[trisha1970]

treated myself and bought the official keyboard, and omg I love it, what a setup!!!! I'm thinking my son is going to be well jelouse, my playbook blows his ipad out the water #smiles

[spencerdl]

I've been thinking about treating myself as well. Glad your enjoying it, and thanks for the positive remarks .

[mdmullis]

Great for internet surfing - much more functional because of the pointer cursor with mini-keyboard.....
Not all pages are set for recognition of mobile devices so this makes the PB ghost to look and act like PC for interaction.
I use it all the time and luv it.....
Everyone should spring for the price and pick one up......much more productive with than without....

[dogger222]

good to know thanks

[jeffreytoronto]

I just bought one at best buy online auction for $55 plus shipping (brand new). They have more.

[Briard]

Just got mine from ProVantage dot com ... $65 + $5 shipping
I love it for RDP / VNC

[rotorwrench]

Just ordered mine from ProVantage too. $65 is a deal. Thanks for the tip

[kill_9]

I bought the BlackBerry Convertible Case and Mini-Keyboard package because I am curious how it compares to the Hip Street Bluetooth Keyboard and Case that I have been using for approximately one year. The keys on the BlackBerry keyboard are square while those on the Hip Street are rectangular. The keys on the BlackBerry are larger than on the Hip Street. There are fewer physical keys on the BlackBerry in contrast to a separate key for almost everything on the Hip Street. The integrated trackpad mouse on the BlackBerry is convenient and means no separate Bluetooth mouse to carry but the lack of a scroll wheel takes a bit of getting used to with the two-finger swipe instead. So far, for myself the last point represents a usability issue which will take some time to practise to get a smooth scroll. When the case is closed it is roughly the thickness of a small novel or a typical day-planner making it easy to carry from an ergonomic perspective and the weight approximates a small hardcover book. The The keyboard should be held in place in the same manner as the tablet; the elastic straps will wear out and/or detach especially if you remove the keyboard often although keyboard removal should not be necessary for most users. BlackBerry Mini-Keyboard and Convertible Case works well. Hip Street Bluetooth Keyboard and Case works well but is a bit thicker than its counterpart and does not look like a book.

[BSFA2008]

Mine is gathering dust. Why am I not using it?
1) The connectivity issues I was having with it. Bluetooth was always disconnecting and it was a pain to reconnect.
2) Battery life on my playbook, with extensive use of the bluetooth keyboard, was significantly decreased. (I DON'T think this was just my imagination.)
3) Keyboard is CRAMPED! And that's coming from a guy with smaller hands. Related to that is the layout of the keyboard: not like my laptop, not like my 9930, unique layout that takes a lot of getting used to. I spent a lot of time deleting mistakes. Also, no tab key. You have to hold down the symbol key and press the space bar. I use the tab key a lot in my work so this was a nuisance.
4) In my opinion, the whole system -- playbook, case, and keyboard -- is thicker and heavier than I want to deal with.
Overall, it just doesn't give me that much, it's a bit of a pain in the *&%! sometimes, and I think the on-screen keyboard (especially in portrait mode) is just better.

So, it gathers dust. I make do with the playbook alone, and do the more extensive typing on my laptop.

I'm not saying nobody should buy it / try it. It's just MY personal experience with it. That being said, I'm going to give it another try today and see if it grows on me.

[colinstone]

Just had a look at ProVantage and costs for bank transfer and to ship to UK amount to $70+. Anyone feel like popping one in the USPS normal mail for a Paypal payment?

Sent from my BlackBerry® Curve 3G using Tapatalk from UK

[dave_h_946]

so jealous of you. I want to buy one but I'm going to buy a PB for my girlfriend and I can't afford it right now. Add to that here in UK it's easier to find Noah's Ark than a PB mini keyboard.

[easydoesit99]

I have had the mini keyboard six months or so.
Pros:
- Lighter than PB, so less weight to hold when typing.
- Size is perfect. I type with my thumbs.
- Scrolling and correcting grammatical errors much easier.
- The pointer and mousepad. It's awesome and can place cursor exactly where you want it.
- Very easy learning curve.
- I also use a stylus. Between using the keyboard and the stylus I almost never have to touch the PB screen, therefore it stays pristine, no finger marks.
- Good battery life. Recharges very quickly.
Cons.
- No spell check or auto-correct. I need that.
- For me the keyboard has a tendency to double-click a letter. However on this post, it has not happened.
- Backspacing to remove a line of text requires you to hit the backspace for each letter. Holding down the backspace does nothing.

