Bluetooth Reviews

Buy another camcorder! This one will be a waste of your time and money. On paper this camcorder is great. However, not only is it overpriced and full of extraneous features. It is also difficult to use, has a poorly written manual and horrible support. I tried the SONY product support line at 888-449-7669 twice, but got little help.

Additionally, writing to the memory stick produces poor quality images, and there is no built in video light. Finally, the PC software that comes with the camera leaves much to be desired.

My excitement about buying this camera and all its accesories has been replaced with utter contempt for SONY. I now understand why the company has been having so many problems.

What a camera indeed. I just got it three days ago and after reading the manual I see there will be a lot of learning ahead for me. There are so many features this camera has I know I will not use most of them. The video is sharp and the photos are better then expected (acceptable but I will still use my digital camera when needed or preferred). The supplied 8 MB memory stick is only worth a tease, you will have to get at least a 128 MB or greater! Being in the Air Force and stationed in Germany this will be one treat to carry along on up coming trips!

I am technically competent, but a novice at video photography. Therefore, I spent weeks reviewing a a number of various cameras. I ultimately decided on the TRV 80 because of: the HAD technology, the 3 1/2 touch screen, the digital still, the still pop-up flash, along with the features rich capabilities of this camera. I have used it for about a week and have found it to be very easy to use. The controls are intuitive and the manual has been very easy to navigate. You should also consider the need for various accessoriies. I purchased it with a bundled package which included: tripod, 2 additional batteries, wide and telephoto lenses, case, tapes, cleaning kit, USB card reader, and a four year MAC parts and labor warranty. Add on package was less about two hundred seventy dollars and well worth it. Also spent a long time looking for editing software with good reviews. Settled on PYRO Digital Video, which indluded a 1394 PCI card and software compatable with the Sony camera. They have beginner, intermediate and Pro versions available. So far I am extremely pleased with the camera, and accessory packages. I am able to take great videos now and when I master the advanced features I'm sure the quality of the movies produced will improve. Highly recommend this product and suggest you consider the add on packages, especially the 4 year warranty.

After getting a Siemens S55 (Or S56 in the US, I guess) with Bluetooth enabled, I decided to go for the Jabra BT200.

Having used two regular carkits before, I found I always had trouble with the microphone not working as it's supposed to. I could hear people, but they were unable to hear me. Bluetooth seemed like a perfect option.

The Jabra solves this problem. The only time you'll find people unable to hear you if you're walking outside in the wind. Other than that, reception is excellent on both ends.

Setting up the Jabra is rather easy. Hold the main button for 5 seconds, configure your phone to link the two devices, and you're pretty much done.

The first headset I got didn't quite function properly at first, but the company I bought it from replaced it, and ever since, it works. To some extend.

The problem is the headset seems to drop calls quite a bit. In the middle of a convo, suddenly the call is back at your phone, which is quite annoying.

Using it in your car is not a problem though. Pick it up, put the speaker in your ear, press the main button, and you're talking.

It's a nice product, but the dropped calls make for quite some annoyance.

It is difficult to set up for use, especially in the car where one is most likely to use it. If it is not setup and on your ear, you have to put the phone down (if you received a call) and spend 20 to 30 seconds getting it turned on, and on your ear, then the call may get dropped. Regardless of the claims, the batteries don't stay charged very long. You must remember to shut it off properly or it gets worse. You would think for the money they would include a car charger. It does work well after you get it going, butI think the simpler ones with wires are more straight forward.

i LOVE it! no wires, no mess, totally decent battery life for the headset and it's not like cell phone batteries that you need to let die before recharging, just charge it every night before bed and unless you're a use-your-cell-phone-a-holic it'll last PLENTY long :) other great features, you can switch calls just by pressing the answer button and it'll automatically save the other call, get the new one, and then when you want to go back, just press it again. so easy. i can hear things perfectly in my ear most of the time too, it doesn't exactly go 30 feet (more like 15) but still! that's awesome to me. oddly enough, the bluetooth doesn't like to work through wool... don't ask why, it just always gets really fuzzy for me. oh! it's really quite comfortable in the ear. i can usually go for hours (not like that's necessary very often) without taking it out and not have my ear ache like a lot of other uncomfortable ear peices.

