Customer Reviews

Targus USB Bluetooth® Adapter - Class 2 ACB10US

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I was expecting this to be a major hassle, given all the bad reviews of BT dongles out there, but I was able to link up and share files between my sony ericsson w810i and my Dell Inspiron 6000 within ten minutes of opening the box. So far, no problems at all (and none of the problems I've heard of from reviews of the Kensington device). This thing works very well in my PC environment, and doesn't saddle you with any useless or unnecessary "cute" applications. One caveat on the software, however. I can see where it would be confusing to those who are not at least reasonably computer savvy, with some experience in BT jargon, too. It's definitely not plug n' play, but it is intuitive to some extent.

The weird thing is, the packaging (at least for the product I bought at Best Buy) says that it is Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, and that it supports the A2DP stereo profile, but I can't find anything on the Targus website or in the included documentation to support this claim. As far as I can tell from the extremely fast data transfer rate, however, the claim on the packaging seems to be true.

I will be receiving my bluetooth stereo headphones in a few days. Hopefully, the package is right and I'll be able to stream music from my laptop. This is the main reason I bought the dongle, so if it doesn't work, back to the store it goes.

**Edit**

Well, I received my headphones, and it turns out that it does support A2DP, but the connection with the headphones stinks!!! I hear sound for only a few seconds at a time before it cuts out for large gaps. This thing is okay for data, but if you want to use it to broadcast to stereo headphones, beware!

If I could change my rating, I'd change it to a 3. Back to the store it goes!

I bought this because I have used the Targus brand before. I also liked the tiny size. However, I needed something to work with Windows 7 on my Dell desktop and I heard about more than a few success stories with this product, although it does not say so as part of the Amazon's product description. Knowing this, I too a chance!

The Adapter came with its own software disk. I first installed the software using "autoplay." It never completely installed. Then, I then ran the installation manually using the Vista version BTW 6.0.1.6300 that came on the disk. This also failed to install completely.

I searched online for a Windows 7 driver. I immediately came up with a link to Windows 7 Compatibility Center which recommended WIDCOMM Bluetooth Software for Windows 7, Vista or XP for computers with a "Broadcom-enabled embedded or USB plug-in Bluetooth wireless adapter" (which is what this Targus product hardware actually is). The software offered was version 6.3.5.430 supporting Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Extended Data Rate).

I followed the links to the Broadcom website, downloaded and installed the software. This version installed completely. In minutes I was listening to my A2DP stereo headset and was able to pair my Nokia Smartphone to my desktop, synchronize it, etc. This is what I wanted to use the Bluetooth Adapter for in the first place. So, for the chance I took, it was a success!

Installation wasn't as easy I would have liked. I did not appreciate the extra steps I had to take to get it to work, and the time I wasted. But, having done so, I am very pleased with the product. Hopefully, some of you may be able to capitalize on these efforts, load & install the above software the first time--not have any headaches with this--but just enjoy using it.

I bought this Bluetooth adapter to transfer small music files (OK, ringtones) from my PowerMac G4 to my Nokia 6085 phone. The package clearly states it is both PC and Mac compatible, but the instruction booklet inside the package said absolutely nothing about using it with a Mac. The mini-CD containing the driver inside the package also made no mention of a Mac. So, I just plugged the darn thing into a USB port--and my mouse stopped working. A dialog box popped up stating that the adapter was looking for a Bluetooth-compatible mouse (which I don't have). After about two minutes of that nonsense, I unplugged the adapter...and the mouse still didn't work. So I rebooted the computer, then plugged the adapter in again. This time, my Mac instantly recognized the adapter, allowing me to easily and quickly transfer files from my Mac to my phone with no problems. In the end, this adapter did what I bought it for. Time will tell if it holds up through the 1 year warranty and beyond.

If you're using 64 Bit Windows 7 software, the drivers included on the CD may not work with your computer. What I did to make it work: Uninstall the Broadcom drivers that come with the adapter, go to your computer manufacturer's website, find the bluetooth driver that's compatible with your machine, install it. This fixed the issues. Pain in the A-- though.

Hope this helps someone. This probably applies to other bluetooth adapters as well.

::EDIT::
Disregard any complaints of range in my review. I guess I was just getting interference from something else because it seems to be working very well now! 4 stars!

I bought this to use my Apple Magic Mouse on my new Hackintosh. It works well but the reach on it is verrrrrry disappointing. I don't know if i just have a bad model but I can't go more than 3-4 feet without my mouse lagging terribly. I also used it to connect my ps3 controller to my hackintosh but switched to USB because I get more reach with that than with this USB bluetooth adapter.

Targus USB Bluetooth Adapter works great. I bought it to
use on my computer with my new Logitech BoomboxLogitech Wireless Boombox for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. It's
the only adapter I found that works with A2DP. Now I can have my
speaker beside me with the computer on the other side of
the room. Happy Customer!!

It worked fine for awhile, but then the driver broke down and the device got so hot so quickly that by the time I could pull it out I almost burnt my hand. I hate to think what it would have done to my computer if I hadn't smelled it. Probably a fault of its questionable Windows 7 compatibility, but this is more than an annoying bug. I've never used Targus before and I'm not in any hurry to do so again.

Looked like it should do what I needed. After an hour of trying to discover and connect I came across the TARGUS website with some technical details about what PROFILES are not supported by this little device.

[...]

Might be helpful for those who are considering to check their current device PROFILES and make sure they are on the list. Mine, for a PLATRONICS VOYAGER PRO.. is not on the list. Therefore, there is no way this can work.. and now I must go through the return process.

Hope to help the next guy (gal) out there.

Picked this up to use in my franken mac. Works great! OSX immediately recognized it and loaded it up. No hacking, no kexts to load, just plug and play.

I have a printer that has a bluetooth adapter. (which was optional, 27.00, I purchased it separately) The printer is atached to my PC and I wanted to print wirelessly from my laptop but there were issues with sharing the printer over my home network since my windows operating systems were different and didn't want to spend 70-90 bucks on a wireless print server so i bought this 13.00 adapter for my laptop and WHALA! Printing wirelessly, so easy. No problems, it easily stretches the 30 some foot range it says it has, and my PC doesnt have to be on to print, just the printer. Highly recommend this for people who dont want to fool with networking in order to print wirelessly, that is if you have a port on your printer to plug it in to. Also great to share media between my phone and computer.