Develop Bugs

I need a keyboard for my Prophet - what're my options?

Hi everyone... as I mentioned in the title, I need a keyboard for my Prophet, and I'm not quite sure as to what the possibilities are in terms of connections...
Can I use PS2 or USB via an adapter to Mini-USB? Or am I limited to Bluetooth keyboards? Any suggestions as to certain models?
Thanks in advance!

PS2-USB / USB keyboard is certainly a no no. Bluetooth is definately workable, but I think there are these IR keyboard as well. Do a ebay check on these.. there are some for PDA in general, but maybe works for Prophet. Have a try.

Hmmm, I suppose the USB-Nono is because of the missing USB Host in the Prophet? Or is there something I'm missing?
The problem with Bluetooth keyboards, of course, is that they're so expensive... does the Apple Bluetooth keyboard work with the Prophet? It's pretty much the cheapest one available over here in Germany (~60 Euros).

Yes, the missing USB host. And yes, bluetooth keyboards are expensive and you also have the issue of having another device to charge.
I'm not sure about the Apple bluetooth keyboard .. as it being an Apple product, which is quite 'close' (i.e. you can't use the Apple USB mouse/keyboard on a PC, I think). You'll need to do you own research.

hanmin said:
I'm not sure about the Apple bluetooth keyboard .. as it being an Apple product, which is quite 'close' (i.e. you can't use the Apple USB mouse/keyboard on a PC, I think). You'll need to do you own research.
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Untrue. Apple keyboards and mice have worked in Windows since about Win 98. I know they work in XP for a fact, no additional drivers required.
I think that as long as any bluetooth keyboard supports the HID profile, it will work in our Windows Mobile devices.

I've attempted to pair my Apple BT keyboard with both my Treo 750v and my HTC Advantage (both WM5).
In both cases, the pairing works OK and the keyboard offers the "Input Device" service. However, I can't get the keyboard to actually do anything beyond this point. The bluetooth icon on the 750v shows that bluetooth is inactive and it doesn't keep a live connection open to the keyboard.
I don't know that it is anything to do with the Apple keyboard but I've not used other BT keyboards to know how it should work. The keyboard pairs and operates perfectly fine with my PS3, for instance, so I don't think it is in any way the device doing anything strange.
How do you get normal HID compliant BT keyboards to work with WM5?

I just got a perfect keyboard for my Prophet last December.
Its a Think Outside (Igo) stowaway BT keyboard. Got it for $30 from amazon.com during Xmas sale. Right now they sell it for around $60.
It works perfectly and it has a PDA stand built in which fits the Prophet nicely. I cannot stress more about the ease of use and quality of the keyboard which is very close compare to laptop keyboard.
I like the power management feature which turns on the keyboard automatically when you open it up and then turns off when you fold it or after there is no activity for certain period of time. It uses two AAA batteries, I wish it uses rechargeable battery with the same mini USB port like the prophet. But so far, I'm impressive with the battery life.
I do not how long the battery will last, but it has been a month and the battery is still good.

Question- Anyone using a BT keyboard?

Hi,
I´m thinking about a BT mini keyboard. Someone is already using a BT keyboard? Is it working properly?
Thanks in advance.

I'm using the Apple Bluetooth keyboard ($69 most places) and when it pairs it works well. I had some issues with pairing where it wouldn't do it a second time until I changed some setting on the tablet. When it works, it works well except for the directional keys. I wish there was a way to remap those so they make more sense. LOL
I should add, I bought several other keyboards, and this one was the best in both size and quality. I bought a Zippy and those chicklet sized keys were horrible (but it was cool to be able to pair it with other devices and soft-switch between BT devices). I also tried two of those folding ones and found out real quick how much those suck when you are trying to type on a keyboard on your lap. One didn't have a "lock" mechanism, so it just folded and made a V shape when in use. The other one had some flimsy plastic mechanism to lock it which lasted about 20 minutes...and I'm a soft-touch typer. If you tend to beat on your keys, that would last about 20 seconds. LOL
On a side note, I do find it somewhat funny that I buy an Apple keyboard to work on an Android device...kind of like forcing a Hatfield and a McCoy to get married.

