Bluetooth

[Sid]

I talk to a lot of people and most of them either don't know what Bluetooth is, or think it is something completely different to what it actually is. They also describe Bluetooth as being hard to configure and not universally compatible.

Personally I blame companies like Nokia and NEC for this mess. The reputation of Bluetooth has been greatly degraded by their actics and underhanded money making tactics. If a person buys a "Bluetooth Compatible Phone" then they should expect that a Bluetooth headset will work with it. Unfortunately there is no easy way to check this, and many cunsumers have bought an expensive headset only to be told that it will not work with their phone.

What are your thoughts on this?

[kangfu]

I think its the first few attempts at implementation of bluetooth that have let it down. If it had worked well first off (and been avertised better), im sure it would be alot more popular than it currently is. It seems alot of people have stayed with IR/other connectivity due to familiarity.

The average consumer doesnt have a clue how funky some of those bluetooth features can be. (from my experience anyway)

The thing with bluetooth headsets is that since not all of them are compatible with every bluetooth enabled phone, people are turned off the bluetooth headset feature fearing they might need a degree in rocket science to work out how to get them paired. They stick with what works out of the box and dont want to have to do extensive research as to which headset is compatible with which phone - that is left to the tech savvy (Us :p).

[Michael]

The thing is, if not for Nokia, most every headset would be compat with most every phone.

But you get stuff like Nokia 3650, only supporting the Hands Free profile and not the default headset profile. Or the 7650 only supporting data (like the NEC).

That causes a problem, causes doubt.

With a well designed BT implementation, ie. Sony Ericsson, every headset will work. Every dongle will work. PDAs with Bluetooth will connect painlessly.

95% of the Bluetooth compatibility problems I have had have come from Nokia phones....

That isn't bad luck. That looks like a plan in my eyes.

[Sid]

Another example is how the 7650 doesnt work properly with a lot of other BT devices (PDA's in particular). This is because it uses a call back system. A PDA will try to connect to the 7650 and it will deny that connection. After doing this the 7650 will try to connect to the PDA.

[schumi]

Bluetooth :)

Hi,
In order to improve the experience with multiple bluetooth handsets and headsets etc,can we establish via this forum a reference site or table indicating the latest software versions of the particular handset manufacturers.
Profile support information is vital as well:
Please find below the latest info at our disposal:
Handset: Software version: Audio Profile implemented:
Nokia 6310i V 4.07 Headset/handsfree.
Nokia 3650 V 2.50 '' ''
Nokia 7650 V3.12 NO / NO
Nokia 8910 V4.02 Headset/Handsfree
Philips 820 SW 0071 Headset/No
Siemens S55 SW 04 Headset/Handsfree
Sony Ericsson T68i R5A Headset/Handsfree
Sony Ericsson T610 R1A081 Headset/Handsfree
Sony Ericsson P800 RD2BTR5A Headset/No
Any Comments ?

[the*saint*]

This is an interesting discussion. I just always thought that the Bluetooth SIG should be the governing body for how Bluetooth is manifested in products. Makes me wonder what it is that they do.

Most people I encounter are also "turned off" when it comes to bluetooth. I remember following the release of early Ericsson headsets with the hope they'd reach Canadian shores one day. While I never did get to try the HBH-10 or 15... my first headset was the 30 and it supposedly represented a sort of coming of age for such products. Given its general usability, I quickly realized that I couldn't ditch my wired handsfree just yet.

I think there are problems with how Bluetooth has been marketed thus far. In the early stages, I think there was a lot of fanfare and enthusiasm (especially in Europe). Many promises were made about how this can be easily adopted once the "price per chip" dropped to lower levels. Features such as low power consumption, no line-of-sight requirement, brand interoperability, etc., were highly touted. But in looking at the initial product offering, it translated into expensive products that were difficult to use.

While I'd say that usability (and cost) is improving, it seems that the marketing is dropping off. This poses a problem, especially when Nokia appears to push their own "brand" of Bluetooth. Given a company with considerable market share, it confuses the consumer into thinking that Bluetooth is not compatible across different brands. In North America, I think this adversely affects people's perception because such seemingly incompatible devices may represent their first exposure to Bluetooth.

So it sill makes me wonder: what does the Bluetooth SIG really do?

[Chappies]

To add to one of your software ver supports.

I have recently upgraded my T68i software to R8A... to use my new M3000 headset

At first it seemed as though i had gone backwards as the previous ver R2C allowed for voice dial and transfer.... I found my phone froze and the BT link was kept open and my battery life was seriously reduced. I assumed that when i did the software upgrade that i would lose all my data, but it was still there..

This led me to believe that the full upgrade did not take place. My phone froze twice in less than 30 mins.

Frustrated i did a master reset, having backed up my data already, and voila the handsfree profile/ Headset profile switch worked perfectly.

I noted that the handsfree / car profile kept the channel open as it assumed i had a car charger attatched. Double press the PTT button and the last no redialed, hold in the PTT and voice dial...

I switched to Headset profile... Last no redial dissapeared, but voice dial still there.

Hope this helps anyone who has had similar problems..

:)

[Michael]

Originally posted by Chappies
I noted that the handsfree / car profile kept the channel open as it assumed i had a car charger attatched. Double press the PTT button and the last no redialed, hold in the PTT and voice dial...

Which is why I prefer the headset profile. A lot of the new phones are defaulting to Hands free, which seems a worse solution for typical headset use.