Bluetooth Keyboard Shootout & Preview of WM5 HID Keyboard Profile Support

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.mobileburn.com/story.jsp?Id=1491' target='_blank'>http://www.mobileburn.com/story.jsp?Id=1491</a><br /><br /></div><i>"For those of us that rely on our phones for email while out and about, we know how tedious replying to email can be when using a numeric keypad and a predictive text system like T9 or iTap... The new portable, folding Bluetooth keyboards on the market try to offer some of that ease of use while not weighing us down. At least not too much. In this comparison review we pit the venerable ThinkOutside Stowaway line's Bluetooth keyboard against two relative newcomers: Nokia's SU-8W and Freedom Input's new Freedom Keyboard."</i><br /><br />There are a couple of articles worthy of your attention if you're interested in Bluetooth keyboards. First, there's MobileBurn's <a href="http://www.mobileburn.com/story.jsp?Id=1491">Bluetooth keyboard shootout</a> between the ThinkOutside's BT Stowaway, Nokia SU-8W, and the Freedom Keyboard. If you follow my thoughts on the matter, any BT keyboard without a numbers row is a deal-breaker for me, so note that 2 of the 3 being reviewed don't have a dedicated numbers row. Additionally, The::Unwired have put together a nice <a href="http://www.theunwired.net/?itemid=2499">preview</a> of the Windows Mobile 5.0 support for the Bluetooth HID Keyboard Profile. What does this mean? Well, assuming you have a BT keyboard supporting the HID profile, you should be able to connect it with a WM5 device natively without driver and/or software installations.

[tigerhunter]

I'm afraid those links are not working...

[mikkri]

I'm afraid those links are not working...

Try this http://www.mobileburn.com/story.jsp?Id=1491

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

I'm afraid those links are not working...
I'm sorry you're having problems. I just checked the links and they seem to be working fine for me.

[Jason Lee]

the problem is that most mobile (i.e. pocket pc) bluetooth keyboards do not support HID. as far as i know the stowaway is still the only one that supports standard HID. that's why i bought it. i use it with my homemade media center pc. :)

but i haven't looked in a while. the freedome didn't but i'm not sure about the nokia.

[maikii]

The article states that the Stowaway has a full-sized keyboard. It doesn't. The keys feel definitely small and cramped, and don't have a full motion range. Yet, of course a much better input mechanism than the on-screen kbd on the PPC, and the multiple press numberpad on my smartphone.

I bought it recently, and was trying to decide upon the Stowaway or the Freedom. Both were available then for about the same price. (Stowaway $86 something from Amazon, free shipping, Freedom $79 from Mobile Planet, with shipping ended up abotu the same.)

I found it hard to decide, there were no comparative reviews I could find at that time, so I decided to buy both! I would see which I liked better, and return the other one.

I never got the Freedom keyboard though. I ordered it from MobilePlanet. It was out of stock. Their expected arrival date was a couple days later. But the expected arrival date kept changing after I placed the order. I'd get an e-mail each week with a new date, a week later. Finally my 30 day return period on the Stowaway had passed, it would be too late to return it to Amazon for a full refund, so I cancelled the Freedom order.

Well, according to this article I got the best of the three anyhow. It doesn't completely convince me though. Having the number row would definitely be more convenient. It says the keys on the Freedom are smaller, but only in length, not width, which is less important. It says something about the driver not being so good, but he only tried it with Symbian, so I don't know if the PPC and Smartphone drivers might be better.

Actually, I don't find the Stowaway's PPC drivers to be so hot. For one thing, their installation process installs a driver for their BT mouse on the PPC as well, even though most kbd users probably do not also have the mouse. They don't ask you if you want the mouse drivers installed, they just get installed, and put icons for both the kbd and mouse in the corner of your Today screen, even when you are not using either.

Also, when I disconnect the keyboard (by folding it up), and later open it up to use again, it seems to not make the connection automatically (as it does on my Smartphone). I have to manually pair it again, a hassle.

Certainly having any folding QWERTY keyboard is a big improvement over the built-in input methods on these devices, so I'm glad I have one. The Stowaway is far from perfect, however. I wish I could have tried the Freedom as well.

I don't understand the rationale for taking out the number row. Well, supposedly it's to save on the size. I put it next to another folding (non-BT) keyboard I have, the HP foldable keyboard for my IPAQ 2210, the one that connects to the cradle port. Folded up, there is not much difference in the size. The Stowaway might be slightly smaller (I think thicker though), but not much smaller, not worth losing the number row for! (If it folded up so small that it was shirt-pocketable, then that might be worth sacrificing the number row for!) (That HP foldable kbd does have a number row.)

They left out one other contender in this shoot-out--the HP foldable BT keyboard. I read some good comments about it in this forum (I believe it also has the number row), with one important negative comment though--short battery life! I also think it cost much more than the prices mentioned above for the other two. (And I don't know if it only worked with HP devices, or all BT devices.) So I didn't consider it when looking for a kbd.

