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Finally! 3Com releases its Bluetooth print adapter.

It was around December last year that 3Com first began demonstrating a neat gadget which plugs into the parallel port of your printer - and into nothing else. It was a Bluetooth dongle.

Since then, Epson and Ricoh, printer makers, have both promised to equip printers with Bluetooth ports, so that any PC which can transmit via Bluetooth can send documents to the printer wirelessly - and 3Com has been polishing its nails and sharpening its teeth.

Finally, after a delay without any explanations as to what was going on, we've got not just a Bluetooth adapter, but a complete 3Com Wireless Bluetooth Printing Kit, described as "ideal for first-time wireless users in business or home networks."

Reading between the lines isn't hard; the previous 3Com Bluetooth devices were given rave reviews when they worked - but all too many users couldn't get that far. Frustrated PC owners spoke of discovering that the PCMCIA PC Card adapter had created a ghost comms port, using Comm5, and a sort of dial-up networking setup which, it turned out, didn't work unless it did.

So it would seem that usability has been what they've been working on, "because practicality and simplicity are the solution's key design elements, featuring several built-in capabilities for ease of use and ownership," says the press release.

According to the blurb, "the 3Com Bluetooth Connection Manager gives users an intuitive interface for discovering and connecting to other Bluetooth devices – it only takes a few clicks on icons to connect seamlessly."

The 3Com Wireless Bluetooth Printing Kit (3CRBB0196) is available immediately in the UK for $250 (the US list price). It includes one 3Com Wireless Bluetooth USB Adapter and one 3Com Wireless Bluetooth Parallel-Port Printer Adapter. Additional 3Com Wireless Bluetooth USB Adapters (3CREB96) and 3Com Wireless Bluetooth PC Cards (3CRWB6096) are available individually for $149.

Irritatingly, if you already have a Bluetooth device for your PC, you can't use that to print; you need the full monty from 3Com, not just the printer adapter.