I bought The IOGear BT adapter based on reviews saying it worked in Vista64. When it came in I just plugged it in and waited. Within a few minutes, Windows had discovered and installed the necessary drivers (I’ve had very good luck with drivers on win7). I did not use the CD that came with it. Nothing easier than that. Great product, IOGear!

Before you pair your Palm, and this was key, update to the current Palm desktop (available from Palm free online) and change your HotSync settings (look for Connections, bottom-left of the settings window for HotSync Manager 7.0.2). I found that selecting “Bluetooth” as a sync method was not sufficient – sync never activated on the PC. As soon as I added “Serial” to the list, the next sync worked. I’m not sure where I found this, but that was the missing piece for me.

To get the Palm paired and working took several attempts for me. I’d recommend going into the windows Bluetooth settings and making your PC visible, then setting up from the Palm (for security, turn off visibility after you’re done pairing). Wait for it to recognize your PC’s name, not just “unnamed computer”. On the Palm, ignore & hit “next” thru the steps in the wizard about setting up a serial port – not relevant to Vista/Win7. If your Hotsync settings are right and the pairing takes, you’ll be syncing.

Sync is slower on Bluetooth, so be patient – at least it works, and obsolescence is held at bay a little longer. By the way, if you use PocketTunes, that still works via USB (I have Rhapsody and needed that to get my to-go tunes). Good luck!

See larger image IOGear Enhanced Data Rate Bluetooth USB Adapter with Range up to 66 ft. GBU221 (Personal Computers) List Price: $51.90 USD

Product Features

The provided instructions (you can actually download or read the manual on the web while you’re waiting for the Bluetooth dongle to arrive) are very clear, the install is a snap….but you’ve read other reviews and know that already.

Here’s the true beauty of this tiny piece of hardware. It links to practically everything! Because it is not only Bluetooth 2.0 compliant but also backward compatible to Bluetooth 1.1 and also supports stereo audio you won’t have any issues connecting to a Bluetooth mouse or stereo headset.

Within minutes of the install I had the little (and I mean tiny) GBU421 linked to my Motorola cell phone (audio and dialing from the laptop, no need to ever get the phone out of pocket or purse), a PDA, Garmin GPS Mobile10, Bluetooth headset and a mouse. The crazy thing is IOGear has managed to make this thing work with all the above simultaneously.

Anyone considering a ‘look alike’ Bluetooth dongle featured by some eBay and other sellers, don’t bother. Either they aren’t 2.0 or aren’t backward compatible (you lose the use of most Bluetooth mice) won’t handle stereo audio and sometimes all the above.

Very impressive IOGear…and did I mention it’s really tiny?

See larger image IOGEAR USB 2.1 Bluetooth Micro Adapter (GBU421) (Personal Computers) List Price: $16.95 USD New From: $12.23 In Stock Used from: $6.00 In Stock