I-O Data’s surprisingly attractive Bluetooth keyboard is a winner due to simplicity and straightforward design; wouldn’t it be wonderful if it had a tiny, single-line display and a wee bit o’RAM for saving text files? Unfortunately, it lacks a full complement of function keys, making it a hard sell for serious use. From the indistinct brochure, it looks almost too small, too.
There’s always this.
A small keyboard for your mobile phone from I-O Data [Akihabara News]
A simple keyboard with a small LCD display, and a little RAM to hold a few documents? Is that what you want?
Surely you haven’t forgotten the TRS-80 Model 100.
All it lacks is Bluetooth…
I loved my Trash 80
looks like one of those cheap chinese rip-offs of an apple product.
this looks exactly what I would like to be able to use my Mac Mini from the couch, except everyone always misses one thing: a trackball or other pointing device.
A bluetooth mouse is not a viable option when you are sitting on the couch and the LAST thing I need is two more gadgets sitting on my coffee table (a dozen remotes are already enough).
So one of these babies with a built in trackball would be, ummm, the bees knees
Why can’t I use this or the actual Apple version to type notes into my iPhone? either by bluetooth, or with a small dock for the device at the top of the keyboard. Grr.
Because Apple doesn’t want you to.
You can have my number pad when you pry it from my cold, dead, carpal-tunnel-wracked hands.
@ BUCKTOWNYAT.
I wondered this a while ago. turns out the bluetooth device built into the iPhone only supports simple devices like headsets with a single button input. seems kinda dumb that a device can take a command like ‘answer the phone’ but not multiple key inputs…
and why we haven’t seen BT headsets for music listening???
Hmm. My Nokia N800 needs a keyboard but for $150 I might as well just buy a N810…
Nokia’s been behind on Bluetooth support. OS2008 just added mono headset support but no music headset support yet…
At least Nokia wants me to use Bluetooth…
@ PEWMA
No kidding. I (unexpertly) assume the excuse for both – headphones and keyboard – has to do with battery life. I also can’t believe this is an issue that couldn’t be overcome.
Keyboard solution – include a relatively small rechargeable battery in the keyboard – assuming the iPhone could dock at the top of the keyboard (not bluetooth).
Re bluetooth headphones – either its “in the post” or Apple’s plain crazy. still annoyed its taking them this long though.
Hey, that reminds me that I’m still looking for a teeny keyboard for my server.
Anyone know where I can find a (wired) keyboard with just the alphanumeric section & ESC (more is optional), online and <40$ ?
http://www.indukey-na.com/
Here’s the compact keyboard I use. BTC-1500. I’ve had this for years and years. I’m astonished it’s still a current product. It’s only 6″ X 12″. It gets out of the way when I need desk space for a bowl of noodles or a motorcycle carburetor.
http://www.btc.com.tw/english/2-7-06keyboard.htm
“wouldn’t it be wonderful if it had a tiny, single-line display and a wee bit o’RAM for saving text files?”
Oh, but there is such a beast: http://www.alphasmart.com/Retail/
My roommate had an even smaller one made by a different company, it was as small as the keyboard in this post and had a little 2-line display with enough memory to hold a couple of decent sized documents. Neither of us can remember who made it though!
Found it!
http://www.quickpad.com
Really cool. But page up, page down, home and end are some of my dirtiest keys. That means something, and they aren’t there.
Computers like the EEE have to be terrifying to companies like Quickpad and Alphasmart.