on paper, the IP220 looks like a winner. but after a close look and i'm not as sold...

pros:
- delivers vibrant colors when shooting in daylight.
- 10x carl zeiss vario-sonnar T* lens.
- 2MP still capability.
- great connectivity options: firewire, USB, S-video, headphone, bluetooth, mic input, etc.
- has a built in pop-up flash for taking stills.
- steady shot and night shot.
- ability to record mpeg videos directly to memory stick.
- top-loading cassette.
- boatloads of optional accessories.
- manual focus/zoom ring on lens.
- has NightFraming which allows you to focus and compose your scene in total darkness with the aid of the infrared emitter, then shoot a full-color still with the pop-up flash. very cool.

cons:
- microMV format is proprietary and may go the way of betamax.
- microMV video quality is noticeably worse than MiniDV.
- images emerge washed-out when shooting indoors.
- uses an mpeg version that may not be compatible with your current video editor.
- Super Night Shot, Color Night Shot very choppy in low/no light.
- not Mac compatible.
- very bad ergonomics - zoom and photo shutter controls are poorly positioned.
- LCD can't tilt backwards - if you've had it before, you'll miss the ability to show kids themselves as you videotape them.
- the advantage of microMV is size but that's not reflected in this camcorder. this is the biggest microMV camcorder out there: 3.9"W x 3.0"H x 5.3"D, weighing 1.5 lbs. you can get smaller camcorders like the panasonic's gs70 or sony's trv33 or the pc105. granted, those have less features, mainly still camera capability (2.0 megapixel vs 1.0 megapixel).
- as with most sony products, you pay a premium, pushing up the price.
- the included 8MB memory stick (for a 2 megapixel still camera!) is unacceptable. you'll need at least a 64MB memory stick with if you want to take full advantage of the higher resolution pics you'll be taking.
- although bundling the camcorder and still camera together means you only have to carry one piece of equipment, it also means that if one breaks, you have to replace both.
- as an alternate to this bundling strategy, you can get a gs70 or trv33 or pc105 and get a 3 megapixel still camera and still save money in the process!
- battery life could be better.
- only 2.5" LCD and it's not as crisp as others in the sony line-up.
- non-intuitive menu system.
- bottom loading battery so you can't replace this while mounted on a tripod.
- the accessory shoe is not a hot shoe.
- no built in video light but you can get one less than a hundred bucks.

in the end, the microMV format is a deal breaker for me. it is sony proprietary and not widely supported. and the main reason for even using microMV (size) is not really reflected in this camcorder. if you're looking for a camcorder/camera hybrid, i'd say wait a couple more years (hopefully). the still quality is just not there yet. your best bet is to get a decent camcorder and complement it with a stand-alone digital camera.

i hope this helps your buying decision. peace.

I bought the Sony DCR IP220 because of its 2.0 Megapixel capabilities and while I love the resolution that it displays on the TV, I am not impressed with the quality of footage after capturing to computer. Here are the pros and cons that I have found:

PROS:
1.Great resolution and great quality video produced (530 lines and 2.2 megapixels). (5 star quality)
2. Digital zoom (X700) works fine using a tripod and produces somewhat clear images. Any zoom magnification up to X120, produces very clear moving images.
3. The still pictures are compatible with any 2.0 megapixel camera.
4. Low light video never appeared grainy.
5. Touch screen menu-Many options are available & can be reached quickly. It has a similar feeling to a PDA Palm pilot.

