Product Description

Now there´s a Bluetooth adapter so small it can stay in your USB port for instant connectivity anytime, anywhere. It's about the size of a penny! Use it to transfer files, synchronize contact and calendar information with your PDA or smart phone, print or fax, connect a keyboard or mouse and much more - wirelessly. PC Compatibility: (bold) PC or compatible computer running Windows XP or later, available USB 2.0 or 1.1 port. Works with most Bluetooth enabled devices (v1.1, v1.2 , v2.0 and the latest 2.1 devices). Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate - up to 3Mbps), Class 2

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2159 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Kensington
• Model: K33902US
• Platform: Windows XP
• Format: CD
• Original language: French, English
• Dimensions: 5.25" h x .75" w x 6.00" l, .16 pounds
• Networking: USB

Features

• Up to six times smaller than a typical Bluetooth adapter
• Small enough to stay in your notebook´s USB port
• Pair a Bluetooth-enabled headset for hands-free communication
• Send presentation, photos or music to other Bluetooth-enabled devices
• Keep your desktop wire-free by using a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse

From the Manufacturer
From the Manufacturer

Now there's a Bluetooth adapter so small it can stay in your USB port for instant connectivity anytime, anywhere. Use it to transfer files, synchronize contact and calendar information with your PDA or smart phone, print or fax, connect a keyboard or mouse and much more - wirelessly.

Customer Reviews

Flawless
This device works as advertised for my purpose, which is to connect my Samsung Hue via BitPim. I've used the adapter on two systems (both running XP SP3), and it works flawlessly, installing the native XP drivers (no need to install the much more resource-intensive application that ships with the adapter). No hassle at all: switch on the Hue's Bluetooth discovery mode, switch the PC Connection setting to Bluetooth, and the devices communicate without a problem. Then, when you're not using it, just disable the radio in the device manager. In neither case (on my desktop nor laptop) did the native XP Bluetooth drivers consume unreasonable resources. It just works.

Works but with a HUGE problem
The unit works well with any devices that I personally have paired it with ie. cell phones, headsets, stereo headsets, and another computer.

However, when the radio is on when you turn the computer on, there are 2 processes TOSOBEX.EX and SERVICES.EXE that will take up most if not all your CPU cycle. This slows down the computer very much. This happens even when there are no devices paired with the unit.

I have installed the unit on 2 other machines with the same results. So, somehow the Toshiba Stack that comes with this unit takes up CPU cycles when the bluetooth radio is turned on. This happens on my laptop and 2 desktops.

Once those services are on, there is no way to turn it off except to reboot the machine. However, PRIOR to rebooting the machine, TURN the bluetooth radio off first. That way when the computer is rebooted, those services will not be on.

The one workaround that I did was to RENAME the TOSOBEX.EXE file to something else like BAD_TOSOBEX.EXE_BAD. That way it won't get invoked when you turn the bluetooth radio on. That means that you WILL NOT have OBEX capability.

Kensington Techincal Support so far has been USELESS. But, I'm still trying to get to people there who actually know what they are talking about.

Also, on the cosmetic side, the unit has VERY SHARP corners. Be careful when you are handling your laptop (if you are using it on a laptop); I have been scratched multiple times by its corners.

Toshiba BT stack is a liability
I have no problem with the hardware, but the Toshiba drivers that come with the device significantly limit its capabilities. Some parts of the software, like Skype integration, are over-engineered. As a result, I could not get Skype to work with this product (perhaps a compatibility issue with the latest Skype release, but I could not find a compatible version or one that was not recognized by Toshiba's drivers -- should have worked fine if the drivers just didn't try to do anything special). There are other peculiarities, like having to forever use the same USB port as the one used during the installation.

I highly recommend considering a similar device based on a Broadcom chipset (sometimes referred to as coming with WIDCOMM drivers).