Today I’ll be taking a quick look at
the BTA-3210 Micro USB Bluetooth Adapter from Cirago. It is a very
simple dongle that can give Bluetooth capability to laptops or
computers without built-in Bluetooth functions. There isn’t a heck
of a lot one can say about a device this straightforward, but let’s
take a look at how well it functions and what it looks like.

Product
Name: Cirago
BTA3210 USB Bluetooth Adapter

Author: Jeff Saporito

Sponsor: Cirago

Tech
Specs,Features or the Basic Info:

Cirago
BTA3210 USB Bluetooth Adapter

• Micro
  Design – RoHS compliant

• Bluetooth
  Specification 2.1 EDR — Class 2

• Enhanced
  Data Rata (EDR) compliant for both 2Mbps and 3Mbps modulation modes

• Full
  speed Bluetooth operation with full Piconet and Scatternet support
  
  support

• Support
  for 802.11 Coexistence

• Full
  speed USB v 2.0 interface support OHCI and UHCI host interface

• Receiver
  Sensitivity -90dBm

• Stable,
  accurate search ability

• Toshiba
  Driver for Windows, supports VOIP applications

Description

Standard Bluetooth 2.1 specification, Class II

Operating
System Support Vista,
XP, 2000, Mac OS 10.1.4 or above, Linux

Operating
Range 10
Meters (30 feet)

Operating
Frequency 2.402
GHz – 2.4835 GHz ISM Band

Connection Point-to-Point

RF
Output power +4dBm
, 0dBm ( Class II)

Power
Supply USB
Powered

Transmit
Power 1 mW

Dimension 0.50″
x 0.75″ x 0.125″

A
Better Look at Things:

The Bluetooth adapter comes
packaged in a pretty simple plastic carton. There’s a little bubble
that houses the adapter itself, and behind it is a paper insert that
covers the manual and installation CD.

The rear of the package isn’t
anything uncommon either, showing a few stats about the product and
information in different languages.

Here is a glimpse of the included
documentation and registration card. The installation drivers are
kept on the mini CD.

The device itself is absolutely
tiny, as Cirago bills it the smallest Bluetooth adapter available on
the market. I believe this claim, as this thing is so small it’s
almost too small.

Here are shots next to a push pin
and a dime for comparison. It’s incredibly small. If you have
really huge, thick fingers, you might even have trouble handling the
thing when it’s plugged in.

Speaking of being plugged in,
we’ve really seen all there is to see about its physicality, so let’s
take a look at how the device works.

Installation,
Testing and Comparison:

Here is a shot of the adapter
plugged into one of the top USB ports on my computer. As you can
see, not much of it sticks out, so again, people with big fingers
better have a solid grip to grab it.

The adapter is so small that it is
probably the most portable thing in existence, but also the easiest
to lose. Everyone has dropped a push pin or a dime and had it roll
under something and become invisible. This adapter could have the
same fate just as easily.

The included installation booklet
tells you to install the software before inserting the adapter into
your computer. This is good advice, as the thing won’t work as well
if you plug it in and let Windows run its auto-install. I did that
first to see what would happen, and Windows 7 installed the drivers
itself. With what it installed, I wasn’t able to get the adapter to
sync with my Blackberry. After installing the included CD drivers,
it worked as intended.

So really, you’ve already heard
the verdict – it works. Devices like this pretty much have one
function, and that function is connecting Bluetooth-enabled devices
to the computer. It does this well.

A blue LED light blinks on the
adapter when it is active and in use to let you know the connection
exists.

When connecting my BlackBerry Tour
to the adapter, it found the device with great ease and ended up with
a very solid connection. I was able to go to any of the surrounding
rooms of my office and still maintain a connection. I don’t believe
I got as far as the 30 foot distance the device claims it has, but it
worked within the vicinity of my computer. That’s what really
matters.

Voila, a successful connection.

There does seem to exist some
compatibility issues with the Cirago driver software and Windows 7.
Nowhere on the adapter’s packaging does it claim compatibility with
Windows 7, so that isn’t terribly surprising, but now every time I
boot up my computer I am prompted with the above box advertising
compatibility issues between Windows 7 and the Bluetooth software.

Summary
and Comments:

I don’t know what else can be said
about the Cirago BTA-3210. It is a tiny, inexpensive Bluetooth
adapter that worked and had me transferring files between the
computer and my cell phone within a few minutes. The range isn’t
stellar but it functions well within the area of your machine. It is
super tiny for great portability, and if you can bend your mind to
consider a Bluetooth adapter cute, it’s a darling little thing.

DragonSteelMods gives the Cirago
BTA-3210 a 4.5 out of 5 score.

Pros:

+Super tiny – very convenient

+Quick driver installation

+Paired with devices right away

Cons:

-Super tiny – very easy to lose

-Windows 7 compatibility issues

review# 658

Disclosure: This
product was given to DragonSteelMods for review by the company for
review purposes only, and is not considered by us as payment for the
review, we do not, never have, and never will, accept payment from
companies to review their products.

To
learn more about our review policy, testing methods and ratings
please see this page.