ebay mini-bluetooth keyboard

[zedorda]

I ordered one of these from ebay about aweek ago it paired fine connects fine and works as a physical keyboard. There is no branding on it so its being sold by a large number of vendors as just a mini bluetooth keyboard through ebay from $5.99-$29.99. The only one with a "buy it now" option was $8.99. It comes with a mini-CD that has some files for Android, Windows Mobile, and Nokia wireless. The Android apk that it had won't register and just closes if the registration fails. The drivers from the CD were not needed tho.

Note: This will not work with froyo it doesn't have the HID support within the bluetooth stack until Gingerbread. I am running IHO but my wife runs Reborn and it will pair but it doesn't have the option to connect.

This thing has replaced my Wiimote for games since now I don't need the wiimote app or need to switch my keyboard setting to the wiimote and back again which is a hassle. It also works fine with my computer.

Almost the same size as the OV but abit thinner.

Tried to get a pic of the pairing/connect button it is the one below the 2 unlit LED lights

Micro-usb and the on/off switch.

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Battery Life - I am only 2 and a half days into use and it is not heavy use with no indicator of battery life. I hope one of the LEDs will blink as it gets low.

Link to an ebay search I used to find it:
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-...+bluetooth+keyboard&_sacat=See-All-Categories

Cheapest "Buy it now" at time of posting: $11.88 with free shipping from China


EDIT: Going on 12 days still on first charge.

 

[watskyhotsky]

THANK YOU FOR THIS]

ive been looking at these for a long time now. I had no idea it was that close in size to the V.

I really wanted to fab up a folding leather "wallet" style case that would hold this and my V and flip open to use the keyboard (i make stuff like that often,) but had no idea on how well it worked with the phone or its real size.

im going to order one asap. only problem is i also want the 3000mAH battery and if I go through with that case idea, i might end up with a phone thats thick enough to not resemble a phone anymore. hahahah

 

[watskyhotsky]

quick question!

I noticed this keyboard has arrow keys that can be used when the FN key.

out of curiosity, in the homescreens, does using these arrow keys allow homescreen switching or selecting of icons? what about in lists, can you scroll up or down with them?

at a minimum, do they at least move the text cursor around a block of text?

 

[zedorda]

Yes it is used as a physical attached keyboard would. I can switch screens and navigate the screen with the red arrows also works in the market, browsers, and file managers. Just about anything u can use the touch screen on the keyboard can also work on.

On a side note try out having ur bluetooth active all day once. With Gingerbread plus Bluetooth the stock battery might die kinda fast. The 3000mAh battery makes this setup work nice for a full 2 days with avg use. The thickness of the phone with the 3000mAh battery and the keyboard is about 1.125 inches(28mm) my wallet is thicker without cash.

 

[watskyhotsky]

Yes it is used as a physical attached keyboard would. I can switch screens and navigate the screen with the red arrows also works in the market, browsers, and file managers. Just about anything u can use the touch screen on the keyboard can also work on.

On a side note try out having ur bluetooth active all day once. With Gingerbread plus Bluetooth the stock battery might die kinda fast. The 3000mAh battery makes this setup work nice for a full 2 days with avg use. The thickness of the phone with the 3000mAh battery and the keyboard is about 1.125 inches(28mm) my wallet is thicker without cash.

hmmm i wonder if its possible with a script or tasker to make the bluetooth turn on and pair when the screen is unlocked, and off when phone is dormant

 

[zedorda]

hmmm i wonder if its possible with a script or tasker to make the bluetooth turn on and pair when the screen is unlocked, and off when phone is dormant

If u find one it will make u repair/connect it each time then.

 

[zedorda]

If u find one it will make u repair/connect it each time then.

I have to correct myself. After using this for a full day and actually removing all the software I was trying to use to connect the keyboard. Once I was only using the stock IHO CM7.1 it now works better alot better. I dont have to re-pair/re-connect at all even if I reboot the phone and leave the keyboard off. I can just randomly turn on the keyboard and it works fine. I love this thing.

 

[itsrayray]

Wow. Im gonna pick one of these up. How does it feel? Built well or cheap plastic? For the price, either way it's a steal that it works with our phones

Sent from my IHO Powered LG-VM670

 

[zedorda]

Wow. Im gonna pick one of these up. How does it feel? Built well or cheap plastic? For the price, either way it's a steal that it works with our phones

Sent from my IHO Powered LG-VM670

It does feel real fragile and is plastic. Its mainly because of how thin it is. The buttons are nice soft rubber. It is also very light weight. It is still working on its first charge and I have had it for over 6 days.

 

[brian117]

THANK YOU FOR THIS]

ive been looking at these for a long time now. I had no idea it was that close in size to the V.

I really wanted to fab up a folding leather "wallet" style case that would hold this and my V and flip open to use the keyboard (i make stuff like that often,) but had no idea on how well it worked with the phone or its real size.

If you ever accomplish creating a case for yourself, would you be open to creating more that people could buy? I would love to buy this keyboard if there was a case that could house this correctly. I would buy a case from you ASAP if you made it to flip open and all that jazz.

 

[Challain]

I also bought one of these mini keyboards, but I cannot get it to pair - the software off the mini CD would not activate - any suggestion?

 

[zedorda]

I also bought one of these mini keyboards, but I cannot get it to pair - the software off the mini CD would not activate - any suggestion?

Are u running a 2.3 Gingerbread ROM?

 

[JerryScript]

I also bought one of these mini keyboards, but I cannot get it to pair - the software off the mini CD would not activate - any suggestion?

