9. Wireless Communications, Continued

The dv8000z notebook uses a Broadcom WLAN module, which supports 802.11 a, b and g wireless networking.

A Broadcom WLAN card handles wireless network connections for this HP notebook.

We were also favorably impressed with HP's Bluetooth Connections Tool because of its simplicity and ease of use. It makes no fewer than 10 Bluetooth profiles available to users.

With 10 supported profiles pre-defined, communication with Bluetooth devices is made both quick and easy.

As soon a Bluetooth device is connected to this notebook, HP's software recognizes its capabilities and puts the required services at its disposal. In our testing, we created a connection to a Sony Ericsson T610 mobile phone, and the software recognized all the function of this unit without a hitch.

In our test, the mobile phone could access seven possible services.

If the use of some profile or service requires a special driver under Windows XP, the HP software automatically recognizes that it is necessary and takes care of installation without requiring Windows to restart.

HP's software also includes a Bluetooth software modem that makes connecting a mobile phone to the Internet much simpler. In addition, the Bluetooth module also supports the BT audio profile. Together with a Bluetooth headset, you can use it with the notebook to place or receive Skype calls wirelessly. You can also use the BT module to transfer data between a mobile phone and the notebook in order to, for example, synchronize with a personal information manager (PIM) program or the Outlook Address Book.