First up, you need to follow the first 15 steps of my guide on how to seutp a Nokia N95 mobile phone as a Mobile Broadband Device because we need to update the version of the Bluez Bluetooth stack and pair your mobile phone. Once you get to step 15 where it asks about connecting the phone as a dial-up networking device, you can either choose to continue setting that up all the way through to Step 22 (after all, you might find DUN to be of genuine use to you if you’re a Mobile Internet kind of guy), or choose “Don’t connect” instead and just finish at Step 15 and continue on with this article.

Once you’re Bluetooth stack is updated and your mobile phone is paired, transfrerring files is simplicity itself:

1. Do a left-mouse click on the Bluetooth icon in your system tray. The Bluetooth Devices window will appear showing you your available or previously paired devices. Your mobile phone will be one of them.
   .
   .
2. Do a right-mouse click on your mobile phone and choose “Browse” from the menu that appears (or select the mobile phone with the left-mouse button and then click on the “Browse” button in the toolbar).
   .
   .
   NOTE: If you get a “Could not display ‘obex://[xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx]/’.” error when trying to browse, it means that the Bluetooth connection has not re-established itself between your PC and your phone after a previous pairing (ie: “Host is down”). To fix this, click on the “Search” button in the toolbar which will “awaken” your phone’s Bluetooth awareness and then choose “Browse device” again. You should also set your PC and phone to be “trusted” or “authorised” on both sides to prevent timeouts caused by either end asking you for permission to establish the connection.
   .
3. If your PC is setup as being “trusted” or “authorised” on your phone, within a second or so a Nautilus window should appear showing you the content of your mobile phone, or in the case of my Nokia N95, two Windows-like folders named “C:” and “E:” which represent the phone’s internal memory and my 8GB SD card in the phone. You can browse them like any ordinary folders including copying and pasting files. An icon for the phone will also appear on the desktop (I’m using a custom icon here).
   .
   .
4. When you have finished dealing with the files on your phone, you need to cleanly disconnect the phone and end the Bluetooth session. You can do this one of two ways. Either click on the “Eject” triangle icon next to your phone’s name in the Places list of the Nautilus window, or in the Bluetooth Devices window, do a right-mouse click and choose “Disconnect Device” from the menu.
   .
   .
5. That’s it! Happy file transfers!

Well, it’s finally happened. While Ubuntu itself hasn’t been updated yet, the Bluetooth package that Ubuntu uses has been updated by the parent Blueman Project.

So here’s a guide on how to update your Ubuntu Jaunty installation to the latest version of the Bluez Bluetooth stack, pair your Nokia N95 and how to setup a Broadband connection to go through it.

If you’ve already updated your Bluetooth stack to the latest and greatest version, then you can immediately skip to Step 10.

1. First we need to add the Blueman Project’s PPA to your Ubuntu Jaunty installation. Open a terminal and type in:

   $ sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list.d/blueman.list

2. You will be presented with a blank text editor. Type or copy & paste the following lines in:

   deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/blueman/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main
   deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/blueman/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main

3. Save your changes and exit the editor.
   .
4. Now update your package lists with:

   $ sudo apt-get update

5. At the end you will see a NO_PUBKEY error because your setup does not yet have the GPG key for the Blueman repository to authenticate the packages with. To fix this, import the key with:

   $ sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys 6B15AB91951DC1E2

6. Update your package lists again as per Step 4 and you should find the NO_PUBKEY error is gone now.
   .
7. By now your system is probably prompting you that there are updates to the Bluetooth stack available to install. We may as well stay at the terminal and do the updates there:

   $ sudo apt-get upgrade

8. Once that completes, the Bluetooth stack is now up to date, but we now need to install the Blueman applet to replace the Gnome version of it:

   $ sudo apt-get install blueman

   (this will automatically uninstall the bluez-gnome package as we don’t want it anymore)

9. Once that completes, logout and log back in again so that the new applet loads up to replace the old one.
   .
10. Do a right-mouse-click on the Bluetooth icon in your system tray and choose “Setup new device” from the menu that appears. The Bloetooth Assistant Wizard will appear.
    .
    .
11. At the welcome page, click the “Next” button.
    .
12. You are shown a list of detected Bluetooth devices which should include your Nokia N95 and any other nearby Bluetooth devices. Choose your Nokia N95 from the list and then click on the Forward button.
    .
    .
13. You are then asked how to do the pairing. Choose to “Use a Random Passkey” and then click the Forward button.
    .
    .
14. You will be shown a generated PIN number and your Nokia N95 will prompt you for it. Type the number into your phone and click OK on the phone.
    .
    .
15. When your phone accepts the PIN, the Wizard will then ask you how you want to treat the device as. Choose “Dialup Networking (DUN)” and then click the Forward button.
    .
    .
16. After a brief delay, you will be prompted for your password so a DUN adapter can be setup. Type it in and hit Enter or OK.
    .
17. When the connection has finished, you will be told that the device was added and connected as a DUN unit successfully.
    .
    .
18. Within a couple of seconds of finishing, if you haven’t already got a Broadband Connection setup in the Network Manager, the “New Mobile Broadband Connection” wizard will appear. This part is really straight-forward, so I haven’t bothered doing any screenshots for it. Click on the Forward button.
    .
19. Choose your Country and Provider from the list shown, then click the Forward button.
    .
20. Finally, in the Summary, you are given the option to provide a custom name for the Broadband connection. When you’re happy, click the Apply button. The Wizard will finish and close.
    .
21. You can now do a left-mouse click on your Network icon in the system tray and you will see your chosen Provider’s name (or custom name if you chose something else) listed in the menu.
    .
22. Choose your provider name from the menu and after a brief moment, you will be connected!