CONS:
1.Video Editing or video email is only possible if your computer system is Windows ME, XP, 2000, and above. If you have Windows 98/98SE and below, then you need to upgrade.
2.If you are into serious computer editing, then this is not the camera for you. The Micromv format is supported only by Sony's Movie Shaker (included), Ulead's MediaStudio Pro 7, and Pinnacle's Studio Deluxe 8.1 . MovieShaker captures with the best quality, but it produces pixellated moving images and stores the files as .mmv. After capturing, the file must be exported to mpeg/avi/etc format. To render 1min 46secs of mmv footage, it took me about 30 mins for mpeg 2 and 8 mins for mpeg 1. MediaStudio 7 captures micromv footage very easily (after downloading the patch) and offers the quickest,most compatable options (direct output to avi/mpeg). Capture is instantaneous (as is cpaturing from most DV camcorders). However, the quality is also somewhat pixellated and the playback is jerky in moving areas. I have not tried Pinnacle.
2. No microphone input jack! It is hard to record a speaker's message if you are in crowds of people. If you have large hands, you may end up covering the bulit in mic and receive no sound at all.
3. Tiny Buttons!It is very difficult to zoom using the very tiny zoom button. Also,the record button is sticking out and you can accidently knock it.
4. Touch screen menu. If for any reason the touch screen is damaged, then it is dificult to command function of the camcorder.

If you are not into Computer editing or emailing video, then this camera deserves a "5 Star Rating". However, considering that I bought the camera with the intentions of editing, I have to say that I am a little upset with the finished quality.

Pros: Small size. Good ergonomics. Screen on back. Still photos. Compact tapes & batteries.

Cons: Expensive. MicroMV format may or may not equal MiniDV. Lens could be more wide-angle.

I found the camera easy to carry, though I kind of wish it had a neck strap. I think the size is about right - not too small to handle, but still very easy to carry. One complaint/frustration was that its lense doesn't seem to be as wide-angle as I'm used to - trying to tape inside buildings, etc. I found myself constantly backing into corners and still cutting people off at the waist, etc. - I may have to look into getting a wide-angle lense for this. Of course, I was trying to tape inside 150 year old houses with small rooms, so that didn't help. As for video and still quality, all I can say is that they look fine to me - I watched for pixelization or other artifacts reported as being problems with MicroMV, but haven't noticed any even in dark areas. I will say that experimenting with the night shot and super night shot, I don't see much use for them - I could hardly distinguish what I recorded in these modes. I was impressed by the ability of the still camera and flash to take decent photos of buildings from around 50 feet away in near total darkness. I didn't expect the flash to work at such a distance, but the photos came out quite well. One reason I selected this camera was that I thought it was better designend for use in underwater housings than the PC120BT I was also considering - primarily because the screen is on the back rather than flipping out to the side (which requires a much larger housing, or not using the screen). I didn't get a chance to try the camera in an underwater housing on this trip, but I still think the design will lend itself to this application. Ergonomically I prefer the IP220, but I have lingering questions about whether I sacrificed video quality by going with this model. But that's based on others's comments on previous MicroMV camcorders - not on any problems I've seen with my own camera or video. I haven't yet loaded video or stills onto my PC for editing, so I can't comment on that.

I have a Palm Tungsten T2, and bought the Navman GPS 4460 to provide GPS capability for the occasional road trip and/or business trip. I had also considered the Delorme Earthmate, but decided against it based on some feedback on the web regarding the accuracy of the maps and lack of voice guidance. The one review I did find on the relatively new GPS 4460 convinced me that this was worth investigating.

The GPS 4460 comes with the GPS receiver unit, a couple of mounting brackets for the receiver and the Palm PDA, a memory card reader, a 12V car adapter for the receiver unit, 3 AAA size batteries, and 4 CDs of software/maps. The receiver unit fits nicely into its associated mount, which can then be easily attached to the inside of your rear window. This assembly is held in place to the window by a suction cup. The PDA can then ride up front with the driver in it's own cradle (usually plugged into a cigarette lighter socket).

