Bluetooth in notebooks - needed or not?

Hi,

I am planning to buy a new Windows 7 notebook and would like to ask the experts here: do I really need the Bluetooth? Practically speaking, when would the laptop owner user the Bluetooth capability? Would I ever connect to the internet via Bluetooth or is it only used to connect with phones and other devices (which I don't think I would ever need to do)?

And if I buy the laptop without Bluetooth (there are lots of good models without it), would buying a cheap Bluetooth receiver address this shortcoming?

Thank you!

 

For what it's worth, I have bluetooth which I use to pair with a wireless keyboard when I use the laptop at home. If nothing else, it frees up a USB port....

 

I personally never use it, and my wifes only use for it is for bluetooth headset for messenger.

if you dont have many BT devices or plan on getting many ... dont bother

 

bluetooth mouse>ir wireless>trackpad.

 

I wouldn't go anywhere without it. I have a headset and a mouse. No wires is a great plus. Only problem is it drains the battery like no other. Still worth it though.

 

I have it but I have used it once just to make sure it works, I would rather just have a usb dongle for $10 than have it built in.

Unless you need it currently I would not bother with it.

ps. I find blue tooth mice to be horrible, I much prefer my Logitech VX nano.

 

I use mine for a mouse and phone - well handy and as previously said - helps free up USB ports which is always good

A dongle takes up a precious USB slot and is something else you need to carry.

Strange analogy: it's like buying a car that has blank buttons on the dashboard in the place of useful things like A/C, climate control, etc...you will feel sad when the Bluetooth LED doesn't light up like the rest do

 

That's exactly the reason I bought the internal card for my lappy Also bought a bluetooth mouse to go with it, which works ok but the pointer gets a bit jumpy when the computer is doing other stuff so I've gone back to using the USB mouse.

 

My M$ wireless laser mouse 8000 works fine, except every so often if you don't touch it for a minute as you are typing it will go to sleep and needs a good shaking before it come to life. Previously I had a deathadder but got the dreaded double click problem, so switched to this bluetooth alternative.

 

BT mice are nice, just turn 'em on, and they immediately work. No dongle to accidentally break off. BT is a drain on battery, though. If you don't think you'll use it, then you probably won't. I wouldn't pay an extra $30 to have it configured with a new one. But if it comes with the lappy, just another toy to play with!

 

I currently have MS Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000 ( http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=099 ). Before that I used MS Elite Bluetooth ( http://www.microsoft.com/products/i...76e91501-ff1c-44cf-947f-003f3fe25a8c&type=ovr ) with this desktop and another such mouse with my laptop. They were rather old, around 2004, and unreliable, jumpy, needed new batteries every 2 weeks at least... Newer bluetooth mice / Keyboards I have used do not have such problems.

That's why I finally replaced them this summer That BT Mouse 5000 for my laptop and Entertainment BT Desktop 7000 for my HTPC.

I used to sync my Sony Ericsson (T68i since 2002, T610 later) phones over bluetooth (backups from Contacts and Messages), now I have couple HTC Windows Mobile phones that sync over internet with Microsoft MyPhone service. Only thing I use usb cable with my phones is to charge them at work

Taking pictures with a cellphone (like my colleagues N73) and then directly sending them to laptop is also rather easy. Take picture -> send -> bluetooth -> browse -> laptop.

No need to install USB Cable / PC Suite or try to find MicroSD->SD adapter somewhere so the picture could be transferred. Like I'd let my friend install Nokia software in my laptop in the first place....