bluecrap

i've recently bought two of the cheapest usb bluetooth modules i could find. the purpose was to a) hack into the pcb and use an uart instead of usb or b) use the usb whole and build a host in case (a) fails. and presto, cheap bulltooth for embedded projects.

what i've got:
btw, you also cannot change the MAC/BD addr. I mean, you can edit it, but it won't change. Which is understandable, because after all that's a virtual net adapter over the bluecrap device. But you also cannot change that from anywhere else. That's right. All devices have the same 11:11:11:11:11:11 address, which of course makes them noninteroperable. Fun.
Note that one can compile the bdaddr that comes with blueZ and use that. Problem solved.
FYI, IVT makes the driver and application, and the hardware is pretty common: ISSC chips, the pcb is identical to the one (currently) seen on wikipedia (the one with a lot of unpopulated parts) and it just has a different plastic cover.

Rants aside, I think the picture perfectly exemplifies the concept of designing software and writing code with one or both hands inside one's underpants, a concept that I am trying to raise awareness towards. That is the sole reason I posted it.