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Bluetooth Batteries?

I can imagine

the little charger for the mouse..... that you just slot the mouse into.... easy peasy!!:p

But the keyboard...... it'd be like a graving dock...... huge... enormous.....:p I guess the keyboard would be plug-in and charge with a wire....... although that said.. would the chargers be mains powered or through the mac, and the mac would have to be left on?? I like to turn my mac off at night to give her a rest..... would they still charge even if the mac was off???

Also anyone know about interference, or if there is a limit on the amount of keyboards and mice etc?? I like to know that some dude sat next me doesn't have my personal emails come up on his screen whilst I'm typing........ especially as it's probably about people in the office!!:p :p :p
 
I have a rechargeable toothbrush that is waterproof and all plastic. No metal on the exterior and no holes or plugs of any kind. Somehow, it recharges when placed in a little base. That same type of recharger could be made so that when you are done using the keyboard mouse, just "put them away" in a holder, and voila, they are getting charged. No wires necessary especially if the holder is built into the computer.

I have no idea if bluetooth will be very practical in an environment with multiple computers and users, but if it is, and if it is secure, it has a lot of possibilities.
 
Yeah, but what's the point of getting a wireless mouse if you still need a wired up base to recharge it?

This way wireless doesn't take away the clutter on your desktop, but makes it worse by adding another thing (the recharger)
 
Originally posted by s10
Yeah, but what's the point of getting a wireless mouse if you still need a wired up base to recharge it?

This way wireless doesn't take away the clutter on your desktop, but makes it worse by adding another thing (the recharger)
Click to expand...

Amen to that.

Where I can see bluetooth really coming in handy is big peripherals, like scanners and printers and digital cameras. Those are the wires that bug me most.

HOWEVER... let's say you want to kick back on the couch and IM one of your friends while you watch TV. Let's say the keyboard can be unplugged from the wire and that automatically activates the bluetooth and battery. THAT would be useful!
 
You people are so missing the point!

im sorry but you guys with your silly rechargers sound just as ridiculous as the uranium and hamster people. are you people serious?

the wireless mouse and keyboard would be the same as the keyboards and mice we have now. no stupid rechargers. you just plug the keyboard in to the computer via usb. in fact most people would probably never use it wirelessly. but the option would be there to unplug. you wouldnt lose your keyboard or mouse or anything when it is charging. it would be just like how laptops work. when i plug my laptop in im still able to use it. im just stuck to the wall for awhile. and who mentioned having to drain the battery first before recharging? hello? dude that reminds me of remote control cars i had when i was like 5. i cant remember the last time i used a product that required the person to drain the battery. ipods, ibooks, powerbooks, none of them need to have the battery drained! no battery memory!

also i know several people who have wireless mice that are optical and the battery (a small watch type battery) lasts about a year (or so the box says, its been going strong for 6 months so it lasts at least that long). so whoever said it must be about 1 month is either anticipating apple will make significantly worse batteries (possible) or just isnt thinking (ill assume this isnt true).

so guys. take a deep breath, chill. you can still do your homework (im sure thats a relief to many of you). no need for silly recharging stations. no need to replace your battery every month. dont get yourselves all worked up over nothing now, papa lemon is here to take care of you.
 
Originally posted by Hemingray
Where I can see bluetooth really coming in handy is big peripherals, like scanners and printers and digital cameras. Those are the wires that bug me most.
Click to expand...

Bluetooth has a very low datarate, more like USB than anything. While it would be nice to have a bluetooth scanner and you will see that some day, I'd not be too happy with the speed of data transfer.

Regardless how the keyboard and mice are recharged, it will still be nice to have a wireless system. For mice, having to drag around the cable is a pain, I always get caught up in it, so I went to a Intuos tablet. And as for clutter, put the rechargers and whatever behind the monitor/computer out of the way. This way you have a nice little cable free workspace.
 
I mentioned discharging.....

Because you have to when you have a brand new TiBook battery......

And I quote Apple literature.....

"You only have to fully discharge and then charge your battery once to calibrate it. After that, you can connect and disconnect the power adapter when the battery is at any charge level.":D So thats what i've done!!;)

I have 2 now so that makes trains journeys alittle more safe!!

I remember the old ni-cads in RC cars..... you had to thermal charge them aswell for best results.......:D Blurry eye'd history..........
 
Unfortunately, I've become so fond of the Microsoft Office Keyboard that I don't think I could ever change again...

Bring on those MacOS X Drivers, dammit!

TL
 
dear AmbitiousLemon

I'm sorry, but you are missing the point.

Why make a keyboard wireless if you still have that cable?
The % of people that would use it unplugged would be close to 0.
Why adding technology in a product that nobody would use? Just to make it more expensive? It doesn't make sense.

