Database Users

Kaiser + SDHC + Bluetooth Keyboard = Never Carry a Laptop Again

As an ASU student that takes a ton of notes, I am extremely pleased to shed my laptop. After acquiring an 8GB SDHC and a Stowaway Bluetooth Keyboard, I have made my Kaiser into the perfect Laptop Killer.
Here is a link to the magnificent keyboard that made this all possible:
http://www.igo.com/product.asp?sku=2524884
I got mine from J&R Electronics' website where they're offering a sale. While the keyboard is a little bit bigger than I would like, the keys are a joy to press and I can achieve up to 100 WPM after initially getting used to it for just a few minutes. It is a bit cumbersome to carry in one's pocket (it would only fit in a rear pocket of mine), but I carry it in my messenger bag since I have to take written notes and file papers throughout the day.
Either way, I'm happy to shed the few pounds of my tablet laptop.
I'd highly recommend this keyboard and am happy to say that the drivers, from what I have tested, work perfectly.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but if this is the same keyboard:
http://www.amazon.com/Stowaway-Ultra-Slim-Bluetooth-Blackberry-Handhelds/dp/B0002OKCXE
Then you have been robbed !!!

WoWOWOWOWWO!!! 80% off?!?!?! I gotta get that before Amazon runs out of stock or corrects the price. Thanks for the great find.
As for the Kaiser as a laptop killer, not quite But I suppose I can see how that can work for a college student.

Thanks for the Amazon link! I just ordered one. Which driver are you using for the Kaiser?

If that keyboard supports the HID profile you won't need a driver -- I'm using the Freedom Universal Keyboard, which supports SPP or HID. HID support is built into the WM6 stack, so you don't have to install a driver.

Yep that's the one. Oh well. Either way, I do not use the default HID driver because I like to make use of the hotkeys etc. I use the driver from igo.com.

klasikahl said:
Yep that's the one. Oh well. Either way, I do not use the default HID driver because I like to make use of the hotkeys etc. I use the driver from igo.com.
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Damn bro i feel bad 4 u. It's alright try to get some type of partial refund or something. Checkout slickdeals.net they said it was 29.99 for a while. This post just reminded me to buy one. Anyways if you feel like it was worth what you paid even it was more than that it doesn't matter. I heard there's a dumb sticker on it can you confirm?

Mine is branded with the ThinkOutside logo on the front which isn't too bad and the standard FCC info, barcodes, etc on the back. The thing that irks me most about the keyboard is that the locking mechanism when it is folded out seems somewhat cheap (a 1cm piece of plastic). Oh, and they should have used a USB rechargeable LiPoly battery instead of 2 AAAs. The keyboard would be much more portable if the battery part was shaved off the top.
Honestly I think the thing was worth the $100 I paid for it, so I'm going to buy a spare for $30.

I have been on the Amazon uk site and they do the Think Outside keyboard for £17.99!! Think i might get one.
Think Outside Keyboard
Cant find any bluetooth keyboard anywhere else any cheaper....

Hey congrats on your find klasikahl, you've got the setup I'm hoping to use in grad school. What I'd really like to have though, along with this keyboard, is a number pad and a MoGo bluetooth mouse!
I have heard a few complaints about the keyboard though. Is it hard to remove the phone stand? Also, if you hit a key on the far left or right of the keyboard, does it all **** to one side? No biggie either way really, but I was curious.

You might want to try one of these keyboards. I have one and it works well. An alternative to the built in keyboard if you can type fast. ie 50wpm
http://www.itechdynamic.com/en/products_spec.asp?cid=7&pid=07010

ziggykd said:
Hey congrats on your find klasikahl, you've got the setup I'm hoping to use in grad school. What I'd really like to have though, along with this keyboard, is a number pad and a MoGo bluetooth mouse!
I have heard a few complaints about the keyboard though. Is it hard to remove the phone stand? Also, if you hit a key on the far left or right of the keyboard, does it all **** to one side? No biggie either way really, but I was curious.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is not hard to remove the phone stand. Merely bend it back off of the keyboard (as if you're going to break it) and it will pop off before breaking any pieces. Because of the portable design, the left and right sides of the keyboard do not touch the surface beneath when the keyboard is expanded. If you hit a key on the far sides, it will likewise tilt to one side, but this is a very minimal annoyance.
I am able to type 90% of my desktop speed with this little guy. My understanding about the "virtual" optical keyboard that was posted is that the key registration is not perfect, and also there's no tactile response (the ThinkOutside keyboard's response is great).

