PCWorld.com senior editor Rebecca Freed concludes that Bluetooth communication the Mac is “quick and painless” compared to Windows XP in a recent Mac Skeptic column called Is Bluetooth Better on the Mac?
Freed tested Logitech’s DiNovo Media Desktop — a combination wireless keyboard, numeric key and mouse — on a Compaq Presario running Windows XP Home. She tested that combination against an Apple iBook equipped with a D-Link Bluetooth USB adapter and Apple’s own Wireless Keyboard and Mouse.
Installing drivers on the Compaq led to “three different experiences” restarting the computer three different times, thanks to the interaction of Windows XP’s own hardware installation process, Logitech’s wizard software, and “a mysterious screen” that suddenly appeared.
Installing drivers on the Mac “went more smoothly,” according to Freed, with the Mac recognizing the adapter and setting her through the setup of the wireless keyboard and mouse. What’s more, Mac OS X’s iSync edged out Windows when it came time for her to synchronize her contact information between her Mac and her Bluetooth-equipped mobile phone.
The verdict: “… in this case, the Mac mystique has some substance behind it.”