Bluetooth keyboard with trackpad

[Zebulon Walton]

Can anyone here recommend a bluetooth keyboard with built-in touchpad that will work with the Pinephone's internal bluetooth (that is, without requiring its own dedicated USB receiver)? Hooking up a mouse and keyboard via the dock works but it's pretty awkward to work with the phone that way.

[wibble]

I've only tried it a while back with an ancient iGo Stowaway - no problems there, as expected since it used to work with the old OpenMoko. That's a classic bluetooth keyboard rather than a BLE one though, and doesn't have a touchpad, so may not be indicative of compatibility with more modern devices.

[Zebulon Walton]

I wonder how something like this would work out. It's very small but would still be better than using the Pinephone on-screen keyboard, and it does have a trackpad. It's pretty cheap so maybe I'll just order one and try it.

https://www.amazon.com/Fosmon-Portable-L...B00BX0YKX4

[wibble]

If the trackpad is anything like the one on the Rii mini i8 (not bluetooth but similarly small) it will be frustrating to use - a trackpoint would be much better, or a larger touch surface on the back of the keyboard. Not sure if anyone makes one with either of those though. Being Bluetooth 3.0 it should be fine so long as they've not gone for nonstandard quirks.

[Zebulon Walton]

If the trackpad is anything like the one on the Rii mini i8 (not bluetooth but similarly small) it will be frustrating to use - a trackpoint would be much better, or a larger touch surface on the back of the keyboard. Not sure if anyone makes one with either of those though. Being Bluetooth 3.0 it should be fine so long as they've not gone for nonstandard quirks.

I received the keyboard today and it actually works quite well. No problem connecting to the Pinephone's built-in bluetooth. Touchpad action isn't bad considering the small size. Obviously on a small keyboard like this you won't be writing any novels but it's a heck of a lot better than the on-screen keyboard for using the terminal. About the only downside I see is with bluetooth enabled on the Pinephone battery life will be shorter.

[wibble]

That's good to know - it might be a decent replacement for the Rii.

[Peter Gamma]

Welcome back. The Amazon keyboard is great. I use it since many years on Android devices, I am prolific writer, and used it a lot. When you get used to it, you can write on it like on a laptop keyboard. It is a mature and robust keyboard. It is hard to find another keyboard which is as subtle as this one, and has so many keys.



But I still will buy the PinePhone keyboard too, because of the decent battery and additional connectors. Three times battery life with the keyboard is great. The PinePhone keyboard does not work for Ubuntu Touch to this date, as far as I know, therefore two keyboards are required.




Check also my personal website, if you are interested in meditation :



https://petergamma.org/

[Peter Gamma]

Another feature which I love on the Bluetooth keyboard with trackpad is the backlight. You can easily type with it at night when it is dark. Also the battery life is great. I only have to charge it every now and then. It is almost a Swiss quality product. .

[Peter Gamma]

Another feature which I love on the Bluetooth keyboard with trackpad is the backlight. You can easily type with it at night when it is dark. Also the battery life is great. I only have to charge it every now and then. It is almost a Swiss quality product. .

I never had issues with this keyboard, but with the PinPhone. On PostmarketOS, the connection is not stable. Martijn Braam never showed an example of a Bluetooth keyboard. There must be a reason he developed a keyboard instead using a Bluetooth keyboard. Stability?


Follow and trust verified examples of mouse and keyboards. This is an advice from someone who suffered.

[Peter Gamma]

If the trackpad is anything like the one on the Rii mini i8 (not bluetooth but similarly small) it will be frustrating to use - a trackpoint would be much better, or a larger touch surface on the back of the keyboard. Not sure if anyone makes one with either of those though. Being Bluetooth 3.0 it should be fine so long as they've not gone for nonstandard quirks.

I received the keyboard today and it actually works quite well. No problem connecting to the Pinephone's built-in bluetooth. Touchpad action isn't bad considering the small size. Obviously on a small keyboard like this you won't be writing any novels but it's a heck of a lot better than the on-screen keyboard for using the terminal. About the only downside I see is with bluetooth enabled on the Pinephone battery life will be shorter.

Zebulon Walton, are you still happy with the keyboard? I tested your keyboard with PMOS, it always disconnected. So I decided for the PinePhone keyboard. Wibble published some interestesting tests about the iGo Stowaway bluetooth keyboard here:

https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=16449