Buying a Bluetooth Keyboard

Foldable Bluetooth Keyboards

If your smart-phone or Personal Information Manager has a Bluetooth (TM) radio in it, you can link the device to any number of other devices wirelessly. This includes foldable, full-stroke keyboards that allow you to type text (almost) as normally as you would a keyboard and weigh a few ounces. (The caveat is, while the keystroke depth may be equivalent, the keys tend to be a little more rectangular and tightly spaced than you'd find on a full-sized laptop or full-sized keyboard.)

Foldable keyboards provide a solution especially for people with larger fingers who have trouble typing on touch-sensitive keyboards, or smaller keys. It's also a useful tool for people who enjoy the convenience of touch typing but forego carrying their laptop due to weight restrictions, or who want to maximize the power of their handheld before moving up to a laptop. Given the large market for discontinued or used portable keyboards, you can usually pick one up for around $25.00. If you're buying a keyboard new or second hand, make sure to find one that includes the original instructions with the box.

There are a number of portable Bluetooth keyboards on the market but most of them seem to have been re-brandings of the one originally made popular by the Stowaway brand. A quick search reveals what appears to be an identical keyboard branded as Targus, HP/Compaq, Fellowes and more.

By visiting this website, http://corporate.igo.com/support/Drivers.asp, you can find drivers that may work with your handheld device and support the foldable keyboard. The link takes you to a page that offers a "configurator", or a series of easy-to-use, drop-down menus that will assist you in finding the right driver for your device.

http://corporate.igo.com/support/Drivers.aspFor example, if you have a RIM phone, model Blackberry 8300, the configurator page will offer you the hyper link to the driver and a PDF instruction manual on how to use the driver and pair the device to your keyboard.

Here's where you can get your driver:

http://corporate.igo.com/support/Drivers.asp:

If they don't have your driver...

1. Identify your portable keyboard by brand name. Usually it's printed directly on the keyboard itself.

2. Visit the manufacturer's website.

3. Search for the "driver", or the program that allows your device to "speak" to the keyboard, on the website. If you can't find it, call their customer service department.

4. Follow the instructions for "pairing" the device, or letting it find the other device you need it to speak with. This is usually in "settings" under "connections" or devices.

If you search for and find the driver and instructions before you buy a used foldable bluetooth keyboard, you'll be sure to have the basic support you'll need to get your system up and running.

As a side note, Bluetooth keyboards are battery-operated. The model made by stowaway takes two AAA-sized batteries. I recommend keeping four rechargeables, two in the device, and two rechargeables in your computer bag along with two alkaline batteries. Rechargeables tend to lose their power over time, and keeping a few alkalines around will help keep your system dependable.

Bluetooth portable keyboards offer an inexpensive upgrade for smart phones that allow you to type longer documents. It's a great solution for note taking, journaling, or writing on days where you aren't at a desktop and don't want to carry your laptop around.