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as the thread title states, i need advice on picking out a bluetooth keyboard for the blackstone.
these are my requirements:
- it must contain a rechargeable battery, i don't want to fumble around with AAA batteries
- it should have a mini-usb connector for charging, so that i can use the same cable for charging the blackstone and the keyboard (micro usb would be ok too, same as my bluetooth handsfree)
- it must be capable of standard bluetooth HID profile, i don't want to be required to install drivers on every device i have
- it should have US-english key layout (i am used to it from my pc and wwe roms) and still be available in germany
- it must either have dedicated arrow keys and/or be capable of accepting two keys at a time (think of game emulators, mario should be able to run and jump at the same time, so jumping in a direction and not straight up)
actually, the last point is my main reason of buying a bluetooth keyboard, to compensate the blackstone's lack of hardware keys and multi-touch through a keyboard, that should provide "multi-touch" (multiple keys pressed).
since the blackstone's microsoft bluetooth stack seems to be unable to connect to wiimotes/ps3 sixaxis controllers with cobaltcontroller and those controllers are even more expensive than bluetooth keyboards, i thought i'd hit double jeopardy by going this way.
long story short: can anyone tell me, whether these keyboards are any good:
http://www.amazon.de/Hebron-Bluetoo...U5MK/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1300287867&sr=8-9
http://www.pearl.de/a-PX2563-1002.shtml?query=bluetooth+keyboard
i know there are also a lot of chinese knock-offs around with very poor quality, but i also don't want to spend 90eur on a logitech dinovo mini. if any of you can name a good quality keyboard for less than 50eur, please feel free to suggest.
ok, resolved.
i bought that hebron keyboard and here is my report to help others decide:
the keyboard has a US-english layout and comes with an internal rechargeble (not replaceable) battery with 950mAh, which, according to the retailers is enough for 30 days of casual from-time-to-time typing. it has a micro-usb connector for charging, comes with a usb charging cable. it came pre-charged and after another 30 min. of charging it was full. pairing was relatively easy, just turn it on in visible mode, on the device look for bluetooth devices, pair it using the code 0000 on the device and the keyboard and they are paired up. all further connections are automatic, when your device has bluetooth switched on, just switch on the keyboard and it immediately works.
since the rubber keys need to be pressed rather deeply, while typing sms, emails or word documents it might be slightly slower than the onscreen keyboard, but buttons are bigger and it is way more convenient for longer texts.
and here is the great thing: the keyboard is able to have several key presses at the same time, so even emulators like fpsece or morphgear work fine with 3 keys at a time.
i realize many people on this board are moping about the blackstone's poor gaming compatibility due to the lack of hardware buttons and/or multitouch, but with a keyboard you can finally play a lot of games rather well.
thanks for the info...
can u use the keybord with your PC aswell????
if u can , what is the range ( how far can u be from your pc to use it)??
thanks, kris
i haven't tried it yet. but the keyboard uses standard bluetooth hid drivers and therefor works on any device to support that standard, i.e. any windows mobile device, android, iphone, ipad, ipod touch, pc and ps3. it comes with a driver cd for pc (which wouldn't be needed on windows 7). as far as the range aspect goes, since i only used it with my blackstone so far, so it would be impractical to use it at a greater distance than 2 or 3' (because you wouldn't be able to see the display ). but usually, the range also depends on the bluetooth receiver of the pc, but i guess any sensible distance of up to 20 or 25' could be covered.
if you are seriously interested in the device, you can order it from your local amazon site and make use of their great return policy, if you are unsatisfied. just stay away from the really cheap chinese knock-offs, they have poor production quality and tend to break really fast, especially the usb charging port, which then renders the device useless.
I just bought Logitech's (I'd assume new) Keyboard for Android! It states Honeycomb or well Android 3.0+ and I can report it worked flawlessly with an Iconia A500 all buttons performed their desired function!
I fortunately had my Flyer at work and decided to give it a whirl, and to my great surprise everything as a general rule worked. A keyboard first and foremost enters text, and the keyboard excelled in this area. The included stand is a nice touch! It pairs simply and easily to the Flyer -> You enable BT -> Search -> enter the PIN displayed onto the keyboard and hit enter and viola it works!