I just received mine today, and I had trouble pairing it as well, till I read the reviews on Amazon. In the reviews, there are a couple of posts that mention the final trick is entering the code on the keyboard itself at the end. So you press the pair button on the keyboard, then on the phone click on the Bluetooth 3.0 mini keyboard (under bluetooth settings), the phone will popup asking for a 4 digit code, enter your 4 digit code on the phone (make one up) and click done, then enter the same 4 digit code on the bluetooth keyboard itself and press it's enter key.

It's cool how you can navigate the phone with the keyboard's arrow keys! I really like the fact it's almost the same dimensions as the Optimus V, close to a perfect match. I'm just now playing around with it, looks like I'll be happy with this purchase! Thanks for posting about it!

Edit: A nice bonus, it comes with a micro usb cable, now I have a spare for the office!

 

[zedorda]

Not sure if its the same for all of them but my usb cable that came with my keyboard charges super slow on anything but the keyboard. Sorry i didn't explain the pairing process I think I just assumed it on my first try and just got lucky and then didn't think about it.

Other key combos - Fn+ESC = Back key / Fn+End = Screen close / Fn+Home = Home key

 

[MachPrimeRib]

There is a USA seller on eBay with an "Intel" branded one for a few cents more. Don't know how true that brand is, buying it now for the sake of shipping time. Will give a quality update upon arrival.

 

[OakIris]

From this thread I understand that I might really miss not having a physical keyboard like the one I currently have on the Rumor Touch. Is the software keyboard on the Optimus awkward to use, just not adequate? I have read some reviews that indicated that the small size of the Optimus screen makes the keyboard rather cramped....

@zedora - Is the keyboard that you purchased the one from Tomtop? And, pardon my ignorance, does "compatible with Bluetooth v3.0" mean that the device uses Bluetooth 3.0? All the other mini Bluetooth keyboards that seem to be available are v2.0 keyboards. Not sure the speed difference between 2.0 and 3.0 would make any difference in this implementation though.

There are some other mini Bluetooth keyboards listed on Amazon, and there is this one available on Geeks.com iTon PA-BK03 49-Key Bluetooth v2.0 Wireless Mini Keyboard for iPad, iPhone, PDAs, Smartphones or PlayStation 3 (Black) iTon Technology PA-BK03 for those who might not want to go through eBay or wait for delivery from China. (I found it somewhat amusing that the one listed on geeks.com, which is also made in China, specifically states that it is "lead free." )

@ PrimeRib - I look forward to your review of the Intel keyboard - curious to know if it is as fragile as the one zedora has. I wonder about the Intel branding as well; does it mean the keyboard has an Intel chip set, or...? Who knows!

I did find this keyboard that actually comes with a case. Mini Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard With Leather Case for 4 A059...USD 30.78/Piece Wholesale Price at DHgate.com It specifies that it is for the iPhone but I wonder if it might not work with the Optimus as well, just to set the Optimus in while using the keyboard. And at least the keyboard would have some protection. Comes from China, though, and it is a lot more expensive because of the case...

Holly

 

[zedorda]

The one from Tomtop doesn't look to be the same as the one from ebay i bought. The one I bought uses BT 2.0v and all devices that use BT 3.0v are reverse compatible it just part of the BT style.

 

[OakIris]

The one from Tomtop doesn't look to be the same as the one from ebay i bought. The one I bought uses BT 2.0v and all devices that use BT 3.0v are reverse compatible it just part of the BT style.

I know that 3.0 is reverse compatible with devices running earlier versions of Bluetooth, but wasn't familiar with a company not listing the actual version for their device, instead saying that it is "compatible with Bluetooth v3.0," which is apparently somewhat meaningless.

So what they were saying by "compatible with v3.0" probably means the keyboard itself is v 2.0 (hopefully!) but will work with devices that have Bluetooth v3.0, as if we wouldn't be aware of that....Kind of deceptive advertising, to me; the seller should just have given the version specifics and not make unknowing folks (like me) think that the device might in fact be v 3.0. Just whining here!

Holly

 

[Eollie]

From this thread I understand that I might really miss not having a physical keyboard like the one I currently have on the Rumor Touch. Is the software keyboard on the Optimus awkward to use, just not adequate? I have read some reviews that indicated that the small size of the Optimus screen makes the keyboard rather cramped....

Holly

ON my old Droid X I could never use swype the screen was too big IMO for me to use swype correctly. However I was a whiz at landscape typing. I could knock out a 100 word email almost as fast as if I was on my pc with the stock keyboard.

Now on my Optimus I use touchpal (swype style) and hate having to use landscape typing as the buttons are just to awkward IMO. Plus the smaller screen means easier to typo. If you use the swype style keyboards enough they will learn you typing habits and predict things much better. I send texts to people for a specific reason and initially it use to autocorrect things that made the text appear really odd. Now it knows when Im typing these words and doesnt replace them with the typical word.

Some people say physical keyboards are the best and others say the opposite. Ive seen people swear a physical keyboard and then use swype style keyboards and never touch the physical again. Honestly I would hold off on buying a physical for a while, especially if money is a issue and try one of the swype style keyboards.

 

[OakIris]

Some people say physical keyboards are the best and others say the opposite. Ive seen people swear a physical keyboard and then use swype style keyboards and never touch the physical again. Honestly I would hold off on buying a physical for a while, especially if money is a issue and try one of the swype style keyboards.

Well, money is always an issue, but even if this were not so, I had no plans to buy a physical keyboard before first taking the time to acquaint myself with my not-yet-purchased new phone and its stock software keyboard, as well as checking out the after market software keyboards such as TouchPal.

I haven't had a phone with an actual software keyboard before, so, since I have no experience with a touch screen qwerty keypad, I won't know whether or not it is adequate until I have tried it out for myself. Like many others, I may find that a hardware solution is indeed unnecessary.

I am just looking into all of the options right now and appreciate all of the information on this site. There are lots of helpful, knowledgeable users here and I am enjoying the research.

Holly