[ctmagnus]

They left out one other contender in this shoot-out--the HP foldable BT keyboard. I read some good comments about it in this forum (I believe it also has the number row), with one important negative comment though--short battery life!

The number row is the main reason I went with the HP keyboard. The battery life does suck amazingly, but I get around that by removing the batteries if I'm not going to be using it for a day or so. I just have to re-pair with my iPaq again, which doesn't take that long.

[Jason Lee]

The stowaway keyboard and mouse drivers are one piece of software and cannot be installed seperatly. that is why you have support for the mouse. It's one software app.

When i want to use my stowaway again i turn on bluetooth on my ppc then open the keyboard and tap a key. it only takes a second or then i'm good to go. Make sure you go to the website and download the newest drivers, they have updated several times since i bought my keyboard. The latest version is much more stable for me. Of course we all know how flakey bluetooth is.. so you may already have the newest software.. :(

[Jason Lee]

The number row is the main reason I went with the HP keyboard. The battery life does suck amazingly, but I get around that by removing the batteries if I'm not going to be using it for a day or so. I just have to re-pair with my iPaq again, which doesn't take that long.

I don't really like that it does not have a number row. What made me choose the stowaway was the mouse. One software/driver and both work and work well together. Also verified standard HID support for the keyboard and the mouse so i can use them with my PC. But i would like it much better if it did have a number row. :)

[ctmagnus]

I went with the Stowaway mouse too. But I've got an SMT5600 on its way so I'm wondering if I should maybe get the Stowaway keyboard for use with it. Time will tell, I suppose. But Smartphones apparently can't sync the ...My Documents folder, so that may nullify an external keyboard with a Smartphone.

I hope to find out first-hand this week if that is the case.

[phs]

xxx. The battery life does suck amazingly, but I get around that by removing the batteries if I'm not going to be using it for a day or so. xxx.

What? That HP thing does not have an off switch? What were they thinking?

[maikii]

I went with the Stowaway mouse too. But I've got an SMT5600 on its way so I'm wondering if I should maybe get the Stowaway keyboard for use with it. Time will tell, I suppose. But Smartphones apparently can't sync the ...My Documents folder, so that may nullify an external keyboard with a Smartphone.

I hope to find out first-hand this week if that is the case.

Yes, you can use the Stowaway keyboard with the SMT5600 (not the mouse though). I use it with that, and it works more reliably than with my IPAQ 2210.

I don't know why you think the "My Documents"folder has something to do with it. You just connect the SP to the PC with ActiveSync, and run the Stowaway installation program.

[ctmagnus]

I don't know why you think the "My Documents"folder has something to do with it.

Editing massive Word documents on the Smartphone, of course! ;)

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

The number row is the main reason I went with the HP keyboard. The battery life does suck amazingly, but I get around that by removing the batteries if I'm not going to be using it for a day or so.
Goodness gracious... I have the same HP keyboard and while using it, the battery life seems great. I can use it for hours upon hours on any given day but I'm absolutely positive now that the keyboard is draining the battery even when not in use. If you haven't touched the keyboard in a couple days, forget it... the battery has been drained!

The placement of the '? /' key and up arrow key will tick you off too. I finally had to install keyboard profile utility that allowed me to disable the up arrow key since I was messing up my write-ups whenever I was trying to type either character.

That said, the numbers row on that keyboard still makes it the right keyboard for me.

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

xxx. The battery life does suck amazingly, but I get around that by removing the batteries if I'm not going to be using it for a day or so. xxx.

What? That HP thing does not have an off switch? What were they thinking?
Supposedly, it powers itself off after a few moments if it doesn't sense a connected device, but that's obviously not the case.

[phs]

xxx. The battery life does suck amazingly, but I get around that by removing the batteries if I'm not going to be using it for a day or so. xxx.

What? That HP thing does not have an off switch? What were they thinking?
Supposedly, it powers itself off after a few moments if it doesn't sense a connected device, but that's obviously not the case.

In my book, that's definitely defective. They ought to be ashamed for peddling such a lemon. To think that I almost bought one! If it won't turn itself off, they ought to have included a 3600 mah rechargeable li-ion with that thing.

But then again ... the keys on my HP serial keyboard started dying one by one after a year ... my Pockettop IR keyboard misses a stroke every now and then ... If I had a penny for every lemon I bought, I'd have enough saved to buy another lemon!

[pcboy2003]

is this mean i can use a regular microsoft bluetooth desktop keyboard with my axim x50c after wm5.0 upgrade?

[Jason Lee]

is this mean i can use a regular microsoft bluetooth desktop keyboard with my axim x50c after wm5.0 upgrade?

Yep, should work just fine. :)

[pcboy2003]

thx for da reply, so I guess now all pocket pc with wm5.0 will use microsoft's bluetooth stack? instead of having like WinComm stack, Toshiba bluetooth stack, .... now finally all devices use the same bt stack?

