What can I do with Bluetooth on my laptop or PC?

You can connect to a Bluetooth printer. You can use Bluetooth headphones, or a headphone microphone combination. You can use a wireless mouse. Lots of things!

Even your cellphones and transfer photos to and from them without having to connect them with a hardwire.

You can have the computers “talk” to each other and share files when they’re in range of each other. That is, without using email or network connections they can communicate via Bluetooth.

You can also transfer photos and other files from phones to computers, or vice versa, without having to send them via valuable air time.

Ah, so it’s analogous to using walkie-talkies instead of cell phones?

I was aware of the usage of Bluetooth with cell phones and headsets for hands-free calling, so I was wondering how Bluetooth would be useful to laptops. Now I know. Thanks, everybody.

However, if I’ve already set up a home wireless network (with router, wireless printer, etc.) and Windows homegroups, Bluetooth would be of little use to me as long as I’m within range of the router, right?

It’s a short distance wireless network connection independent of the LAN connection.

Think of it like wifi, only with shorter range and on a different channel. While the technical details are different, the actual uses (connecting printers, transferring files…) are the same.

There are some things like headsets (most useful for us gamers) and some keyboards/mice that use bluetooth, so having both can be useful, depending on your setup. But odds are that you won’t use the Bluetooth; I rarely use it myself.

You can connect a:
Bluetooth printer
Bluetooth mouse or keyboard
Bluetooth headphones
Bluetooth speakers

Connect to a cell phone to share ringtones,mp3s, pictures

Share music and files with another computer that also has Bluetooth