Windows Phone Thoughts: Dell Axim X3i - Now With Added Bluetooth

Each of the services will now be looked at in more detail.


Figure 5: Specifying the shared folder for the File Transfer service.

The File Transfer service allows a remote device to read from and write to a specified folder and sub-folders. As can be seen in Figure 5, the only setting you can change is the location of the shared folder. This is a very simple yet powerful service and access to this service should be carefully controlled :!:


Figure 6: Specifying the business card for the Information Exchange service.

With the Information Exchange service, the sole option is to specify which Pocket Outlook contact is to be used as your business card. Clicking on the card with a V in it allows you to pick the required contact or to cancel your choice and select no card, as shown in Figure 6. Clicking on the person icon creates a new contact to allow you to enter the required details. I'll be looking at the business card exchange process in more detail later on.


Figure 7: Serial Port service information.

With the Serial Port service, other than the general service options, there isn't anything to set. The information shown in Figure 7 is read-only but, nevertheless, is very important information. For example, if you are using a Bluetooth GPS unit and the software needs to be told the port number for the serial port, you will need the outbound port number which, on this device, is number seven.

The last two services, Personal Network Server and Audio Gateway, don't have any additional configuration options, nor do they have any additional information on their screens. The services are either on or off.

Using Bluetooth
So, you've configured the Bluetooth services that your Axim is going to offer to other devices, but what about getting your Axim to communicate with services offered by other devices? Enter the Bluetooth Manager. From this application, you can establish pairings with other devices, see what connections are active and set up shortcuts for connections to other devices on specific services. This last option is dealt with through the Bluetooth Connection Wizard - a service-based connection process that starts off with the list show in Figure 8.




Figure 8: The Bluetooth Connection Wizard.

For each of the different services, the wizard takes you through the steps required in order to make the connection a success. For example, if you want to connect to the Internet via a phone, the first thing you do is tell the wizard which model of mobile phone you've got. If you've got an Ericsson R520, T39, T68 or T68i, you're in luck - the wizard will then give you precise instructions on how to set your phone up ready to be paired with your Axim. If not, well, the wizard still has reasonable instructions to help you get your mobile ready.

The ActiveSync connection is another delightful example of how the wizard works, as you can see in the following few screenshots:








Figure 9: Setting up ActiveSync.