looking to use a bluetooth mouse withthe 4700

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I was wondering if there was a bluetooth mouse out there that you could use with the 4700? Also, I really like the idea of using a bluetooth gamepad. if anyone out there can make one, it'll sella ton.

[OSUKid7]

That'd be awesome, but does there have to be some sort of HID bluetooth profile for the mouse?

[alfaman]

That'd be awesome, but does there have to be some sort of HID bluetooth profile for the mouse?

I'd expect you could put something together that used the bluetooth serial profile (after all in the old days all PC mice were RS232 connected).

Simon

[Simon Hughes]

I'm wondering if anyone has tried this yet? I just ordered the HP Bluetooth keyboard for my 4700 and it would be great to have a mouse as well.

Simon

[Sven Johannsen]

Since there is no PPC that supports the HID profile today, you are stuck looking for a BT mouse which includes PPC specific drivers. AFAIK only one such device has even been announced. That is by Think Outside. Now whether the TO mouse driver would co-exist with the HP keyboard driver is a good question.

P.S. not a gamer myself, but agree that a BT gamepad would be a hot item. At least it would reduce all the 'buttons suck for gaming' posts ;)

[Andy Whiteford]

I'll give you a wee tip, go to the Think Outside website and download and install the latest Bluetooth keyboard driver (v4), it includes the bluetooth mouse driver for their upcoming mouse.
It lets you map the three buttons as well as change the mouse speed and place a mouse icon on your task bar for easy access. It isn't dependant on any HID profile.

[Simon Hughes]

Well, I should have the HP Bluetooth keyboard early next week and I've just ordered the ThinkOutside Bluetooth mouse. Hopefully they'll work together.

Simon

[Sven Johannsen]

Well, I should have the HP Bluetooth keyboard early next week and I've just ordered the ThinkOutside Bluetooth mouse. Hopefully they'll work together.

Simon

We are all a-twitter with bated breath waiting to hear from you. Good luck. That mouse isn't coming for a while though is it.

[Simon Hughes]

Well, I just received the keyboard so I'll give that a try tomorrow. It looks very nice and is a good size. I love that it has number keys (unlike my old Stowaway which had way too many function keys). The sliding mechanism that allows the two halves to be locked open (when using on a non-flat surface) seems very flimsy and I sure wouldn't want to put any pressure on it. Otherwise the keyboard seems well made.

The mouse arrives on Thursday according to UPS. Hopefully I'll get everything working on the weekend. I'll keep you all posted.

Ciao,

Simon

[Jereboam]

Intensely curious - please let us know how you get on, especially with the mouse.

Thanks.

J'bm

[Simon Hughes]

Well, I got the mouse and have spent a couple of frustrating hours trying to set it up. One note: don't try to put the driver anywhere but in the default place (main mem). I first tried it in the iPAQ File Store, but it doesn't see the BT stack.

I am able to get through most of the install process and can actually see the mouse pointer moving on the screen but cannot get it to click an onscreen box to complete the setup. I've got an email in to Think Outside but I don't expect a reply any time soon. I wonder if there is something peculiar to the 4700 that the driver isn't setup for?

The mouse itself is very well made... very solid with a great feel in the hand and in the buttons. The CD-ROM contains the driver software as well as a nice manual that leads you through the setup process. My only complaint is that it doesn't describe the particular problem that I'm having!

I'll let you know the outcome as things unfold.

Ciao,

Simon

[Simon Hughes]

Latest update:

I've been able to get it up and running but it seems that the driver is specifically for a 320X240 desktop, not the VGA. The reason I couldn't click on the red square was that the mouse wasn't "seeing" it. If I clicked with the stylus, it completes the install and the mouse works. The problem, of course, is that unless you click in the upper-left of the screen, nothing else lines up.

It appears that we need a specific driver for the VGA display. Sure hope that doesn't take too long to get out.

Cheers,

Simon

[Simon Hughes]

Further news...