The homescreens can be navigated via arrow keys, and the Search, Back, Mail, and Volume +/- keys worked well. There was no noticeable delay between input and reaction from the Flyer.
OH and Logitech's keyboard comes with a protective case that doubles as a stand for the tablet. It worked great in both portrait and landscape!
I hope to update this post with both Pictures and a short ~2 min YouTube video shot on my Sensation!
So my .02 if you need a keyboard for lengthy input this seems to be a nice bet, and guarantees compatibility once (whenever that may be) the Flyer receives HTC's official Honeycomb!
Also sorry the video isn't quite in the right orientation, perhaps I will shoot another one soon or just let YouTube rotate it which cuts it off a lot!
Links:
Logitech's Website
BestBuy Item Page
That thing looks sweet, the one question I have is how long is that keyboard? It looks rather large.
Sent from my HTC EVO View. 7" of s-off 4g Fury.
The keyboard looks sweet. But, when you use it in landscape mode do the directional arrows work correctly or do they keep the portrait orientation? I've been searching for a good keyboard that I can use in landscape mode.
Sent from my NookColor using Tapatalk
StormMcCloud well seeing as it was designed for 10.1" Tablets it is big, I will
include a comparison to the Flyer!
cclinco sadly it doesn't maintain the correct function in landscape
glitzbd said:
StormMcCloud well seeing as it was designed for 10.1" Tablets it is big, I will
include a comparison to the Flyer!
cclinco sadly it doesn't maintain the correct function in landscape
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow yeah that is no where near portable.
Sent from my HTC EVO View. 7" of s-off 4g Fury.
Portable maybe!
While it appears as if it were not portable I find it isn't a big issue... However my Flyer usually just gets tossed into the backpack and the keyboard drops in nicely next to it... setup can be kinda clumsy... but the stand is such a nice addition I don't mind it at all
StormMcCloud said:
Wow yeah that is no where near portable.
Sent from my HTC EVO View. 7" of s-off 4g Fury.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same keyboard and I think its pretty portable. Especially with the case it comes with. I just wish the home button worked. I also wish that there was an app where you could make custom launch key combinations for specific applications.
try giving a go to the product mentioned below:
ww . amazon . co . uk /gp/product/B004OWZXEI/ref=oss_product
if the link does not work, just type in "galaxy tab keyboard case". as the name tells, the case is for the galaxy tab but it works %90 perfect with the flyer. i just received it today and i'm glad that i have a case with the keyboard included for my flyer.
the only modification you need to do is to cut out some parts of the holding part of the case in order to create space for the front camera and the navigation buttons while in landscape mode.
but, if you are looking for a keyboard case, to use your flyer just as you would use a laptop with an actual keyboard, this product has been the best i've come close to so far.
I snagged this one last night at Best Buy. It's surprisingly good, especially given how cheap it is. The only downsides are: (1) the fact that it uses disposable batteries, (2) like you said, the home button doesn't work.
There are also some weird things you notice on Gingerbread with a keyboard. For example, there's no good way to scroll a browser. Often apps, especially converted iPhone apps, don't work with the keyboard (these are the same ones that don't work with the trackball). Also, when you hit menu, you choose menu items with up/down arrows, not the more intuitive side-to-side.
Still, I could see the keyboard negating the need to bring a laptop on some overnight trips.
That looks like a very nice keyboard at a good price. I've been using the Verbatim folding keyboard on my Flyer (search Amazon for Verbatim folding bluetooth keyboard). It's great as far as portability is concerned (folds up to slightly shorter than the Flyer) but some keys are oddly shaped (and the space bar is split in two).
If portability is your goal, the Verbatim keyboard works well and is relatively cheap. But for trying comfort, this Logitech keyboard looks like a winner. I could see owning both if you do a lot of writing on your Flyer.
As far as the cursor keys go: it's a real PITA that Android tablets don't compensate for orientation changes (there's a quick 'n dirty $.99 cent app in there for some developer who wants to make a quick buck!) but you do adapt to it eventually.
I should note that on the Honeycomb leak all buttons function as expected, and arrow keys adapt to the orientation
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using xda premium
Xoom owner here. I just picked one of these up after using a basic MS bluetooth on my tablet, and this keyboard is awesome. I don't know if they somehow optimized it for Android but it seems way more responsive than the MS keyoard does.