LMAO damn man thread creator got owned bad. Thats why I always check amazon when I buy stuff to see if I can't find it for a lower price.

I liked the price so much that I bought two, one for me and one for my fiancee. Gotta love Amazon though, it took a whole week to arrive (gotta love Amazon holiday shipping)... The sticker haunted me 2x

Got mine from Amazon today, very nice design! The software really lets it do a lot. At first the Tab and Back Space Keys were stuck down but after som fiddling they now work fine. The biggest problem was removing the helpfull but stupid open/close instruction sticker that came on it, took 1/2 hour with GooGone adhesive remover....

Mine came today
Yup, based on the $29 price, I grabbed one too (actually, had a $15 off coupon sitting in my account - who knew). It came today!
Thanks for the heads up

RemE said:
The biggest problem was removing the helpfull but stupid open/close instruction sticker that came on it, took 1/2 hour with GooGone adhesive remover....
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Click to collapse
I got mine Tuesday, and had the same issue with that damn sticker. Otherwise it's great!

I bought one too. Maybe they are $29 bucks until they unload the batch with bad tape. Still a great deal.

klasikahl said:
Yep that's the one. Oh well. Either way, I do not use the default HID driver because I like to make use of the hotkeys etc. I use the driver from igo.com.
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Click to collapse
The Kaiser isn't listed on their drivers web page. The drivers that came on the CD (WM5) aren't working on my Tilt either. Which drivers in particular are you using klasikahl?

I D/L'd the drivers from the iGo website, they are also WM5 drivers but work fine on my Kaiser. It did ask to disable the HID driver and I said yes, then it went thru the pairing process. I had to make the KBD discoverable, pair and done. It adds a SIP keyboard choice, in fact if I have another soft keyboard selected and then open the iGo, the Kaiser will auto select the iGo SIP and take off working, very nice.

Bluetooth Laser Virtual Keyboard?

I was at OSCON a few weeks back and the thinkgeek folks were there. They had a Bluetooth Laser Virtual Keyboard hooked up & I played with is for a few seconds.
Its a bit pricey, but has anyone tried it?

rickcaudill said:
I was at OSCON a few weeks back and the thinkgeek folks were there. They had a Bluetooth Laser Virtual Keyboard hooked up & I played with is for a few seconds.
Its a bit pricey, but has anyone tried it?
Click to expand...
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Very well!!!

bt laser kb
Just sold mine on ebay, came with my kaiser
It's a brilliant ice breaker in pubs, girls love it, but it is rubbish to actually use.

Why so? The only thing i image being hard about it is that you have to rest your palm on the ground rather than an elevated surface.

A buddy of mine had one for a while...he had nothing but good things to say
about it but i have particularly long fingers and i was tripping the key recognition for the keys below the keys i was going for. so id go to type "ASDF" for example and id get "AZSXDCFV"... but that may just be something you learn to work around in time. seemed neat though

I used to have one for my treo. Takes some getting used too, but if you can get good at it, you can type really fast.
As far as responsiveness, and accuracy, never had a problem with it.
Only problem I ever had was drifting off the home keys and typing like a row off.

Physical keyboard built into flip case for HD2

Hey there guys - how difficult of a task would it be to build a physical keyboard for the HD2, built into a case, connected through USB for the HD2?
I'm looking to the LG Versa for inspiration but have no real experience getting physical keyboards coded to work with OSs..
Was imagining how cool it would be to have the keyboard from the G1 built into a flip case for the HD2...
Is this an extremely lofty goal? Anyone out there with experience in such a matter?
I've looked at BT keyboards, but they are all way too big to be comfortably and logically integrated into a case for the HD2...
Appreciative,
Rod R.