Happy surfing!

While the Ubuntu-provided Bluetooth stack has not been updated to correct this problem yet, the Blueman Project that Ubuntu uses keeps marching on in development and the latest version of of the Bluez stack and Blueman applet finally corrects this problem.

Here’s how to employ it on your own setup.

EDIT October 2009: I have tested and found that the Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook 5000 mouse pairs and resumes successfully with the Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala Beta release without any changes or upgrades required to the Bluetooth software. This HowTo therefore only applies to Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope.

1. First we need to add the Blueman Project’s PPA to your Ubuntu Jaunty installation. Open a terminal and type in:

   $ sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list.d/blueman.list

2. You will be presented with a blank text editor. Type or copy & paste the following lines in:

   deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/blueman/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main
   deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/blueman/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main

3. Save your changes and exit the editor.
   .
4. Now update your package lists with:

   $ sudo apt-get update

5. At the end you will see a NO_PUBKEY error because your setup does not yet have the GPG key for the Blueman repository to authenticate the packages with. To fix this, import the key with:

   $ sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys 6B15AB91951DC1E2

6. Update your package lists again as per Step 4 and you should find the NO_PUBKEY error is gone now.
   .
7. By now your system is probably prompting you that there are updates to the Bluetooth stack available to install. We may as well stay at the terminal and do the updates there:

   $ sudo apt-get upgrade

8. Once that completes, the Bluetooth stack is now up to date, but we now need to install the Blueman applet to replace the Gnome version of it:

   $ sudo apt-get install blueman

   (this will automatically uninstall the bluez-gnome package as we don’t want it anymore)

9. Once that completes, logout and log back in again so that the new applet loads up to replace the old one.
   .
10. Now, switch the mouse into paring mode by holding down the pairing button on the base of the mouse until the LED on top of the mouse starts to alternate between red and green illumination.
    .
11. Now do a left-click on the Bluetooth icon in the system tray. The Bluetooth Devices window should appear. Within a few seconds of that window opening, you should see your mouse and any other nearby Bluetooth devices listed in the window.
    .

    
    .

12. Do a right-mouse click on the Microsoft Mouse entry and choose “Bond” (or ensure the Microsoft Mouse entry is selected and click on the “Bond” button in the toolbar).
    .
    .
13. You will be prompted for the PIN number of the mouse. Like most accessory items, this is just “0000″, so type that in and hit Enter, or press OK.
    .

    
    .

14. Once the mouse is bonded, you will see some signal coloured bars appear next to the Microsoft Mouse entry in the Bluetooth Devices window (which represent the Received Signal Strength, Link Quality and the Transmit Power Level). But you can’t use the mouse just yet.
    .

    
    .

15. Click on the “Trust” button in the toolbar. This will allow your mouse to reconnect without prompting you for permission when you turn it off and back on again (or when you reboot).
    .
16. Now do a right-mouse click on the Microsoft Mouse entry again and choose “Connect to Input Service” (or click on the “Setup” button in the toolbar and follow the Wizard). After a brief delay, you should now find that your mouse now moves the mouse pointer!
    .
    
    .
17. You can now close the Bluetooth Devices window. Pat yourself on the back. You’re done.

Your mouse should automatically reconnect upon reboot, PC or Mouse power saving events (such as suspend), and if you turn on the mouse after booting up your system.

I haven’t played with the Ubuntu Karmic Alpha yet to know if a more recent version of the Bluez Bluetooth stack is included. One presumes it will be, but if not, these instructions will probably work for Karmic as well.

EDIT October 2009: I have tested this mouse with the Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala Beta release and it pairs first time perfectly and also resumes perfectly. There will be no need to use this HowTo with Karmic.

So why would you want a Bluetooth mouse? Well, the obvious reason is the convenience of no cables. This mouse is primarily targeted at the notebook market where people cannot easily use, or just plain don’t like, the mouse touchpad or joystick. Being Bluetooth, you can connect it to any device that also has Bluetooth capability (which these days is just about every modern notebook, or desktop with a USB Bluetooth adapter). The only real con is having to charge or replace batteries.

The Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000 comes packaged in one of those annoying difficult-to-open hard plastic packages – you know, the kind that usually draws blood. Thankfully, I think Microsoft have heeded the baying masses and have neatly provided little holes in the backside of the packaging for you to easily get a pair of scissors into as indicated by a couple of printed scissor icons, but then I discovered I didn’t even need to do that either – the plastic is perforated, allowing you to get a finger in and simply rip the packaging open – with no blood being drawn – extra points there.

Click for full size (210K)

So once you have playfully ripped into the packaging like a 10 year old on Xmas morning, this is what comes inside the retail package:

You get: The mouse A trendy neoprene rubber carry pouch Two AAA batteries A quickstart guide, battery disposal disclaimer and a full instruction manual, neatly crushed into a triangle by the top side of the box packaging

Click for full size (207K)

The mouse is very lightweight and looks pretty stylish with an attractive combination of black underside and sideskirts, white top and a spine of gun-metal grey. The mouse wheel is transparent. The top side features a Bluetooth logo and a battery indicator. There are four buttons – two traditional left & right mouse buttons, wheel button in the middle and a thumb button that is designed with right-handed users in mind. The wheel does not feature left & right movement, but has a fairly notchy ratchet when rotating the wheel, but does not require much pressure to rotate.

Click for full size (141K)

The rear end resembles a Renault Megane – with a big arse and a star-zappy logo thing which is not a button and appears to be for decorative purposes only.

Click for full size (125K)

The underside features the battery compartment, the laser unit, Bluetooth pairing button, a two-position sliding on-off switch, usual array of skidpads and a Gnuine Microsoft sticker.

Click for full size (166K)

Overall, this mouse is roughly two-thirds the size of a regular adult desktop mouse. It’s even smaller than a CD-ROM disc! The size is deliberate, however – it makes for a more portable package in your laptop bag.

Click for full size (192K)

The neoprene rubber pouch provided is a snug fit for the mouse, but makes a good home for it when stashing it away in your bag. The pouch features a simple hook-tape seal and does the job. If you are an EeePC user, you will already be familiar with the good protection the neoprene rubber sleeve provides, so this mouse pouch will look right at home next to it. The pouch also has a red Microsoft logo tag on it to satisfy brand-toting users.

Click for full size (243K)

Inserting the batteries is a very straight-forward exercise without any difficulty. The battery is cover is easily removed by finger without needing a tool and the battery compartments are spacious and feature pull-up tabs to remove the batteries easily when they eventually need replacement.

Click for full size (283K)

Upon switching on the mouse, the battery indicator on top of the mouse turned green for a few seconds, then went out and started alternating between green and red flashes at a rate of one flash per second. It had immediately entered pairing mode without me having to manually trigger it. The Bluetooth logo does not light up.

Click for full size (147K)

Click for full size (146K)

Pairing the mouse with Ubuntu Intrepid is an incredibly simple four-step process:

EDIT August 2009: The Bluetooth stack in Ubuntu Jaunty changed such that the mouse will pair, but the mouse will not acknowledge the connection nor will the mouse ever work. As of August 2009, the latest version of the Bluez Bluetooth stack and the Blueman applet fix this problem. Refer to this article for more information.

1. Do a single right-mouse click on the Bluetooth icon in your system tray and choose “Setup new device…”.

   
   .

2. The Bluetooth Device Wizard will appear. Click “Forward”..
3. Your PC will query for local unpaired Bluetooth devices. After a brief delay, you will see the Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000′s MAC address followed shortly by its actual name. Simply click on the name in the list and click “Forward”..
4. Your PC will commence pairing with the mouse. You don’t have to do anything except wait a couple of seconds. Once the pairing is complete, the wizard will finish..

The mouse is now immediately usable and you can also keep using your original mouse at the same time as well (if you like fighting over one mouse pointer, that is). At this time, the indicator on the top of the mouse switches off as well. The only time I should see it next illuminate is during power-on self-test or when the battery starts running low.

In operation, the mouse feels reasonably comfortable and is easy to maneuver. Button clicks are clear and responsive, although the fourth thumb button was technically non-functional, though pressing it brought focus upon whatever you were hovering over without actually performing a left-mouse click.  It’s not too heavy but not too light either, though with prolonged use, I suspect those with relatively big hands will find the apparent gap underneath the palm of your hand to get annoying and the mouse is a good third smaller than a regular sized mouse (remember it’s intended to be carried by notebook users, not used on a desktop). Those with smaller hands such as most female adults and early-teen children, may probably find this mouse to be more comfortable than a regularly-sized mouse for western adult hands.

