11-01-2004, 11:00 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Bluetake Wireless Bluetooth Headphones
"Some of you may remember a while back I posted a request for someone to develop wireless stereo headphones that would be compatible with pda�s, mp3 players, portable CD and DVD players, and good old-fashioned (*gasp*) cassette players. I got several nods of agreement and sympathetic ponderings along the lines of, gee, why hasn�t somebody done this yet? I tried to drum up interest with some hardware manufacturers by direct contact. A few were not interested and a few said it could not be done. Then someone told me about this company called Bluetake and a new product they had called the i-Phono BT420. I was thrilled to see that Bluetake had developed a wireless stereo headset that would work with any device that has a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack."
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11-01-2004, 11:21 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 197
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Kinda odd... That huge box kinda defeats one of the main purposes of Bluetooth. I don't even understand why it needs that box connected - the 4700 pictured there already HAS Bluetooth. I like the idea of the HP ones a lot more since they just work with the Pocket PC without one of those big receivers.
But on the bright side, it's nice to see more Bluetooth headphones surfacing.
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11-01-2004, 11:24 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by yanathin
Kinda odd... That huge box kinda defeats one of the main purposes of Bluetooth. I don't even understand why it needs that box connected - the 4700 pictured there already HAS Bluetooth.
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The problem is the supported profiles - HP has a very strange policy of not putting all BT profiles in all their devices, and if a device doesn't have the audio gateway profile, the headphones won't work. Yet another reason why BT has trouble getting adopted beyond the geeks.
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11-01-2004, 11:30 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 155
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Jason Dunn
Yet another reason why BT has trouble getting adopted beyond the geeks.
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Well, here's one more company that has joined the crowd of happy Bluetooth users:
FedEx bites into Bluetooth
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6364894/
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11-01-2004, 11:36 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,264
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Jason Dunn
Quote:
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Originally Posted by yanathin
Kinda odd... That huge box kinda defeats one of the main purposes of Bluetooth. I don't even understand why it needs that box connected - the 4700 pictured there already HAS Bluetooth.
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The problem is the supported profiles - HP has a very strange policy of not putting all BT profiles in all their devices, and if a device doesn't have the audio gateway profile, the headphones won't work. Yet another reason why BT has trouble getting adopted beyond the geeks. |
But if you have to have the product at both ends, who cares that the transmission is in bluetooth. Any set of wireless headphones could do the same. The box is great for non-bluetooth devices, but you should not always need it. Isn't a profile just like a driver, so can't you just install the profile you need?
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11-01-2004, 11:40 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Goldkey
Isn't a profile just like a driver, so can't you just install the profile you need?
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As far as I understand it, no. This is one of the dark secrets of Bluetooth: it's all profile based, and if you don't have the right profile, you can't use the device. People who bought the Microsoft Bluetooth keyboard when it first came out were rudely surprised when they found out they couldn't sync their Pocket PC using it because they didn't support the right profile. :roll: I think that's been fixed now, but the root problem is the same: unless your Bluetooth device supports the exact profile you need, you can't use it.
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11-01-2004, 11:45 PM
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Oracle
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 841
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Jason Dunn
Quote:
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Originally Posted by yanathin
Kinda odd... That huge box kinda defeats one of the main purposes of Bluetooth. I don't even understand why it needs that box connected - the 4700 pictured there already HAS Bluetooth.
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The problem is the supported profiles - HP has a very strange policy of not putting all BT profiles in all their devices, and if a device doesn't have the audio gateway profile, the headphones won't work. Yet another reason why BT has trouble getting adopted beyond the geeks. |
The software used by HP had very limited profile available due to development time. The latest versions (used on h6315/h6365 and hx4700) support Headset in native mode, without any tweaks.
You'd be glad to know that Broadcomm announced today that the BTW (Windows side) is now being sent to O&M with support for stereo audio, video distribution, picture distribution. So I'd expect some new products soon in the market with this.
BTW, this product was reviewed around July by Gadgeteer and Geekzone - look here on PPCT for the links, there are a couple of articles on this. Bluetake also make a Bluetooth Audiot distribution box, including connections for speakers and stereo receivers. Unlike some other companies, their products ARE on the market and available.
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11-01-2004, 11:49 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 316
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Goldkey
But if you have to have the product at both ends, who cares that the transmission is in bluetooth. Any set of wireless headphones could do the same. The box is great for non-bluetooth devices, but you should not always need it. Isn't a profile just like a driver, so can't you just install the profile you need?
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If only that were the case. Eventually, the Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (the Bluetooth profile that supports stereo sound used by these headphones) should be included in the Widcomm/Broadcom stack, but it is not right now and no PDA that I know of has support for it. So for the time being, this $200 marvel becomes nothing more than a big, expensive bluetooth headset without its dongle.
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11-02-2004, 01:48 AM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,264
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Wow, I did not see much of a use for bluetooth before, but now it seems downright useless. It seems bluetooth has no room to grow in an existing device.
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11-02-2004, 02:58 AM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 112
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What I'm curious about is him using them on the airplane. Isn't that absolutely illegal? I'd love to be able to do that, but I don't see how it's possible.
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Linear Mode
