Bluetooth enhancements (Fedora 8)
Summary
Bluetooth enhancements support the following use cases. Additional use cases can be found on O'Reilly's website .
Owner
- Name: BastienNocera
Current status
- Targeted release: Fedora 8
- Last updated: 2007-09-07
- Percentage of completion: 100%
Those enhancements are Fedora 8 specific. See the master page for more details on the future plans for Bluetooth support.
Usage cases/rationale, Scope and Implementation details
Browsing files on a remote device
- Catalina took loads of pictures with her mobile phone on an evening out, and wants to see the pictures on her computer, removing the bad-looking ones, and uploading the ones she likes on flickr.
Possible solutions:
- Browse device menu item in the Bluetooth applet
- gnome-vfs2-obexftp
Pre-Fedora 8 solution: None
Functionality is available in Fedora 8
Stand-alone Bluetooth printing
- Same as above, and she wants to print those pictures to a Bluetooth printer that was lent to her.
Possible solutions:
- http://www.holtmann.org/linux/bluetooth/cups.html Bluetooth CUPS backend
- Integration with system-config-printer
- Integration in the bluetooth-preferences
Pre-Fedora 8 solution: Using bluez-utils-cups, and entering the printer's details by hand in system-config-printer
system-config-printer now discovers printers, and lists them in the New printer dialogue.
Initiating/answering a call from your mobile phone
Sending receiving text messages from your mobile
Setting time and date on the mobile
- Randy sits all day in front of his computer in his office, and wants to see on the big computer screen when people call him, and be able to send and receive text messages, faxes and receive phone calls without using the hard-to-use phone UI and keyboard.
Possible solutions:
- gnome-phone-manager
- gnokii (backend)
- evolution integration (calling/sending message to specific contact)
- faxing
Pre-Fedora 8 solution: gnome-phone-manager only worked (badly) with some Nokia phones
The AT driver (used by most phones) in gnokii got enhanced to support SMS and call notifications, and fixes for battery status.
gnome-phone-manager 's backend support SMS and call notifications, as well as battery reporting.
Battery reporting to the user is implemented in gnome-power-manager .
Keyboards, mice
- When he's home, Darnell wants to use a real size keyboard and mouse with his laptop, rather than rely on his trackpad and small keyboard.
- Randy wants to unclutter his office desk, and junks out his USB keyboard and mouse in order to use Bluetooth keyboard and mouse instead.
Possible solutions:
- X hotplug support
- bluez's hcid and input services interface (Sixaxis PS3 controller , HCI proxy dongles not supportable out-of-the-box, missing hardware docs)
- Might need better integration in GDM/GNOME itself
Pre-Fedora 8 solution: everything done by hand on a terminal using hidd
Although there's no support for main input devices (see the comment about HCI proxy dongles above), setting up Bluetooth mice, keyboards and joysticks is now all graphical.
Documentation
This is documentation for features/use cases where the process differs from previous releases.
Browsing files on a remote device
Prerequisites:
- gnome-vfs2-obexftp
- nautilus
- bluez-gnome
In your panel, right-click on the Bluetooth icon, and select the Browse device... menu item. This will bring up a list of devices in the vicinity, as well as known devices. Select the one you want to browse, and click Connect.
Stand-alone Bluetooth printing
Prerequisites:
- bluez-utils-cups
- system-config-printer
In the System menu, select Administration then Printing. After having typed in the administrator password, select New Printer in the toolbar. Your printer should appear in the list of printers. Proceed through the wizard.
Note: If it does not, make sure the printer was made discoverable, following its manual.
Note: If the printer driver wasn't automatically detected, run /usr/lib/cups/backend/bluetooth in a terminal, and file a bug against system-config-printer with the output in the Red Hat bugzilla.
Sending SMS/texts via Bluetooth
Prerequisites:
- gnome-phone-manager
Launch the Phone Manager from the System Tools section of the Applications menu. Setup your mobile phone in the Preferences (right-click on the mobile phone icon in the panel). After having connected to the phone, you should be able to receive new messages by right-clicking and selecting Send Message.
Using keyboards and mice
Prerequisites:
- bluez-gnome
Right-click on the Bluetooth icon in your panel and select Preferences. In the Services tab, select the input service, and make sure it is started. Click on Add below. Select the device you want to add, and click Connect.
Note: Make sure the input device is discoverable (as per the user manual), and that it has enough battery power.