7/13/2005
Got Bluetooth?
If you bought a new cell phone recently, it probably came equipped with wireless Bluetooth connectivity. But does your not-so-new computer have Bluetooth yet? Probably not.Most people upgrade their cell phones faster than their computers. The average lifespan of a cell phone is about 18 months. However, the average lifespan of a computer is around 4 years.
So what's the upgrade path? How do you add Bluetooth to an aging computer? The easiest way is to purchase a USB Bluetooth adapter.
But not all Bluetooth adapters are created equal.
Even though it will look nice with your iBook, Mac users should stay away from the Bluetake BT007Si Bluetooth USB adapter because of two major issues:- It will not reconnect after putting your Mac to sleep
- They cannot be automatically updated with Apple's Bluetooth firmware
The D-Link DBT-120 meets Bluetooth 1.1 specification, making it compatible with other Bluetooth enabled devices and features standard 128-bit encryption that provides you with a higher level of security for your data and communication.
Bluetooth is an industrial specification for wireless personal area networks (PANs). Bluetooth provides a way to connect and exchange information between devices like personal digital assistants (PDAs), mobile phones, laptops, PCs, printers and digital cameras via a secure, low-cost, globally available short range radio frequency. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth)
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This product has been with me for years. I have the revision 3 and I believe they are up to revision 5 already. It has worked flawlessly with my old Sony Ericsson T610 phone. And it works even better with my current Nokia 6600 mobile.
I installed the product in my Apple PowerBook G4 and iBook Dual USB and it instantly recognized the product without any drivers. I also believe this is the same product found inside every Bluetooth-equipped Mac because Apple did release a firmware update to their internal Bluetooth and it included these external D-Link DBT-120 units, if a user had one. (The only problem is that if you updated the firmware that Apple provided, you will not be able to use the D-Link on a PC. I haven't updated mine and never ran into sync problems).
I sync my address book and calendar in Jaguar and Panther OS to my mobile phone and iPod without any hitches.
Pros:
1. Small, compact, light
2. No drivers needed for Mac OS Jaguar and Panther and Windows XP OS.
3. Price. This product used to cost a lot. Now it has dropped down to USD $40. Which is great, because this very same product that is installed internally in Macs still cost USD $45 for the option. Shouldn't an OEM product installed during production be cheaper? Furthermore, if it's installed internally then you cannot transfer it between computers. The external is cheaper and transferrable.
Cons:
1. The only difficulty I can think of is the implementation of the Bluetooth standard across products.
I love gadgets and find myself tinkering with anything technological so I usually don't have problems making one product operate with another.
The problem with Bluetooth is that there is no standard way to activate and access operation between products. Each product has its own graphic user interface to contend with. Bluetooth is being billed to consumers as an easy plug and play product. I'm sure it is - just not right now as manufacturers are still fiddling with how to integrate it with their products. Hence, other consumers will have to read the manual on how to access and use Bluetooth across products. In products that come with no manual, they will have to be used to fiddling the interface. Until then, I can't wait for the time where Bluetooth actually performs the way it is billed.
If it doesn't work the first time, try to understand the logic behind each product's interface. The problem is that if they can't get it to work, they blame D-Link. If you're computer recognizes the product upon install, then there is no problem. If it doesn't and the activity lights don't work, then send it back. Unlike Wireless/Wired Ethernet products, the user interface is not embedded in the Bluetooth unit. This Bluetooth product is only a vessel. The actual operation is dependent on the computer and interface it has been programmed to interact with Bluetooth.
I installed the product in my Apple PowerBook G4 and iBook Dual USB and it instantly recognized the product without any drivers. I also believe this is the same product found inside every Bluetooth-equipped Mac because Apple did release a firmware update to their internal Bluetooth and it included these external D-Link DBT-120 units, if a user had one. (The only problem is that if you updated the firmware that Apple provided, you will not be able to use the D-Link on a PC. I haven't updated mine and never ran into sync problems).
I sync my address book and calendar in Jaguar and Panther OS to my mobile phone and iPod without any hitches.
Pros:
1. Small, compact, light
2. No drivers needed for Mac OS Jaguar and Panther and Windows XP OS.
3. Price. This product used to cost a lot. Now it has dropped down to USD $40. Which is great, because this very same product that is installed internally in Macs still cost USD $45 for the option. Shouldn't an OEM product installed during production be cheaper? Furthermore, if it's installed internally then you cannot transfer it between computers. The external is cheaper and transferrable.
Cons:
1. The only difficulty I can think of is the implementation of the Bluetooth standard across products.
I love gadgets and find myself tinkering with anything technological so I usually don't have problems making one product operate with another.
The problem with Bluetooth is that there is no standard way to activate and access operation between products. Each product has its own graphic user interface to contend with. Bluetooth is being billed to consumers as an easy plug and play product. I'm sure it is - just not right now as manufacturers are still fiddling with how to integrate it with their products. Hence, other consumers will have to read the manual on how to access and use Bluetooth across products. In products that come with no manual, they will have to be used to fiddling the interface. Until then, I can't wait for the time where Bluetooth actually performs the way it is billed.
If it doesn't work the first time, try to understand the logic behind each product's interface. The problem is that if they can't get it to work, they blame D-Link. If you're computer recognizes the product upon install, then there is no problem. If it doesn't and the activity lights don't work, then send it back. Unlike Wireless/Wired Ethernet products, the user interface is not embedded in the Bluetooth unit. This Bluetooth product is only a vessel. The actual operation is dependent on the computer and interface it has been programmed to interact with Bluetooth.
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