Just thought I'd drop a note here on the Note 8.0 forum about the Microsoft Wedge Bluetooth Keyboard. I've been using the ThinkOutside foldable bluetooth keyboard with the Note 8, and it's outstanding for its pocketable portability. However, it is also hard to find a new one in case it should break, and since it's a little fragile I'm reluctant to continually leave it on the table for everyone in the family to use, so I got the Microsoft Wedge keyboard as an alternative. My frame of comparison, as far as keyboards go, also includes the keyboard I use for my desktop PC, the Lenovo Compact USB keyboard with Trackpoint.
The Wedge keyboard has worked flawlessly with the Note. It's fit and finish is beyond reproach, with aluminum back, and very sturdily built. When set on the tabe it's comfortably inclined. Designwise the aluminum surround also matches the Note 8.0 design. The two connect automatically without fail, and maintains connection very well. It's small, without having felt cramped ever. Of course my desktop PC keyboard is small as far as desktops go.
The one tiny detail I've noticed is the Wedge keys have less travel than either the Lenovo or the ThinkOutside keys. This gives the impression of requiring more pressure force, which, while being an illusion, seems to slow my typing down. If its the only keyboard one uses, this perceptual effect is likely to go away.
The bonus feature for the Note 8.0, which I didn't even pay attention to initially, is the keyboard cover. Removing it turns on the keyboard, putting it back turns the keyboard off. It's bendable with a sort of hinge function, vertically placed in the middle of the keyboard cover. I first thought one had to slide it on or off from the keyboard, but in fact it's bendable in both directions, so to remove it, it's possible to just bend it slightly backwards. The keyboard wakes up when starting to type on it and times out when not being used, and there are keys to also manually turn it on or off.
In my usage the cover stays off most of the time and it is a truly excellent stand for the Note 8.0. Being rubber the keyboard cover holds the Note very securely, while preventing slipping on the table surface.
Edit: Just discovered the keyboard's music controls (volume, play/pause, silence) work. I'm running Android 4.1.2.
It's not a cheap BT keyboard, but it was worth it.
Related
At work, I often have to sign or annotate documents. Adobe Reader will do this, but the signature is not very accurate with fat fingers. (Signnow is much better, but doesn’t work for a different reason!). I thought I’d try using a stylus, so I bought a couple of low-cost ones experimentally but they weren’t great.
1. CAPACITIVE Stylus Pen Samsung i5500 Galaxy Europa
Pretty rubbish, with flappy bit of rubber on end. Wasn’t able to press hard enough to draw, so I cut it off and afterwards it didn’t work at all! £1.98
Can't insert link (too few posts) so you'll have to cut-and-paste. Sorry!
ebay.co.uk/itm/370477728169?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
2. Black Aluminium Capacitive Drawing Stylus Pen for Draw Something Game App
Works better, though ball on end is very soft so can’t do anything accurately £3.99
ebay.co.uk/itm/120889993694?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
There are others, but many are a lot more expensive. Does anybody have any recommendations of what works well with the MT4GS?
I tried a capacitive stylus on my DesireZ aka Vision, it was basically like a pen with with a firm black rounded rubbery tip like an eraser ball
it worked but it obscured enough of the screen to make it somewhat pointless as you didn't gain any accuracy.
you might be better off trying a bluetooth mouse.
Yes, the ball on the end rather got in the way, something with a shape a bit closer to a pencil or a tapering chisel tip would be better. I'll look at a mouse too, thanks for the suggestion.
Sent from my myTouch 4G Slide using xda premium
speculatrix said:
I tried a capacitive stylus on my DesireZ aka Vision, it was basically like a pen with with a firm black rounded rubbery tip like an eraser ball
it worked but it obscured enough of the screen to make it somewhat pointless as you didn't gain any accuracy.
you might be better off trying a bluetooth mouse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As if using your finger doesn't normally obscure the screen...
There are times I'd really like a stylus, say if I'm reading an ebook. But I've tried several different brands of stylii and I'm not really impressed. All of them seemed to work worse than my finger. Often a cheap stylus' touch will cause the screen to zoom instead of scroll. I fear pressing too hard, as my wife scratched her Tab trying to avoid the trend to zoom. If I try another stylus, I'll spend the extra for a quality pen that I can demo before I buy.
