Take a look at our
ThinkPads.com HOME PAGE
For those who might want to contribute to the blog, start here: Editors Alley Topic
Then contact Bill with a Private Message
ThinkPads.com HOME PAGE
For those who might want to contribute to the blog, start here: Editors Alley Topic
Then contact Bill with a Private Message
Am I being scammed for Bluetooth?
-
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Tue Jun 05, 2012 9:44 am
- Location: Rothesay, Canada
Am I being scammed for Bluetooth?
So I'm looking at getting a thinkpad (t430), it's my first. (Glee-filled squeal) and I noticed something particular. Lenovo charges $40 for Bluetooth, but the Intel card I was going to upgrade to (an Intel Centrino Wireless-N 2200 (2x2 BGN) for WiDi) says it has Bluetooth. So am I paying Lenovo to activate a feature for me, or paying for the same thing twice? The rep I was talking to says I have to buy select the option for Bluetooh in the builder, but he is a sales drone after all. I guess what I really want to know, if I do not select the $40 dollar option from Lenovo, but do select the Intel Wireless card that allegedly supports Bluetooth, will I able to (out of the box or with some simplistic hacking) be able to use Bluetooth?
Intel Product Page
http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ ... -2200.html
Intel Product Page
http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ ... -2200.html
-
- Senior Member
- Posts: 977
- Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2009 11:16 am
- Location: ~ 3Million Mile Club Member~~
Re: Am I being scammed for Bluetooth?
FYI... I have had "WiDi" on my (1143)tpEdge520 for long while
and BT is STD there > so NOPE I ddint FALL FOR LENOVO's SILLNESS - by still 'adding yet ANOTHER SEPERATE CARD for BT............working fine for me for ages > @Home my teenagers love its 'easy connect' for games etc
Not sure what the T430 got as hardware - havent seen one yet > but am wth === the new shiny W530====
havent had time to PLAY yet
>edited > typos...pffff!
and BT is STD there > so NOPE I ddint FALL FOR LENOVO's SILLNESS - by still 'adding yet ANOTHER SEPERATE CARD for BT............working fine for me for ages > @Home my teenagers love its 'easy connect' for games etc
Not sure what the T430 got as hardware - havent seen one yet > but am wth === the new shiny W530====
havent had time to PLAY yet
>edited > typos...pffff!
Last edited by ausmike on Tue Jun 12, 2012 8:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
Work: None - Retired ! Yipee!! ~~Older/Hm use:Asus Zenbook i7FHD~~ w701ds CTO;W520cto;T61P-IPSmodels; T43P,...&700Tstill going strong!! DEC Alpha Series OS: Win7x64; OSX; SuSe Linux; RedHat~~
-
- Senior Member
- Posts: 749
- Joined: Thu May 13, 2010 4:27 pm
Re: Am I being scammed for Bluetooth?
Wow, glad I saw this. I would never have thought of a thing such as "WiDi".ausmike wrote:FYI... I have had "WiDi" on my (1143)tpEdge520 for long while
and BT is STD there > so NOPE I ddint FALL FOR LENOVO's SILLNESS - by still 'adding yet ANOTHER SEPERATE CARD for BT............working fine for me for ages
Of course, Lenovo is the type of company that charges $1,120 for an upgrade to 32GB of memory. What's funny is that I could easily get 2 16GB (2x4GB) kits for $150 each..
Hunter Thompson
ThinkPad T400: T9400, 8GB, LG WXGA+, Samsung 830 128GB + WD Scorpio Black 500GB, Intel 5300agn, Win7 Pro x64
Others: IBM ThinkPad R40, Sony VAIO NR Series, HP TouchPad running CM9, Jailbroken iPod Touch 4G
ThinkPad T400: T9400, 8GB, LG WXGA+, Samsung 830 128GB + WD Scorpio Black 500GB, Intel 5300agn, Win7 Pro x64
Others: IBM ThinkPad R40, Sony VAIO NR Series, HP TouchPad running CM9, Jailbroken iPod Touch 4G
Re: Am I being scammed for Bluetooth?
Most companies mark up memory by an insane amount. It's kinda like the laptop vendor equivalent of soda at the movies.hunterman223 wrote: Of course, Lenovo is the type of company that charges $1,120 for an upgrade to 32GB of memory. What's funny is that I could easily get 2 16GB (2x4GB) kits for $150 each..
Need help with Linux or FreeBSD? PM or catch me on IRC: I'm ThinkRob on FreeNode and EFnet.
Laptop: X270, running Fedora
Desktop: Intellistation 285 (currently dead)
Workstation: owned by my employer
Toy: Miata!
Laptop: X270, running Fedora
Desktop: Intellistation 285 (currently dead)
Workstation: owned by my employer
Toy: Miata!
-
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Tue Jun 05, 2012 9:44 am
- Location: Rothesay, Canada
Re: Am I being scammed for Bluetooth?
Thanks for the input, I think ill order tomorrow, @Thinkrob I see you build customs, do you have any experience with Intel wifi / Bt chips?