Whether the Gingerbread issue or not, let's face it, you'll probably have a different tablet in 3/6/9 months, and logic would say all the shortcut keys will be compatible with Android 4.0+. Pick one up, Best Buy's got them pretty cheap for the holiday season. The origami stand is a big bonus once you figure out how to lock it in place. Size-wise it's about the same as the recent Apple keyboards. It's slick. Great purchase.
great news was looking at these earlier.
Looks awesome, I will drop by my local best buy and check it out! Thanks!
Logitech Tablet Keyboard for Android 3.0+
Any hope of this keyboard work on a Nook Color running the latest CM7?
Thanks,
donbga
donbga said:
Any hope of this keyboard work on a Nook Color running the latest CM7?
Thanks,
donbga
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This and most BT keyboards will work with the Color Nook, at close range. But you will probably need a BT app from the market to keep it from sleeping and disconnecting every few minutes. Check the Nook forum on XDA for more info.
DigitalMD said:
This and most BT keyboards will work with the Color Nook, at close range. But you will probably need a BT app from the market to keep it from sleeping and disconnecting every few minutes. Check the Nook forum on XDA for more info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I've got a Logitech K360 but I've not been able to get the NC to detect the keyboard.
Do I need Null Keyboard or some other BT app or forget the K360? The Logitech webpage implies that it may work. As for the range that's not a big issue for me, I'm particularly looking for a BT keyboard that I can use in terminal mode and e-mail.
Thanks,
donbga
Are you sure you have properly enabled BT? The NC should detect any BT keyboard and pair, but it will go to sleep and disconnect after a few seconds when typing sometimes unless u use null keyboard or other. NC BT range is only about 1 foot
DigitalMD said:
Are you sure you have properly enabled BT? The NC should detect any BT keyboard and pair, but it will go to sleep and disconnect after a few seconds when typing sometimes unless u use null keyboard or other. NC BT range is only about 1 foot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) BT is enabled on the NC.
2) Device set to discoverable.
3) Discoverable timeout set to 1 Hour.
4) Logitech K360 verified as functioning by connecting to a PC with dongle inserted.
5) PC turned off/dongle removed.
6) K360 powered off.
7) Scan for devices started.
8) K360 turned on, scanning seems to stop.
9) Null Keyboard not installed.
10) Default keyboard pops up for Market search and no input from K360 displayed.
Should Null Keyboard be installed? Stupid question perhaps but just checking.
Thanks,
donbga
Bangs head against table...............
There's yer problem Vern....
Logitec K360 is NOT Bluetooth. Dongle was the clue..........
I am not able to code so I write here.
There are many Apps out there witch will make the Android Smartphone become a WiFi Trackpad oder Keyboard.
But there is so far no App which underutilized the camera and LED Light to emulate a real mouse. This would be great because it would be a good option to control f.e. a game which is streamed via Remote Desktop onto a tablet. The tablet itself is attached via HDMI to the TV and the PC is in another room. So you would have less lag on the mouse. A BT or 2.4GHz mouse is not an option because of the distance.
What I think is that it should be possible to use the camera sensor and the LED light to track the movement of the smartphone (maybe also use the accelerometers). An optical mouse works mostly the same way. Maybe you would need a special underground (like a grid which you might be able to print at home) as the software might need it to track the movement.
Unified Remote
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Relmtech.Remote&hl=en
No; Unified Remote will not do what he asks. Note that he said there are many apps that will let you use the smartphone's touch surface as a trackpad. That would include Unified Remote.
There are no apps that do what you want because it would be pretty much impossible. The LED flash, assuming the phone has one (not all do) is not a precise laser, it's a bright light. It also eats battery like a mofo. But aside from that, the camera could not track the movement by watching reflections from the flash. Not accurate enough for mousing, at least.
Your best bet (aside from using the screen as a track pad) would be to utilize the accelerometer, but that would be horribly inaccurate. And that's your second-best option after the touch screen. The camera is not even an option.
Exactly. Unified Remote, GMote, Droidmote isn't what I thought of. Why do you think the camera won't be able to to this job? OK, it wouldn't be a 1000 dpi gaming mouse but with a lower resolutiobn I think it should work. At least with an aid like a printet grid as a mousepad. I think of the first optical trackballs which also needed a dotted ball to detect movement.
