07-12-2005, 08:00 PM
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Magi
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,386
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Bluetooth Keyboard Shootout & Preview of WM5 HID Keyboard Profile Support
"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."
There are a couple of articles worthy of your attention if you're interested in Bluetooth keyboards. First, there's MobileBurn's Bluetooth keyboard shootout 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 preview 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.
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07-12-2005, 08:39 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 27
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I'm afraid those links are not working...
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"The future is not what it used to be"
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07-12-2005, 08:52 PM
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Neophyte
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 8
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07-12-2005, 09:29 PM
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Magi
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,386
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by tigerhunter
I'm afraid those links are not working...
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I'm sorry you're having problems. I just checked the links and they seem to be working fine for me.
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07-12-2005, 09:45 PM
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Contributing Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,389
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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.
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07-12-2005, 10:57 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 425
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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.
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07-12-2005, 11:04 PM
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5000+ Posts? I Should OWN This Site!
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 5,616
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by maikii
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!
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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.
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iPhone 4! ☠☠☠ Mid-2010 15" MacBook Pro! ☠☠☠ Gateway LT2102h! ☠☠☠ Dell XPS M1210!
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07-12-2005, 11:07 PM
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Contributing Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,389
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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.. 
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07-12-2005, 11:10 PM
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Contributing Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,389
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by ctmagnus
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.
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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.
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07-12-2005, 11:47 PM
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5000+ Posts? I Should OWN This Site!
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 5,616
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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.
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iPhone 4! ☠☠☠ Mid-2010 15" MacBook Pro! ☠☠☠ Gateway LT2102h! ☠☠☠ Dell XPS M1210!
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