Or if you can't stand any of the commercially available ones, you can always make your own!
http://lifehacker.com/5550029/diy-touch+screen-stylus-new-and-improved
I found one by accident at Big Lots one day. They had a 2 pack of Duracell screen protectors for IPads with a free stylus for $8. I wasn't expecting much from the stylus, but it's worked really well, and the pen works great on it too. It has the soft rubber tip but I haven't had any issues with it. The diameter is about the same or smaller than a pencil and it obscures a lot less than my finger. There are no markings on it, inside or out.
http://www.biglots.com/browseItem/as-advertised/8735
I might give one a go
Sent from my myTouch 4G Slide using xda premium
Any calibration available on the touch cover keyboard?
I want to use even lighter pressure to type. I am often missing the "spacebar".
Me too. As far as I know only the touchpad is configurable. (search the store for 'touch cover' if you haven't seen this app)
I feel like I am pounding on the keys for it to recognize them.
It actually requires extremely low pressure, less than most real keyboards. It feels different because nothing moves under your finger to let you know you've reached the required amount of pressure, but after typing on the touch cover for a while, going back to a physical keyboard feels like going from a keyboard back to a mechanical typewriter...
If you feel like you're having to press really hard for your typing to be recognized, either you're doing something wrong or the cover is defective. Make sure you can hear the Surface when typing (headphones help here in a noisy room); the audio feedback when you hit a key makes it clear how little is actually required for the Surface to recognize a keypress.
That said, the common problem is that the keys have to be hit somewhat precisely. No amount of pressure when your finger is just on the edge of a key will produce the result you want. Also, I find the positioning of the spacebar (more to the left than I'm used to on a laptop keyboard) to be annoying, although I'm getting used to it.
I also have noticed it being on hard surface is a much better typing experience than it being on your lap or similar.
I want ability to increase sensitivity to space bar. That's the only thin that doesn't work well when typing from lap.
I just splurged and went and purchased the type cover from Best Buy since they are now in stock and I love it! Wish I would have never gotten the touch cover. Loved it's thinness and its other purpose of being a cover but I just couldn't type fast like I thought I would be able to. I can type sooo much faster on the touch screen itself over the touch cover. On that note I have a black touch cover for sale. Lol
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
je2345 said:
I just splurged and went and purchased the type cover from Best Buy since they are now in stock and I love it! Wish I would have never gotten the touch cover. Loved it's thinness and its other purpose of being a cover but I just couldn't type fast like I thought I would be able to. I can type sooo much faster on the touch screen itself over the touch cover. On that note I have a black touch cover for sale. Lol
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess the only downside on the Type Cover is when you fold it back and hold the surface the keyboard button gives you a weird feeling.
The Touch Cover is also spill-proof (Type Cover is not), easy to clean (Type Cover, like all keyboards, will probably get a bit gross over time), and 3mm thick (Type Cover is 5mm). That said, yes, if you need serious typing power, the Type Cover is the way to go... but be prepared to trade some of the advantages for it.
I'm at a little over 30 WPM on the Touch Cover. That's better than half of what I get on my desktop, but I'd still much rather write a long mail or a program on a real keyboard (although muscle memory with the meta keys works surprisingly well on the Touch Cover).
Hi all,
This is my first post here, following my upgrade from a venerable Nexus 7 (2012) to a Tab S 8.4 in November. I'm grateful for the numerous posts in the XDA community that instructed me on things such as disabling the capacitive buttons, so I thought I'd share some feedback on a couple of cases for which I don't see much discussion.
I started out with a rooCase Origami that I purchased from Amazon, because I wanted the ability to stand the tablet in portrait mode while keeping a reasonably slim profile. I really liked that the case added minimal bulk to the tablet, but the floppy, multi-fold cover was annoying, mostly because the magnets couldn't hold it closed. Also, the tablet didn't stand too well in portrait mode (tap a little too hard on the screen and the kickstand would give away). So, I returned the Origami in favour of a GearIT 360 spinner (also via Amazon).