And I know it wouldn't be easy and would not work with every phone out there. If it would be easy it propably would be around.
I haven't tried this personally, but it does exactly what you're describing:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1157472
Its a project which hasn't seen development for awhile.
Im sorry if im not really understanding this but why not just use a real mouse... from what your saying you want to make ur camera and the led light to act as the mouse laser / sensor.. for 1 im pretty sure the camera isnt fast enough to pick up fine motion
Show me a mouse that works via wifi... BT or 2.4 GHz doesn't work on distance.
Mr. Mozuse is nearly what I looked for. But now with the phone lying flat on the table and not holding it in the air.
Has anyone had any luck finding something like this? This would be extremely useful for those of us carrying around laptops but who hate to use the built in trackpad and would rarely pack another bluetooth mouse. Lay my phone down and using it as a mouse would be so useful.
Use Smartphone as a mouse
I am a student and I usually use a BT mouse in conjunction with my laptop at school but on occasion, for example today, I forget to pack my mouse into my bag. I personally don't like track pads, and I think it would be nice to have a backup option.
I have the Samsung Galaxy S5 and I was wondering if instead of using the LED flash, what about the heart rate sensor, red laser, for your light source. The red light is more focused and would require less power.
Its true this concept would NOT have High resolution but it should be accurate enough for the average user.
Rather then just saying it wont work, Is there anyone that has tried to make it work?
Can't we use lesser autofocus sensor ?
I don't know much about coding and tech things but is it possible to use lesser autofocus sensors ?
nothing new on this front? any unstable sources available? i could have a look at it
Hello guys,
I'm putting my big phone (thl t200) on the dashboard of car by using amazing steelie car mount kit.
However, I want to take a step further, I would like to have a bluetooth remote control for my android phone, like apple magic trackpad or logitech T651 near my gear lever so I don't need to raise my hand every time for use the phone and distract.
Those two devices I mentioned above are perfect, except on the size, is there any existing stuff like this, just smaller?
Luca
This may be such an unusual use case that it hasn't been an issue for anyone other than me, but here's to hoping for a solution...
I've just bought a new car (2015 Honda Fit) which has a decent size LCD panel in the dash (but I opted not to get the expensive navigation system) and which also has full bluetooth integration and, surprisingly, an HDMI port for the screen. HDMI is one of the "source" settings, and Bluetooth is a separate one.
I've paired my Nexus 5 to the car in order to take and make phone calls and get the other integration features such as music and podcast playback over the car's audio. I had this idea that if I were to run the Nexus 5 through the large screen using HDMI (via a Slimport adapter), I can have a much nicer Google Maps based navigation system that would give something close enough to the experience of the in-dash nav system minus the touchscreen -- which is fine, as I can set the route, put the phone in a cupholder, and not bother with it again.
Now, here's the fatal snag. While the phone is paired to bluetooth, it insists on sending 100% of its audio through Bluetooth and doesn't send it through HDMI. The car is either-or on the sources. If it's on HDMI, it only plays back HDMI. The screen displays exactly as I hoped -- but no audio at all (again, it's going to Bluetooth). Now, I can switch over to Bluetooth and hear the sound but not get the display. I could kill the pairing to get both through HDMI, but now I lose the ability to receive calls over bluetooth with the handy steering wheel call answering and all of the amenities associated with that.
I'm wondering if there is some kind of workaround -- Android configuration that I've somehow never noticed, or a third party app -- which will allow the Nexus 5 to remain paired and actively Bluetooth connected while still sending audio through the HDMI port (Slimport). I don't see that this would as likely be a car-side solution.
The Nexus 5 is rooted stock 4.3.3.
Thank you in advance for help toward a solution.
qaelith.2112 said:
This may be such an unusual use case that it hasn't been an issue for anyone other than me, but here's to hoping for a solution...
I've just bought a new car (2015 Honda Fit) which has a decent size LCD panel in the dash (but I opted not to get the expensive navigation system) and which also has full bluetooth integration and, surprisingly, an HDMI port for the screen. HDMI is one of the "source" settings, and Bluetooth is a separate one.
