bluetooth on a laptop? What for? Do I need it?

I'm going to buy a refurbished laptop from Dell (M90) if I was buying this new I'd get bluetooth. But not all the refurbs have it...so now I ask myself what would I do with it with a laptop.

So what is the use, and can I add it later without taking up a expansion slot (PCMCIA or PC Express whatever it's called nowadays).

Thanks!

 

You can use bluetooth to connect a bluetooth mouse/keyboard/headset, as well as bluetooth phones.

You can add a bluetooth card later on, Dell uses internal bluetooth, you just have to find the one that Dell uses on their notebooks to make sure it'll fit properly in your notebook.

 

So I can install the internal bluetooth later on? Any idea where I'd get the bluetooth card?

 

If Dell offers internal bluetooth for that laptop, you should be able to buy it later in the accessories part of their online store.

 

You could also get a USB Bluetooth dongle. Some people complain about having a USB key sticking out, but it is an option if you don't feeling like taking your lappy apart.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Description=usb+bluetooth+adapter

 

I prefer bluetooth enabled. I like to connect to my phone, my iPaq, my car stereo, and my GPS receiver. Bluetooth is expanding to so many devices, it is almost foolish not to get an internal bluetooth if you can afford it, and if you are a gadget geek like me. I don't like dealing with cables, a laptop is supposed to be portable, and bluetooth allows me the portability, and versatility I desire.

 

But OTOH Bluetooth usb-dongles/sticks are getting cheaper and cheaper, and smaller and smaller.
I managed to frack up the internal BT on my nc4000 (should have read the instructions... firmware-update gone wrong) and bought a ~20euro BT stick and it worked like a charm with my GSM.
(Only trouble with BT dongles/sticks is that they are so small that they are easy to lose.)

If I were buying a used or refurb laptop now and found a great machine with superspecs for a low price I'd jump at it, BT or not.
And I'm someone who has actually used BT (to my GSM, GSM acting as a modem through GPRS - slow surfing but cheap with the right deal/operator) with my lappies quite a lot. The problems I've had have been about equal with external BTs and internals - much of that depends on the progs, drivers, and the other end (phone).

ETA: What I would absolutely not buy without, no matter how cheap or how good the deal, is internal wlan. Sure, you can add that too as a pc-card, but IME the reception is significantly worse than the internals.

 

I use Bluetooth very often for my cell phone. I just take a few pictures (at school or nice cars I see on the road with the 2 MP) and then I put them on my laptop without cables.

Then I Photoshop a bit and such things. I really like Bluetooth and I find it a real must.