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Bluetooth keyboard with iPhone?

N

noriyori

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 31, 2006
74
0
So, I'm kind of surprised I haven't seen anything about this yet.

I have an apple wireless keyboard, what's preventing it from being paired with an iPhone? (other than code not being written for it)

Does anyone know if the bluetooth on the iPhone is incompatible with this kind of pairing?


Thanks!
 
yes, it's incompatible. at the moment, the iphone can only transmit mono audio via bluetooth - no data (unless you hack it to tether your laptop), gps, or other uses are possible...
 
r6girl said:
yes, it's incompatible. at the moment, the iphone can only transmit mono audio via bluetooth - no data (unless you hack it to tether your laptop), gps, or other uses are possible...
Click to expand...

Does anyone know if this can be upgraded to support data with a firmware upgrade?

I mean in the abstract, apple would still have to do it, i am just wondering if it is possible with the iphone's bluetooth hw.
 
I thought there was some kind of back and forth as it provides for push button answering via the bluetooth headset...
 
Oh its certainly possible, its a mini computer with bluetooth, it'll support whatever apple care to write drivers for :)

when/if apple give us this functionality is another question entirely ;)
 
Malcster said:
Oh its certainly possible, its a mini computer with bluetooth, it'll support whatever apple care to write drivers for :)

when/if apple give us this functionality is another question entirely ;)
Click to expand...

ah good. so it is a driver issue. that is good news.
 
noriyori said:
So, I'm kind of surprised I haven't seen anything about this yet.

I have an apple wireless keyboard, what's preventing it from being paired with an iPhone? (other than code not being written for it)

Does anyone know if the bluetooth on the iPhone is incompatible with this kind of pairing?


Thanks!
Click to expand...

For apple to write bluetooth keyboard drivers would be akin to admitting the touch keyboard is subpar. Ain't gonna happen... ever.
 
Yer Nuts

Whoever said that providing a bluetooth keyboard driver for the iPhone would be like Apple admitting that the touch screen is no good is sooo wrong. If Apple thought like that they would have stuck us with no options for anything, like make you use their one button mouse even if you want a 2 or 3 button one, but they didn't do that! The guys at Apple are smart! I'm sure they realize that the touch screen is freekin' awsome, but not an end-all IO device for every application. It'll happen, and more.

This guy must be confusing Apple with a telecomm company! :rolleyes:
 
plumbingandtech said:
ah good. so it is a driver issue. that is good news.
Click to expand...

Actually, its not good news. Since full Bluetooth is possible on the iPhone, but was left out anyway, there's a reason we don't have it. I don't know what that reason is, though.
 
I hope that they bring full BT support to the phone. This would be a great way to allow for GPS to work. We can only hope that 2.0 will bring this to the iphone.
 
forget the bluetooth keyboard. Wouldnt it be cool if apple come out with another version of the iphone with a side slide out QWERTY keyboard. Maybe they could fit a mini macbook keyboard. The touch screen keyboard and no support for mobile office is the only thing I don't like about the iPhone.
 
GCY said:
forget the bluetooth keyboard. Wouldnt it be cool if apple come out with another version of the iphone with a side slide out QWERTY keyboard.
Click to expand...

No, it would not be cool. It would be big, clunky, and it will never happen.
 
r6girl said:
yes, it's incompatible. at the moment, the iphone can only transmit mono audio via bluetooth - no data (unless you hack it to tether your laptop), gps, or other uses are possible...
Click to expand...

I have heard Iphone transmits some data, too- phonebook into alpine bluetooth players, for instance.

Gonzlobo said:
For apple to write bluetooth keyboard drivers would be akin to admitting the touch keyboard is subpar. Ain't gonna happen... ever.
Click to expand...

That is so wrong on so many levels. Apple will never release a MacBook because that is admitting that a MacBookPro is sub par. Apple will never release a 23" Monitor because that is admitting that a 30" is sub par. Apple will never release a Mobile OSX because that is admitting that Leopard is sub par. Apple will never release an external drive because that is admitting that the drive in an iMac is sub par. Apple will never release a 3G iPhone because that is admitting that EDGE is sub par.

Apple NEVER releases any alternate way of doing anything once they have released on device that does it adequately. Apple NEVER upgrades capacities.

GCY said:
forget the bluetooth keyboard. Wouldnt it be cool if apple come out with another version of the iphone with a side slide out QWERTY keyboard. Maybe they could fit a mini macbook keyboard. The touch screen keyboard and no support for mobile office is the only thing I don't like about the iPhone.
Click to expand...

Isn't that called Air? (Or at least as close as Apple will make).
 
I really hoped that the SDK would allow drivers to be written for a bluetooth keyboard, but it doesn't.

This is irritating.

Phazer
 
Sorry but i fail to see the logic in somebody using such a large item as a keyboard with an iPhone? What for?

I dont know why but i forsee apple releasing a small clip-on keyboard for iPhone just like HP did for some of their stylus/touch-screen pdas. This would help if the iPhone was to go corporate mainstream however it would make iphone slightly more bulky and clip-on keyboard a pain to carry around... However it would be useful especially when sending emails in order to compete with a device like blackberry...
 
try taking notes with the touch screen your limited to two fingers max.
now use a Bluetooth keyboard and you have all ten fingers. get the point now geniius?

I would rather carrier a phone/portable keyboard to class VS a heavy laptop.
 
