*** My comments (below) are from January 2009. One of the more recent comments (April 2010) states that my issues are no longer valid. Just a heads up that things change/improve over time. ***
The product works (eventually) and is low priced and is tiny. But, before you install it, please consider the following. Customer care by Iogear is horrendous.
The first hurdle is bad instructions. Step 1 for Vista says you MUST insert the device. Then step 8 says DO NOT insert the device. 8 is correct, by the way.
Still, the included ver. 5 drivers do not work with Vista. When you contact the vendor for help, they'll tell you where the ver. 6 drivers reside. They're marked 221 thru 321 so you think they don't work with the 421, but they do. Oh, you need the revised instructions, too. By the way, the included disc says nothing about the software version. You have to watch for it after launching setup.
So, get ver. 6 drivers or later, get the latest instructions, and don't plug in until the drivers are fully installed in Vista.
I asked if the drivers were necessary since Vista wants to provide its own, and tech support said yes, you need to install them.
I tried tech support's live chat. They pointed me to newer instructions that said to wait before connecting, but they said nothing about the ver. 5 drivers and Vista incompatibility. After wasting 2 hours installing and uninstalling, I emailed to tech support. I wrote at midnight and when I got up bright and early, I had a URL for the proper drivers and instructions. The final installation was flawless and the device works fine. IOGEAR USB 2.1 Bluetooth Micro Adapter GBU421
I have purchased both the Cirago and this IOGear. Both work perfectly with Windows XP and Vista. The Bluetooth drivers auto load and it makes sharing files and pairing very easy. On your task bar will be a BT icon that you right click for a list of options. The IOGear claims to work with MAC but the Cirago doesn't. I don't have a MAC so I do not know if this is true or not (Sorry). The Cirago has a brighter blue light than the IOGear. Also, the IOGear is smaller (But not by much). Both are so small in size they can be left in the USB slot and not removed. The IOGear is easier to remove from the slot than the Cirago (it is the shape of the exposed area that determines this). Here is one other interesting thought. Take a look at the picture of the IOGear. When plugged into the USB the metal part slides all the way in so only the black plastic area is sticking out. That is nice, eh? The Cirago goes in the same but sticks out just a little more than the IOGear (Some metal exposed). However, both function perfectly with USB BT 2.0 and early versions 1.0 & 1.1! Both are backwards compatible. The range doesn't seem to be different - I have tested both from 20 feet and they work (Document sent to printer). You choose.
This bluetooth dongle is very nice and small, it has a blue led on it but its not too bright as to bother when used on a laptop.
I use it with my plantronics 520 bluetooth headset on skype and it works good, I can't use it too far from the computer (< feet) because I start to get static but that might be the headset I dont know.
I don't know why the other reviewer is saying it doesn't work on Vista 64-bit, I use it on my new HP dv4t with 64-bit Vista Home Premium with no problems at all.
UPDATE: I contacted IOGEAR tech support and they gave me this url ([...]) you should be able to download an update to get Widcomm version 6.x drivers. This is necessary to use Nokia PC Suite on Windows Vista for those Nokia users like me :)
I am very frustrated with this product and the poor customer support I am recieving. I was able with difficulty to get this product working on my PC with Vista. We were using it to synch the PC to a Palm device. When we upgraded to Windows 7, it no longer worked. Ok, so I went to their website, downloaded and installed the driver that says it supports Win 7. It installs, but doesn't work. I have called tech support on two separate occasions and held for 20 minutes at the end of that time, it sends me to voicemail. That's frustrating. What's more frustrating is that they haven't bothered to call me back. I've only had the product for a few months. If they want to be in this business, they have to support Windows 7 and they have to support their customers. They have certainly lost my business and I recommend you steer clear as well.
I have a early 2007 Mac Pro and I didn't have the foresight (or, at the time the need) for getting the Build to Order option of Bluetooth. It hasn't really become much of an issue but I recently was given an Apple Magic Mouse as a gift and wanted to give it a spin so I picked up this due to it's size and ability to plug and play.
Currently it's installed on the side USB port of one of my Dell 2407 monitors. Works great and the blue blinking indicator is hidden from my view. I plugged it in and it immediately was picked up by Mac OS X (I'm using 10.6 for reference). I paired my mouse to it and was off and running. Didn't need to install drivers or anything. Plugged it in and forgot about it. So far, after a month or two of usage it's as if it's not even there. The only annoying thing is when I reboot the computer (which is rarely) the system says a new network device has been detected and asks if I want to configure it. The problem is there's nothing to configure (it's just a USB dongle after all). Other than that minor annoyance I can't even tell it's there.
I can't speak for PC users (haven't tried it under Boot Camp yet) but if you're a Mac user who doesn't have Bluetooth on-board I'd highly suggest this little device. Cheap, works great, nice and small.'
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