Introduction

General: Today many people use Bluetooth headsets with mobile phones. Such headsets can be very handy when you are driving a car or even walking, you can answer calls with mobile phone in your pocket, using a Bluetooth headset.

The good news: Bluetooth enabled headsets can be used with computers as well as with mobile phones. They are superb with SmartButler, Skype or any speech enabled application.
Hardware requirements: Most computers do not have Bluetooth adapters, but you can buy one almost anywhere and they are very cheap.
Bluetooth USB dongles (adapters) are very popular and easy to install. You can get some for 10-20 dollars from eBay or 25-50 dollars from your local computer store. There are other types of Bluetooth adapters available: PCI, PCMCIA, Compact Flash, Secure Digital etc, you choose which one you want.

There is one important thing: before buying Bluetooth adapter for your computer you should check adapter's documentation or manufacturer's web site if it supports "headset profile" or not.

Also, if you use Windows XP operating system, you should check if this Bluetooth adapter works on Windows XP Service Pack 2 (some adapters have old drivers, which do not work on Windows XP Service Pack 2). Windows XP includes drivers, which work with many Bluetooth devices, but those drivers do not support "headset profile". So, in order to use headset with your computer your should install drivers, which come with Bluetooth adapter on CD or on manufacturer's web site.

Most headsets today support Bluetooth v1.1 protocol. All Bluetooth adapters on the market support Bluetooth v1.1.
Some modern headset support Bluetooth v1.2 protocol. Bluetooth v1.2 protocol is backward compatible with Bluetooth v1.1, but has some improvements (it works much better in areas with signal interference from WiFi networks or other radio noise). Such headsets will works with Bluetooth v1.1 adapters, but you might want to invest some extra money and buy Bluetooth v1.2 adapter and use your headset at full potential.

There are two classes or Bluetooth devices: class I, and class II. The only difference is the signal strength. Class II devices have a range of up to 10 meters. Class I devices have a range of up to 100 meters. All headsets are of class I, so, they will work within 10 meters (some more, some less - this depends on headset model) from your computer. Bluetooth v1.2 headsets, potentially, can have slightly wider range, but this depends on radio interference level in your area.

I've tested SmartButler with Logitech Freedom headset and CNet Bluetooth USB Dongle (CBD-101) only, but it should work with any Bluetooth headset and any Bluetooth adapter (which supports "headset profile").


Logitech Freedom headset
Pros:
  - Small price.
  - Looks and feels solid, made from strong plastic.
  - Long battery life.
  - Very good reception range. It works within 15 meters at work (through walls and one floor). I've tried it at home and it works within 10 meters (through 2 walls), probably my radio phone reduces the range, or could be something in walls.
Cons:
  - It's not too big and heavy, but still, it would be nice to carry something smaller and lighter on your ear.
  - Microphone is rather quiet, probably because of Wind Stop technology. It's necessary to speak to the microphone loudly (not screaming, but slightly stronger than normal).
  - Sound quality is very good for speech, not for music. If you plan to listen MP3 files via Bluetooth headset you should probably look for more expensive models. This problem also affects some high quality voices: NeoSpeech voices sound awful in this headset, but AT&T Natural voices sound great.

In general, Logitech Freedom headset is a very good device and worth every penny you paid for it.

CNet Bluetooth USB Dongle (CBD-101)
Pros:
  - Small price, less than 20 dollars on eBay.
  - Bluetooth v1.2 support.
  - Bluetooth Class I, range is up to 100 meters.
  - Support all modern profiles, including headset profile.
  - Drivers work on Windows XP Service Pack 2 (and other operating systems).
  - Its software is well designed and easy to use.
Cons:
  - It does not initialize properly after system start (or restart) on my Dell Inspiron 8200 notebook. Need to unplug and plug it back every time after system start, which is very annoying. This happens when dongle is in any of built-in USB 1.1 ports or in PCMCIA USB 2.0 card. However, this could be a problem with Inspiron 8200 notebook itself, as this problem does not occur on Dell's Dimension desktop computer.

Conclusion: CNet Bluetooth USB Dongle (CBD-101) is very good device with unbeatable price.

Configure computer for Bluetooth headset

1. Install drivers and software for your Bluetooth adapter.

First of all, you need to install drivers and software for your Bluetooth adapter, which come on CD or on manufacturer's web site. Please note, that Windows XP built-in drivers do not support "headset profile" - you have to install drivers, which come with adapter.

Then, you need to pair your computer and headset. See instructions how to pair Bluetooth devices in help documentation of software, which comes with your Bluetooth adapter.

2. Configure Bluetooth headset as default audio device.

You need to select Bluetooth audio device as default playback and default recording device.
On Windows XP you can do this in "Control Panel" / "Sounds and Audio Devices" applet / "Audio" tab.

Sounds and Audio Devices applet

Now you should hear all sounds produced by your computer in the headset - don't forget to turn headset on :-)

Also, you could run sndrec32.exe program and check if microphone is working properly.

Sounds Recorder program

3. Configuring speech recognition engine and SmartButler.

You can read how to configure Microsoft Speech Recognition engine and SmartButler for voice commands here.