Update:
I am noticing some problems with the Archos 101 and a bluetooth keyboard. It seems I can either have bluetooth on and paired, or wireless on and connected, but when both are active it seems to really have problems. Dropping the keyboard, not able to connect to the router, etc. Turning either off resolves the issue for the other.
On a side note, it also trashed a whole slew of files I had on my MicroSD card...

Motorola Bluetooth Keyboard

I just bought the Motorola Bluetooth Keyboard at Best Buy. It paired easily with my GT 10.1. I did some test typing and so far it seems to work just fine. I detect no delay in keyboard response, even when the keyboard goes into sleep mode.
The Android specific keys (back, home, search, menu) work well. One oddity is that the keyboard has an "End" key, but no "Home" key for moving the cursor. However, you can use Alt-Left for Home and Alt-Right for End. Alt-Up goes to the top of the page and Alt-Down to the bottom.
There is one key that I haven't figured out yet. It is to the left of the "End" key, in the top row. The symbol is three horizontal lines. Anyone have a clue?
The keyboard feels like it has a bit too much resistance when typing. Comparing it to the full size keyboard that I'm using now on my PC, it probably is no worse than this keyboard. I guess it just feels that way because the Motorola has chicklet keys, which don't have as much travel as a full size keyboard. I'm sure I'll get used to it.
Speaking of full size keyboards, the Motorola looks like it has the same spacing as a full size keyboard, not the smaller spacing that most netbooks have.
The keyboard feels solid and does not flex when typing. Between the rubber feet and the weight of the batteries, this thing doesn't slide around the table.
I also looked at the Logitech Bluetooth keyboard (same price). I decided on the Motorola because it has a separate row of function keys above the numbers.
You get no stand with the Motorola. This isn't an issue with me, as I have the Samsung cover, which doubles as a stand. The Motorola comes with two AA Duracell alkalines.
I have a cheap padded zipper case that is made for a 10 inch netbook. The keyboard does fit into this, but is a snug fit. I can carry both the keyboard and the GT in this padded case.
I probably wouldn't have gotten a Bluetooth keyboard yet, but I had a $50 gift card. I actually went to BB to get the USB dongle, but they couldn't find them. The computer showed stock, but they were nowhere to be found.
I am pleased with my purchase. The keyboard is well made and works great. BTW, it is a Bluetooth HID profile device, so it should work with non-Android devices as well.

They had this keyboard on sale for $48 from 12 midnight to 8 am this past Wednesday on BestBuy's website.
I wish I would have gotten it. I am getting better at using the on-screen keyboard, so I wonder if I would have used the physical keyboard as much.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk

The key you're referring to is the equivalent of tapping the menu button on your Android device.
BTW: I've had problems pairing this with a Samsung Galaxy SII running stock v2.3.5 firmware. Even when activating the HID device mode by holding down the V, A, and R keys while powering on doesn't help. I tried another SII with older firmware and that worked fine. A passkey would come up which you could then respond to. Something like that happens in the newer version, but it disappears in a flash giving no chance to react. I'm hoping the upcoming ICS update will sort this out.
*Typed on my Moto BT keyboard via a PC.

You guys have seen that it's on sale for $25 on icemonkey right now, right?

[Q] Asus Transformer-like Keyboard and Mouse?

Hi everyone,
I was wondering if anyone of you know if samsung has a keyboard and mouse similar to that of the Asus Transfomer. I searched over amazon but I couldn't find anything. It is not necessarily made by Samsung, it could be made by other manufacturers.
http://cdn4.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/asus_transformer-625x499.png

Samsung has their own docking keyboard, which works fine. Next to that, as the keyboard is white, I have added a white wireless bluetooth mouse by Logitech, which works fine as well.
Who needs a laptop after that.