About the batteries in wireless mice. Lasting for 6 months?? I tried some out and believe me, they don't last that long. Far, far from it.
But even if it would last 6 months, you still need to charge it. Of course you could just change the batteries, but that would surely make a mice Or heavy (normal batteries) Or expensive to use (small batteries) but for sure it would be non-ecological.

No Bluetooth would be fab for remote-controlling your iMac (say to watch a dvd) with your iPod..........

Bluetooth is fantastic when you don't need to connect different tools to make them communicate. I love just getting in my car, and my phone automatically connects to my Bluetooth handsfree system without leaving my pocket.


and was that last frase really neccesary?
 
Not too practical...

I hope Apple isn't spending too many resources on developing this item; and, I certainly hope it doesn't add any cost to my computer, because so far, none of you have sold me on why I need it.

Aesthetically, I'll grant you, a wireless workspace would be cool...but if to get it I have to start managing things that have heretofore been hassle-free, I'll opt for the simpler solution. If I have to recharge my mouse and keyboard, that would drive me crazy. And, for what it provides me, I'd just choose not to use it wirelessly. Besides, I use a trackball, and wires present no problem for me as I don't move a mouse around my desk.

As for using Bluetooth for printers, scanners, and digital cameras...as has been mentioned, transfer speed is a huge issue. Why would I want a "wireless" scanner if it takes 10 times longer to transfer the image data to my computer? And printing? Same issue. For most of these issues, unless bluetooth provides a solution that is hassle-free, or provides enough benefits to outweigh any additional hassles, then it may become something useful.

My fear, however, is that many people have heard "bluetooth" for so long that any practicality of how it actually works has long been forgotten. And, if Apple uses this as a "highlight" of some upcoming MW, I'll be dissapointed. ;-)
 
Re: dear AmbitiousLemon

Originally posted by s10
I'm sorry, but you are missing the point.

Why make a keyboard wireless if you still have that cable?
The % of people that would use it unplugged would be close to 0.
Why adding technology in a product that nobody would use? Just to make it more expensive? It doesn't make sense.
Click to expand...

well i think you are completely missing the point here. i was hoping i would clear things up for people. pretending no one would use a wireless keyboard and mouse is stupid since people use them all the time. and as i said no elaborate chargers would be needed. just plug it into your usb port like you currently do. nothing fancy. no chargers. thats what usb does. it carries both power and data. as to why use it if you still have to plug it in some times? well someone lacks vision. ever used a laptop? o no i have to plug my laptop in sometimes. who cares, it still gives you more function having it run off batteries than if you couldnt. so you have to plug your mouse in sometimes who cares. you can still use it, it just gives you the option to be wirefree most of the time. really people this isnt a hard concept. anyone who has used a laptop should be familiar with what im talking about.

Originally posted by s10
About the batteries in wireless mice. Lasting for 6 months?? I tried some out and believe me, they don't last that long. Far, far from it.
But even if it would last 6 months, you still need to charge it. Of course you could just change the batteries, but that would surely make a mice Or heavy (normal batteries) Or expensive to use (small batteries) but for sure it would be non-ecological.
Click to expand...

all i can say is you are wrong. period. you can check product descriptions and will find they last many months (some up to a year) and you could even use one and see for yourself how long it lasts. guess what? they last over 6 months. but i should say these are modern models. i have knowledge or experience with old wireless mice (this stuff has been out for many years).
 
Re: Re: USB Charger

Originally posted by dukestreet


I have a USB Zip250 and it works without a power cord, everything goes through the USB cable.

Besides, if Apple designs it correctly the recharger would be a little caddy that you place the mouse or keyboard in when not in use, like cordless phones. This would make it easy to recharge and provide a little home for the mice so they don't get lost as easily.

I'm looking forward to them.:D
Click to expand...

You think a Zip takes up a lot of power, do you? Batterys can charge at low levels and, in fact, charge better but it would be more like Apple to give the iPod options of fast or full.

As for a caddy, that creates the problem of reducing battery life significantly.
 
Re: dear AmbitiousLemon

s10:

You're right, i think... Apple is trying to simplify wherever it can, not make things worse... I just cannot see Apple ever making wireless keyboard/mice. Too much of a specialty product; there would be no profit in it. I don't mean to get personal, but i think all you people that are expecting it, are just wishing soooo hard... Look at Job's business/product model, wireless mice/keyboards have no place in it... how could apple make money with this, competing with other wireless mouse companies... doesn't make sense. none of it really does... the average consumer doesn't care about the mouse cable, because they've never imagined anything but it, and they're *not* going to shell out big bucks for something like that... tho Apple could probably make the damn mouse cable a little longer...

now some specialty product, meant to replace mice, that i could see... like a wacom tablet, one that uses a stylus and wireless mouse... or some fabulous cool input device no one has ever thought of... how about a bluetooth neural interface??
hehe