I found that the mouse was quite sensitive compared to my regular desktop mouse, as though mouse-acceleration had been increased by a small percentage in my system’s configuration. If this proves annoying, you would have to adjust your desktop mouse preferences a bit to compensate.

Rather interestingly, the laser is completely invisible. There is no red glow emanating from the mouse at all, even if you lift the mouse slightly off the table. There are no blingy glowy bits on the top side of the mouse to waste battery either.

Unfortunately I cannot gauge the expected battery life until I’ve made prolonged use of the mouse, and the manual provided does not provide any indication as to the expected battery life nor does it mention any potential power-saving features of the mouse such as power-down due to in activity, etc (however the quick-start guide makes reference to switching off the mouse when in transit). In fact, I found it amusing to read in the manual protective advisories not to “walk on power cords” in relation to the mouse – it appears this is a generic peripheral manual that Microsoft supply with all their gear.

Anyway, I went on to test the reconnection speed of the mouse now that it was paired. I switched off the mouse for a few seconds and then turned it back on and started moving the mouse until I saw the mouse pointer moving on-screen. Disappointingly, Ubuntu did not reconnect with the mouse. In fact, I wasn’t able to reconnect to it until I had deleted the pairing and re-paired it again.

A system restart after having successfully paired the mouse earlier also failed to reconnect it when the desktop reappeared again.

EDIT August 2009: The latest version of the Bluez Bluetooth stack and the Blueman applet fixes this re-connection problem under Ubuntu Intrepid and Ubuntu Jaunty without the need to do the manual fix below.

This is contrary to previous versions of Ubuntu where reconnection occurred without a problem. As it turns out, the HIDD application and corresponding hcid.conf file are not employed anymore by Ubuntu Intrepid, having been replaced by the Bluetooth applet we’re using today. It appears Intrepid does not actively scan for Bluetooth devices to “re-activate” them upon a restart.

So with that in mind, I tried issuing the following command in a terminal:

$ sudo hciconfig hci0 pscan

…which tells my Bluetooth adapter at hci0 to switch to “scanning” mode. Within about 10 seconds, the mouse pointer started moving again!

Another reboot still failed to have the mouse reconnect automatically again, so I decided to add the command into my /etc/rc.local file which is executed every time the system reboots.

Edit it with:

$ sudo gedit /etc/rc.local

…and in the editor, add it anywhere BEFORE the last exit 0 line, eg:

#!/bin/sh -e
#
# rc.local
#
# This script is executed at the end of each multiuser runlevel.
# Make sure that the script will "exit 0" on success or any other
# value on error.
#
# In order to enable or disable this script just change the execution
# bits.
#
# By default this script does nothing.

sudo hciconfig hci0 pscan
exit 0

Save your changes and reboot. When the system restarted, the mouse still failed to move, however turning the mouse off and then on again without another reboot did make the mouse start moving again within 10 seconds, so the reconnection process relies on the rodent’s current connection status to be “deleted” before Ubuntu will reconnect to it. This is annoying, but for the moment switching the mouse off and then on is a helluva lot less painful than having to delete and re-pair the mouse manually every reboot. A number of bug reports have already been listed on Launchpad in relation to this problem, so no doubt it will be rectified in due course.

Conclusion

This is a reasonably comfortable, sturdy mouse with a robust feel to it that I believe would survive being knocked about a few times. It is compact and does not have unnecessary design features that would waste battery life. It meets the requirements to be portable and is simple to use.

The manual is generic and not very helpful in relation to the nature of the product (with the exception of the quick-start guide), however I think in this day and age most people have a good basic understanding of mouse concepts to not need a manual.

I’d have liked to have been given a written reference to the expected battery life, and it would have been nice to have a plug-in USB recharge feature or a docking station of some sort, however such features would have increased the cost of the product.

While not a feature-rich mouse in general given the target audience for a simple “it just works” device, this is a great value-for-money product and I would have no hesitation in recommending it to prospective users. At AUD$45, it’s a bargain compared to its nearest rivals who list for AUD$65 or more for the same featureset.

Review score: 8 out of 10

So, to that end, here is an update to my previous HowTo for connecting a Bluetooth mobile phone to Ubuntu Gusty or Ubuntu Hardy.

EDIT August 2009: If you are wanting to connect your phone using Ubuntu Jaunty or later, you should follow these updated instructions instead of this article.

Pre-requisites:

• Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone (I’m using a Nokia N95 in this guide).
• USB Bluetooth adapter or PC with built-in Bluetooth such as a modern-day notebook. Your adapter must be Bluetooth 1.2 compliant or higher.
• A PC with Ubuntu Linux 8.10 Intrepid Ibex installed.

Difficulty level: Mind-bogglingly easy. Point and click, essentially!

