Is it possible (and how) to use a computer headset (or speakers+mic) as a hands-free device for my mobile? I bought a bluetooth-dongle but I couldn't get it to work yet. I think I already set this up on an older version of Ubuntu on my laptop.
I'm using Ubuntu 10.10, the phone is an android 2.2 (but I think this doesn't matter) and the bluetooth device is a Integrated System Solution Corp. Bluetooth Device (according to lsusb).
EDIT: I found a project that seams to do just what I want: http://nohands.sourceforge.net. I tried to install it on my laptop but it didn't work. I'll try it again on my computer at home and post a description as soon as it works (or any of you guys could post a solution if you're faster;)
Edit2: I was able to connect my phone, but somehow the audio doesn't work. I think the program has troubles with pulseaudio, as the soundtest fails. Any ideas?
Edit3: I'm still trying to get this to work. I might buy another bluetooth dongle. ATM I'm able to dial numbers in hfconsole - that's all. Somehow I'm shure there is a way to get this to work!
I know that some bluetooth devices will not connect with a phone I used to have. There seems to be some incompatibilities between different BT devices, and there is not much that could be done there. So far, Bluetooth was more trouble that it was worth it. I also had issues with such keyboards that would always disconnect.
I know this is not the answer you are looking for, but this might be a fact, and unless you can hac the Bluetooth connection, or change bluetooth-related internal settings, you may not be able to do anything.
Bluetooth is a technology based around specifications and profiles. According to the official Bluetooth site many features of the core specification are not required, but are optional. Furthermore, product differentiation is furthered by the use of profiles.
Not all devices support all profiles or are made to support them. For example, my Motorola Rokr S9 headset supports the Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP), the Headset Profile, and the Hands-Free Profile. The later two are used for telephone handsfree.
With that said, the first thing to determine is whether your phone and your headphone support the same Core Specification level (ie 2.0, 2.1, 3.0, 4.0) and whether or not it supports the proper profiles. To do so you would need to check with the documentation on the headset and/or with the manufacturer.
If the necessary Profiles or Core Spec is not met, then there is no way to use the computer headset with your mobile.
Official Bluetooth Technology Info Site
have you thought about using Google Voice or Skype type applications for your mobile to forward the calls to your PC skype/Voice application?
Hey thank you so much. Because of your post I found HFP for Linux. I was so sick of switching headsets all the time. Anyway, my solution is to use OSS instead of ALSA. Sounds stupid but it works:
I'm using a thinkpad T61p, ubuntu 10.04 with a Nexus One android phone. The whole solution can be found in my blog: http://rebusdigitalis.blogspot.com/2011/03/using-your-phone-from-your-computer-via_15.html
The nohands project seems to be abandoned, but that's no problem:
It jutst works out of the box with recent (19.10 here) Versions of Ubuntu.
Just pair your computer with the smartphone and configure input and output sound devices accordingly (the default on my laptop was to use the smartphone as input and output which is exactly not what's useful for this scenario). After I changed this to Output: Headphones (Built in audio) and Input: Microphone (Built in audio) it just works.
i have a HTC tattoo (using android 1.6) and i was able to use my laptop(dell inspiron n 5010) as a bluetooth headset using windows 7. so i know that this is posible with most android phones. what i dont know is if this trick can work on ubuntu