All due respect, why not just buy a phone with a keyboard?

Do you know of any phones with the HD2's specs and screen size that have a physical keyboard that will work with TmoUS?
I came from a G1 and loved it... I love the HD2, but missing the keyboard.
If there is a phone you can recommend with the HD2's specs, screen size, looks, etc, with a physical keyboard, preferably with Android, then I'm all over it... I don't believe it exists.
Cheers-
Rod R.

MyTouch Slide is coming out in June, 3.5 inch screen and 600mhz cpu. Thats the closest to what your asking.

RodRahmani said:
Hey there guys - how difficult of a task would it be to build a physical keyboard for the HD2, built into a case, connected through USB for the HD2?
I'm looking to the LG Versa for inspiration but have no real experience getting physical keyboards coded to work with OSs..
Was imagining how cool it would be to have the keyboard from the G1 built into a flip case for the HD2...
Is this an extremely lofty goal? Anyone out there with experience in such a matter?
I've looked at BT keyboards, but they are all way too big to be comfortably and logically integrated into a case for the HD2...
Appreciative,
Rod R.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only way you can connect a keyboard to the hd2 would be through bluetooth. The HD2 does not have a working usb host feature right now. I've seen small bluetooth keypads that are about the same size as the HD2 that you might be able to use... but it has really small keys like on a blackberry. it's more of a thumbboard.

zarathustrax said:
The only way you can connect a keyboard to the hd2 would be through bluetooth. The HD2 does not have a working usb host feature right now.
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Click to collapse
The last I heard (this was back in 2008), Windows Mobile doesn't offer a USB host or SDK.
Since you pointed out that this phone doesn't have one "right now" am I to assume that some WinMo phones do have it or that it is possible to have one for the HD2 in the future?
OP: I have a Dell GM952 that I use on my HD2 when I am home and texting/tweeting a lot. Haven't seen a massive battery drain like I was expecting either.
I know you are asking about HD2-sized bluetooth keyboards, and this is a full-size QWERTY, but I thought you might be interested in hearing that I don't have any problems with it.

Good info!!
The Mytouch slide is nowhere near the coolness factor of the HD2, but thanks for the heads up..
I'll look into the Dell GM952!!

Snarksneeze said:
The last I heard (this was back in 2008), Windows Mobile doesn't offer a USB host or SDK.
Since you pointed out that this phone doesn't have one "right now" am I to assume that some WinMo phones do have it or that it is possible to have one for the HD2 in the future?
OP: I have a Dell GM952 that I use on my HD2 when I am home and texting/tweeting a lot. Haven't seen a massive battery drain like I was expecting either.
I know you are asking about HD2-sized bluetooth keyboards, and this is a full-size QWERTY, but I thought you might be interested in hearing that I don't have any problems with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There have been many WinMo devices with USB host functionality... Athena was one of them. There were many others. The HD2 actually has the hardware to support USB host but doesn't provide power to devices connected to it. It just doesn't have the software or drivers.
Cotulla (the one who developed hspl for hd2) was working on a driver that allows usb host functionality, but you would need to provide external power to anything you attached. Theres a thread in the original Leo forum. But cotulla never released the driver as he was still working bugs out, and now it's been over a month since cotulla has signed into xda, so I don't know what happened to him. I hope everything is ok with him.
Also, I hear the USB host drivers are going to be functional in the linux port... so when android is made for the hd2, it should have usb host.(but again, external power is needed)

Check out these bluetooth keypads... you might be able to turn one of these into a "keyboard case"....
http://www.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=7170155
http://www.buynowmobi.com/Mini-Palm...Media-Keyboard-for-PDA-PC-PS3-Cellphone-2-AAA
found these with a quick google search. theres probably more out there.

