Jun 8

Written by: Mike Temporale
Sunday, June 8, 2008 8:37am

I’ve tested out a number of wireless keyboards in the past, but never really found one that I liked or worked well enough for me to continue to use it every day.  I had a chance to play with Apple’s ultra slim Bluetooth keyboard recently, and I have to say that I was pretty impressed. To start with, this thing is super thin and light weight.  It’s truly an impressive keyboard when you hold it in your hand. Apple did a great job on the design - no real surprise there.  Two AA batteries are inserted in the tube at the top of the keyboard to power it. Even the screw to open and close the battery compartment is well thought out.  It’s a deep thread and only requires a short half turn to open or close. So you’re not twisting the screw forever just to swap batteries. The overall feel when typing is quite nice. The keys are easy to press and spaced at a normal space, or at what feels like a normal spacing to me. 

To install this keyboard, Apple’s instructions tell you to install the software on your computer and then follow the prompts on your screen.  Which works really well if you are installing this on your computer.  I however was not.  Like a true mobile geek, I wanted to pair it with my Smartphone before doing anything else.  That’s natural, right? So, I fired up the keyboard and the little green light started to flash which means that the keyboard is in discovery mode. I searched for new devices from my Smartphone and instantly made the connection.  Unfortunately, that’s where the fun ended.  Apple’s manual doesn’t tell you the pairing code.  If I had walked through the desktop install I might have known a little more about how this works, but in all reality, Apple should have put the steps into their manual so people wouldn’t have to guess at how it works.  Not everyone is buying the keyboard to use with a desktop.  After trying the standard pairing codes to no success, I did some searching around the internet and figured out that there is no default value set.  You need to enter the code on the device and then on the keyboard in order to pair it. So once it’s entered on your mobile device, hit next or done on the device and turn to the keyboard and enter the same code followed by pressing the enter key.  Presto - You’ve now paired the units, enjoy!  Using this process, I was able to pair the keyboard with 2 different Windows Mobile devices and a BlackBerry unit too. 

I think the keyboard is big on style, small on size and great on functionality.  My only real complaints are the lack of documentation and the price.  While it’s not super expensive, it’s more than I would be willing to pay for a wireless keyboard. Perhaps in 4 or 5 months the price will drop down to a more reasonable range.  I only say this because I don’t need a wireless keyboard to do my daily work. If you’re in need of wireless keyboard action, this is a great choice.  Check one out and see for yourself.

Unfortunately, the keyboards weren’t in the office for very long before they left to see action at a conference. Once they return in a couple weeks I will snap some pictures of the units along side some mobile devices and even a standard desktop keyboard. Tune back here in a couple weeks and I should have the pictures for you.