Hi Sandy,
I have an iPhone 3GS using iOS 4.0.2 . I also have the Think Outside Stowaway
bluetooth keyboard. I have had no problem getting it paired, but I cannot close
it and reopen and press a key to reestablish the connection. I am always forced
to put the keyboard into pairing mode via control-left function-right function
and tap connect on the bluetooth menu of the iPhone. I was curious if you have
this keyboard and if so, how did you get it to reconnect when opening the
keyboard and pressing a key.
THanks,
On Aug 22, 2010, at 6:39 AM, Sandy Tomkins wrote:
> Hi Ester,
> Just a comment re the Think Outside keyboard: I am using it with my iPhone
> and find that with the iPhone 4, at least, there is no need to repair the
> bluetooth after breaking the connection. Mine just reconnects as soon as I
> touch a key. So this is great!
>
> Thanks for the super description of the keys, I have forgotten where most
> of the are, so reading your mail will be very useful.
>
> Ciao, Sandy.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On 22 Aug 2010, at 01:56, Esther <mori...@mac.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi Anne,
>>
>> You wrote:
>>
>>> I, too, have one of the mini BlueTooth keyboards but the keys are
>>> definitely not rubberised.
>>>
>>> The only problem I have with it is that it doesn't seem to have a grave
>>> accent dead key. It has other accent keys such as acute, circumflex,
>>> diaeresis, tilde and C-cedilla as well as the grave accent on its own.
>>>
>>> I gather there is an azerty version of the keyboard available from the
>>> manufacturer, so I wonder if that one has the grave accent dead key.
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>>
>>> Anne
>>
>> I'm cc'ing this to the macvisionaries list, since it may be of general
>> interest.
>>
>> Can you use any of the control key sequences on your mini Bluetooth keyboard
>> to change the keyboard input language for you iPhone analogous to using
>> Command+Space on the Apple Wireless Keyboard? I've heard that on some
>> keyboards, the Windows key will act like the Command key. You might also
>> try using Control+Space, since I can also use some shortcuts when pressing
>> the Control key in place of the Command key (e.g., in Command+Left or Right
>> Arrow for movement to beginning or end of line, or Command+Up or Down Arrow
>> for movement to beginning or end of document).
>>
>> I've just received one of the Think Outside Stowaway keyboards that Karl
>> Smith posted about, and as I'd read, the Command key (alternatively labeled
>> as a "Windows" key) works like the Command key on a Mac keyboard. I can
>> also use the dead keys in combination with the "Alt/Option" key to type
>> accents. The grave accent dead key can be accessed, but in a bit of an odd
>> way on this keyboard: you need to press the left "Fn" key (key just to the
>> left of the space bar) in combination with the "apostrophe/quotation mark
>> (when shifted)" key to the left of the Enter key in order to generate an
>> "accent". Holding down the Shift key with this combination (e.g.,
>> "Shift"+left "Fn"+apostrophe) or, since Shift+"apostrophe"="quotation
>> mark", using left "Fn"+"quotation mark", generates a tilde. This is
>> normally the key to the left of the row of numbers, just above the tab key,
>> on the Mac or Apple Wireless keyboards (e.g. "accent"/"tilde" when the Shift
>> key is pressed).
>>
>> If I press Alt+left "Fn"+apostrophe (for the grave accent combination) and
>> then press a letter key like "e" or "a", I'll hear the accented letter "e
>> grave" or "a grave".
>>
>> Further, if I used Command+Space to switch to a Canadian French input
>> keyboard, pressing the "apostrophe" key (just to the left of the Enter key),
>> will type "e grave" directly. And, should I wish to switch to a French
>> AZERTY keyboard (shudder <smile>), I can press the "backslash" key (key
>> furthest to the right on a Mac or Apple Wireless English input keyboard,
>> just above the Enter key and below the delete key) which key is, on the
>> Stowaway keyboard, located below the Enter key and above the delete key at
>> the far right, and then next pressing the letter "e" will produce an "e
>> grave", just as if I had used a French input language keyboard setting on my
>> Mac, or Apple Wireless keyboard. I hope this isn't too confusing, or at
>> least, that Anne is able to follow what I'm saying.