How about something like this
http://cgi.ebay.com/T2000-wifi-TV-p...d=ViewItem&pt=Cell_Phones&hash=item3a5ac5c6e9
or
http://cgi.ebay.com/Mini-Bluetooth-...AU_MobilePhoneAccessories&hash=item563c5d9fb4
I saw these and thought the idea was pretty cool...

alooohaboy said:
http://cgi.ebay.com/T2000-wifi-TV-p...d=ViewItem&pt=Cell_Phones&hash=item3a5ac5c6e9
or
http://cgi.ebay.com/Mini-Bluetooth-...AU_MobilePhoneAccessories&hash=item563c5d9fb4
I saw these and thought the idea was pretty cool...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There you go.... that second link for the mini bluetooth keyboard would be perfect to make a keyboard flip case like the OP was thinking about. Perfect size.

RodRahmani said:
Do you know of any phones with the HD2's specs and screen size that have a physical keyboard that will work with TmoUS?
I came from a G1 and loved it... I love the HD2, but missing the keyboard.
If there is a phone you can recommend with the HD2's specs, screen size, looks, etc, with a physical keyboard, preferably with Android, then I'm all over it... I don't believe it exists.
Cheers-
Rod R.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gotcha. I, too came from the G1, and was worried about the lack of physical keyboard, but find I have adapted well to this.

This actually is a great idea, although it'd be kind of akward since, on a decently made, agenda-style pouch, both the keyboard and the device would sit in landscape mode, so, when trying to use the device, you'd be forced to take it out and force it to portrait mode (sure, some apps do sensor-rotate, but for the ones that don't you're screwed).
Still nice to be able to carry around a keyboard for fast typing in a nice, stylized, elegant looking pouch.
HTC's IME, which was surprisingly good on Android, is kind of frustrating to use on this device for some reason.

There's also this thing, which is exactly what you are looking for:
www egigabook com
It was discussed in this thread:
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=632537
It looks very cool but god knows if they ship it anywhere outside HK. Perhaps someone can import that thing and sell it from a more european-usa friendly place.
Cannot post links, just change the spaces for dots.

Nice one
http://cgi.ebay.com/LG-VX9600-Qwert...ewItem&pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item2c548cef5e
I like this one too but it is made for a LG phone... To bad they don't make this for the HD2

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003TUZJN6/ref=oss_product
found this on amazon. paired easily and works well. working on making a landscape flip case.

My EVO is my favorite tablet and laptop... Check the video out!

The quality isnt the best on the video but I had some fun getting a bt keyboard on my HTC EVO and I'm now ditching my really heavy i7 laptop that I bring to school for notes and will start just bringing a small case for my bt keyboard, my notebook and books and the extra battery in case I run out...
I just did this today but used it well with some text editing apps, now I need to find the best one for notes... How I wish I could program so I could put my ideas in practice and make some $$$$
Thanks to all devs that made this happen, its just amazing that I now own a pocket tablet/notebook pc
ggingerbread 6 ROM
Savaged Z 0.2 kernel with HDMI mirroring
well the direct link wont work because its my first post... youtube.com/watch?v=3VGtp9WlZmM

Props on being innovative. In the past I have seen flexible Bluetooth keyboards which are just a big soft pad which may suit your application a little better! Now find a way to support HDMI mirroring and get a small battery powered monitor with HDMI.

Very nice, Been thinking of doing this for a while but havn't been able to decide on a keyboard. Now all you need is adw to lock in landscape.

I got the adw but I locked it in portrait , Im just excited that I wont have to carry a heavy case around and I can use my phone to do pretty much the same work.
Now If I could only use the original apk for quickoffice on CM7 (which I only tried it briefly with no luck) this should be even better.
I know that the keyboard is kind of old news but I'm sure some people werent sure whether they could invest $50-$60 on a Microsoft Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000 to work on their EVO... By the way, if you do get that, when you pair it with your phone, try entering 1234 on the phone and then typing 1234 (followed by the Enter button) on the keyboard. I got stuck on that for a while
brokenbmx06, HDMI is supported now on cm7