Doodle said:
Samsung has their own docking keyboard, which works fine. Next to that, as the keyboard is white, I have added a white wireless bluetooth mouse by Logitech, which works fine as well.
Who needs a laptop after that.
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I've seen that but what's interesting about the Asus keyboard/mouse is that it is very slim and it can be folded while if you want to hold the samsung keyboard, you will have to use a both hands maybe

No, I use it in my lap as a keyboard without needing two hands. The connection is secure. The mail advantage of the keyboard are that it has a number of special keys, and that it does charge the Tab wile inserted in the keyboard. Mail disadvantage is that it does require you to use the samsung stock software keyboard on the tab. The external keyboard requires that.

SamerBerjawi said:
Hi everyone,
I was wondering if anyone of you know if samsung has a keyboard and mouse similar to that of the Asus Transfomer. I searched over amazon but I couldn't find anything. It is not necessarily made by Samsung, it could be made by other manufacturers.
http://cdn4.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/asus_transformer-625x499.png
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If you can get your hands on this official keyboard case, this I think beats the Asus transformer in style and portability, though battery life will take a toll since it's bluetooth. Problem is, I can't see any US vendors selling it.
http://reviews.cnet.com/2300-3126_7-10008260-4.html

i got the keyboard dock as well. Went with the white one instead of the new bluetooth keyboard from samsung with a folding case since i don't wanna use bluetooth to preserve battery life.
The advantage is that its rock steady in its position and you can easily have it your lap on teh bus for example. the downside is that you can adjust the angle. although i'm fine with the angle the way it is but they could have maybe made it a bit more adjustable somehow.
i also got the official usb adapter which i use for mouse, works so far with every mouse i've tried, and its snappy!
i would recommend a wireless mouse with a tiny usb dongle instead of bluetooth. mainly due to battery life. i'm getting one myself, just using a wired mouse atm.
on another note, the usb adapter works quite well also, even tho its a bit on the large side i'm content with it. to my own surprise i plugged in my old usb saitek cyborg gamepad (looks like a x360 controller only you can switch place with the d-pad and left analogue stick) and it worked perfectly with my emulators!
one suggestion on the usb adapter tho, if you're using it for mouse you are better of plugging in the mouse first and then plugging the adapter into the keyboard dock (with mouse already plugged in). Seems like a lot less risk of breaking it that way. that's why i don't like adatpers that much, but guess it's the price to pay when you get as slick and slim tablet as the galaxy tab. no UBS port from start. still it has better placement of the pin connector than ipad for example since you can't have it netbook style in apple's keyboard dock due to that fact, but the galaxy tab becomes just like a netbook when combined with the keyboard dock.
also the keyboard dock is not a hassle to bring along on the road and it feels sturdy and well built. and it's also about half the price of the new bluetooth keyboard with case, at least here in sweden. I might get the bluetooth one for portability since it's obviously a bit less space demanding, but not much compared to the keyboard dock. but at the current price i'll hold off a bit since i'm so satisfied with my solid keyboard dock. feels good to type on too IMO.
i'll end my rant now

Jnn1 said:
If you can get your hands on this official keyboard case, this I think beats the Asus transformer in style and portability, though battery life will take a toll since it's bluetooth. Problem is, I can't see any US vendors selling it.
http://reviews.cnet.com/2300-3126_7-10008260-4.html
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I have this Samsung Folio BT Keyboard. Love it. Works very well. But for home i use the samsung charging kb dock. Love it too

What does the keyboard do that any BT KB doesn't?

Has anyone noticed anything? I keep reading how this tablet has been designed for use with the keyboard, but nothing concrete has ever been said, that I know of. Sure, it's sleek and it's magnetic and it charges from the tablet. But actual KB functionality, how is it different than, say, a Logitech K810 or any other bluetooth keyboard, especially those designed for Android, with a proper home (and sometimes recents) button?
One peeve I have always had with Android is the way it handles the US International layout. It's not the same standard MS and Apple (iOS) use. To input something like an "á" you need to press Alt. I wonder if they'll ever fix that. In the meantime I use the splendid app External Keyboard Helper, but if you're not rooted it's not 100% seamless, you need to manually select EKH in the input dialog when connecting the BT keyboard.

