Techie question about Bluetooth

[TwinOaks]

Howdy,

I'm looking to upgrade to video chat (I'm on the road too much), and am exploring options. My laptop doesn't have a built-in mic, so I need an accessory. I know there are headsets available, but I don't like to be tethered to the laptop. So, my question is: Since I have bluetooth on the laptop already, can I just get a BT earpiece, pair it up with the computer, and use it as a wireless headset? I don't have any other devices with BT, so I don't need to get too fancy. Are there any compatability issues I need to be aware of?

TIA,

[dickf]

TwinOaks,

You should be able to use the headset you want with your computer. As long as you have the headset protocol installed in your Bluetooth stack. For more info, read this article: http://oreilly.com/windows/archive/bluetooth.html

I should also note that 'video' chat sort of requires you to sit in front of your laptop, thus you're tethered to it anyway. I have a headset with mic that has a ridiculously long cord (something like 8 ft.), and it works and sounds good. They're made by Altec Lansing. As an alternative to video chat (that is, if you just want to use the audio portion of it), you should look into Skype (which also has video capability): http://www.skype.com/

Hollar if you need help setting things up.

[rdb]

I use Skype almost everyday, to keep in touch with family and friends. Suprisingly, though, very few of my customers even know about it. If you don't care about the video part, you can use that bluetooth set for voice calls. I pay $6-7 a month for the paid Skype subscription. It allows me to call anywhere in the world free, after the fee, otherwise, the free part is just for within the US borders

With the Google's new voice operations, I may have to reassess. I don't know all that much about their new services, but from what I read, They just might put Skype out of business. We'll see.

Another one I have tried is OoVoo. I liked it, especially the multiple video conferencing part (Skype does,'t have that yet). But I didn't convert to it because not enough people are on it. But if you have regular conferencing between a regular group, it would be ideal.