The software for the PDA is excellent, as are the maps (as far as I've tested them, that is). Entering destinations is easy once the maps are loaded onto the SD/MMC card (which you must have and is not included in the kit). The voice guidance is clear, if a bit confused at times (i.e. it can ask you to bear left and make a right turn, even though the visual map indicates that you should keep going straight). The best work round for this, as always, is the judicious use of common sense. The visual cues (when you can safely look at the display while driving) are also excellent. As a PDA is used as the output/display, screen contrast, brightness and audio volume are are limited by the PDA you have on hand. So far the T2 has performed acceptably except in bright sun light (when the display becomes nearly unreadable).

Now for my MAJOR peeves with the system - the installation software and instructions are UNFORGIVABLY bad. First, you need to purchase a SD/MMC card for map storage etc - this is not provided in the kit. Second, installing the desktop software crashed my computer (because it tried to it's own drivers for an existing card reader I had in place - something I had to go back and fix). Third, when I tried to activate the software (and followed instructions on the screen and quick start guide), it was in no way clear that THE SD/MMC CARD SHOULD BE IN THE CARD READER AND NOT IN THE PALM. What activation does (I'm surmising from experience) is to install the license key onto the SD/MMC card. Once that is done, the software on the PDA will work (because it sees the key when the SD/MMC card is in the PDA) and the Map transfer software will work (because it also sees the key when the SD/MMC card is in the card reader). Fourth, I got memory errors on the PDA when I first tried to run the software (which were fixed with a soft reset, but none of this was clearly mentioned as a remote possibility).

So in closing - the unit is working great now that I have it running. Getting it up and running was a problem as noted above. Some better/clearer documentation on the installation front would have been nice. Had it not been for the lousy install, I'd have rated this as a 5 star product.

I was excited to try out the Navman GPS system with my Zire 72. The directions are poorly written and unclear at times. I downloaded everything based on trial and error. When trying to download the Southern Texas map, I recieved an error message and was unable to complete the download. I have contacted the company but no one has responded to my three messages as of yet. As for putting to use the GPS system with the maps I could download, I found it fun and in complete working order. The voice tone needs improvement but can be understood. Be sure and use a car charger for the Zire 72 or the battery is drained in no time when the bluetooth is on.

I give it two stars because it worked very well right out of the box, installed really well everything.... But when I tried to transfer files from my Tungsten T2, it wouldn't let me...I'm sending it back because I got it for that reason, so I didn't have to be locked up on the computer all day, I could go anywhere in my house and work on my palm, but because I can't get it to transfer files, it's of no use...

This device installed easily on my WinXP computer. After a few minutes I was putting all my Nokia phone pictures onto my computer. I also uploaded a few pictures into my phone. NICE!!

Now my fellow disc partners all want to buy this gadget so they can get their photos of me retrieving my discs from water traps onto their desktops.

great widget - within 10 minutes of ripping open the box I was downloading my Nokia 3650 camera full-o-pix to my Win XP PC.
It is plugged into a USB port on the back of my PC located under my home office desk and it easily connects from anywhere nearby. IMHO it is an easy install, works as advertised, and it is a brand name product with decent documentation, support, etc.. Doug

After reading reviews, I was expecting a delicate, balky headset with average sound and a huge charger base.

What I got was a headset that connected to my SonyEricsson T68i with no trouble, including voice dialing. The range is what you'd expect for Bluetooth, ~10m. The audio in both directions is much better than the wired earbud that came with the phone. Other reviews refer to the boom as fragile. If you treat it reasonably, there's no way you will break it. The "coffin" dock station is a plus, since I can stick it in a bag for travel and it will actually protect the headset. It is a little bulky next to the competition, but I knew that going in, and I prefer the "over-the-ear" style - I think it provides better outside noise muffling.