andy o said:
Has anyone noticed anything? I keep reading how this tablet has been designed for use with the keyboard, but nothing concrete has ever been said, that I know of. Sure, it's sleek and it's magnetic and it charges from the tablet. But actual KB functionality, how is it different than, say, a Logitech K810 or any other bluetooth keyboard, especially those designed for Android, with a proper home (and sometimes recents) button?
One peeve I have always had with Android is the way it handles the US International layout. It's not the same standard MS and Apple (iOS) use. To input something like an "á" you need to press Alt. I wonder if they'll ever fix that. In the meantime I use the splendid app External Keyboard Helper, but if you're not rooted it's not 100% seamless, you need to manually select EKH in the input dialog when connecting the BT keyboard.
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I, too, am curious about this. It is pretty cool how the keyboard kind of completes the design. However, I can't really justify spending $150 on it when I have a $20 Anker BT keyboard that works perfectly fine with my Nexus 10, and should work the same with the Pixel C.

a lot of manufacturers make accessories in an attempt to increase profits from sales, google is no different. google places a big checkmark on design issues throughout all the products it deals with. the design is what sets this keyboard apart, not the function. google even offers two designs of the keyboard. it was interesting to me that each design cost the same to the buyer when it appears from the specs that the folio would probably cost more to make.

Google should have never advertised the keyboard accessory like it was necessary when it definitely isn't. It made people think that this device would be more productive than any other android tablet when it's not. Even a iPad Air 2 with a keyboard is more productive due to tablet optimized apps than any android tablet except maybe for Samsung tablets who at least try to make interface customizations for tablet optimization.

It's worth every penny
As someone that bought the keyboard, heck I bought the Pixel BECAUSE of its keyboard - I also bought the excellent Dell 7840 and it's keyboard, and have 5 BT keyboards in various storage nooks around the house, used on my Note 10.1 or iPad original - so I know a thing or two about what I want. Oh, and I recently sold my semi-loved Chromebook Flip to help fund this beast of a tablet...
Anyway - this is the first typing experience I've had on a tablet that makes it feel like a laptop. So what, you ask? So I was looking for a great typing experience for productivity reasons. And the keyboard (not folio) delivers this in spades. Yes the design integrates perfectly with the tablet. Yes the magnetic system and charging mechanism are awesome and very Apple-like (the old Apple that designed products to JUST WORK and perform so well it was almost magic). Yes the pitch is great - no your enter key is not identical to a laptop but you can get used to it (and I am not a great typist).
The real thing that makes a difference tho? Funny enough its that dang hinge. The ability to customize the angle of your screen is HUGE. Don't underestimate the difference 5 degrees makes when you are on your lap, then on an aircraft seat table, then at a restaurant - every bit is welcome and makes the experience BETTER.
So would I recommend the keyboard? If you are ponying up for this tablet (and lets be honest there are number of good alternatives at less cost), and you intend to do any amount of typing, do not think twice - buy the keyboard at the same time - you won't regret it.
Sent from my Pixel C using Tapatalk

davedigerati said:
It's worth every penny
As someone that bought the keyboard, heck I bought the Pixel BECAUSE of its keyboard - I also bought the excellent Dell 7840 and it's keyboard, and have 5 BT keyboards in various storage nooks around the house, used on my Note 10.1 or iPad original - so I know a thing or two about what I want. Oh, and I recently sold my semi-loved Chromebook Flip to help fund this beast of a tablet...
Anyway - this is the first typing experience I've had on a tablet that makes it feel like a laptop. So what, you ask? So I was looking for a great typing experience for productivity reasons. And the keyboard (not folio) delivers this in spades. Yes the design integrates perfectly with the tablet. Yes the magnetic system and charging mechanism are awesome and very Apple-like (the old Apple that designed products to JUST WORK and perform so well it was almost magic). Yes the pitch is great - no your enter key is not identical to a laptop but you can get used to it (and I am not a great typist).
The real thing that makes a difference tho? Funny enough its that dang hinge. The ability to customize the angle of your screen is HUGE. Don't underestimate the difference 5 degrees makes when you are on your lap, then on an aircraft seat table, then at a restaurant - every bit is welcome and makes the experience BETTER.
So would I recommend the keyboard? If you are ponying up for this tablet (and lets be honest there are number of good alternatives at less cost), and you intend to do any amount of typing, do not think twice - buy the keyboard at the same time - you won't regret it.
Sent from my Pixel C using Tapatalk
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I don't doubt that the keyboard is high-quality, but that wasn't my concern. I already have very good BT keyboards and I don't mind not having the hinge. As far as I can tell, this keyboard doesn't have a home key? Does it have a "recents" key, or do you just Alt+Tab like on any other one? Right away I can see that since there's no right Alt I couldn't use US Int'l layout for Spanish characters very comfortably (imagine having to use only left Shift for caps). I would still have to use External Keyboard Helper I guess.