1. First, plug in your USB Bluetooth adapter or enable it on your notebook. Ubuntu should recognise it immediately with no need for additional drivers. You can optionally confirm that by jumping into a terminal as issuing the lsusb command to list your USB devices:

   $ lsusb | grep tooth
   Bus 001 Device 005: ID 1310:0001 Roper Class 1 Bluetooth Dongle
   $

2. You’ll be happy to know that Ubuntu comes pre-installed with everything you need to get Bluetooth running, and if the driver is loaded successfully, you will see a Bluetooth icon appear in your system tray, awaiting your bidding.
   .



3. Do a single left-mouse click on the Bluetooth icon and a menu appears showing “Setup new device…”.
   .
   



4. Once you choose the menu option, the Bluetooth Device Wizard will appear.
   .
   
   .
   
5. Click Forward and your system will begin scanning for local Bluetooth devices. Whatever it finds will be shown in the list (note that this may take a few seconds to update). One of them should be your Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone (which will initially appears as its MAC address, but then after a few seconds will change to the name assigned to that device). If you cannot see your phone after a few seconds, make sure that Bluetooth is enabled on your handset and try again from Step 3.
   .
   
   .
   
   
6. Select your phone and his Forward. Ubuntu will then generate a random PIN number and commence a pairing request with your phone. Your phone handset, meantime, should immediately prompt you to enter the randomly-generated PIN number.
   .
   
   .
   
7. Once you have entered the PIN code on your phone, Ubuntu will complete the pairing request and that’s it – pairing done!
   .
   
   .
   
8. Now we can start doing things, such as file transfers. Go back to the Bluetooth icon in your System Tray and this time do a single right-mouse click on it. A new menu appears. Go to “Browse files on device…”.
   .
   
   .
9. You will be asked which of your paired Bluetooth devices you wish to browse. Choose your phone from the list and click the “Connect” button.
   .
   
   .
   
10. After a brief delay, a Nautilus window should pop up showing your phone’s “drives”. In the case of my Nokia N95, the phone’s internal memory is presented a Windows-esque C: drive and the memory card is presented as E: drive. What appears here is ultimately down to how your phone manufacturer has implemented the filesystem.
    .
    
    .
11. At this time, an icon for your phone will also be added to your desktop (I use a custom icon on mine):
    .
    
    .
12. Browse and copy files as normal. When you are done, you should disconnect your phone by unmounting it with the Unmount or Eject right-mouse menu options (or the Eject icon next to your phone’s name in the Bookmark list).
    .
    
    .
13. And that’s it! Pat yourself on the back. Job done.

This guide is based on the guides at Ubuntu Forums with some modifications to be more step-explicit and thus newbie-friendly. This is a re-post of my guide from Overclockers Australia with updates and screenshots.

Purpose: To play your audio such as MP3′s and movie output through a Bluetooth-connected audio headset.

Scenario: You are too lazy to plug in a cable to your PC. You want to walk around your house without a long cable after you. You want to look cool to your mates. You want to psyche out your non-tech parents by listening to music without any audio device or cables attached to you. Problem is, very few Linux apps have direct support for directing sound to any other device.

Solution: Redirect all audio using the PulseAudio Server on Ubuntu Hardy.

Prerequisites:

• Bluetooth interface to your PC. This can be inbuilt, such as on a modern notebook PC, or a USB dongle such as the one I use. Your adapter must support Bluetooth 1.2 or higher.
• Ubuntu Hardy 8.04 (I’m using 8.04.1 64-bit in this example).
• Internet access or other such access to the Ubuntu repositories to install extra software from.
• Suitable Bluetooth headset. The unit I bought is a TDK BT100 pair of buds. Supports Bluetooth 1.2 and 2.0, does headset, handsfree A2DP and AVRCP functions (typical function set of any headset/handsfree unit these days). Though the sound quality of these things isn’t that great, it was only $49 at my local PC shop. You can get cheaper units through sites such as Catch of the Day

Pros:

• You are cable free! You can walk around the house (as far as the range of your Bluetooth adapter goes) and listen to music/movies.
• If your headset also has a mic, you can use that too for VOIP apps and the like.

Cons:

• A Bluetooth headset is generally more expensive than a cabled one.
• Most headset batteries only last four hours in continuous use before needing a recharge (though the TDK unit I have plugs into mini-USB to recharge and can still be used whilst recharging, which is convenient).
• Audio quality is generally not as good as a dedicated cabled headset.
• For those headsets that have battery-saving functions when idle, some are known to clip the start of the audio playback when turning back on (my set causes Ubuntu to wait until it’s up and running before streaming the audio, thus no clipping).
• There are some known issues with using this method with 32-bit Skype under 64-bit Ubuntu, which I won’t go into detail here (since I don’t use Skype). Refer to the Ubuntu Forums for more details about it.
• At least on my headset, there is an ever-so-slight delay in audio sync when watching video.

These instructions should be adaptable to other distributions.

