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Although Bluetooth technology often features in the specification lists for today's notebooks, pocket PCs and PDAs without the need for any additional hardware, it has yet to make inroads into the desktop computing arena. Drivers are available for the various Windows operating systems but you still need to allocate one of your USB ports to act as the home for an external Bluetooth dongle device. While hardly a major inconvenience, it could put a strain on resources if your USB ports are already in occupation by the numerous devices that take advantage of this method of connectivity. I was, therefore, interested to come across a device that combines Bluetooth technology with the functionality of a USB hub. This piece of kit is, not surprisingly, entitled USB 2.0 Bluetooth Dongle Hub.

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Silver in colour, this device is smaller than a pack of cards and has a permanently attached USB lead. This lead is just over 20 cm in length which might restrict you when it comes to positioning it in an easily accessible location. Three USB ports are located near the front while the Bluetooth element takes up a central position. An attractive blue light indicates that the hub is receiving power from the computer. The lack of any external power facility does mean that there could be a problem using this hub with any devices that are particularly power demanding.

Installing and setting up this Bluetooth Dongle Hub is basically a three-step procedure. However before you begin, you do need to make sure that there is not a previous version of the Widcomm Bluetooth software already present on the system. Instructions on how to perform this operation are clearly laid out in the mini Instruction Guide that is included with this kit.

Step one involves connecting the hub to a spare USB port. It should then be recognised and the appropriate Windows Bluetooth drives installed. This worked fine with Windows XP (SP2) but, as yet, I have been unable to test this procedure with earlier versions of Windows that are included in the supported list. Once the native Windows drivers have been installed, you can then move on to the supplied CD and install the Widcomm drivers which add extra functionality to the standard Windows offering.

The final step is to select and configure the different additional features offered by the Widcomm software. The list offered is fairly comprehensive and covers all common eventualities. Among the various services offered by the Widcomm software are PIM item transfer and synchronisation; network access; Bluetooth serial port; file transfer; headset connectivity; and Bluetooth imaging. While I was unable to test all the various features offered, I encountered no problems with those that I was able to check out.

System specifications for the USB 2.0 Bluetooth Dongle Hub start with an Intel Celeron or Pentium III with 32MB of RAM, 11.5MB of hard disk space while running Windows 98SE or later. There is also support for Mac OS X3.5 or later. The USB 2.0 Bluetooth Dongle Hub is priced at £19.95 and is available from TheGadgetStore.com.

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