Please Help Me to Understand Bluetooth.

[Sean Moran]

I put this in the Cafè because I know it is a very silly question from a prematurely old man, and many people here will know the answer off the top of their head, without having to think has hard as I am to work this out. I know my history, but bluetooth dazzles me.

I bought a new Nokia 2700 Classic yesterday, and I'm trying to follow good advice from this forum about the battery memory, so I charged the battery the minute I got back to the hotel room, and then unplugged so that the battery on the Nokia will completely discharge for the first battery cycle.

Trouble is that it has been over 24 hours and the battery indicator on the new Nokia is stil showing all four bars; fully charged, and I will need to switch off on Wednesday morning when I get on the plane back to Australia. So I had the inspiration to copy a good range of my music in MP3 format from my Compaq Presario CQ60 to the Nokia 2700, and just play as much music as possible on the phone (in the bathroom with the doors shut) so that the battery might discharge fully before Tuesday, when it would be nice to charge the battery up again and insert the Australian Telstra SIMM card in readiness for alighting the plane back in Australia.

However, I seem to have figured out how to switch on Bluetooth on the phone, but when I try to select System->Preferences->Bluetooth from the Ubuntu Koala menu, I am told that my computer doesn't have any Bluetooth devices plugged in.

Do I need a dongle?, or is there some application package that I might need to install?

Please help if you can make sense of this silly dilemma. I know that this is the Cafè. but it is a very silly question if you know the answer, so I hope it's at least slightly humourous.

[Naiki Muliaina]

If its a recent laptop or netbook it may have Bluetooth. If it is a desktop, the odds are it wont have bluetooth. You can pick up USB bluetooth devices for £5. Sorta like mini dongles....

Edit for linkage :

http://www.mymemory.co.uk/Bluetooth-Accessories

The one I got for £5.99 Linkage (http://www.mymemory.co.uk/Bluetooth-Accessories/Integral/Integral-USB-Bluetooth-Adaptor---Class-2)

The ones for £4.99 linkage (http://www.mymemory.co.uk/Bluetooth-Accessories/Veho/Veho-VB-2881-Bluetooth-Adaptor)

I cant imagine they cost much more in computer shops, MyMemory is not a cheap web shop.

[aeiah]

bluetooth is a wireless protocol and technology kinda like wifi, but slower, simpler and with shorter range. its meant for point-to-point connections (like, your laptop to your phone, or your phone to your hands free set). its quite possible that your laptop doesnt have it built in, or maybe it does but needs certain drivers that aren't there by default.

it can be useful for transferring the odd photo, contact info or mp3 but if you're transferring a large collection of mp3s and such, you'll be much better using a usb cable if possible.

i know you really just want to drain the battery but it might not be worth getting a bluetooth dongle just for that, even if they are only a fiver

[Sean Moran]

Thanks very much to you both for helping me to understand a little bit more about this new technology. I'm going to get it working eventually. I have a 1yo Compaq Presario CQ60 laptop so I would have assumed it has some sort of bluetooth adaptor builtin. I did however blacklist the Atheros wifi modem so that the aircard will work, and use the external USB ZxXEL wifi modem when I want to hitckhike on someone else's wifi, so that might have something to do with it.'

I went out to dinner not long after threading this silly problem, and stopped off at a little telephone shop on the way to the restaurant to find out the price of a suitable cable. When the bill for the lamb roast came in 60 baht less than I'd budgeted for, I stopped off at the same shop on the way home and offered them 220 baht (around $7) for the cable that was supposed to be included with the darned phone in the first place, and we agreed on 230 baht, and then the lady's son took off on his little motorbike to get me a brand new proper Nokia cable with the USB (it's smaller than the usual small USB connector) and the power din plug, all in the box, wrapped in a plastic bag - brand new.

I'm listening to Elton John's "This Train Don't Stop" on the new Nokia right now. If anything will help that new battery to discharge to 0% quickly, that ought to.

I'll work on the cable-free bluetooth option as I get the time, but I've tranferred a huindred mp3s to the Nokia with the factory-fitted (or should have been) cable and that should see the battery flat in the morning.

Thanks for taking the time to help me understand this new technology a little better. I get the feeling that this laptop doesn't need a dongle, but something in my config will need tweaking, and maybe download a package or two to run the bluetooth on Ubuntu.

:KS:popcorn::KS


---o0o---

Off-topic, but just to explain why I'm watching every baht for the next few days. I went to the Thai ATM machine for the last time this morning, to withdraw the estimated amount of cash required between now and Singapore Wednesday lunchtime. The idea is to landd at Changi with close to zero cash, then go to the ATM in Singapore for cash in Singapore dollars for the final leg of the journey. That is why I had to consider the 230 baht purchase very carefully, and only after a reduced price on the lamb roast. I'm not usually this stingy, but out of Thailand Wednesday morning, and Australian pubs don't accept THB.

[Paqman]

If you can set the backlight to stay on, that'll run your battery down a lot faster than playing mp3s.

[Oxwivi]

But playing music is more enjoyable, no? :P

[m4tic]

There must be a physical switch on the laptop, I googled your model and most of the review models come with bluetooth.

[Paqman]

But playing music is more enjoyable, no? :P

He's playing Elton John, so he's clearly not trying to enjoy himself.