[Jason Lee]

thx for da reply, so I guess now all pocket pc with wm5.0 will use microsoft's bluetooth stack? instead of having like WinComm stack, Toshiba bluetooth stack, .... now finally all devices use the same bt stack?

Hmm.. good question. Not necessarily. Manufacturers will still be able to choose to use the Broadcomm stack if they so wish. As of yet the broadcomm stack does not have HID support but I'm sure they won't let MS one up them for long. ;)

It will be interesting to see what, if anything, broadcomm will have to offer for WM 5.0. Time will tell. :mrgreen:

[maikii]

xxx. The battery life does suck amazingly, but I get around that by removing the batteries if I'm not going to be using it for a day or so. xxx.

What? That HP thing does not have an off switch? What were they thinking?
Supposedly, it powers itself off after a few moments if it doesn't sense a connected device, but that's obviously not the case.

It stays powered on even when folded up. The Stowaway doesn't have an on-off switch either, but folding it up turns it off, unfolding it turns it on.

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

Supposedly, it powers itself off after a few moments if it doesn't sense a connected device, but that's obviously not the case.
It stays powered on even when folded up.[/quote]
I don't believe that's the way it was designed. You have to push a button on the keyboard everytime you want to connect a device to it and it only makes itself available for connection for a short span of time if a device does not connect to it.

[Phoenix]

Some people have mentioned that they don't like not having a dedicated number row on a portable keyboard like the Stowaway, but for me, I don't mind not having one.

Although I use the number row just as much as anyone else, it isn't a big deal not to have access to that extra row. Having to press the "Fn" key and then your number has never been an issue with me and I actually prefer the smaller size of the Stowaway because of it.

[maikii]

Some people have mentioned that they don't like not having a dedicated number row on a portable keyboard like the Stowaway, but for me, I don't mind not having one.

Although I use the number row just as much as anyone else, it isn't a big deal not to have access to that extra row. Having to press the "Fn" key and then your number has never been an issue with me and I actually prefer the smaller size of the Stowaway because of it.

It's not that big a deal, but it would certainly be more convenient to have one.

And I don't find the Stowaway that much smaller as a result. As written, when I put it next to my HP foldable keyboard for my IPAQ 2210 (not wireless), which does have a number row, and I think in general feels better to type on, key size, etc., both folded up, there is really not much difference in width, The Stowaway may be slightly smaller in width, but not much. And it (SW) is slightly thicker. As I wrote, if the size reduction was really significant, for instance if it made the SW shirt-pocketable (rather than only coat-pocketable, as all of these are) (could be fit into a large pants pocket, but rather bulky there), to me that would be worth the lack of a number row. But as it is, I don't see that the size reduction is significant enough to be worth that loss of convenience.

[Dogo]

When i want to use my stowaway again i turn on bluetooth on my ppc then open the keyboard and tap a key. it only takes a second or then i'm good to go. Make sure you go to the website and download the newest drivers, they have updated several times since i bought my keyboard. The latest version is much more stable for me. Of course we all know how flakey bluetooth is.. so you may already have the newest software.. :(

What device have U got ?
I am having no reconnection with my 2210. Everytime I switch off my PDA, I must go through establishing a new connection between KB and PDA (setting the four number key on both devices and all that hassle). This happens even though I have the lateste drivers d/l from thinkoutside.com
Any hints ?

Thx a lot

[Jason Lee]

When i want to use my stowaway again i turn on bluetooth on my ppc then open the keyboard and tap a key. it only takes a second or then i'm good to go. Make sure you go to the website and download the newest drivers, they have updated several times since i bought my keyboard. The latest version is much more stable for me. Of course we all know how flakey bluetooth is.. so you may already have the newest software.. :(

What device have U got ?
I am having no reconnection with my 2210. Everytime I switch off my PDA, I must go through establishing a new connection between KB and PDA (setting the four number key on both devices and all that hassle). This happens even though I have the lateste drivers d/l from thinkoutside.com
Any hints ?

Thx a lot

I have a Siemens SX66. I've had times where mine wanted to repair a lot. Bluetooth is so unstable. Are you pairing by clicking the enable button through the stowaway software? If not try that. If you are try pairing by using the explore services on a device from the bluetooth manager. I've had things work by doing technicaly the exact same thing but from a different direction. :roll:

I have driver version 4.2
I seem to remember maybe it was 4.1 that forced me to repair everytime i tried to use the keyboard. I had to down grade to 4.0 which was on my cd. But it has been awhile so it's all kind of a blur. :)

Check the about tab and see what driver version you have. Maybe try and download and reinstall it anyway. If that doesn't work maybe see what version you have on your cd.

[Dogo]

Mmmh, will try to do a hard reset and reinstall the latest driver from scratch. If that doesnt help, will trial and error with previous versions of the driver.

Thx for your help