All in all, a good purchase. Also, I bought from Amazon with Free Super Saver shipping and expected to wait a week and a half...it arrived THE NEXT DAY :)

4 instead of 5 because of the bulky charger brick in addition to the dock station.

Caveat: this is my first bluetooth headset, so I can only compare it to second-hand accounds I've heard. I'm using it with a Sony-Ericsson T616 from Cingular. As always, Your Mileage May Vary.

The headset had no difficulty pairing with the phone - I had a little bit of trouble figuring out the menu structure on my phone (it had to be added as a headset rather than a generic bluetooth device). Once paired, the performace is spectacular:

* Range: I've heard many gripes about range with other headset models - this one actually exceeds the 10 meter range specified for bluetooth. I've left my phone downstairs in my living room, and walked to my upstairs bedroom and back with only a slight drop in sound quality. The only issue I have is using it in my car with my phone on my belt right next to my seat belt clip - that seems to cause some radio interference (this is most likely a problem that is not specific to this headset). Placing the phone in the center console while I drive solves the problem.

* Battery Life: Logitech claims 7 hours talk time. I've read reviews that claim 6 hours. I've not done any measurements, but I can say that battery life has never been an issue. I recharge the phone and headset every other day or so, and for all intents and purposes I can talk on the phone as much as I want (which can be quite a bit). In any case, it appears to be vastly superior to other headsets. The headset comes with a built-in lithium rechargeable battery that Logitech says is not user-replaceable and should last the life of the headset (famous last words). I'm not thrilled with that aspect, but if I get 2-3 years out of it I'll be happy.

* Comfort: The phone's "ear-clip" has two spring-loaded pieces that gently grip around your ear, and press the speaker against it. It took me about three days to stop noticing I was wearing the headset. I can wear the headset with sunglasses without any problems.

* Aesthetics: It's a pretty big headset and with the somewhat excessively-bright LED (blue), it's rather conspicuous. This doesn't bother me (it helps that my hair covers most of the headset), but you should be aware that this will draw some attention.

* Sound Quality: Top-notch. I strongly prefer using the headset rather than just using the phone by itself. I've used the headset in my car on the highway with the top down (I'm not a slow driver), and I can hear and be understood just fine. I have no problems using it with the voice-dialing features on my phone.

* Portability: It comes with a charging case and AC Adapter. This takes up (in my opinion) a rather excessive amount of space in your luggage when you travel. I wish they would have (or someone would come up with) a much more compact charging solution. On the other hand, the charging case appears to be strong enough to prevent damage to the headset while it's in transit.

Overall, the headset does wonderfully in the areas I find important - ease of use, sound quality, wireless range, and battery life.

This is my third bluetooth headset after Motorola HS-810 and Jebra 250. I absolutely love it. Here is the comparison:
Pairing: Pairing with my Sony Ericsson T610 was easy just as it was for Motorola and Jebra headsets. All three use 0000 as password for pairing so if you have done it with one, it won't be hard for any other one.
Sound Quality: Best of all. Crysp and clear sound. HS-810 had the worst sound with lots of crackling and high bass breaking sound. Jebra had some crackling but Logitech is very clear with almost no crackling. I was impressed.
Microphone: Again the best, I asked listener at the other end to rate the quality of my sound. Logitech again was best with its noise cancelling microphone. Jebra was second. Motorola again wasn't the best.
Comfort: I had a conference call with each of these three phones lasting more than an hour. Jebra was little heavier than Motorola and Logitech. Jebra's speaker sticking in ear becomes uncomfortable after some time. I found logitech most comfortable and lightest.
Battery Life: Logitech's 30 days life is beyond compare.
Price: $75 is almost 25% less than $99 Jebra and almost 40% less than $119 HS 810.
Cool Factor: IMHO HS810 is cool but too much attention grabber, Jebra is better since it hides behind your ear but I like Logitech which looks very much like a headset and I have to mention the cool case for storing Logitech headset. Very Cool and Safe.
I am really surprised to see that this set is not available at more outlets. I am sure that will change soon.