1. Fire up/install Ubuntu as normal.
2. Plug in or enable your Bluetooth adapter. Your Bluetooth adapter will be automatically detected and drivers loaded – there is nothing for you to do manually here.
3. If you have NEVER used Bluetooth on your Ubuntu setup before, then go to the next step, otherwise skip to Step 11 because you’re probably already setup properly.
4. Get into a terminal.
5. Verify that your Bluetooth adapter is running with:

   $ hciconfig -a

   If you get details about hci0 listed including manufacturer’s name, then your adapter is working.

6. Type in the following to edit your Bluetooth configuration file:

   $ sudo gedit /etc/bluetooth/hcid.conf

   This will bring up the Bluetooth configuration into the GEdit text editor.

7. Near the top of the file you will see the following:

   # HCId options
   options {
          # Automatically initialise new devices
          autoinit yes;
   
          # Security Manager mode
          #   none - Security manager disabled
          #   auto - Use local PIN for incoming connections
          #   user - Always ask user for a PIN
          #
          security user;

   Change the security user line to security auto

8. A few lines beneath this is a section that reads as follows:

          # Default PIN code for incoming connections
          passkey "1234";
   

   Change the 1234 to something else, eg: 4493. This is the pin number required for other Bluetooth devices to connect to you and it would be insecure to leave it at the default.

9. Save and exit.
10. Now restart Bluetooth by typing in:

    $ sudo /etc/init.d/bluetooth restart

    When you do this, an informational bubble will appear in your task bar saying <hostname>-0 Device has been made connectable, eg: if your PC’s name is “gordon”, the message would say “gordon-0 Device has been made connectable”.

11. Turn on your Bluetooth headset, but don’t go into pairing mode just yet.
12. In your terminal, type in the following:

    $ hcitool scan

    Your PC will now scan for local Bluetooth devices and your headset should appear in the resulting list after a few seconds (along with anyone’s Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones that are in range). The output will look something like:

    $ hcitool scan
    Scanning ...
           00:11:22:AA:BB:CC        Nokia N95
           00:33:44:DD:EE:FF        BT81
    $
    

    In this example, my PC has found my Nokia mobile phone and my Bluetooth headset and shown me the MAC addresses for both of them.

    NOTE: If your headset does NOT appear, you probably already have it paired with something else, like your mobile phone. In this case, switch the headset to pairing mode and then run the scan again.

13. Highlight and copy the MAC address of the headset to the clipboard using your mouse and CTRL + SHIFT + C.
14. Now type in:

    $ gedit ~/.asoundrc

    Note the period before “asoundrc”. This will create a new hidden text file called .asoundrc in the root of your Home directory and open GEdit so you can add to it. The file is hidden because of the leading period.

15. In the text editor, type in the following, replacing the MAC address with the one you copied earlier (paste with CTRL + V):

    pcm.btheadset {
      type bluetooth
      device 00:33:44:DD:EE:FF
      profile "auto"
    }
    

    NOTE: In this example, I am naming the device “btheadset”. Yopu can put anything you like here, but avoid using just the word “bluetooth” as depending on your distro, you may find that word is reserved.

16. Save and exit.
17. Now type in:

    $ sudo hciconfig hci0 voice 0x0060
    $ sudo modprobe snd_bt_sco
    $ sudo modprobe sco

    This will enable the sound transport on your Bluetooth adapter and load the modules necessary to carry Bluetooth audio. Note that the two modprobe lines will only enable Bluetooth audio temporarily until you reboot. If you would like to load the drivers automatically on each boot, we need to add the modules to the /etc/modules file as follows:

    $ sudo gedit /etc/modules

    Scroll right to the bottom and add the following two lines right on the end:

    snd_bt_sco
    sco

    Save & exit.

18. Now we need to tell PulseAudio that your Bluetooth headset exists:

    $ pactl load-module module-alsa-sink device=btheadset
    $ pactl load-module module-alsa-source device=btheadset

    Again this enables your Bluetooth headset for PulseAudio only temporarily. To enable it permanently, we would normally create a new file using gedit ~/.pulse/default.pa and paste the two lines above into it and then save, however I’ve found that this tends to break PulseAudio because the bonding of your headset needs to have occured before issuing the above commands, or PulseAudio refuses to start upon reboot. To keep using your Bluetooth headset, you need to execute these commands manually after booting up and pairing. Probably the easiest is to knock up a quick shell script as follows:
    

    $ gedit "~/Desktop/Setup my headset.sh"

    …and in the blank text editor, type in the following:
    

    #!/bin/bash
    $ pactl load-module module-alsa-sink device=btheadset
    $ pactl load-module module-alsa-source device=btheadset

    Save it, exit and then make it executable with:

    $ chmod a+x "~/Desktop/Setup my headset.sh"
    

    Now you can double-click it on the desktop.