Re: Am I being scammed for Bluetooth?
I don't have any experience with Intel's all-in-one chipsets, no. Most of the ThinkPads that I've outfitted with BT have been older (T4x/X4x and T6x/X6x) models for which BT is a done by a separate module.Bradtank44 wrote:Thanks for the input, I think ill order tomorrow, @Thinkrob I see you build customs, do you have any experience with Intel wifi / Bt chips?
Need help with Linux or FreeBSD? PM or catch me on IRC: I'm ThinkRob on FreeNode and EFnet.
Laptop: X270, running Fedora
Desktop: Intellistation 285 (currently dead)
Workstation: owned by my employer
Toy: Miata!
Laptop: X270, running Fedora
Desktop: Intellistation 285 (currently dead)
Workstation: owned by my employer
Toy: Miata!
Re: Am I being scammed for Bluetooth?
No, you don't pay twice for the same thing and neither do you pay for mere activation. Bluetooth v. 3.0 and Bluetooth v4.0 rely on Wireless LAN (802.11) for data transmission. In these protocols, the Bluetooth link is merely used for negotiation and establishment, but Wireless LAN is used for data traffic. When Intel writes that the Centrino Wireless-N 2200 has Bluetooth 4, they mean that it will work with the Bluetooth 4 protocol and thus be able to collaborate with Bluetooth v4.0 hardware. To use Bluetooth, you'll still need the Bluetooth hardware option, which Lenovo offers for $30.Bradtank44 wrote:So am I paying Lenovo to activate a feature for me, or paying for the same thing twice?
This table confirms that the Centrino Wireless-N 2200 doesn't have a complete Bluetooth hardware implementation of its own - you might have to click "view more" at the bottom of the table to make the page display the Wireless-N 2200 card:
http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ ... ducts.html
-
- Senior Member
- Posts: 977
- Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2009 11:16 am
- Location: ~ 3Million Mile Club Member~~
Re: Am I being scammed for Bluetooth?
Umm ,,, am NO TECKIE ,,so dont want a flame starter
my Edge = DOES NOT HAVE BT 4.0 ( still in 2.0 offically) via Lenovos'std' wifi card
but it does connect @ 450mps and able to stream (via WiDi) all 1080p BLUERAYs ( only mod was the blueray player added to laptop myself - like lots of other pple have).
Also while doing 'video streaming' that same laptop is being used for "internet sharing" via windows 'share' feature ,,,,,,,(while also connected via HDMI to EXTERNAL DISPLAY 1) and its only a lowest i3 intel proc but is loaded with 16GB x1333 RAMS !
As previous (userTTY) pointed to the INTELS LINK - still puzzles me why LENOVO would still use 'double' the hardware needed for BT &WIFI/WiDi - yet also again have seperate Gobi slot (Gobi I accept needs to be extra add on but the ANT - already there with just SIM needed) SO why NOT give pple '6300 series card and make it 'universal' and make everyone happy.
But NO - lenovo even mods the BIOS and BLACK-LISTS 6300 series even on models that have 3 x 3 already set up ! _pppfffff ,, jsut to sell a BT for $30!!!
Sorry , for my RANT! but hope its helpfull to someone !
Cheers
(edited typos)
my Edge = DOES NOT HAVE BT 4.0 ( still in 2.0 offically) via Lenovos'std' wifi card
but it does connect @ 450mps and able to stream (via WiDi) all 1080p BLUERAYs ( only mod was the blueray player added to laptop myself - like lots of other pple have).
Also while doing 'video streaming' that same laptop is being used for "internet sharing" via windows 'share' feature ,,,,,,,(while also connected via HDMI to EXTERNAL DISPLAY 1) and its only a lowest i3 intel proc but is loaded with 16GB x1333 RAMS !
As previous (userTTY) pointed to the INTELS LINK - still puzzles me why LENOVO would still use 'double' the hardware needed for BT &WIFI/WiDi - yet also again have seperate Gobi slot (Gobi I accept needs to be extra add on but the ANT - already there with just SIM needed) SO why NOT give pple '6300 series card and make it 'universal' and make everyone happy.
But NO - lenovo even mods the BIOS and BLACK-LISTS 6300 series even on models that have 3 x 3 already set up ! _pppfffff ,, jsut to sell a BT for $30!!!
Sorry , for my RANT! but hope its helpfull to someone !
Cheers
(edited typos)
Work: None - Retired ! Yipee!! ~~Older/Hm use:Asus Zenbook i7FHD~~ w701ds CTO;W520cto;T61P-IPSmodels; T43P,...&700Tstill going strong!! DEC Alpha Series OS: Win7x64; OSX; SuSe Linux; RedHat~~
-
- Senior Member
- Posts: 852
- Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2012 2:25 am
- Location: Princeton, New Jersey
- Contact:
Re: Am I being scammed for Bluetooth?
