Can someone explain Bluetooth on my PC to me?

[Imzadi]

Bluetooth came bundled with my Win XP laptop. I have never used it, so I know absolutely nothing about it. An icon in my system tray of a blue antennae says Bluetooth is "ON." I got a new Bluetooth cellphone I want to connect with my laptop, so that I can transfer pictures I take with my cellphone camera. I was told which Bluetooth software to get for that.

But, do I need some Bluetooth dongle thingie, too? Or is my PC set up already? (I have a wireless modem.) How to I get my cellphone & the laptop to talk to each other, or whatever it is they do?

Are there instructions online somewhere for how to do all this? MY laptop was a build your own & pick the components, so there are no HP instructions for all the computer components.

 

[Thumper_Man]

You don't need any special dongle thingies to set up your phone to your computer,via bluetooth. The bluetooth option on your computer is there so you can use your phone as a modem. But in order to use your phone as a modem; you have to have a phone that can be used as a modem, with an applicable data plan. Depending on your carrier, they will charge you an extra fee per month. I have Verizon, so they charge an extra $10/month for the service. The service is called Broadband Connect. Once you have the service, you just need to pair you phone with your computer. As you would a wireless headset. Once paired, you can use the data services from your phone on your computer. No need for a data card. Not all phones can be used as a modem, so you will want to check with your service provider if your phone can be used in this manner. Hope this helps.

 

[Imzadi]

Thanks. I was playing around and my cellphone found my PC's Bluetooth. When I tried to pair it, it said the connection failed. Is that because of the no data connection at this time? I only want to drag & drop pictures onto my PC.

I am with Verizon, but the data connection hasn't been connected yet. I activated this phone less than 24 hrs ago. I have cell service, but the data part needs to get connected. No internet or sending pics yet.