>>
>> It may help to give a description of the layout of the Think Outside
>> Stowaway keyboard. It is standard QWERTY with full-size keys, but uses only
>> four rows, and has 51 keys (really only 50 distinct keys, since the space
>> bar key is split into left and right halves where the keyboard folds). The
>> top row of number keys are typed by pressing the corresponding QWERTY keys
>> in combination with a left "Fn" key to get the regular numbers (1 through 9,
>> 0, hyphen, and equal sign), and in combination with a right "Fn" key to get
>> the shifted number keys (on a U.S. English language keyboard this is "!",
>> "@", "#", "$", "%", "^", "&", "*", "(", ")", "_", and "+"). The left and
>> right "Fn" keys are immediately to the left or right of the space bar on the
>> bottom row. The back space/delete key from the top right end of the row of
>> numbers has been move to lie at the right end of the top QWERTY row, just to
>> the right of the left and right bracket keys beside the "P" key. This
>> displaces the "backslash"/"vertical bar" key that normally falls at the
>> right end of the QWERTY row, and this key moves down two rows to become a
>> short key just to the right of the "Shift" key on the "ZXC" row of keys,
>> with the "backslash" and "vertical" line functions accessed by pressing the
>> right "Fn" key with this key, and adding a "shift", as well, to get the
>> "vertical line" function. The second row of ASDFG keys is just the same as
>> on the Macbook and Apple Wireless keyboards -- it starts with a caps lock
>> key at the left, and ends with the Enter (or "Return") key at the right.
>> The third row of ZXC keys is also the same as on a Macbook or Apple Wireless
>> keyboard, save for the addition of a key to the right of the "Shift" key
>> that we've already mentioned. One modification has been made to accommodate
>> use of an inverted T set of arrow keys: the key to the left of the "Shift"
>> key functions normally as a "?" key when shifted, but acts as an "Up arrow"
>> key when the shift key is not used. The unshifted function of "slash" has
>> been moved to the extra key to the right of the "Shift" key -- the same key
>> that, when pressed together with the right "Fn" key gives "backslash" and
>> with "Shift"+Right "Fn" key gives "vertical line". Actually "vertical line"
>> can be typed either with right "Fn" key+Shift+ this key or with left "Fn"
>> key (without a Shift) + this key. The other arrow keys of the inverted "T"
>> follow in position, with the "down arrow" below "up arrow", and the left and
>> right arrow keys to either side of the "down arrow" key on the bottom row of
>> keys. The inverted "T" is flanked by the right "Fn" key on the left, and
>> the "delete" key at the right, marking the right end of the bottom of the
>> keyboard. In order, the keys in the bottom row of the keyboard are:
>> "Control", "Command/Window", "Alt/Option", "Left Fn", "Left Space Bar",
>> "Right Space Bar" (reflecting the "fold" in the keyboard running through the
>> space bar), "Right Fn", "Left Arrow", "Down Arrow", "Right Arrow", and
>> "Delete".
>>
>> The feel of the key surfaces is very much like the surface of the Apple
>> Wireless Keyboard, and the "F" and "J" keys are marked with the same
>> reference raised horizontal bars at the bottom of those keys.
>>
>> I'd encourage any non-English speaker who has a Bluetooth keyboard that has
>> a Windows key, or any key that might act as a "Command" key on a Mac, to
>> check whether they can press Command+Space to switch to another input
>> language keyboard format, if this has been set up under Settings > General >
>> International Keyboards. I know that Krister has asked about support of
>> Swedish language keyboards, and Anne has asked about AZERTY support for the
>> mini-Bluetooth keyboard.
>>
>> The Think Outside Stowaway Keyboard runs on two AAA batteries. Pairing is
>> initiated by putting the device into Bluetooth discovery mode by holding
>> down the Control key together with both the Left and Right Fn keys. At this
>> point you are prompted to type in a series of numbers followed by a press of
>> the enter key to pair the keyboard. You have to hold down the left Fn key
>> while you press the keys for the numbers, then release the left Fn key and
>> press the enter key to pair.
>>
>> If you break the connection (by closing up the keyboard, which automatically
>> turns the device off, or by pressing the Control+Left and Right Fn keys),
>> you have to go through pairing again -- re-establishing the connection is
>> not automatic, as with the Apple Wireless Keyboard. The keyboard is fairly
>> sturdy for its build, given the light weight, and the two halves are held
>> rigid by the mechanism once opened. There's a stand for the handheld or
>> iPhone that flips up from the top of the keyboard, and which can be detached
>> from the main keyboard to hold/support your iPhone or iPod Touch. The size,
>> when opened is 9.9" x 5.8" x 0.5" (251 mm x 148 mm x 13 mm) and the weight
>> is 160g (5.6oz). This is nearly an inch shorter than the Apple Wireless and
>> about 60% of it's width. When closed, the keyboard is 5.5" x 3.9" x 0.5"
>> (139 mm x 99 mm x 13 mm), or about 20% longer than an iPhone or iPod Touch,
>> and maybe half again as wide.
>>
>> Here's an old 9-May-06 review of the "Think Outside Stowaway Bluetooth
>> Keyboard" by Brandon Miniman at pocketnow.com, that describes the keyboard I
>> received:
>> http://pocketnow.com/review/think-outside-stowaway-bluetooth-mouse-and-universal-keyboard
>>
>> This keyboard came with a CD (presumably of drivers for use with different
>> hand-held devices), but the only this I used the CD for was to read the User
>> Guide.
>>
>> HTH. Cheers,
>>
>> Esther
>>
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