Ideas...
Instead of making it landscape I seem to remember a way for when connected to BT it will open car home. The new car home is customizable, so I figure it would be a lot easier and nicer to do that then the locked in portrait mode. then it will stop as soon as BT is disconnected. And im sure there are better alternatives for the word processing

I saw some awesome 7"-10" monitors online with battery packs for really cheap. Buy an HDMI to DVI adapter and get yourself one. If you have time, skills, and/or patience, you can crate a small case for your monitor with a slot for your EVO, HDMI mirror and voila you now have a 10" monitor and your Bluetooth keyboard.
and with this I am going to go dismantle the 10" monitor I got and get working on something like this. I just need to find a good power source.... xD

I feel that if I have to get a small screen I'd rather buy an android tablet, in fact, I'm saving money to get one but I'm waiting until I find a honeycomb tablet that's a little more settled... There are a bunch coming out, the Optimus 3D one looks cool, but I'm not sure which one to get yet.
By the way, I'm not using CM7 RC4 (Android 2.3.3) with the Savage Zen kernel 1.1.0 (with HDMI mirroring) Very stable and battery is amazing! I can get over 3 days (YES! THREE DAYS!) with little use. I know that because I went away over a weekend and forgot my phone, when I came back it was at 38% at 80 hours without charging. (Seidio 3500mAh battery tho)

Very clever. I've been taking notes just by the phones keyboard, never thought about doing this.

meh, not worth the effort.

Try using android seven with the monitor. Even more of a laptop experience. Change the lcd density as well
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App

spanglmd said:
meh, not worth the effort.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is for me... after I got cm7 RC4, all I had to do is turn my bt keyboard on and pair it... I got over 20 pages of notes from my philosophy of law class in the past couple of weeks, since it all syncs with my dropbox account, not a problem to see all my notes on my computers whenever I need

I can't see your video because I'm on my evo now and yourlink is not clickable and ill never be able to manualy type in the url on my phone.
But I did want to say that I occaionaly flash to cm so i can us my bt keyboard.
I have a stowaway sierra. It's the best kb that I am aware of. It unfolds to about the size of a typical full size laptop kb. I got it on eBay a while back used for about $70. Sometimes they aren't even available, they stopped making them seveal years ago.
It supports SIP and hid. No SIP drivers for android but luckily we have cm bt hid support.
The problem I have with this is that in order for me to have bt hid support I have to deal with cms short comings. I can't deal with crappy GPS or buggy WLAN, or no Sprint visual voicemail. Other wise i would be right there with our guys. Case I take notes and work with documents all day everydAY.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

Potential keyboard problem with free Logitech

I had almost the entire top row of keys on my keyboard dock stop working and I have a hunch that it was the free Logitech virtual keyboard (beta) that caused it.
I was using the Logitech keyboard, which is very nice btw, and then connected the dock. I got the message to switch to the ASUS keyboard to make sure all the buttons worked properly. I didn't switch right away but later I noticed the function keys along the top, from WiFi to Settings had stopped working, also the Mute key is dead. Switching to the ASUS or Android virtual keyboard didn't help nor did several cold resets , re-docking, changing the language, or anything else I've tried.
I found this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1144204 which explains a way to remap the keys on the dock and I figured I could try that to fix the problem. I'm waiting to see if ICS comes out in the next week or so before I root. There's a possibility that the firmware change would fix the problem.
I'm assuming the Logitech rewrote the files with the key mapping and didn't replace them when it was uninstalled. I don't know what happened but the timing is too much of a coincidence. I felt it was worth mentioning since it may be a bug in the Logitech, and may affect other users.
If anyone has any suggestions how to fix this without rooting I'd appreciate it, also if anyone wants to test it to see if it is the Logitech causing this and if it does it to any transformer.
My TF101 tablet and dock are both B50, bought in June and still stock.
The Logitech keyboard is sweet. I hope if it's the culprit that they fix the bug. I'll drop them a line since the keyboard is a beta release.
edited: Here's a link to the keyboard in the App Market
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.logitech.touchkeyboard