My newest notebook computer has Bluetooth built in, and I like it.
I like using the Bluetooth mouse -- no dongle, as with other wireless mice. I like hotsyncing my Palm TX -- no cable. And so I wanted to get a Bluetooth keyboard too, but the only ones I could find were keyboard-mouse combos that cost in excess of $150. (And I didn't need a second Bluetooth mouse, after spending $60 on one already.)
In my search, I stopped at a messy, independent computer dealership near the corner of Broadway and Main in Vancouver. The proprietor explained that I would have a problem: Bluetooth is single-tasking. It can handle only one thing at a time.
"Ah!," I exclaimed. That would explain why the Palm hotsync wasn't working lately. It complained about the port already being in use. It would also explain why Bluetooth keyboards were sold with a mouse; the vendor had to figure out a way for them to work cooperatively.
As soon as I got home, I checked the proprietor's claim. I turned off the Bluetooth mouse, and then started hotsync on the Palm. This time it worked.
So, Bluethooth is no USB, which can handle 128 devices at a time. It's only one activity for Bluetooth at a time.
I have now given up my search for the Bluetooth keyboard, since it would not work anyhow.
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