ToggleBTh

I didn't think much of BlueTooth at first. But headsets and stereo headphones are changing my opinion. I still don't believe the technology will align the planets and bring about world peace, as its proponents tend to claim, but I am finding it useful. However, since it uses battery power, I only turn it on when I'm actually using it. So I wrote this simple program to make that easy. If BTh is currently on, running the program will turn it off. If it's off, running the program will turn it on.

Now the caveats. This will only work on PocketPCs and Smartphones that use the Microsoft BlueTooth software. Unfortunately, many PocketPC vendors and one Smartphone one have decided to use different Bluetooth software that doesn't let developers write programs for it. If you have a device with that software, this program isn't going to work. There's no easy way to tell which BTh software you have. Your best bet is to just run the program and see if it works. This code also uses .net, so your device needs to be running Windows Mobile 2003 or later.

Here's a hint for Smartphone users. Use Active Sync->Explore to put the program in Windows\Start Menu\Accessories. Then, from the phone, navigate there, highlight ToggleBth, hit Menu, and choose "Add Speed Dial." I put this on speed dial 2. That lets me turn BTh on and off by just going to the home page and holding the 2 key for a second.

This program is freeware, but if you give it to anyone, you must also give them an unchanged copy of the included readme file. You may not make money in any way from distributing this program unless you first get consent from me. If you really want to "pay" me in some way, get three friends to start reading my free science fiction serial, The Daily Dose.

Michael P. Calligaro