New Toy: iGo Stowaway Ultra-Slim Bluetooth Keyboard

S M Sabri Ismail commented on your status:
"Next time bring a BT Keyboard to link with your Android. ;-)"

One of the things I picked up off ebay.co.uk was just that … 😎

It’s the iGo Stowaway Ultra-Slim Keyboard. I once had a stowaway keyboard for my IBM Workpad C3 (equivalient of a Palm V) PDA 10 years ago. It was really cool — more for showing off than for actual work. It’s really small and convenient to carry around, and opens up to a full sized keyboard.

These days, keyboards are much more flexible and use Bluetooth to communicate — no need for any proprietary connectors or wires. The older keyboards and devices (e.g. Blackberry) use the Serial Port Profile (SPP) on bluetooth, whereas the newer ones (like this Stowaway keyboard) work like a proper bluetooth keyboard should and presents itself as a Human Interface Device (HID).

For Android it doesn’t really matter … as there isn’t built-in support for bluetooth keyboards of either variety yet. But this used unit was going for GBP29.95 (slightly under RM150) with free shipping on ebay, whereas it is USD150 new (RM475) so I thought it’s worth getting and waiting for someone to work on the software part. Being a bluetooth keyboard, it should work on other devices like a bluetooth supporting PC.

These guys currently have a basic HID driver working on Android, and have promised to support the iGo Stowaway in their next release Real Soon Now, so it’s just a matter of waiting a month or two …

To top it up … Etihad Airways gave me a set of toiletries … the zipper case for which is perfect to hold the Stowaway keyboard.

This post was originally published as a Facebook Note at 2010-04-10 00:35:10 +0800.