HP Bluetooth Printer Adapter

By Mark Raby

One of the most essential accessories in school is a printer. Yeah, even though our favourite way to send documents to one another is through e-mail, most schools still go the archaic route and require you to turn in physical copies of your homework assignments. However, especially in college, you never know if you'll be near a computer with a printer when you need one. That is, when you finish your 10 page report on the pros and cons of the hop plant at 3:00 AM, in your girlfriend's apartment, for an 8:00 class, when your girl doesn't have a printer, what are the chances you'll be able to load up that document near a computer with a printer in the next few hours? While that example might be a bit extreme, it helps to describe the necessity for a tech-savvy student to have a Bluetooth printer adapter on hand.

The HP BT1300 adapter is the perfect, no-compromise Bluetooth adapter that will connect virtually any Bluetooth device to almost any HP printer. If it uses a parallel or USB (see next photo) cable connection, the BT1300 is up to the task. Simply plug in the adapter to your printer and you're ready to start spewing out the pages. The printer can connect with your cell phone, PDA, or computer, provided it has Bluetooth, of course.

It's essentially walk-up-and-print printing. If you've got the file on your PDA, no longer will you need to load up the syncing application, transfer it to your computer, and pray that your printer cable is actually still hooked up. This adapter is great, not only for those times when you need to print at a remote location, but also just for convenient printing from your living quarters. Space is at such a premium in those cramped closets known as dorm rooms, so it's really nice to have one less cable to keep track of. And if you happen to be worried that your dorm neighbours might print out stuff you don't want and waste your paper, no worries. The adapter is equipped with standard PIN encryption security so that you can control who and what gets access to the printer.

If you've already got a printer and want to be able to connect to it wirelessly, this is the solution you've been looking for. The all-encompassing compatibility with both HP printers and Bluetooth devices also makes it the ideal accessory for those who never know where they're going to need to print something next. BT1300s are in short supply right now, so some vendors are charging way over retail. Check out www.hp.com for lower prices, but you'll have to wait a bit to get your BT1300.