Ever since I got my Acer Iconia A500 Tablet, I’ve been excited about the productivity possibilities of having such a tool available, mainly for updating you all on all things geek. I know I can’t do that on a Touchscreen keyboard, it would take way too much time. I’m always looking for inexpensive ways to accomplish things, and being a geek, I look for unconventional methods as well. I knew I needed a keyboard, but I didn’t want to spend a lot of money.
In a recent trek through a local retailer I found some HP Touchpad Keyboards on clearance. These are bluetooth keyboards, so I couldn’t pass up the chance to pick one up and try it(got it for $5). Did it work? If you haven’t guessed by now it did, but how’s everything?
I looked it up online first to see if I had to jump any hoops or install any extra software to make this keyboard work on my Android Tablet. A few posts I read said I would have to do some extra steps to make this work. Guess what? I didn’t. All I had to do was turn on the keyboard, enable bluetooth on my Tablet, then pair them up. I had to type in an unlock code on the keyboard, and that was it. I was rolling! I was so happy it was so simple. Like I usually say…it was delicious š
The keyboard is your standard portable bluetooth keyboard, very similar to models by Targus and Logitech. It runs on two AA batteries, and it has a small bump on the back, which angles it a bit to make it more comfortable to type on. There is no number pad, but all the numbers are represented like a standard keyboard, you don’t need to hit function keys to use them. Right above the number row there is a row of shortcut keys, which are designed to work on an HP Touchpad. I tried them all, and amazingly enough some of them work. The volume up and down keys work, as well as the play/pause key. I didn’t expect any of them to work so this is definitely a bonus. I hope someone makes a patch or hack to rig them to work, as a home or back button, for instance. I’ve typed all this up in a few minutes, and so far I don’t feel any discomfort. However, I can tell that very long sessions would probably hurt your wrists, so try to keep typing sessions to a decent level, not hardcore.
Overall I am really happy with this keyboard. It was a steal for the price I paid, and I can easily say it’s easily worth at least $20 for those who can find it on clearance or on Ebay to use with their Android device. It was easy to pair, and it works with no problems. I know I will be using it a lot on the road with my Iconia Tablet, for lots of different activities. Ah, productivity, you are definitely a geek trait as well.