I think I'm in a similar situation as davedigerati. I used a Nexus 10 with a bluetooth keyboard for years previously. It was a very similar experience. At times, I'd get ddoouubbllee keys, but nothing major. Everyone can complain about the Android ecosystem, but I actually enjoy using Android w/ a keyboard (and a mouse!).
...but this keyboard 'feels' better. I'm not talking about the key action or even typing experience. The hinge and magnets makes it feel like a laptop. When I used my Nexus, I'd throw it in the laptop pouch of my backpack. My keyboard would go in the main section. With the Pixel C, it's much more like a laptop.
davedigerati said:
It's worth every penny...
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While I really like the keyboard, I'm not really sure I'm ready to say it's worth every penny. This thing was expensive! I generally have no use for backlit keyboards; the keys have all been in the same location for years....but since they've messed with some of the keys, it may have been useful. I'd take 1 month of battery life in exchange for backlit keys and some way to know the battery status.
The lack of some character keys is quite annoying. I mean, I guess I'll get used to pressing [...] + [shift] +[o] for a bracket (that took much longer to type than I'd like to admit), but it's not optimal. I'd also really appreciate a delete key or the ability to make [...] + [backspace] = delete.
Considering you can buy a nice, portable BT keyboard for around $30 and you could probably get a nice case for around $30; I'd say the Pixel C keyboard is at least worth $100. I mean, you're getting a solid keyboard that you don't have to worry about charging (ever), a ridiculously awesome magnetic hinge that functions as the best tablet stand I've ever seen, and protection for the tablet itself. It provides a nice, compact method to take both devices with you. Maybe the other $50 is covered by the aesthetics? So conflicted...

Android doesn't display the virtual "touch keyboard" when a hardware keyboard is detected and because of that, what's unique with the Pixel C keyboard is that the OS "knows" when to activate the hardware keyboard and not, depending on its position relatively to the tablet.

kgersen said:
Android doesn't display the virtual "touch keyboard" when a hardware keyboard is detected and because of that, what's unique with the Pixel C keyboard is that the OS "knows" when to activate the hardware keyboard and not, depending on its position relatively to the tablet.
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You mean if it's attached or not? Any BT keyboard will do the same when it's connected or disconnected. Android will activate the soft keys when the BT keyboard is no longer connected. For instance, with the Microsoft Foldable keyboard, I fold it, and Android enables the soft keys. I open it, and they get disabled. There is also a toggle to enable soft keys with the BT keyboard connected if you want.

andy o said:
You mean if it's attached or not? Any BT keyboard will do the same when it's connected or disconnected. Android will activate the soft keys when the BT keyboard is no longer connected. For instance, with the Microsoft Foldable keyboard, I fold it, and Android enables the soft keys. I open it, and they get disabled. There is also a toggle to enable soft keys with the BT keyboard connected if you want.
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if you take the tablet and move away from a BT keyboard while staying in BT range the OS doesn't switch to soft keys.
if you move the Pixel kb under it or away from it even a few centimeters the OS switches to soft keys. There is a positioning involved. That's just what I meant.
But I agree it's a minor feature.

Main advantage of this keyboard is the mechanicals - I find it so much nicer to use than my N9 from a holding or desktop position.