[JPMorgan_]

Review: BlackBerry Mini Keyboard for PlayBook

Can the addition of a mini keyboard help make BlackBerry's PlayBook an affordable alternative to the iPad?

BlackBerry’s 7in tablet, the PlayBook, hasn’t been the success the company hoped for. When describing the next generation of BlackBerry recently, chief executive of the phones' maker, RIM, commented that the new products would have email – “Of course, it’s a BlackBerry.”

But last year, when the PlayBook launched, it lacked a dedicated email client – and because it took until this February to be rectified, many companies had decided to repurpose their mobile emails for tablets like the iPad.

The good news, though, is that as a result the PlayBook, a deeply handsome and highly effective tablet, is now dirt cheap. Just �169 will snag you a 16GB version, so much more affordable than the basic iPad at �399.

Even better, there’s now a nifty keyboard to go with it if you don’t like typing on glass. The keyboard exactly matches the size of the PlayBook and there’s even a clever case that holds both together like a Lilliputian laptop. Because it connects by Bluetooth there are no wires to get caught and set-up is quick and simple.

It’s a great deal easier typing on the springy and responsive tiles of this removable keyboard, though it must be said it takes some getting used to just how tightly spaced they are and how nimble your fingers need to be. Unlike a regular keyboard there are no keys to the left of the Q and A – so it’s easy to type on the wrong letters if you don’t watch carefully. This got easier with practice.

More seriously, the handy row of suggested words which appears on the touchscreen as you type disappears as soon as the keyboard is connected, so there’s no quick way to keep going. The familiar BlackBerry shortcuts (two taps of the space bar yields a full stop, space and capitalises the next letter) are in place.

A tiny trackpad beneath the screen means you don’t have to reach for the touchscreen to move a cursor, say, and this even allows you to scroll with two fingers.

There are few other niggles which stop the keyboard earning five stars – like the way the screen can tip over if you’re not careful and the elastic strip that holds the keyboard in situ in the case covers the keyboard’s power switch.

But if you’ve invested in a PlayBook, this makes it complete.

4 Stars

�50

Review: BlackBerry Mini Keyboard for PlayBook - Telegraph

[madman0141]

Thank you for the review! I am still undecided on the keyboard but I am leaning towards it. I just wish it was more readily available.

[jafobabe]

As BuzzStarField said in another post.... there is a magnet inside the case that holds the stand shut..... this magnet will cause problems with any app that uses a magnetometer... like What's Up App..

I might just take the PB out of the case when I want to use What's Up.

http://forums.crackberry.com/blackbe...yboard-723596/

[jimpalmer3]

Thanks for the review. After waiting 2 months to get mine I am trying hard to like this keyboard, however, I am not getting used to the way the keyboard is laid out. The keys are small, and a little cramped, but the bigger issue for me is the way they are laid out in line and not offset like a regular keyboard. I find myself very frequently hitting the wrong keys on the bottom row (z . . m) due to the key alignment. I'm going to keep trying to get used to it, but for now the jury is still out on this for me.

[kvndoom]

Thanks for the review. After waiting 2 months to get mine I am trying hard to like this keyboard, however, I am not getting used to the way the keyboard is laid out. The keys are small, and a little cramped, but the bigger issue for me is the way they are laid out in line and not offset like a regular keyboard. I find myself very frequently hitting the wrong keys on the bottom row (z . . m) due to the key alignment. I'm going to keep trying to get used to it, but for now the jury is still out on this for me.

Is there a better alternative out there right now? Something with a trackpad too?

[BBplaybookJS]

No one has yet mentioned, what I thought people would be most upset about, the loss of predictive text.

So far after a few hours of use I'm realitively pleased.

[FF22]

Are they caught up yet with shipping all backorders? Still available?

[mandony]

The demo at the BB Expo in Orlando this month showed use of this KB with a secondary mouse. They also showed MS programs seeming ported, that use KB/mouse. One demo showed a working PowerPoint in entry mode. Goodtimes are coming.
.

[jafobabe]

Did anyone else get a sticker in their USPS/FedEx box with the mini keyboard??
I almost missed it, as it was at the bottom!

Here's the one I got...

[ms monster]

Did anyone else get a sticker in their USPS/FedEx box with the mini keyboard??
I almost missed it, as it was at the bottom!

Here's the one I got...

Yes, I got one also.....