I've paired my Nexus 5 to the car in order to take and make phone calls and get the other integration features such as music and podcast playback over the car's audio. I had this idea that if I were to run the Nexus 5 through the large screen using HDMI (via a Slimport adapter), I can have a much nicer Google Maps based navigation system that would give something close enough to the experience of the in-dash nav system minus the touchscreen -- which is fine, as I can set the route, put the phone in a cupholder, and not bother with it again.
Now, here's the fatal snag. While the phone is paired to bluetooth, it insists on sending 100% of its audio through Bluetooth and doesn't send it through HDMI. The car is either-or on the sources. If it's on HDMI, it only plays back HDMI. The screen displays exactly as I hoped -- but no audio at all (again, it's going to Bluetooth). Now, I can switch over to Bluetooth and hear the sound but not get the display. I could kill the pairing to get both through HDMI, but now I lose the ability to receive calls over bluetooth with the handy steering wheel call answering and all of the amenities associated with that.
I'm wondering if there is some kind of workaround -- Android configuration that I've somehow never noticed, or a third party app -- which will allow the Nexus 5 to remain paired and actively Bluetooth connected while still sending audio through the HDMI port (Slimport). I don't see that this would as likely be a car-side solution.
The Nexus 5 is rooted stock 4.3.3.
Thank you in advance for help toward a solution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't help ith your situation, but I'm wondering if you can help with mine. I also just bought the 2015 Honda Fit. What I want to be able to do is mirror my Galaxy S4 to the screen for navigation purposes. But from what I understand, it will only work in Park. I don't have the cable yet and did't want to buy it unless I knew it would work.
For a quick test, I plugged a roku stick in the HDMI port. As expected, it worked fine until I put the car in gear. Then the display gets disabled. Does this happen with phone mirroring? Would I be able to actually use google maps and see it while in motion or will the screen shut off? What does and doesnt work with mirroring?
samseed101 said:
I can't help ith your situation, but I'm wondering if you can help with mine. I also just bought the 2015 Honda Fit. What I want to be able to do is mirror my Galaxy S4 to the screen for navigation purposes. But from what I understand, it will only work in Park. I don't have the cable yet and did't want to buy it unless I knew it would work.
For a quick test, I plugged a roku stick in the HDMI port. As expected, it worked fine until I put the car in gear. Then the display gets disabled. Does this happen with phone mirroring? Would I be able to actually use google maps and see it while in motion or will the screen shut off? What does and doesnt work with mirroring?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This behavior of the HDMI port / display actually became a far bigger problem than how to route the sound. I had been doing all of my testing with the car sitting in the garage, and because I wasn't ever able to get the sound to do what I needed, I didn't bother to go drive around with HDMI display enabled. I confirmed through this and consulting the manual that for "safety reasons" they have entirely disabled the HDMI input while the car is not in park. Unfortunately, I'd guess this is coded in the system's firmware which most of us aren't going to have a way to tamper with, so this is a fatal problem for what we're both looking to do. I was confident that there was probably some sort of solution to making audio go over both channels, but that's irrelevant in light of this problem.
So to summarize, I'll suggest not bothering with the Slimport (or the other kind of interface, if that's what your phone uses) because it will certainly be utterly useless for this and I don't foresee a solution. It looks like this thread is therefore dead. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, though -- I'd have continued working toward an audio solution and then discovered this bigger problem once I solved that one. You just saved me from wasting a lot of time.
samseed101 said:
I can't help ith your situation, but I'm wondering if you can help with mine. I also just bought the 2015 Honda Fit. What I want to be able to do is mirror my Galaxy S4 to the screen for navigation purposes. But from what I understand, it will only work in Park. I don't have the cable yet and did't want to buy it unless I knew it would work.
For a quick test, I plugged a roku stick in the HDMI port. As expected, it worked fine until I put the car in gear. Then the display gets disabled. Does this happen with phone mirroring? Would I be able to actually use google maps and see it while in motion or will the screen shut off? What does and doesnt work with mirroring?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One more thought (stating the obvious, I suppose) -- We've been hamstrung by the assumption that everyone is going to be using the display to watch movies while driving, even though we have excellent reasons which would actually make it safer (an easier to see navigation display). I guess Honda is mitigating lawsuits from the would-be idiots who might actually be watching American Idol episodes while driving to work.