Develop Bugs

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...

Keyboard Question

Wondering what people do for a case for the keyboard. When you go places do you just carry the keybaord open like that?
I just got it and love it. Just wondering what you all do.

Thinking about having my grandma knit something for it...
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

Are you folks useing the Wireless Keyboard for ATRIX™ / XOOM™*? If so how about a review on this keyboard? does it work well with the xoom? and if so why is it a better keyboard for useing with the xoom? THANKS!

Apparently I like warming up old, cold threads
I am also thinking about the "official" Motorola BT keyboard. I played with it for a few minutes in the Verizon store and I liked it (minus the price tag). I was wondering if it has any option to be charged or connected to a power source in any way or if it runs on batteries exclusively. My ultimate goal is to design my own portfolio that I can use with the keyboard.

I have the Motorola ARTIX / XOOM bluetooth keyboard. I really like it. It comes in handy when you need to type out a long email. I really like the shortcut buttons, it has them for Gmail, Browser, Contacts, Messaging (doesn't work on the XOOM), Search, Home, Menu and Music. It also has volume controls, stop, play and track forward / back buttons. It is a little laggy, but I figure that's just because it's bluetooth. It takes 2 AA batteries, and I don't think that you can use anything else, no place to plug in a charger or anything. The more I use it the more I like it actually. The hard part is shelling out $70 for it.

i have the keyboard. The only lag I expierence is when typing on forums. For email and talk it is very capable. Also very light and compact. Would purchase again. I could do up a review when I get home.

A review would be much appreciated the two things stopping me from buying it are 1. How portable it is and 2. If its worth the price tag

I owned and returned it.
portability was decent, largeish as far as BT keyboards go but nothing major.
price is more than double other similar keyboards, but it has the dedicated keys, which you might like
quality I found to be on the cheapish side, given the premium price.
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

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] What is the best bluetooth keyboard?

I have been searching and searching for a bluetooth keyboard w/ trackpad to no avail.
Can someone recommend me the best keyboard in your opinion that connects great with the GNex? preferably one that has a trackpad on it.

Nathanjb7 said:
I have been searching and searching for a bluetooth keyboard w/ trackpad to no avail.
Can someone recommend me the best keyboard in your opinion that connects great with the GNex? preferably one that has a trackpad on it.
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Click to collapse
Bump for interest.
Preferably something that doesn't suck.

I'd be looking for confirmation, but I bet one of the BT keyboards intended for use with the Xoom or GT 10.1 would be good for the Nexus because they have the Android keys in place and are meant to be used with Android. No trackpad, but I don't think you'll find a lot of those...
Also FWIW I hooked up my Apple Bluetooth Keyboard and it worked great. Command+Tab works for task switching, and interestingly volume up/down keys, as well as play/pause and forward/back track selection works as well. Kinda cool.

Please excuse the thread necromancy, but I have a good answer to this question:
I found a review of various bluetooth keyboards on Engadget: The Best Bluetooth Keyboard
I ended up getting their top recommendation, the Microsoft Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 5000 (the cheaper version without the numberpad, which is otherwise identical). I paid $33. It rocks.
I don't agree with their review in a few ways.
1) the build quality is fine. It feels firm but not too firm, and it doesn't seem flimsy at all.
2) backspace isn't hard to reach, it's fine.
3) it's cheaper than they priced it.
Things that don't work: windows key doesn't do anything in android (I wish it performed either "Home" or "Menu"). The mute button doesn't do anything (but volume keys work as intended). F-keys don't do anything either. However, alt-tab works wonderfully.

Logitech DiNovo Edge (google that as I cannot post links yet)
I actually use this keyboard with my computer (typing on it this very second) and I love it. Its very flat and has great key feel, not to mention cordless and lasts a couple of months on a single charge.
It meets the requirements of the original poster being a bluetooth keyboard with a trackpad, but I would caution that it is not a cheap one. I have had this one for a few years and I think I paid a couple hundred for it. I am sure cheaper solutions might exist, but he said he wanted the "best."

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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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.