19. We’re almost ready to pair with the headset and hear some basic audio, but before we do that, do a right-mouse click on the Bluetooth icon in your system tray and choose “Preferences”.
    
20. Now click on the Services tab and ensure Audio Service is enabled. If not, check the box and then close the window.

    

    Bluetooth Services Preferences

21. Now type in:

    $ cat /proc/asound/cards

    …and you should see output similar to the following:

     0 [Intel          ]: HDA-Intel - HDA Intel
                          HDA Intel at 0xea400000 irq 22
     1 [Headset        ]: Bluetooth SCO - BT Headset
                          BT Headset 1

    This shows us that the system is ready to use the Bluetooth headset as device 1 (but we haven’t paired it yet, so technically it won’t be able to use it just yet).

22. The best way to trigger a pairing is to provoke the unit into a response as the normal methods don’t always work. Switch your headset into pairing mode (refer to your headset’s manual).
23. While the headset it in pairing mode, type in the following:

    $ aplay -D btheadset -f s16_le /usr/share/sounds/login.wav

    This will attempt direct communication with your headset, and within a second or so, an information bubble will appear under the Bluetooth icon in the system tray asking you for the PIN number to access the headset.

    

    Pairing Request to Headset

24. Click on the “Enter passkey” button to enter the PIN and then type it in. For most headsets, the PIN is 0000, but refer to your headset’s manual.
    

    Pairing with Bluetooth Headset Complete

    Ubuntu should soon after confirm that it has “bonded” with the headset and you should suddenly hear the familiar Ubuntu login sound play through your headset! Hooray! We have sound!

    Unfortunately only Aplay will play anything through your headset. All other sounds are still coming through your speakers. Unless the application in question can redirect audio to another detected device, it will always play through the standard-out, so applications such as Totem and Rhythmbox will still output via your speakers and not give a hoot about your Bluetooth headset. To fix this, we need to make use of the PulseAudio Server which can redirect output to another device.

25. The PulseAudio Server is already installed by default in Ubuntu Hardy, so we just need to install some tools to manipulate it. Go back to your terminal and type in the following:

    $ sudo apt-get install paprefs paman padevchooser

    This will install the PulseAudio Preferences GUI app, the PulseAudio Manager GUI app and the PulseAudio Device Chooser GUI app.

26. Go to Applications->Sound & Video->PulseAudio Device Chooser. This will add a black microphone jack icon to your system tray.
27. Do a left-click on the jack icon and a menu appears. In this menu, choose “Manager”. A new window appears.
    

    PulseAudio System Tray Menu

28. If it’s not already connected, click on the “Connect” button to connect to your local PulseAudio server. When connected, you will see details about it listed.
    

    PulseAudio Manager

29. Click on the Devices tab. Under “Sinks” you should see an entry for “alsa_output.btheadset”. This is picked up directly from your ~/.asoundrc file.
    

    PulseAudio Device List

30. Now go to the Sample Cache tab. At the bottom is a “Playback on” drop-down. Choose alsa_output.btheadset from this list and click on the Play button. You should hear the Ubuntu login sound through your headset. This proves to us that PulseAudio can play through your Bluetooth headset (but this is NOT the redirection – this is just a test).
    

    PulseAudio Sample Cache

31. Close the PulseAudio Manager.
32. Do another left-click on the mic jack icon in your system tray.
33. Go to “Default Sink” and then choose “Other” from the sub-menu. A window appears.
34. In this window, type in “alsa_output.bluetooth” and click OK.
    

    Choosing PulseAudio Sink

35. Play a sound from somewhere, eg: MP3 or movie in Totem. You should now hear your audio coming through your Bluetooth headset!
36. To switch back to your speakers, simply click on the mic jack icon again, choose “Default Sink” and choose “Default” from the sub-menu. The next audio stream played will go back through your speakers.
37. To make the PulseAudio Device Chooser start automatically on startup, click on the mic jack icon again, choose Preferences from the menu and then click on “Start applet on Session Login” in the window.
    

    PulseAudio Startup Prefs

38. Enjoy!

Connecting your phone via Bluetooth has many advantages including basic file transfer and synchronising your phone contacts and calendar with your PIM.

But how do you do it? If you’ve never had any idea how to do connect something via Bluetooth, then read this guide. It is based on the guide on LinuxQuestions.org, but with some minor changes to make it easier for novices. You can read the original guide here otherwise step inside my office.

Prerequisites:

• Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone (I used a Nokia N95 in this guide).
• USB Bluetooth adapter or PC with built-in Bluetooth such as a modern notebook. Your adapter must be Bluetooth 1.2 compliant or higher.
• Ubuntu Linux (this guide was built using Gutsy Gibbon 7.10 but also works for Hardy Heron 8.04). NOTE: If you are using Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex or later, you should use this guide instead.

Difficulty level: Easy-peasy. Your pet rock could do this.

