IOGEAR USB 2.1 Bluetooth Micro Adapter (GBU421)
by IOGEAR
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List Price: Our Price: $9.99 You Save: $6.96 (41%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of IOGEAR USB 2.1 Bluetooth Micro Adapter (GBU421)
Customer Review: For Palm PDA Users
Summary: 4 Stars
I recently bought Windows 7 and was told that I could no longer HotSync my Palm TX with USB cable. So I purchased this bluetooth adapter.
I like the design; the rounded corners seem safe to use around children.
The installation was easy, but I had problem HotSyncing. The manual was up to date with XP, Vista, and Windows 7, but the part that explained how to connect with PDA was ridiculously brief and things didn't go as it said.
Iogear tech support was slow to respond, some answers were inadequate, and didn't know what to do in the end, so he referred me to a third-party tech support that costs money.
Since I didn't want to pay money yet, I spent and wasted hours researching what to do in online forums, reading "Help," and experimenting with PDA.
But if you encounter the same problem, go STRAIGHT to Live Chat with Palm. Madison was at a record time in responding my every question and was very efficient. I gave her a permission to access my desktop and she literally walked me through by marking where to go on my desktop with a virtual red marker. My problem was fixed in 3 minutes.
In the end, I'm very happy to say that this product works great with 64-bit Windows 7 and Palm.
Good luck!
Customer Review: Perfect bluetooth adapter for Desktop/laptop
Summary: 4 Stars
The main reason I got this product for is of course to transfer files between my mobile and PC and laptop and bluetooth tethering, I got a PC with Windows Vista and laptop with Windows 7, in both machine works (W7 works best, WVista just fine), BUT, beware with Windows Vista, it has compatibility issues. It is always best idea to download latest drivers from manufacture web site, the drivers inside provided disc are obsolete compared to those found on the website (in Windows 7, I have more services available), however, even with the latest drivers, Windows Vista fails to install all the components of this adapter, not sure which are, but comparing with Windows 7, seems like remote control interface and other will not work, for this, I take down one star, but because I love this product and has being able to tether with my Windows 7 machine (haven't tried with Vista yet) I will not take down any more stars.
I like the small size and I think its an essential for those machines without bluetooth built in, and the for the price, I think is a good idea to get a couple of this if you have few machines, because each time to plug it into another machine, you have to pair all devices again (if you intend to use the device with the new adapter's home, of course).
Customer Review: Seems to work OK - sync to old Palm TX, play audio
Summary: 4 Stars
This version of the GBU421 comes with a mini CD for installation. It works fine on my PC, but if you have slot loading CDs it won't. I followed the steps, and it went smoothly, except I could not get the device (Palm TX) to sync - it sort-of paired. Then this morning I moved the GBU421 to a different USB slot (hopefully more permanent), and I had to reinstall the software - I went to IoGear's website for the driver download (Win7 pointed me to it), and it installed perfectly. Required a reboot. Then it paired with the PC.
I got this for a new Win7 desktop machine (that didn't have BlueTooth) so I can sync my old Palm TX to Outlook and documents - the Palm USB sync no longer works under Win7. I finally got a sync from the Palm this morning! It took forever (~10 minutes), much longer than the old USB sync. I think it's emulating a serial port and limiting the baud rate to some ridiculous value. But 10 minutes isn't bad compared to never!
For a lark I was able to get the IoGear to pair with my iPhone - easily. The only thing it can do is play audio from the phone through the PC's audio, which isn't bad - I have my PC connected to my component hifi, with nice speakers - I'm playing some Italian opera as I type this and it sounds flawless.
Customer Review: I can't get it to work
Summary: 2 Stars
I installed the IOGear GBU421 Bluetooth adapter in my desktop computer using Windows Vista's built-in Bluetooth stack. Audio into a Sony DR-BT50 headset was extremely choppy using the A2DP (stereo audio) profile and I couldn't get any sound from the HFP (hands-free) profile. I could see the bar graph moving, but no audio in the headset.
I removed the Windows Vista Bluetooth stack, installed IOGear's latest Bluetooth stack, and rebooted the computer. This time the HFP (hands-free) profile worked but the audio was noisy and distorted (as if I was talking in a busy machine shop) and I couldn't get any sound from the A2DP (stereo audio) profile.
I confirmed the Sony DR-BT50 headset and other headsets work like a charm with Blackberry and other cell phones, so I can safely rule out issues with the headsets.
After several hours experimenting with various options, bluetooth stacks, and headsets, I finally gave up and tossed the IOGear GBU421 Bluetooth adapter in a junk drawer.
I may try another bluetooth adapter after reading more reviews. All I really want it is to replace the FREETALK wireless headset with something that gets better range for use with Skype, Windows Media Center, and Windows Media Player.
Customer Review: Full Review: IOGear vs. Cirago
Summary: 5 Stars
I have purchased both the Cirago and this IOGear. Both work perfectly with Windows XP and Vista. The Bluetooth drivers auto load and it makes sharing files and pairing very easy. On your task bar will be a BT icon that you right click for a list of options. The IOGear claims to work with MAC but the Cirago doesn't. I don't have a MAC so I do not know if this is true or not (Sorry). The Cirago has a brighter blue light than the IOGear. Also, the IOGear is smaller (But not by much). Both are so small in size they can be left in the USB slot and not removed. The IOGear is easier to remove from the slot than the Cirago (it is the shape of the exposed area that determines this). Here is one other interesting thought. Take a look at the picture of the IOGear. When plugged into the USB the metal part slides all the way in so only the black plastic area is sticking out. That is nice, eh? The Cirago goes in the same but sticks out just a little more than the IOGear (Some metal exposed). However, both function perfectly with USB BT 2.0 and early versions 1.0 & 1.1! Both are backwards compatible. The range doesn't seem to be different - I have tested both from 20 feet and they work (Document sent to printer). You choose.