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Bluetooth 355 card for M1330 question

post #1 of 17
6/10/08 at 10:56am
Thread Starter 
I just purchased an M1330 without bluetooth and I'm looking to install the Dell 355 module (needs to be Vista compatible) but there are several listed on Dell's site;

http://search.dell.com/results.aspx?...=False&~ck=tab

There is one listed specifically for the M1330 and then there is one that says "For Windows Vista" The one for the M1330 is $11 more than the others and I'm just curious if the others are the exact same (dimension wise too)

Which one should I get?

EDIT: It also looks like the Truemobile 360 which supports BT 2.1 may also work. Only real difference between it and the 355 seems to be the chipset (355 uses Broadcom, 360 uses CSR) otherwise it appears that physically they are the same dimensions and all
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post #2 of 17
6/10/08 at 4:22pm
Thread Starter 
Decided to say to hell with it and bought the 360 module. Once I get the XPS in I'll post results
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post #3 of 17
6/11/08 at 10:08am
what's your specs?
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post #4 of 17
6/11/08 at 12:53pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ihabfan View Post
what's your specs?
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T8300 (2.4GHz/800Mhz FSB/3MB cache)
4 GB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz
128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS
120 GB SATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM)
Dell Travel Remote Control
Fingerprint Reader Touchpad
13.3 inch WXGA Slim and Light LED Display
6 Cell Primary Battery
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post #5 of 17
6/11/08 at 6:06pm
nice specs. were there any problems with the VC? I heard they haven't perfect the software yet.
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post #6 of 17
6/12/08 at 11:41am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ihabfan View Post
nice specs. were there any problems with the VC? I heard they haven't perfect the software yet.
What's the VC?

The laptop comes in early next week so my hands are tied until it gets here.
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post #7 of 17
6/12/08 at 6:33pm
128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS
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post #8 of 17
6/13/08 at 10:57am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ihabfan View Post
128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS
Ohh, VC-Video Card. As far as I know there have been some driver issues with Nvidia cards in the past but I'm not really all that worried about it. I don't really do any gaming though, just some video and effects work where it might come in handy.

You can always try other driver versions and even 3rd party drivers (if they have them for this model) but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
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post #9 of 17
6/14/08 at 8:59pm
I had the 360 module and i hated it... the drivers are horrid.. widcomm/anycom drivers ftw
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post #10 of 17
6/17/08 at 3:07pm
Thread Starter 
Well it may take me a little longer to post how it went since the refurbished model I got yesterday looked like it had been used pretty well. There was dirt and a scuff on the palmrest, the keyboard had little flakes of brown and hair in it, and the COA...well just look for yourself (yes that is hair or some kind of fibrous material underneath it)



The replacement is on its way (10-15 business days is what they said) But I think/hope that's just one of those "underpromise overdeliver" type of estimates.
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post #11 of 17
6/19/08 at 4:56am
Well I just got an m1330 which came with a BT 355 module as std. I clean installed Vista on it using all the latest drivers. I never got round to installing any apps on it, before I started suffering a LOT of instability. Weird Vista crashes in services etc when resuming from sleep etc etc.

Now this all seemed strange in a clean install, especially as I also have a m1710 which is ROCK solid in Vista. One difference is the m1710 doesn't have bluetooth. SO - I bit the bullet, removed the BT 355 module, and clean installed Vista again. Since then Vista on this m1330 has also been rock solid.

My conclusion: the Dell 355 Bluetooth module stinks. Or more specifically the Widcomm BT Vista drivers are not fit for purpose.

NigelS
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post #12 of 17
6/19/08 at 4:54pm
I use the 355 module with the newest anycom drivers (the same as widcomm drivers only different name) and i have a very solid system with vista. I have NEVER seen a bluescreen on my vista laptop since i day i got it (M1330). I have also used the drivers from dells site with zero issues as well, if you are experiencing bluescreens often with bluetooth installed then your module is either bad or you are doing something wrong.
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post #13 of 17
6/20/08 at 11:37pm
Thread Starter 
Turns out Dell is building me a brand new M1330 with a larger HD for free instead of sending me another refurbished machine so it will be a few more days before I can install this Bluetooth module. I'm impressed though!
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post #14 of 17
6/25/08 at 12:12am
Thread Starter 
I can confirm that the 360 module does in fact install properly in the M1330. I followed the instructions on dells site for installation and the dimensions and all are the same and the Bluetooth light comes on
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post #15 of 17
6/25/08 at 6:15am
That looks pretty shoddy. Was it a scratch and dent?

I bought an outlet which was in great physical condition other than the pad on the GPU wasn't aligned terribly well. After adjusting temps were the same so it didn't have much effect.
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post #16 of 17
6/26/08 at 12:06pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryotaro View Post
That looks pretty shoddy. Was it a scratch and dent?

I bought an outlet which was in great physical condition other than the pad on the GPU wasn't aligned terribly well. After adjusting temps were the same so it didn't have much effect.
No it was a regular refurb. The new one is much better (although the fan is constantly on for some reason and can get loud)

The back where the fan is also has a tendency to get very warm. At one point I couldnt keep my fingers on it.

Also regarding the Bluetooth, I connected a headset to it and the Toshiba BT stack picked it up and has an option for integrating with Skype (which is what I wanted to use it for) and it acted seperately from the rest of the audio devices so I could listen to music while on a Skype call.

Widcomm stack on the other hand diverted ALL windows audio to the headset so I couldnt listen to music or perform any audio related tasks without a little hassle
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post #17 of 17
6/30/08 at 4:10am
My 1210 has the fan running all the time and expect it. With normal office background noise, I can't hear it unless it kicks into high and then it is still acceptable. I hope the 1330 is similar.

I wonder what condition the scratch and dents come in like?
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