Price:	$30		Reviewed by:	Neil Brown
Supplied:	Brando		Review date:	10/08/2005
Pros:	Very easy to install and set up Well-priced Both IrDA and Bluetooth in one small package Software generally excellent Bluetooth 1.2		Cons:	Irritating flashing LEDS Software pops up with unwanted connectivity box

Introduction   I was recently looking for a Bluetooth adapter for a colleague, and happened to have a glance at Brando’s gadget-packet website. Brando was offering a combined Bluetooth and IrDA adapter, and I couldn’t pass this up – I don’t have a huge number of uses for IrDA, but, I think that it's better to have it than not have it. Anyway, five days after he’d placed the order, the package arrived – and I wondered for the first time just how difficult it was going to be to get the adapter working, especially as I was intending to install it on my PC as a trial first, before risking my colleague’s set-up. In my experience, Bluetooth seems to be one of the more tricky technologies, especially with the introduction of the Bluetooth Enumerator and other integrated functions on Service Pack 2 for XP. It was thus with some trepidation that I removed my Belkin dongle, and uninstalled the software, in preparation for the ensuing installation – there was no chance that I was going to try things with another Bluetooth device currently enabled…   Installing the software   The software comes on a mini-CD, the kind that were popular a few years back as business cards. This wasn’t a problem when I came to install the applications on my desktop PC, for initial testing, but, when I came to install it on the laptop where it was to reside, I discovered that the CD drive did not support this smaller CDs. It wasn’t a problem, as I was able to simply mount the files on a network share, and install them this way, but, if you don’t have access to the necessary drive, you might be advised to make friends with someone who does, or look for a download link.   Bluetooth   The installation itself is in two parts- first for Bluetooth, and then for IrDA. Getting Bluetooth working was something I dreaded, and so I was amazed at how easy this was- it just worked! The mini CD makes a worryingly strange noise when it revs up in the drive, but, that is to be expected, I guess. There are written instructions included in the package, and I can’t fault them at all- they tell you exactly which folder on the CD to open, and which .exe to click. You do have to select whether you wish to use the dongle with the Nokia PC Suite or Other (I chose Other), and then agree to some unsigned drivers, but this is a simple as just clicking the “Continue Anyway” button several times. After installing the Bluetooth setup, it says that you need to restart your PC, which I have always done :)   After rebooting, you get to plug in the dongle for the first time, and Windows goes through the “Installing New Hardware Routine”, deciding that you have a “Generic Bluetooth Radio”, and then finishing the installation. If you are running Microsoft’s Anti-Spyware software, you will need to “Ignore” the new Winsock LSP, but, as this made me think of the small yellow friend of Snoopy (Woodstock, I believe), I didn’t have a problem doing so. Now, it is at this point that you notice there is an irritating blinking blue LED… sometimes it blinks, sometimes it doesn’t, but it always blinks when you are transferring data. I am not sure why it blinks immediately after you install it, but, in my opinion, it is irritating, and I wish that it didn’t. However, this is one of only two complaints about the whole setup, and so, overall, isn’t too bad.   If your PC detects and IrDA dongle instead of a Bluetooth one, check the little switch on the side-if it is close to the red dot, you’ve got it in IrDA mode, whilst if it is closer to the blue dot, you’ve got it in… you’ve guessed it… Bluetooth mode.   If you are running Windows XP with SP2, you might find that the XTND Bluetooth application, which is installed along with the drivers, does not find a local device- to cut a long story short, this is because Windows has kidnapped it, and forced it to worked under their own Bluetooth Enumerator. With my previous dongle, this entailed a visit to Device Manager, and changing things around, which might have proven daunting if you didn’t know what you were doing- I was most pleased to discover that, on the software CD, in the Bluetooth folder, there is sub-folder called “WinXP-SP2”, which has a small switching application. It only works if you have the dongle plugged in, so, if the blue light is flashing, you can run this switcher, and select “Run with Blue Manager”- you will then need to install another driver, but then the problem solved, and, for the first time, that blue LED will stop flashing. For a while.   The XTNDConnect Bluetooth software is good, finding and pairing with my LOOX quickly and easily. It lists the Bluetooth MAC address first, and then adds a name if possible- my LOOX is cryptically named “Pocket LOOX”… I was able to browse the file structure without a problem, only needing to accept an OBEX Transfer authentication once.  The software discovered my T3 (again, cunningly named “Tungsten T3”), but, as expected, I was unable to browse it. I could, however, send a file to the PC, and retrieve it through the software’s “In Box”, which is really a folder on the C:\.   You are able to add a device manually, by inputting its Bluetooth MAC address- this is a rather advanced feature, which will go unused by many, but, if you need it, you will probably appreciate its presence.   Infrared (IrDA)   Installing the IrDA part is even easier- just remove the dongle, flick the switch to the red side of things and, when Windows asks, point it to the IrDA files on the CD, as per the written instructions.   I was able to beam things to my PC easily- just a case of lining up the ports, really. I only plan to use it when trying to extract data from mobile phones, but, it certainly appears to do the job. There is no software supplied with the IrDA side of things, but, I guess that it will work with any software which can accept an IrDA inputs, although I obviously can’t guarantee this. IrDA transfer is *very* slow, but, this is to be expected- if you can use Bluetooth, I’d recommend it!     Conclusion   I was extremely impressed with this dongle, and, in spite of having one already, am very tempted to order one of these for everyday use. It is Bluetooth Class 2, and so has a 10m range, but supports Bluetooth 1.2, which I wasn’t expecting. For the price, you are getting a good piece of kit, with two useful functions. I probably won’t use the IrDA side of it often, but, it is there for when I do need it. I mentioned that I had two niggles with the setup- the first being the flashing LEDs. After a couple of weeks, they still annoy me, and so I have to say that I’ve wrapped a big piece of tape around the sides of the dongle, just leaving the switch exposed. I’ve left the end open so that I can line up an IrDA device (flashes red when in IrDA mode!), and, mostly, this has solved the problem. If you leave your PC powered on at night, you might want to try this, or else remove the dongle... My other complaint is a recurrent problem with a screen popping up to ask about connectivity options. I haven’t found a way of disabling this, but I guess it is possible- if you are in the middle of loading a webpage (which is when it tends to materialise), you need to click to cancel it, or else the page just times out. Again, it’s not enough to put me off using the dongle, but, it is a downright nuisance, and something I would prefer did not happen.   However, the good outweighs the bad, and the convenience and tiny size of this dongle really do go in its favour. Apart from the irritating pop-up window, the software is very good, and the installation is considerably better than I had hoped- the XPSP2 switcher is brilliant, and very welcome indeed. If you are looking for a Bluetooth dongle, and do not need Class 1, I would suggest having a good look at this. As I say, I already have a Bluetooth dongle, and yet, as this one has now been installed successfully on my colleague’s computer, I am still tempted to buy one for myself…