bluetooth Archives - The Story of David Kaspar

Fortuna Clip-On Bluetooth GPS Receiver review

David Kaspar — Mon, 07 Mar 2005 18:30:15 +0000

If you want to get started with GPS navigation and you already own a Bluetooth enabled PDA then the Fortuna clip-on is a good alternative. A bonus is that you will be able to use the GPS device with other Bluetooth enabled devices like smartphones and laptops (notebooks in some countries).
There are many Bluetooth GPS devices on the market but currently only the Fortuna devices supports dual SiRF modes: both the standard low-power SiRF Star IIe/LP chipset and the latest high sensitivity SiRF Xtrac chipset.
SiRF Star IIe/LP mode is good while the unit has view of clear sky. The unit will lock on to fewer satellites and transmit less data resulting in faster scrolling maps and lower battery consumption.
This is great while you have view of clear sky but if you are moving in weaker signal areas such as under heavy leaf cover or between tall buildings older GPS will loose the satellite signal.
With the Fortuna clip-on you can switch to Xtrac high sensitivity mode which can even provide a signal lock while indoors.
I have been using the Xtrac mode exclusively and have found very quick lock-on times and good precision. Since I am using the unit for short trips only, I have never had any problems running out of batteries. Reported battery life is 8 hours in the Star IIe/LP mode.
The major deciding factor whether you will have a great or bad GPS navigation experience is what navigation software you choose. This is another discussion but I am using TomTom 3 and have had only minor problems.
Now it seems that some users have problems connecting their Fortuna clip-on to an iPaq running TomTom navigation software. You need to select the NMEA 0183v2 38400 from the list of selected drivers and choose Bluetooth serial port COM 8 which is the “in” port. Don’t forget to place a tick in the little square box on the left hand side of the two settings (driver and com port).
In rare cases the clip-on needs to be resetted and the only way to do so is to remove the batteries for up to 24hrs. This has helped all other users that have had connection problems.
The button to switch between Star IIe/LP and Xtrac modes is tiny and you need a sharp pencil or pin to move it. You can only switch between the modes while the unit is turned of.
Feel free to use the Fortuna Clip-On Bluetooth GPS Receiver forum for any questions, discussion or feedback.

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Sony HBH-660 bluetooth headset review

David Kaspar — Wed, 03 Nov 2004 11:49:41 +0000

Yet another Bluetooth headset. I sure hope that this one sticks with me for a while.
The main feature that sold me the Sony HBH-660 was the caller info.
The headset has a tiny 6 character LCD display. Besides showing battery status, volume level and other good information it also display a caller’s number or name if you have the number stored in your phone as a contact.
The headset comes with a strap so that you can wear it around your neck. Much better than loosing it in a pocket somewhere. While wearing the unit around your neck, the caller info is really handy.
The battery life has improved slightly from my previous HBH-60. This could also be just a perception due to the new battery indicator.
The HBH-660 is tiny bit heavier than the HBH-60 and HBH-600 but it did not result in any discomfort.
On a downside, my HBH-660 has worse voice quality than my old HBH-60 and HBH-30. This could be due a faulty device but I recommend you to try it out before purchase!

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Belkin F8T003 Bluetooth USB adapter

David Kaspar — Fri, 03 Oct 2003 11:25:09 +0000

After recently moving to a Sony VAIO without IrD I needed a Bluetooth adapter to be able to continue synchronising my mobile phone and being able to access the Internet on the move.
An USB adapter is an elegant solution due to its small form factor. It will let you communicate with your Bluetooth device securely and without any wires.

I chose the Belkin device because:

Cheap but not cheapest
I have had other Belkin devices that have served me well
I could not find any negative comments or reviews about it

One important thing with an USB adapter is what protocols it supports. The more protocols it supports, the more devices you will be able to communicate with and the more functions you will be able to use. When connecting a laptop to a mobile phone the key features you might want are dial-up, file transfer, synchronisation and serial port. Below are the protocols that the Belkin device supports:

Synchronisation
File transfer: browse public folders on a remote device or transfer arbitrary files to it, e.g. pictures or ring tones.
Dial-up networking: connect to the Internet using a BT modem (mobile)
Network access: will let a device access a network through the adapter. Good when you want to surf the net from your PocketPC
Voice gateway: establish an audio connection with a BT mobile phone. When done, the computer speaker and microphone will be used instead of the phones, making the computer “hands-free”
Head-Set: the remote device will replace the computers speakers and microphone
Fax
PIM Item transfer: transfer business cards and calendar items
Serial port: lets you communicate with your mobile phone on a “lower” level resulting in you being able to use the mobile as a remote control or send SMS from your laptop.

The range of the device is 10m. While some other USB adaptors offer 100m you have to see what your devices support. Most PDAs and mobile phones are 10m devices. Belkin has also a little bit more expensive and bulkier model, the Belkin F8T001, which is a 100m device.
The installation was a breeze. Just make sure to install the CD before plugging in the USB adaptor. Once the adaptor is plugged in, Windows will install the drivers and you are set.
Immediately you can search for discoverable devices in range, pair them up and define what services you would like to use with them. Use a mobile phone for dial-up networking, synchronise with your PocketPC or use your BT hands-free to chat over MSN messenger.

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Sony Ericsson HBH-35 vs HBH-60

David Kaspar — Thu, 04 Sep 2003 08:02:38 +0000

After stepping on my HBH-60 blue tooth mobile hands free, I had to look for a new one. I had been very pleased with the HBH-60 but a new product was on the market, a new version of HBH0-30, the HBH-35.


HBH-35	HBH-60

The most obvious reason is the size. The HBH-35 is considerably larger and is more visible when worn. This is not all bad because the boom microphone is closer to your mouth so there is a chance the sound quality is better. I have not confirmed this with the receiving part though.
They (Sony Ericsson) have also managed to fit in larger and replaceable batteries. Reported stand by time is 135hrs and talk time 5hrs. This is almost double compared to the HBH-60.
The operation of both pieces is very similar. There are two volume buttons, up and down, and a main operation button. Push it once and the hands free will connect to your phone, you’ll hear a beep when it’s done. Then you can say the name of the person to call to, another beep to confirm, and then the type of number (work, home etc). If the phone did not recognize the contact you want, you will get a second chance, and a third. Push the operation button again to hang up a call. Some other cool voice activated functions are redial, answer a call and record memo.
The range is supposed to be up to 10m but with both devices, I found them to work best within 2m.

HBH-35	HBH-60
Longer battery life better sound quality cheaper	Small size light

HBH-35

HBH-60

Longer battery life
better sound quality
cheaper

Small size
light

Update 14/09/03
After 2 weeks of using the HBH-35 I can say I use it less than I used the HBH-60 due to the bulkiness of 35.
I guess this means that the longer battery life isn’t really a deciding advantage.
The longer boom mike does not seem to have improved sound quality because my phone still has problems recognizing voice commands when in loud surroundings.

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