As we’ve previously discussed here at Computer Takeaway, the real downside to PDAs and cell phones when it comes to a true mobile computing experience is the size and therefore accessibility of built-in keyboards. In general, mobile phone keyboards aren’t very good at typing emails, and even the best PDA keyboards have limited range.
We have finally had the opportunity to test a cloth keyboard with a truly innovative design. The choice of fabric as the base for the keyboard allows for much greater portability compared to other bluetooth keyboards on the market and means that the overall size of the bluetooth keyboard for transport is only the size of a mobile phone. It is easily small enough to fit in a pocket. The fabric used is also water repellent and stain resistant.
The Just Mobile RoKy² Bluetooth keyboard comes with the fabric keyboard, 2 AAA batteries (apparently enough to power the keyboard for ~10 hours of continuous use), a nylon holster, and a simple but effective clip mount for a mobile phone or PDA .
Having experienced the complicated installation required by the Ubiquio Skype Bluetooth keyboard, we were a little concerned about this. However, we were pleasantly surprised to find that the Just Mobile website has an easy-to-navigate support area, providing quick start manuals and drivers for most major operating systems (Palm, Symbian S60, Symbian UIO, Windows Mobile, Blackberry, Windows XP).
Total setup time to get the keyboard up and running on our N95 (8GB) was about ten minutes, and from then on it only took us a few seconds to connect every time we wanted to type.
The feel of the keyboard is obviously completely different to standard keyboards, but it’s not hard to get used to, although the only minor drawback we found with the keyboard was that it tended to slide on polished surfaces if we typed too much.
The keyboard offers the same features as a laptop keyboard for use with a mobile phone or PDA and does it really well.