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Posts: 3,841 | Thanked: 1,079 times | Joined on Nov 2006
#11
Bluetooth keyboards normally use one of two different protocols: One is the HID profile (Human Interface Device), which generally works out of the box on devices like the N800. The other is a serial profile, which on the N800 and 770 devices needed a little driver but otherwise worked nearly as well as HID (I have not used it, but my understanding is that with a serial profile the connection needed a little more manual intervention compared to HID, which is the only one I'm familiar with. But don't take my word for this.)

So, the short answer is 'Yes, there are standard protocols, and most BT keyboards follow them (HID or serial). Sometimes there are still problems with specific keyboards though.'

Edit: The keyboard I'm using with my N800 is the Stowaway Sierra full-size, 4-way foldable keyboard. It works perfectly for me, althoug some other users have for some reason problems with pairing and/or connections.
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Last edited by TA-t3; 2009-10-27 at 15:02.
 

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#12
Many thanks, TA-t3, I am brand new here, appreciate the education. I have both an SU-8W and a HP Ipaq, will have to see which works better. The truth is, the SU-8W is a great keyboard for mobile phone, but not really comfortable for a computer. Thanks, again
 
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#13
Originally Posted by Laughing Man View Post
It's not necessarily a hack to use the keyboard, it's more the fact that HID as a bluetooth protocal is just disabled in general through a simple text file (why I have no idea since it seems to work just fine for people who have tried it). Maybe it was for security reasons, who knows.

But after you just delete HID from the line and restart the bluetooth service (either via command) or a restart and it should work.
But wouldn't you need some kind of UI to set up a keyboard? IIRC, I had the option to choose keyboard model, layout, plus the behaviour of certain function keys in the BT-keyboard-UI on my N800. If such settings aren't available for Maemo5, it's very hackish and hardly useful.
 
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#14
The N900 appears to come with a separate layout for the SU-8W in /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols/nokia_vndr but doesn't use it automatically after enabling the Bluetooth HID. By default it's using the N900 internal keyboard's layout. The Fn key on the SU-8W is not working which suggests it doesn't make the keyboard actually send keypresses of the number keys for example, but the driver has to interpret Fn+Q as 1.

However my keyboard has an AltGr key which the N900 thinks is same as the internal keyboard's Fn key, so AltGr+Q produces 1 and AltGr+Ctrl opens the dialog to enter special characters. Therefore the SU-8W is fully functional although with a very strange layout that probably will be fixed by someone eventually. I'm finding that key repeat works better than with the N810 and no keypresses are dropped, but YMMV.
 

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#15
Originally Posted by fragos View Post
The SU-8W was so poorly supported on the N810 that it was almost unusable. I believe it was a driver issue and not the keyboard itself. The bug was reported by a number of users and a fix was promised in Fremantle. I'd want to verify it works before dumping $100 on an unusable keyboard. The fact that you need a hack to use the keyboard isn't very promising. Also that keyboard has special function keys for Nokia phones which weren't supported on the N810. I love my N810 but the whole bluetooth keyboard thing was a major disappointment. I've ordered a small USB keyboard to use with the N810 but am unsure if that option is really available on the N900.

I agree with your comments pertaining to the SU-8W specific blue function keys which are used for the blue function keys on Nokia phones; due to no direct mapping relationship between blue function key and the N810 itself. Maybe a hack could map the blue menu key to the N810 menu key.

However that aside I have found the SU-8W to work very reliably for all other keys (i.e. the numerical keys accessed only via the green Fn). So for writing long messages or docs it works a treat

If the same user experience could be achieved on the N900 I would be more than happy.

Cheers,
 
Posts: 488 | Thanked: 107 times | Joined on Sep 2009 @ Asgard / Midgard / London
#16
Is there a way to use a standard bluetooth keyboard for PC on the N900? That could be useful for gaming or going to a friend's house who has such a keyboard. The foldaway keyboards are more useful when travelling and staying in hotels and so on.
 
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#17
Originally Posted by Thor View Post
Is there a way to use a standard bluetooth keyboard for PC on the N900? That could be useful for gaming or going to a friend's house who has such a keyboard. The foldaway keyboards are more useful when travelling and staying in hotels and so on.
Yes, there's: http://wiki.maemo.org/Fremantle_Unsu...tooth_profiles

For the record I'll make a simple control panel app for that.
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Posts: 488 | Thanked: 107 times | Joined on Sep 2009 @ Asgard / Midgard / London
#18
Originally Posted by VDVsx View Post
Yes, there's: http://wiki.maemo.org/Fremantle_Unsu...tooth_profiles

For the record I'll make a simple control panel app for that.
Thanks that'll be great! I'll be looking to test it out when I get the device. I wonder if the keyboard and mouse can stay connected to both the phone and the computer and be switchable.. ? That's probably a little too much to ask for though
 
Posts: 18 | Thanked: 2 times | Joined on Sep 2009 @ Australia
#19
Originally Posted by VDVsx View Post
Yes, there's: http://wiki.maemo.org/Fremantle_Unsu...tooth_profiles

For the record I'll make a simple control panel app for that.
That would be terrific! Will be one apps on my highest download priority
 
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Posts: 900 | Thanked: 273 times | Joined on Aug 2008 @ Fresno CA USA
#20
Originally Posted by Thor View Post
Thanks that'll be great! I'll be looking to test it out when I get the device. I wonder if the keyboard and mouse can stay connected to both the phone and the computer and be switchable.. ? That's probably a little too much to ask for though
Most Bluetooth devices can only be connected to one host at a time. My N810 will for FTP functions allow the user to select which available host to connect to. My Bluetooth keyboard connects to the 1st host it sees.
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