SPV - IR Keyboard Review C500 Compatible

[Guest Will]

Another 'real' review.

Thanks to 'smartphoneaddons.com' for sending me this keyboard, and an updated driver!

Confession time, I own an old style fabric and rubber keyboard, and rarely use it. typing on a phone with a keyboard was just too long winded, and not fast enough for writing a novel!

So anyhow, i unpacked the keyboard (in nice c500 matching silver and black), installed the drivers (all SPV's should use the 2002 version from the CD, or the updated driver available from http://www.smartphoneadvice.com/download/keyboard.cab for 2003 devices).

The keyboard is compatible with ALL HTC smartphones, and comes with a driver disk with palm and ppc drivers.

The keyboard is powered by 1 AAA battery (supplied in the box) and all I had to do was start the keyboard driver program, and insert the battery, and typing began. You can autostart the keyboard driver, but i prefer to turn it on when i need it.

There are 2 IR sensors on the keyboard, one above and one below, allowing, the lower sensor is fixed but has good range, the upper sensor is on a kind of flexy arm, built into the phone stand. This arrangement does not hold the phone firmly in position, and i actually preferred placing the phone flat on the table, below the keyboard.

Simple things : the windows key emulates the home button and the backspace key emulates the back button. CTRL 5 is left softkey, and CTRL 6 is right. (this is made more simple to remember as the hinge is between the 5 and 6 keys). To the left of the keyboard are 4 hotkeys, calling up tasks, contacts and calendar (the 4th is for memo's - and as there is no default memo app.. it don't do much).

Using the keyboard is 'good', not great, this is not a complaint, but sometimes I got wierd results, such as letters when I used number keys, as if the t9 was kicking in, this is probably a bug with the c500 t9 engine, not the keyboard. Speed of typing, even when set on 'very fast' feels too slow (there is a small keybuffer, but the phone does not seem to be 100% accurate when typing at touch type speed) - but then for serious typing i'd use a laptop!

The space key is split between the 2 halves of the keyboard, which takes some getting used to, but overall the keys are well layed out, and have a positive feel.

Conclusion:

If you type long text messages, or wish to use the phone to take notes, this is a cheap keyboard, at UK£35.00 you cannot go wrong. If you need super speed for touch typing, wait for a bluetooth version, or get a laptop!

PS cannot comment on battery life.. had it a week, and it still works

You can buy the keyboard Here at www.smartphoneaddons.com

[Guest tiger33]

I have a problem with the keyboard

CTRL 5 isnt doing anything

and the home key doesnt do anything apart from go to the start page

:-(

help

[Guest Will]

ctrl 5 works fine for me? - some homescreens seem to mess it up sometimes.. home is supposed to take you tothe homescreen afaik

[Guest tiger33]

ctrl 5 works fine for me? - some http://smartphone.modaco.com/viewforum.php?f=43>homescreens seem to mess it up sometimes.. home is supposed to take you tothe homescreen afaik

do u press ctrl and 5 at the same time or ctrl then 5

[Guest Will]

press and hold ctrl press 5

[Guest tiger33]

ok i worked it out

with the futurama theme (which i am using)

u need to press Ctrl 6 and Ctrl 7 to map the soft keys

[Guest bartdesign]

I've orderd one last week, I'm hoping that it is here quick :lol: Keyboard roxors my ph0n

[Guest bartdesign]

It arrived. And i must say it's far better than i expected. The build quality is very good. Typing works far faster than i expected. The reviewer said it wasn't that fast, I can type with my eyes closed on a normal keyboard, and i didn't had any speed problems on the IR one. This thing is really really good. IR works fine. Never thought i would for that price.(compared to the yet-to-be-supported stowaway BT.)

Only problem i encounterd so far is that when the kb program is loaded and the keyboard is enabled in it's menu(active keyboard = on) the backlit will stay on, disabling the active keyboard option, kills support of the keyboard and somehow releases the back light again so that it's dim like normal, ill ask freedominput about this.

[Guest gabipantea]

I'm new here and actually arrived here for the problem below.

I bought the IR keyboard for my C500 and the problem is that it doesn't use the shift combination of letters and numbers. I mean I cannot type @, just 2 and so on. I tryed the driver on the smartphoneadvice.com and still the same thing.

Anyone have any ideea?

Thanks

[Guest freedo]

I have a keyboard from Add-ons.com and an SPV C500 (2003 software). I have followed all the instructions on the site.

Installed drivers from smartphoneadvice.com

BUT the keyboard does not respond at all. I have even tried other devices which should be compatible and still no response. I sent it back to add-ons.com and they just sent it back again telling me to get the drivers from smartphoneadvice.com.

Has anyone had these issues? Is there something i am missing installing this. Can someone put a link to exactly where they picked up the drivers?

Thanks