I would recommend the mini keyboard. It is a simple device that does more that I expected with the mousepad and pointer.

[jafobabe]

I have totally enjoyed mine from the day I bought it. Great for surfing the web and posting on forums. Just bought the second one for my other PB this past month.
The user Guide is below if you would like to save a copy.

[Kwela123]

Sounds like you have to charge the keyboard and the PB separately. Not surprising seeing it is Bluetooth and not otherwise connected. But one more thing to remember. Does it have a display of battery state?

[dave_h_946]

I have had the mini keyboard six months or so.
Pros:
- Lighter than PB, so less weight to hold when typing.
- Size is perfect. I type with my thumbs.
- Scrolling and correcting grammatical errors much easier.
- The pointer and mousepad. It's awesome and can place cursor exactly where you want it.
- Very easy learning curve.
- I also use a stylus. Between using the keyboard and the stylus I almost never have to touch the PB screen, therefore it stays pristine, no finger marks.
- Good battery life. Recharges very quickly.
Cons.
- No spell check or auto-correct. I need that.
- For me the keyboard has a tendency to double-click a letter. However on this post, it has not happened.
- Backspacing to remove a line of text requires you to hit the backspace for each letter. Holding down the backspace does nothing.

I would recommend the mini keyboard. It is a simple device that does more that I expected with the mousepad and pointer.

that's a very nice review. I currently have a cheap one that I got from ebay. Very frequently it drops its bluetooth connection, and ddoublle charracteeers is the nnorm. You say similar problems also occur with the mini keyboard and I was wondering if others users experience the same issues and how often.

Thanks

[rmpb]

Sounds like you have to charge the keyboard and the PB separately. Not surprising seeing it is Bluetooth and not otherwise connected. But one more thing to remember. Does it have a display of battery state?

Yes, sorta. There is a red LED that according to the manual flashes when battery is low -- HOWEVER this same red flash also indicates that it is on but not paired which can make it somewhat confusing. I leave it turned on all the time (sleeping when not in use) and the battery life is ridiculously long, so I wouldn't worry about the indication.

[rmpb]

that's a very nice review. I currently have a cheap one that I got from ebay. Very frequently it drops its bluetooth connection, and ddoublle charracteeers is the nnorm. You say similar problems also occur with the mini keyboard and I was wondering if others users experience the same issues and how often.

Thanks

I have had virtually no drops of the BT with the keyboard (my mouse semi-regularly does, but reconnects almost instantly). Double characters is occasional, but I've found as I've used it more and adapted to it I get less of them.

[Vorkosigan]

Sounds like you have to charge the keyboard and the PB separately. Not surprising seeing it is Bluetooth and not otherwise connected. But one more thing to remember. Does it have a display of battery state?

Just to add to the other reply - you are far better just to leave it on. Battery life for me is approx 1month when I leave it on but only a week if I turn it off between uses.

[Mr Donut]

Although I like the mini keyboard, there a couple of drawbacks. For one, there is no tab key and the arrow keys won't let you move between cells in docs to go spreadsheets. Also, it's practically impossible to type while holding the PB in your hands. I leave the keyboard in the case and fold the part that holds the PB so that it's underneath the keyboard. It serves as a good base and sits the keyboard at a better angle for typing. The PB goes in the rapid charging dock and it also sits at a good angle for viewing.

[gallopiton]

I got a question to anyone who owes the mini keyboard... does it have a page up/page down function? thanks!

[gallopiton]

question, does the keyboard have a page up/page down function? thanks!

[djenkins6]

question, does the keyboard have a page up/page down function? thanks!

No, just the arrow keys which jump scrolls the screen about 5mm per press.

[gallopiton]

thanks for answering... well, I don't know now what to buy, this mini keyboard for the pad or another one with page up/down functionality, which is something that the browser really needs...

[bay1902]

a decent bluetooth keyboard works fab. I have an ILuv one that I grabbed for a tenner off ebay, new and sealed. not a mini keyboard but perfect size to be carried in work bag or whipped out for table top use.

[snufkin]

Hi guys, I am in the West Midlands, UK, I have a boxed BB mini Keyboard for sale in perfect, mint condition. PM me and make me an offer!