Tuesday, August 20, 2002
Be careful when buying hardware claiming PDA compatibility
Posted by Ed Hansberry in "HARDWARE" @ 08:00 AM
Be careful if you are buying hardware that is primarily designed for desktops but you want to use it with your Pocket PC, especially in the burgeoning bluetooth market. There are a lot of bluetooth WLAN solutions coming out, and while ultimately most will eventually work just fine with your Pocket PC, it may not right out of the box.
Daniel Brahms ordered the Blue Gear bluetooth USB kit online. I checked a few places like Outpost.com to see what they had listed for this product. Lots of claims at the site, including "True Versatility - Synchronize the data between your Bluetooth™ enabled PDAs and other Bluetooth™ enabled devices with your computer to experience BlueGear innovation." However, once you get the box, there is a nice little disclaimer.
• You have to purchase the software that allows your PDA to work
• You cannot purchase it yet. It is still in beta according to Amazing Technologies, the company that makes BlueGear.
No doubt the kit is cheap - $129 to network two PCs. Far cheaper than any WiFi solution, though the cost of the software is an unknown at this point. Just be careful when buying bleeding edge technology like this. I'd wait until you saw an independent online review or got a money-back guarantee. Thanks to Daniel for alerting us to this and taking the time to scan in the box and email me the above image.
Daniel Brahms ordered the Blue Gear bluetooth USB kit online. I checked a few places like Outpost.com to see what they had listed for this product. Lots of claims at the site, including "True Versatility - Synchronize the data between your Bluetooth™ enabled PDAs and other Bluetooth™ enabled devices with your computer to experience BlueGear innovation." However, once you get the box, there is a nice little disclaimer.
• You have to purchase the software that allows your PDA to work
• You cannot purchase it yet. It is still in beta according to Amazing Technologies, the company that makes BlueGear.
No doubt the kit is cheap - $129 to network two PCs. Far cheaper than any WiFi solution, though the cost of the software is an unknown at this point. Just be careful when buying bleeding edge technology like this. I'd wait until you saw an independent online review or got a money-back guarantee. Thanks to Daniel for alerting us to this and taking the time to scan in the box and email me the above image.