i'm quite pleased with the t616 i got with my ATT GSM wireless plan. the plan itself works well, we have the usual disdain for ATT wireless' customer service, but the phone itself works well. i'm finding the ATT network to be superb stateside, and i will get to try it out globally later this year.

the phone's buttons work well for people with small fingers (i'm one of them), so keep that in mind. it fits snugly in my pocket, has stood up to many miles of travel and use, and the battery keeps a decent charge.

picture quality is pretty weak, grainy pictures and someodd colors. but that's what you get when you use a phone as a camera ...

the ringtones are annoying, luckily you can find them online for free (ie myt610.net). all i want is my old nokia basic ring!

i've been using bluetooth to move pictures and sounds around, not mMode or anything fancy. it works flawlessly with Mac OS X and random PC bluetooth adapters. i haven't used the GPRS service, so i can't comment on it. i do like the integrated task minder, i'm making heavy use of it.

for a small, clear, feature rich phone, this is a strong contender for anyone's needs.

The T616 is a pretty good phone...sleek design, good phone functions, fun to have a camera included. But it has some limitations and questionable function choices. I would buy it again.

Likes:

Call quality fine.

Outlook sync works well.

Caller ID brings up picture of caller (once you assign a pic to the Contact's record in the phone book).

Nice design.

Can store lots of info about each contact.

Voice command dialing (in concept, haven't played with it enough to know if it works).

Dislikes:

Poor documentation for setting up bluetooth sync: I know computers pretty well, and although this was my first bluetooth device, it should have gone more smoothly. Too many gaps in documentation. Worse, AT&Ts website provides no help, the OEM for the sync software (Extended Systems) refers you to Sony Ericsson for help, and the Sony Ericsson help desk in Toronto was counterproductive. Their suggestion was to sync one record at a time! And they were rude when I suggested there was probably a way to sync all records at once.

Screen is very hard to read outdoors. This is probably the biggest flaw, and one which may be beyond the tolerance of many people...

2mb of memory is not enough. You can store a fair number of contacts (500-ish) but not enough pictures, even after deleting all the nonsense pics/sounds/themes they include with the phone.

The web browser function is ok on the sites formatted for the cell phone's screen.

The "Find Top Ten Best Near Me" function is hysterical. This will find the Top Ten, say, mexican restaurants near you, based on the position of the nearest cell tower, which is probably within a half mile or less. I was in Plano, TX and had it find the Top 10 mexican restaurants nearest me...there are probably 30 within 10 miles, but the closest it came up with was 15 miles away in downtown Dallas...even funnier, it was The Mansion at Turle Creek! The Mansion is easily the costliest restaurant in Dallas; it is famous for having invented "Southwest Cuisine" but it is as far from being a mexican restaurant as, say, Spago's is from being a NJ pizzaria.

Voice command - To be fair, I first programmed my voice commands in a noisy hospital waiting room. Since then, it hasn't recognized any voice command I've entered...so I need to reprogram it and try again.

Overall: [Excellent] phone with good features...and a bad screen for outdoors use.

This is a good phone, not the greatest I've ever had but the service is good in Oklahoma and Texas. I've only had problems becasue I dropped the phone one too many times beyond that its a great phone. The camera on the phone does exactly what it needs to its a camera phone not a digital camera. The bluetooth in it is great with Macs and Pocket PC's enabled with bluetooth. The phones features can not be beat.

I purchased this mouse locally, since I needed a bluetooth adapter and wireless mouse. I was told it would work with my G4 Powerbook. It set up flawlessly and I had it working within 1 min with OS 10.3 (Panther).

I was impressed that the mouse set up so easily. The BT adapter also works with my Palm, but required a little more tinkering. While the left, right and scroll buttons worked fine, I was unable to program the other two buttons (Mac).