JBaker122586 said:
No, it would not be cool. It would be big, clunky, and it will never happen.
Click to expand...

With apple, u never know. I'm not saying to replace the current version but to come out with another version. Now how would it be big and clunky??? The next iphone would probably be as thin as the touch, fitting a qwerty keyboard would probably make it a little thicker then the current version.

if apple really want to takeover the smartphone marketshare, they would come out with some sort of hardware keyboard. A bunch of ppl hate the iphone because of this.
 
GCY said:
With apple, u never know. I'm not saying to replace the current version but to come out with another version. Now how would it be big and clunky??? The next iphone would probably be as thin as the touch, fitting a qwerty keyboard would probably make it a little thicker then the current version.

if apple really want to takeover the smartphone marketshare, they would come out with some sort of hardware keyboard. A bunch of ppl hate the iphone because of this.
Click to expand...

Might as well adapt now. Within the next 5-10 years, keyboards (as we know them now) will be a thing of the past, just like 56K modems, serial printers and all of those other "wire" peripherals will be gone.

Touch screen manipulation and voice recognition commands are inbound and in the later stages of development and implamentation. These will be the new "norm" in a very short time, the future is almost already here.

IMO Apple has just up'ed the anty with the current keyboard and will deffinetly not add a qwerty keyboard to the iPhone. Possibly in the future (if they open it up) an infrared/bluetooth type keyboard could be attached. These are already available and just present an image of the keyboard on your desk/table and you type away. The module is about the size of a zippo.
 
keyboards the way of the dodo?

Remember the "paperless office"? Didn't happen. Actually, paper use increased. But the prediction wasn't completely wrong, just mis-focused. Actually, a lot more communications without paper happened; paper just didn't go away as a result.

Voice control will change things a lot and will become widely used in important ways. Will they make keyboards go away? Not for me and lots of other people. Can't you just see 20 people in a meeting all talking to their computers while the presentation is going on? I can't. I can see people saying to their dashboards as they drive someplace: ' "Message to Ann P - bad traffic. will be 20 minutes late. see you then." Send.' (BTW- the message service will see that Ann P is connected using her mobile device and has an email account and will send the message to both, as optioned by the sender.)

I think better writing while not talking. I think lots of people do. Will that change more toward voice control? Probably, just because it will be available. Will silent manual input of language become obsolete? Maybe, when brainwaves can drive text input. Hey! Maybe text will become unnecessary by then, too! :cool:

PS: MacWorld reported that MacAlly's new $100 BTKeyMini keyboard will work with the iPhone when it comes out this month. We'll see...
 
Jamster43 said:
Remember the "paperless office"? Didn't happen. Actually, paper use increased. But the prediction wasn't completely wrong, just mis-focused. Actually, a lot more communications without paper happened; paper just didn't go away as a result.

Voice control will change things a lot and will become widely used in important ways. Will they make keyboards go away? Not for me and lots of other people. Can't you just see 20 people in a meeting all talking to their computers while the presentation is going on? I can't. I can see people saying to their dashboards as they drive someplace: ' "Message to Ann P - bad traffic. will be 20 minutes late. see you then." Send.' (BTW- the message service will see that Ann P is connected using her mobile device and has an email account and will send the message to both, as optioned by the sender.)

I think better writing while not talking. I think lots of people do. Will that change more toward voice control? Probably, just because it will be available. Will silent manual input of language become obsolete? Maybe, when brainwaves can drive text input. Hey! Maybe text will become unnecessary by then, too! :cool:

PS: MacWorld reported that MacAlly's new $100 BTKeyMini keyboard will work with the iPhone when it comes out this month. We'll see...
Click to expand...

Touch Screen Manipulation (i.e. Handwriting recognition on the screen)...like I stated in my post...no more "20 people" in a meeting/class room clacking away on a noisy keyboard
 
voice recognition now!

I too am pining not only for a keyboard (I'm good with all ten fingers when wanting to take notes), but also for a voice recorder.

I did discover jott.com which has a free service to let you call them, speak your recipient, then speak your message, and they email you with a transcript, and a link to the voice recording. This will help soften the wait for a real voice recorder to make verbal notes, such as in the car.

Even better it will send something to your google calendar. That's fantastic for people like me who forget to write things down.

The keyboard for notes is another problem. I'm hoping the Stowaway keyboard will get some iPhone drivers. I've loved having one on my many palm devices over the last several years.
 
Jamster43 said:
PS: MacWorld reported that MacAlly's new $100 BTKeyMini keyboard will work with the iPhone when it comes out this month. We'll see...
Click to expand...

I did some Googling and couldn't really find anything other than the claim you made.
Are there pictures of this device anywhere out there? I'm sure I'd prefer the aesthetics (and $20 less) of the Apple BT Keyboard, but if this was my only option, I'd definitely settle.
 
Jamster43 said:
PS: MacWorld reported that MacAlly's new $100 BTKeyMini keyboard will work with the iPhone when it comes out this month. We'll see...
Click to expand...

Despite being slightly miffed that I wouldn't be able to use my existing folding BT keyboard in this scenario, that'd do, and $100 in UK money isn't too bad - I would very much buy that to type on the train instead of carting around a laptop.

Phazer
 
But the new apple wireless keyboard is so small already, it's pretty much a full size mini keyboard...haha. If it were possible, I would get an apple wireless keyboard in a second.
 
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