I got a reply from Think Outside that they have an updated driver (4.01) specifically for the 4700 (or presumeably specifically for VGA). It hasn't shown up on the download page, so I'll get back to you all when I've been able to try it.

I have high hopes! The mouse, as I mentioned, is a really nice piece of hardware and although it wasn't working properly, it feels excellent. The tracking on the screen will make it a joy to use.

TTYL

Simon

[Sven Johannsen]

Is the TO mouse co-existing peacefully with the HP keyboard. Since both of these required independent driver installs accessin the BT radio, that was my concern.

If indeed they do work together, have you tried a third connection, such as a link to a BT GPS, or to the net via a BT phone, or connect to ActiveSync over BT?

See, you go first, you get quizzed ;)

[Simon Hughes]

Sven,

Sorry, but I haven't gotten that far yet. There didn't seem much point as effectively, the mouse wasn't working. Once I get the new driver, that will be my first interest too. It won't be much good if they can't coexist!

As far as a third BT connection, sorry, I can't help you there... my GPS is a serial connection, and neither my phone nor my laptop has BT. Someone else is going to have to be the guinea pig on that one. :D

Cheers,

Simon

[Jereboam]

Thanks for keeping us posted...I have a PowerBook currently and a 4700 on the way, so a BT mouse would be dual-use for me (well, one at a time anyway!) and thus good value. You're performing a good service!

Cheers, John

[StoneWolf]

Yep, great topic. I'm waiting with baited breath so I can order one for my own 4700. :-D
Does anyone have any experience with using the Bluetake mouse with the 4700?

[Simon Hughes]

Unfortunately, TO has not yet published version 4.1 of the driver, even though their Nov 19th email to me indicated it would be on the website in a couple of days.

As soon as I get it I promise to update everyone.

Simon

Happy Thanksgiving!

[Simon Hughes]

Well, I just downloaded version 4.1 of the driver from TO:

http://www.thinkoutside.com/drivers.asp?ManufacturerID=11&ModelID=61

and installed it (remember, it has to go in the default location). The new driver sets up flawlessly.

I am now running both the Stowaway BT mouse and the HP BT keyboard. The mouse movement seems to be a bit flakey (i.e. the pointer sometimes seems a bit "drunk" and tends to lag slightly and then catch up. I'm not sure if this is an interaction with the keyboard or not. I haven't really had time to fully play with it and probably won't be able to do so right away, but it does in fact work.

Have fun!!

Simon

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

Great thread. I too have the 4700 and the HP BT keyboard. I also bought a simple business card holder which I use as a cradle for my 4700 in landscape mode (that squarish shape lends perfectly to this concept). The mouse could go a long way to making the PPC much closer to a desktop replacement.

Please continue to keep us updated. If you're willing, try uninstalling the keyboard drivers and the use the mouse to see if the behavior improves at all.

[StoneWolf]

The drivers for the TO keyboard and mouse seem to be integrated; at least, when I got my keyboard and downloaded the drivers, it installed a mouse icon and options page.

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

The drivers for the TO keyboard and mouse seem to be integrated; at least, when I got my keyboard and downloaded the drivers, it installed a mouse icon and options page.
For the TO drivers, you're absolutely right - the keyboard and mouse come together. But in this case Simon Hughes is combining a TO mouse with an HP BT Keyboard (not a TO one). So he mentioned that the mouse movement seemed a bit flaky and what I was just wondering was whether the HP keyboard drivers were at all affecting this mouse behavior.

[smashie2000]

Does anybody know if this will work with the rx3715?

[ctmagnus]

I have the HP keyboard and the TO mouse. My findings to date:

- The two coexist nicely with a Wifi connection but the keyboard conks out with a BT network connection.

- The keyboard must be connected before the mouse, or else both disconnect themselves.

- When connecting to a GPRS connection via a Bluetooth-enabled phone, the keyboard has to connect first, then the GPRS connection, then the mouse. All will play together nicely in this scenario.

All of the above is with an iPaq 5550.