This mouse is rather large relative to most mice. Since there is no on-off switch, I am concerned about battery life (other reviews report short battery life) but haven't owned it long enough to know. If my Mac goes to sleep, the mouse won't wake it up, as it too is sleeping. Sometimes there is a lag in the mouse cursor, which is disconcerting coming from a wired mouse.

All in all, a decent product, but for its shortcomings, I'm not sure its worth $80. Maybe the next version will correct some of these faults.

Pros: bluetooth and wireless, ergonomic, includes BT adapter, works with Palm Tungsten PDA for synchronization, 3/5 buttons work with Mac.

Cons: a bit pricy ($79), rather large, no "off" switch, not rechargable, short lag in mouse movement, can't program 2/5 switches.

After ordering the mouse, I decided to read some of the reviews and was set back with the negative comments about not being compatible with the internal transmitters. In fact, upon receiving the device, I noticed on the box a warning to remove any installed transceiver and software before installing the mouse. In as much as I paid $50 extra for the internal transceiver and bought the mouse soley so I wouldn't have to have the transceiver hanging off my laptop, I was greatly dissappointed. I tried Dell Tech Support then Dell Wireless Support and was disappointed to find no one with any clue as to how to install the mouse. I finally decided to open the box and try it on my own.

To make a long story short:
1. Install the MS software from the CD.
2. Reboot when directed.
3. When directed to connect the MS transciever via the USB connection - Don't. Cancel and remove the CD.
4. Open the TrueMobile 300 Bluetooth Module and let it discover the mouse.
5. Open the Mouse control panel and change it to your heart's content.
6. Works flawlessly

I strongly disagree with the reviews claiming it is junk. I have only been using it for about two weeks, but so far no problems. My computer is a Dell D505 Latitude.

After a month - still works great.

The mouse feels extremely comfortable in your
hand and works great.

Since I have bluetooth integrated in my laptop, I
bypassed the supplied USB dongle, so NOTHING hangs off mycomputer. Truly wireless which is fantastic
for a machine with which to travel.

I've been using NiMH with the mouse with no problems. When I receive a warning about low battery power, I just swap them out for a charged pair.

These directions from an anonymous web user made
the installation a snap:
"1. Install the MS software from the CD.
2. Reboot when directed.
3. When directed to connect the MS transciever via the USB connection - Don't. Cancel and remove the CD.
4. Open the laptop's Bluetooth Module and let it discover the mouse.
5. Open the Mouse control panel and change it to your heart's content.
6. Works flawlessly"

WARNING: AT&T representatives ("Dawn: R361" and "Max: N360") themselves said during my troubleshooting (as detailed below) that I should NOT have bought through Amazon, and that they have received a barrage of complaints from Amazon buyers! I still really like Amazon, but they're integration with AT&T is non existent. People should not have to wait 2-3 days for service after they receive the phone. Buy the same phone on Amazon, but a different carrier.

The phone has been a good performer. It took a bit to get used to the round keypad design. The camera is functional but not better than my cheap Intel Pocket PC Digital Camera I purchased in 2000. The infrared interface makes tranferring photos a breeze.

The real nightmare is the Mmode button on the face that also acts as your BACK button. I have been accidentally accumulating charges under $5 per month from the button being pushed when the phone is in the case. I had decided that the Mmode feature was clunky and not viable in the first week of getting the phone. I found out from ATT Wireless that this "feature" cannot be disabled. Therefore, my phione would continue to make connections on its own and I would be billed for them. Unacceptable. The Mmode connection should be buried in the menu like all other options.

I ended up removing the right BACK / Mmode button so that connection was impossible. I have contacted Nokia via email requesting the connection settings within the PC Suite for Nokia 3650 to inhibit the Mmode connection through failure to find the appropriate server or service.

