Bluetooth

[Enoch]

I'm starting to shop around a bit for a replacement for my 5-year-old notebook PC, for use around the house and to take on trips. (I'm concentrating in the higher-end netbook market-- 11-12" screen; $400-500.)

 

As I read through the specs, one of the features that puzzles me is bluetooth support. I know bluetooth mostly as those wireless cell phone headsets, primarily worn by total jackasses. But I don't quite understand how this particular functionality helps a laptop PC. In the PC context, what does bluetooth support let me do?

[Gfted1]

The only Bluetooth Im familiar with on laptops serves the same purpose, to connect a wireless headset. This can be used for listening to music or for programs like Ventrilo.

[mkreku]

Bluetooth is just a wireless protocol. It's supposed to make things work together in a way that's easy for the end-user.

 

It has worked well for me so far. I have a Logitech Dinovo Edge keyboard that works very well (worked wonderfully well with my cousin's PS3 too). My father has a Bluetooth enabled TV that's much fun to play with: I take pictures with my phone and in the middle of him watching something, I can send that picture to the TV and it automatically pops up in the middle of the screen. Much fun can be had with that function. I can also use it to connect to my PC and control Media Player from my phone, like a weird remote. People are usually pretty impressed by that.

[Enoch]

Given that my phone is approximately as old as my current laptop, I doubt that I'll be doing anything like that. (It is a bit odd that I'm generally pretty current on computer hardware, but hopelessly out-of-date on phones. My cell gets used maybe twice a week, on average, and only to make/receive actual phone calls. I am probably the youngest adult I know who has never sent a text message.)

 

 

Anyhow, it seems like the main appeal to me would be the potential to use a wireless mouse and/or headphones without tying up a USB port. The mouse bit is tempting, but I'm not going to buy headphones that wouldn't work with any of the other various sound-producing bits of hardware I've got lying around. I'm going to put that in the "could be neat, but not worth paying extra for" category.

 

Thanks!

Edited March 30, 2010 by Enoch

[Purkake]

Let's see, I use the Bluetooth on my EeePC 1000H for my mouse(yay no dongles!), data transfer with my phone(don't have to carry the stupid cable around) and very rarely for tethering(3.5G is pretty fast, though).

 

The audio gateway option is pretty funny as well(bluetooth speakers/headphones), but the quality is pretty bad.

[Walsingham]

Given that my phone is approximately as old as my current laptop, I doubt that I'll be doing anything like that. (It is a bit odd that I'm generally pretty current on computer hardware, but hopelessly out-of-date on phones. My cell gets used maybe twice a week, on average, and only to make/receive actual phone calls. I am probably the youngest adult I know who has never sent a text message.)

 

I know this is off topic, but text messages rule for work. Far far less danger of getting sucked into rambling conversations. Say what you want, say when it's done. Genius.

[Enoch]

Given that my phone is approximately as old as my current laptop, I doubt that I'll be doing anything like that. (It is a bit odd that I'm generally pretty current on computer hardware, but hopelessly out-of-date on phones. My cell gets used maybe twice a week, on average, and only to make/receive actual phone calls. I am probably the youngest adult I know who has never sent a text message.)

 

I know this is off topic, but text messages rule for work. Far far less danger of getting sucked into rambling conversations. Say what you want, say when it's done. Genius.

You and I have very different work environments. I'm at a relatively big federal agency-- all the people I deal with are either co-workers or employees of different federal agencies. With very few exceptions, all the work communications happens either in person, via email, or on office telephones. (And the exceptions nearly all involved normal voice calls to home or cell phones to accommodate for teleworking or official travel.) Actually, it might even be the case that using text messages for work purposes would cause some difficulties under the Federal Records Act.

 

Also, I just get angry when I think about the rates that US wireless carriers charge for text messages. Based on the bandwidth they consume, they are shockingly overpriced relative to every other service they sell.

[Walsingham]

RGr that, Enoch. I follow you. If everything written gets bureaucratised to infinity then you want to do it via voice. Now I think about it we had a similar issue with military radios in teh UK. No one wants text, even though it's more secure.