Belkin Bluetooth PDA and PC Adapter Combo Card (F8T006-PC)

• Adds Bluetooth wireless technology to your PDA or notebook computer
• Offers built-in security using 128-bit encryption and authentication
• Provides effortless wireless communication among computing devices and peripherals
• Keeps your notebook or PDA batteries running longer
• Works with any device enabled with Bluetooth v1.1 technology

I didn't do enough research on the product before I ordered it. It doesn't support the native Windows XP Blue Tooth drivers provided by Microsoft and the drivers provided by Belkin are not 100% compatible with some of the newer Bluetooth devices available. The only way to get it to work at all is to run the full install from the Belkin CD and it disables the Windows Bluetooth services and replaces them with Belkin services rather than just providing a driver that works with the native windows Bluetooth services. This is most likely because this device has been around since before Microsoft released support for Bluetooth technology. It would be nice if Belkin released an updated driver but they haven't..

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I am using my laptop more and more on the road and with that, I am starting to use more things that are attached to the unit. The one thing I've consistantly used is the first generation Delorme Earthmate GPS unit. It attached to the laptop via a serial connector. While it was always a reliable performer, Delorme came out with a new unit that ran by either a USB connection or with a self-powered Bluetooth adapter. (Since that time, they've come out with 2 new models; one is USB only and the other is a Bluetooth unit.) When I got my new unit, I was given a bluetooth adapter for it from my boss who tried to use it on his motorcycle with a Palm Tungsten. Unfortunately for him, the Palm screen could not be seen in bright daylight.

So in order to use it, I had to get a bluetooth adapter for the trusty 'ol laptop. Most of the add-on Bluetooth adapters connect via a USB port. Since I was going to use this in a car, I was most concerned about the laptop being moved around and either snapping the adapter off or even breaking it.

This Belkin adapter connects via the standard PC-Slots that are on almost all laptops. Because of that, the bulk of the adapter is inside the laptop. Only a small tab sticks out of the machine and in my opinion would be far lass prone to damage or disruption. The actual card is an elongated Compact Flash card and it comes with a Compact Flash to PC-Slot adapter. For me, this was an added benefit because my Canon EOS professional Digital Camera uses Compact Flash memory cards, so it can serve double duty for transferring my photos to the laptop and then running the Bluetooth adapter. Since most laptops have two PC-Slots, this adapter is very thin, so it could be left in the laptop while a second card (like a wireless card, USB2/Firewire adapter, etc.) occupies the other slot.

Intallation was very easy and straightforward. Once the device was installed and operating, it was very easy to connect my GPS unit to the laptop. This is one of those devices that does its things transparantly in the background and they either work or give you all sorts of fits. This devices does its job effortlessly and is almost invisible.

I found it to be a great device I'd reccomend and it was offered at a great price that made it even more a sensational value to me. I would highly reccomend this to anyone that needs to add Bluetooth to their Windows-only Laptop.

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I have thought about Bluetooth accessories for a year or so, but this is my first venture. I installed it on a Dell XPS laptop according to directions, and have had no problems with it. The only device I'm currently running is a mouse, and the setup and operation has been smooth and problem-free. My only gripe is that the card sticks out about 1/2" from the side of my laptop. I think that's an unavoidable problem with any card in the slot, however, and it hasn't been a problem.

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I bought this item from Amazon.com about 4 month ago. Driver is installed easily and works fine. But, speed of data transfer and mouse response is very SLOW!!! Transfer rate is under 1/4 than another USB bluetooth dongle, and I cannot enjoy games with bluetooth mouse because mouse cannot follow my action and is inaccurate. I think this is not recommendable for expert users.

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I have a Belkin Bluetooth GPS receiver that works seamlessly with my PDA. Hoping to get it connected to my laptop also, I came to search for solution. The Belkin PC card looks better than its USB rivals as it snugs firmly in the laptop. The USB adapters are prone to fall apart when the laptop is taken around.

The installation is a little bit tedious. You have to follow the procedure in the manual carefully. To make it work with the GPS , you need to ask the software to search and match the ID. It's not so intuitive. You may get confused if you have no idea about how Bluetooth devices work together. I think that's one of the reasons why the Bluetooth is still not really popular even though the technology has been around for many years. You cannot just plug and play.

Once the connection is up and running, it works smoothly without hiccup.