even this is getting more usable (up to WM2003 I always had to run get connected on my Thinkpad before syncing to a 3970; with a new 5555 I am able to sync directly from the pda almost all the time). Also, grant its very expensive, but my tiny new digital bluespoon headset has incredibly clear reception with noise canceling, and pairs to up to 3 devices. I have a T68 phone as primary with the 5555 as secondary. Sometimes have to reset the headset after using the PDA pairing (still haven't figured this out exactly) but its very usable. Agree that the phone doesn't need to have pictures and photos, but options like voice dialing and a speakerphone are still attractive. There are a bunch of new bluetooth technology uses about to come out also (even saw a samsonite preview yesterday for a briefcase with built in bluetooth). I know I'm a lot better off with bluetooth than without, and most people don't know what they're missing.
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