Um, sorry, but you're not making sense. WiDi stands for Wireless Display; are you connected to a display / TV wirelessly? But either way, the usage you described - video streaming, internet sharing - does not involve Bluetooth at all, instead they all use WiFi. So what exactly are you using Bluetooth for?ausmike wrote:Umm ,,, am NO TECKIE ,,so dont want a flame starter
my Edge = DOES NOT HAVE BT 4.0 ( still in 2.0 offically) via Lenovos'std' wifi card
but it does connect @ 450mps and able to stream (voa WiDi) all 1080p BLUERAYs ( only bod was the blueray player added to laptop myself - like lots of other pple have) etc..
Also while doing 'video streaming' that same laptop is being used to " internet sharing" via windows 'share' feature ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and its only a lowest i2 proc ! (while also connected via HDMI to EXTERNAL DISPLAY 1)
As previous (TTY) user pointed to the INTELS LINK - still puzzles me why LENOVO would use 'double' the hardware needed for BT and WIFI/WiDi and yet also again have seperate Gobi slot (Gobi I accept needs to be add on) SO why NOT give pple '6300 series card and make it 'universal' and make everyone happy.
But NO - lenovo even mods the BIOS and BLACK-LISTS 6300 series even on models that have 3 x 3 already set up ! _pppfffff ,, jsut to sell a BT for $30!!!
Sorry , for my RANT! but hope its helpfull to someone !
Cheers
X60 tablet 6363-P3U, 3GB ram, 128GB SanDisk Extreme SSD, SXGA+ screen, Intel 6300
T61 Frankenpad in 15 inch T60 body, UXGA LED-lit AFFS LCD, T9300, 6GB RAM, NVidia NVS140m, Intel 6205, 128GB Crucial M4 SSD, 1TB HGST HDD + eBay caddy in Ultrabay
701c butterfly, 75MHz 486DX4, 40MB ram, 1GB CF card
T61 Frankenpad in 15 inch T60 body, UXGA LED-lit AFFS LCD, T9300, 6GB RAM, NVidia NVS140m, Intel 6205, 128GB Crucial M4 SSD, 1TB HGST HDD + eBay caddy in Ultrabay
701c butterfly, 75MHz 486DX4, 40MB ram, 1GB CF card
-
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Tue Jun 05, 2012 9:44 am
- Location: Rothesay, Canada
Re: Am I being scammed for Bluetooth?
Daww, I pulled the trigger on my order last night, oh well, no Bluetooth for me. Unless I can haxor it in haha
-
- Senior Member
- Posts: 977
- Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2009 11:16 am
- Location: ~ 3Million Mile Club Member~~
Re: Am I being scammed for Bluetooth?
@brad = mate - you can get any BT adaptor(dongle) cheaper - even in Canada ( I saw one in London ON -best buy -$1.99 'bargin bin' .... and I grabbed it ! Now its works nicely via USB3.0 slot of my new laptop(s) and BT4.0 to boot! -- So there are cheaper solutuons out there >
point of the FIRST POST was - WHY LENOVO is ripping pple off by 'charging twice'
-1st $30 for BT (seems high) 2nd -why do DOUBLE HARDWARE since most intel wifi chips already have that built-in!
>@twist*... hope the above makes it chear as 'mud' LOL !
point of the FIRST POST was - WHY LENOVO is ripping pple off by 'charging twice'
-1st $30 for BT (seems high) 2nd -why do DOUBLE HARDWARE since most intel wifi chips already have that built-in!
>@twist*... hope the above makes it chear as 'mud' LOL !
Work: None - Retired ! Yipee!! ~~Older/Hm use:Asus Zenbook i7FHD~~ w701ds CTO;W520cto;T61P-IPSmodels; T43P,...&700Tstill going strong!! DEC Alpha Series OS: Win7x64; OSX; SuSe Linux; RedHat~~
-
- Similar Topics
- Replies
- Views
- Last post
-
-
Bios messages being displayed at startup - "Machine Type is invalid" etc.
by axiomcs78 » Thu Jan 11, 2024 10:27 am » in ThinkPad X1 / X1-Carbon / X1-Extreme and later Series - 4 Replies
- 1436 Views
-
Last post by RealBlackStuff
Fri Jan 12, 2024 3:10 am
-
-
-
W530 Bluetooth sound broken after switching to windows 10
by Gregui To » Sat Dec 09, 2023 6:17 pm » in ThinkPad W530/W540/W541/W550 Series - 1 Replies
- 2252 Views
-
Last post by mikemex
Wed Feb 21, 2024 12:42 am
-
-
-
T420 bluetooth with windows 10?
by chamberxm » Tue Jan 02, 2024 8:30 am » in ThinkPad T400/T410/T420 and T500/T510/T520 Series - 8 Replies
- 1670 Views
-
Last post by TPFanatic
Thu Jan 04, 2024 1:24 pm
-
-
- 2 Replies
- 494 Views
-
Last post by axur-delmeria
Sun Feb 18, 2024 2:31 am
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 22 guests