The PROs
- amazingly useful device that is far more than a phone
- the PDA features such as contacts, calendar, note pad,
calculator all work well.
- Great User Interface designed to work with one hand
- The camera is useful and fun. If you attach a photo to a contact,
then a thumbnail of the photo will appear when that person
calls, useful if you are in a meeting or driving an want to see
who is calling.
- PC Suite does good job of synchronizing. I have my laptop,
Jornada PDA, and 3650 all use the same set of contacts,
calendar, and tasks.
- 3Com BlueTooth adapter on laptop connects easily to the 3650,
and moves the large files rapidly.
- Battery life is better than I expected, given the large
color screen.
- The large screen allows for a lot of information and function.
Great for browseing mMode (on AT&T).

The CONs
The version of PC Suite which comes with the phone has problems connecting to many BlueTooth adapters.
The solution is to download the latest (Version 3.0 18-Nov-2003) from the Nokia site.
Once I did this, and installed the 3Com Bluetooth USB adapter (download latest drivers from 3COM),

everything worked perfectly.

In summary, the 3650 is a great phone, and so much more.

Without a picture I can't be sure we are all talking about the same thing. I have a Belkin USB Bluetooth Adapter (Model #F8T001). I've used the adapter on both my laptop and PC with good results. The laptop went much more smoothly because I ran the installation CD first before inserting the USB. If you plug and play, Windows recongnizes something, but cannot find the drivers easily. The 100m range seems optimistic, but I have been able to access my Sony Ericsson t68i phone while it is sitting in my bag, in the corner of the office.

i picked this up for the same reason several other readers did: i wanted to be able to move pictures, sound, and my phonebook from my phone to my laptop and back. i use a thinkpad x31 using windows xp for this task.

use the supplid drivers from the cd, they're much better than anything windows will attempt to do. and it will just work, unlike what windows may create.

browsing with the supplied belkin software is clunky and ackward, not nearly as fluid as it could be. it's most definitely not as smooth as it is under Mac OS X, but hey, that's what you get. it works, i get to move pictures around on my phone and my contact list without a cable. but it's prone to fits of delays and ackwardness.

i'm wishing there was better integration with windows xp right now, xp sp2 supposedly has smoother bluetooth software and browsing. i wish the belkin sofware worked as nicely. as it stands, this isn't the convenient device i hoped it would be, but i'll keep using it.

I was an early adapter of the version-1 of this product which was unstable and lacked many of the bluetooth functionality, but was adequate to sync my T68i. However, when I upgraded my phone to T610, along with a bluetooth headset, I realized I am missing a lot of functionality with the old adapter and learned that the V1 model can't be even upgraded to Bluetooth 1.1. So, instead of throwing it away, I just thought of checking with their customer service about a possible exchange, and they were very kind to agree immediately (I should say I am impressed with the customer service). So I got a free upgrade to the version-2 of this model and I am glad I did that. So far the product has been very stable and installation and setting up was a breeze. I was able to successfully synchronize T610 (I use an old verion of PDASync for that as the built-in sync doesn't support PalmDT), copy images from and to the phone, dial-up to ISP through it, and even used it as a headset for the phone (could occassionally substitute the the missing speaker phone functionality in T610). I could also successfully use the Jabra BT200 headset with this adapter, very useful to do voice chats at home.

The range seemed good, however I couldn't verify the claimed 100m, as I need another device which gives that much range. Over all I am impressed and recommend it. However, I have no knowledge of other adapters so I am not really comparing with other adapters (except the V1 of itself). To comment about the size, I would say it is average (a little longer but slimmer than V1). The DLink adapter does seem smaller, but the highly rated Linksys adapter seemed much fattier than this one. If size is important, I recommend checking it out and compare with others in a local store.

PS: I am pretty sure that all the -ve comments about this product actually belong to the version-1 of this product. Since Amazon didn't put up any image for some time, many must have mistaken this for the version-1 and must have rated it based on that. You should really ignore all the old reviews.