The GearIT case has proven to be perfect for my needs. The tablet is very secure in the cradle, but pops out easily when you need it (which is necessary to access the card slots). The speakers, camera, ports, and IR blaster are fully exposed, and the camera is deeply recessed so it'll be hard to scratch the lens. The exterior is a twill fabric that's really nice to grip, and the magnets are reliable for waking the tablet and keeping the cover closed. As well, the cover folds in such a way that the soft inside rarely touches other surfaces (unless you fold it back like a magazine), so it won't leave dirt and debris on your screen. I've also been pleasantly surprised that the case hasn't attracted much cat hair (which is easy to clean off with a sticky roller or tape).
The 360-degree rotation enables you to stand the case in a variety of ways while maintaining a surprisingly slim profile for the tablet, and the best part is that you can properly use all of the angles available to you. With non-rotating cases (such as the Origami and Samsung Book Cover), you sometimes find that the screen will be upside down in landscape mode (when apps only rotate in one direction). You can solve this with an app to force screen rotation, but with the GearIT you just turn the tablet around 180 degrees. This also means that the power/volume keys are always on the top when in landscape mode. One of my favorite ways to use the case is to fold it into landscape typing mode (lowest angle), then rotate the tablet into portrait mode. It's the same effect as propping up one end of the tablet on a book.
After about five weeks of daily use, the case still feels solid. The folds are definitely looser than when I first got it, but that's to be expected given how often they're flexed. The rotating hinge ratchets so that your tablet doesn't swing around at will, and it's still nice and tight.
Perhaps the only thing I don't like is that the chrome trim doesn't match the bronze trim on the tablet. Although if I had a choice, I would have taken chrome over bronze...
Cheers!
I know the keyboard is like a cover, however, I'm not too keen on having the back and camera not protected. So can I buy the official book cover, and still having it "closed" in book format with the keyboard?
I'm interested to know this as-well
No you can't, the keyboard increases the size a bit and the cover will not fit both thickness or width wise.. I have both, I wish you could. Outside of that, the keyboard is as good as any third party keyboard functionally, fits really well and doesn't increase the tablet size as much as most keyboard cases and looks great. The battery lasts quite long and charges fast. There is a button that autolocks the tablet when it is closed against the keyboard which is a bonus.. The keyboard doesn't hinge to the tablet which is a little strange, it just sits in a little groove at the top of the keyboard, but it doesn't put any pressure or torque on the tablet. It does make it easy to use it in landscape or portrait. As there's no hinge, you can't adjust the keyboard-to-tablet angle which is a little disappointing, however the angle itself isnt bad. Overall I would recommend it....
But I agree, the camera bit is a bummer
I got the OEM book cover and sent it back. When sitting in it's upright position it wobbles around vary easily when touching the screen. It also collapses out of that position easily because the only thing holding it up is a weak magnet. Not worth the money at all.
Does anyone know of a flip or slider keyboard case for Google Pixel 4XL (or any close - slightly less than or equal - dimensions) ?
I have spent hours searching via Google with a variety of search terms.
I started search with Pixel 4XL, then also searched for iPhone 8 Pro as it has close enough dimensions to be hacked to fit 4XL. also, just smartphone, phone and fewer search terms such as 'keyboard slider case' & 'Keyboard flip case' & many variations.
I found NOTHING close to what I was hoping to find. I found smaller (4" long) BT keyboards for older iPhone and Samsung Galaxy, and much larger 7" tablet size (not fit pockets or belt pouches) but nothing approximately 3x6 inches.
I also dismantled a 7" tablet bluetooth case, removed keyboard, PCB & Battery, then layered double sided tape on the back around those parts, and covered back with duct tape, then duct taped whole thing to normal case on phone.
My hack is functional, but weak. The keyboard is 1" longer than the phone, and delicate (thin aluminum frame).
The layered duct tape hinge allows flip open flat to use keyboard, and flip open 360 to hold phone for normal use.
I really just want to buy a professionally designed & manufactured version of same length/width as phone.
Or, find a better matching size keyboard to repeat the hack. (Larger version of the 4" long BT keyboard on Amazon, eBay, etc.)
The Fosmon 23022KB BT Keyboard is closest size I found, but irregular shape would make it difficult to attach to phone case. Also approx 1/2" thick. I might try it.