1. First, plug in your USB Bluetooth adapter or enable it on your notebook. Ubuntu should recognise it immediately with no need for additional drivers. You can confirm that by jumping into a terminal as issuing the lsusb command to list your USB devices:

   $ lsusb | grep tooth
   Bus 001 Device 005: ID 1310:0001 Roper Class 1 Bluetooth Dongle
   $

2. You’ll be happy to know that Ubuntu comes pre-installed with everything you need to get Bluetooth running (but not the apps to run on top of it), so it’s just a case of configuring it. Open up the /etc/bluetooth/hcid.conf file in your favourite text editor:

   $ sudo nano /etc/bluetooth/hcid.conf

   …and look for the line that has “security user” in it and change it to “security auto”.

3. Now we need to change the security PIN number. By default Ubuntu uses “1234″ which is obviously not very secure. Scroll further down until you see a line with “passkey “1234″;” and change the number to be any preferred PIN, eg: if you wanted to use 1337 as your PIN, you’d change the line to look like:

   passkey "1337";

4. Save and close the file.
5. Now we restart the Bluetooth services to read our changed configuration with:

   $ sudo /etc/init.d/bluetooth restart

   …and your PC is now ready for being connected to.

6. It is easier to pair from the phone than it is from the PC, so grab yer phone and open up the Bluetooth Connections option. On my Nokia N95, this is Menu->Tools->Bluetooth. Ensure that Bluetooth is turned on.
7. Open your “paired devices” list and select the menu option to add a new device. Allow the phone to begin a search and your PC should come up on your phone with a “-0″ on the end of the name. Eg: If your PC was called “gordon”, it would appear on your phone as “gordon-0″.
8. Choose your PC’s name in the list. After a second you should get prompted for your PC’s PIN number. Enter the one you did earlier.
9. Once connected, your phone may ask you if you want to authorise your PC to make automatic connections to your phone without prompting. Choose what you’d prefer here.
10. We’re nearly done! Ubuntu Hardy users do NOT need to do this step. For Ubuntu Gutsy users ONLY, to get file transfer support going. Open a terminal and enter:

    $ sudo apt-get install gnome-bluetooth

11. Next we need to install a quick workaround for a bug in gnome-bluetooth that affects Bluetooth 1.1 devices. We need to set your Bluetooth adapter back into inquiry results mode so it can find remote devices properly. This has to be executed everytime you restart, so we’re going to add it to the /etc/rc.local file:

    $ sudo nano /etc/rc.local

12. This is a short file where the last line reads “exit 0″. Above this line enter:

    hciconfig hci0 inqmode 0

    …and then save and exit.

13. Reboot your PC.
14. If you are using Ubuntu Gutsy: Go to Applications->Accessories->Bluetooth File Sharing. An icon will appear in your tray ready to accept incoming file transfer requests from your phone. To transfer files from your phone to Ubuntu, simply grab your phone and “Send via Bluetooth”. If your PC and phone are paired, the transfer will happen without confirmation and get put into your Home directory. If you are not paired, then Ubuntu will prompt you to accept the transfer.If you are using Ubuntu Hardy: Things are even simpler. Up in your system tray is a Bluetooth icon. Simply do a right-mouse click on this icon and choose either “Send File…” (see below) or “Browse Device…” (step 15).
    

    Bluetooth in the System Tray

    “Send File…” will bring up a file requester for you to choose a file from. This is what you want to send to your phone.

    

    File Requester

    Once chosen, you will then be prompted for what Bluetooth device you want to send to. Select your mobile phone from the list and click “Connect”.

    

    Bluetooth Device Selection

    The File Transfer window will appear showing you the progress of your transferred file. Once complete, your phone should acknowledge the file transfer by advertising that it received a new message like an SMS. Cool, huh?

    

    Transferring a file via Bluetooth

15. Choosing “Browse Device…” from the Bluetooth icon menu will make the device selection window appear. Choose your mobile phone from the list and click on “Connect”.
    

    Bluetooth Device Selection

16. After a brief delay, a Nautilus window will pop up showing you your phone’s memory as drives. In my case, my phone’s internal memory and its memory card appear as two separate drives, presented in the Windows style of C: and E: drives. This allows you to browse your phone as though it were any ordinary USB flash or hard-drive. You can perform all the standard drag & drop or copy & paste file operations now.
    

    Browsing my phone via Bluetooth

17. Finally, you will notice on your desktop a new icon for your phone which will open a Nautilus window when clicked on. I made a custom icon for my Nokia using a reference photo.
    

    My Nokia N95

    That’s essentially it! You are now a Bluetooth pro.

The link to the original LinuxQuestions.org guide also has additional instructions for creating a Launcher to transfer files dropped on its icon to any Bluetooth device and also instructions for hooking up a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard. Worth a read.