:)
pnw
 
Re: Re: dear AmbitiousLemon

Originally posted by paulwhannel
s10:

You're right, i think... Apple is trying to simplify wherever it can, not make things worse... I just cannot see Apple ever making wireless keyboard/mice. Too much of a specialty product; there would be no profit in it. I don't mean to get personal, but i think all you people that are expecting it, are just wishing soooo hard... Look at Job's business/product model, wireless mice/keyboards have no place in it... how could apple make money with this, competing with other wireless mouse companies... doesn't make sense. none of it really does... the average consumer doesn't care about the mouse cable, because they've never imagined anything but it, and they're *not* going to shell out big bucks for something like that... tho Apple could probably make the damn mouse cable a little longer...

now some specialty product, meant to replace mice, that i could see... like a wacom tablet, one that uses a stylus and wireless mouse... or some fabulous cool input device no one has ever thought of... how about a bluetooth neural interface??
hehe

:)
pnw
Click to expand...

actually i never said apple would do it. i was simply explaining the technology involved. s10 was saying it wouldnt happen because of technology issues regarding things he didnt understand. i was just trying to explain how it could work and what errors he made regarding the technology. in the discussion regarding this some weeks ago i made it quite clear i didnt think apple would go in this direction for some time. but the reason is more along the lines of what you stated above not because the technology makes it unreasonable.
 
Re: Re: dear AmbitiousLemon

Originally posted by paulwhannel
s10:

You're right, i think... Apple is trying to simplify wherever it can, not make things worse... I just cannot see Apple ever making wireless keyboard/mice. Too much of a specialty product; there would be no profit in it. I don't mean to get personal, but i think all you people that are expecting it, are just wishing soooo hard... Look at Job's business/product model, wireless mice/keyboards have no place in it... how could apple make money with this, competing with other wireless mouse companies... doesn't make sense. none of it really does... the average consumer doesn't care about the mouse cable, because they've never imagined anything but it, and they're *not* going to shell out big bucks for something like that... tho Apple could probably make the damn mouse cable a little longer...

now some specialty product, meant to replace mice, that i could see... like a wacom tablet, one that uses a stylus and wireless mouse... or some fabulous cool input device no one has ever thought of... how about a bluetooth neural interface??
hehe
Click to expand...

I TOTALLY disagree; for starters, when has Apple NOT been the head of the pack with new things like this. Also, when has Apple cared about bumping up the price a little to add something REALLY cool (HELLO, LCD iMAC). Thirdly, how would Apple be competing with other 3rd parties? That is like saying that the Pro mouse and keyboard compete with 3rd parties. Hey, Apple ships their machines with an optical mouse, they are directly competing with optical mouse companies, nothing do with adding something that is cool. Does the "average consumer" care whether their mouse is optical or balled?????

It is inevitable that Apple will introduce wireless input devices across the desktop board and it is EXTREMELY likely that Apple will be first to do this. Now, whether they do it now or in 5 years depends on when it is right in the market but my money on it being sooner rather than later.
 
Re: Re: Re: USB Charger

Originally posted by madamimadamtimallen


It really isn't Apple's style to support old hardware. It would be like a rumour of an upcoming USB iPod... not likely to happen.
Click to expand...

Neither is a device with USB bandwidth likely to be designed to clog up a perfectly useful firewire port.
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: USB Charger

Originally posted by Wry Cooter


Neither is a device with USB bandwidth likely to be designed to clog up a perfectly useful firewire port.
Click to expand...

How does a battery charger have USB bandwidth?
 
Originally posted by iGAV



What happens though (sorry I'm not upto speed on Bluetooth yet) if you have more than one mac, all with bluetooth and using wireless keyboards... they wouldn't interfere with each other would they?? Or would it be dependant on range?? or is there a imited amount of macs you could have together???

Just wondering.....:D
Click to expand...

I've heard it being discussed as being like the old infrared networking specs... if the device connects at all, it knows the device it is connecting to, there is an ID involved, just like airport.

The teacher going around doodling on the students desktops with a bluetooth whatsis, would probably have admin override for those accounts and could do whatever she wanted. The kids would have to figure out for themselves how to make the smart kids keypresses go to their workstations quiz.
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: USB Charger

Originally posted by madamimadamtimallen


How does a battery charger have USB bandwidth?
Click to expand...

It doesn't, I said a device with USB bandwidth would be clogging up a perfectly good firewire port, just to get some juice, because someone was griping that these mostly as yet non existant rechargeable bluetooth devices couldn't possibly be charged fast enough for them any other way if they couldn't charge the the gizmo with firewire (Firewire does put out more juice)

If you are going to use firewire just for the sake of charging something that doesn't need firewire connectivity, you are potentially terminating a firewire chain, cloggiing that firewire port so to speak. Not too many USB devices have a firewire port.

I would think the most natural way for a bluetooth device to be charged, would be via USB, since that is the port that would be opened up. If your wireless keyboard, mouse whatever needs a charge, take the bluetooth plug out of the USB port, and use a cable.

The problem is- USB isn't that live a wire, as far as power, in fact most USB hubs need external power just for the devices attached to them to see each other. But it may be enough, depending on the power needed to recharge the bluetooth gizmos batteries. And if you can't get enough juice via USB, plug the damn thing into a regular socket. Or create some sort of dock for the keyboard and mouse, whatever, while you are a sleep, the way iBooks in schools recharge on a cart between classes.
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: USB Charger

Originally posted by Wry Cooter


It doesn't, I said a device with USB bandwidth would be clogging up a perfectly good firewire port, just to get some juice, because someone was griping that these mostly as yet non existant rechargeable bluetooth devices couldn't possibly be charged fast enough for them any other way if they couldn't charge the the gizmo with firewire (Firewire does put out more juice)

If you are going to use firewire just for the sake of charging something that doesn't need firewire connectivity, you are potentially terminating a firewire chain, cloggiing that firewire port so to speak. Not too many USB devices have a firewire port.

I would think the most natural way for a bluetooth device to be charged, would be via USB, since that is the port that would be opened up. If your wireless keyboard, mouse whatever needs a charge, take the bluetooth plug out of the USB port, and use a cable.

The problem is- USB isn't that live a wire, as far as power, in fact most USB hubs need external power just for the devices attached to them to see each other. But it may be enough, depending on the power needed to recharge the bluetooth gizmos batteries. And if you can't get enough juice via USB, plug the damn thing into a regular socket. Or create some sort of dock for the keyboard and mouse, whatever, while you are a sleep, the way iBooks in schools recharge on a cart between classes.
Click to expand...

Why would Apple release a KB and mouse that needs a BlueTooth USB plug??? Surely, if they were going to release this stuff, they would release their machines with dedicated ports for BlueTooth devices. Also, saying that the charger cloggs up a firewire port is like saying that the iPod cloggs up a port. I do not consider doing something that helps your lifestyle to be a clogg.
 
dearest AmbitiousLemon

I know that some people would like to have things wireless. That's why there are wireless keyboards and mice on the market since many years.
Their marketshare is very small though, and unless some great technology will come through, this wont change.

Basicly what you are saying is that you don't need a charger, just plug it in the USB socket like you would with a normal mouse or keyboard.
Fine, it could easily work. But you would end up with a Bluetooth receiver in one USB port, to make it all work wireless (until it come build in and everybody has a new Mac), and at least one cable to recharge your keyboard and mouse in another USB port...
I use 1 USb port for my SoundSiticks, 1 for my printer, 1 for my scanner, and the one on my keyboard for my camera or for my pen or joystick.

So I need at least 6 USB port to get it all working without having to change plugs etc. Meaning that I need a hub and a powered one too.

So just because I want a wireless keyboard and mouse, I have to add a hub and another powersocket.....

So why bother? I know for myself (and for 99% of Mac users) that they will never have the need to move the keyboard or mouse further away from the screen than the usb cable lenght.

Unless Bluetooth comes build in, in desktops and in all kinds of "light" peripherals, I don't see why people would bother.

For Laptops it's a slightly different story.

And you should know that there has always been, and will always be, a big difference in what product discriptions say and what real usage teaches you.
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: USB Charger

Originally posted by madamimadamtimallen


Why would Apple release a KB and mouse that needs a BlueTooth USB plug??? Surely, if they were going to release this stuff, they would release their machines with dedicated ports for BlueTooth devices. Also, saying that the charger cloggs up a firewire port is like saying that the iPod cloggs up a port. I do not consider doing something that helps your lifestyle to be a clogg.
Click to expand...

The Bluetooth gizmo goes in an existing usb port, One that would otherwise be going to a keyboard. You want to buy a brand new mac just to use bluetooth built onto the motherboard, go ahead.

An iPod is also USING the firewire port for something other than charging batteries.
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: USB Charger

Originally posted by Wry Cooter


The Bluetooth gizmo goes in an existing usb port, One that would otherwise be going to a keyboard. You want to buy a brand new mac just to use bluetooth built onto the motherboard, go ahead.

An iPod is also USING the firewire port for something other than charging batteries.
Click to expand...

Let me put it to you this way, iPod takes 3 hours to fully charge doesn't it (I did not bother looking up the fact just threw in what I thought was correct) and FireWire has far more power than USB. Therefore, if iPod was on USB, how long do you think it would take to charge? I would not imagine that there would be too much difference in battery charge time between an iPod and a BlueTooth device battery. So, working on that basis, do you really think that Apple would release something that takes that long to charge?

As for the "Bluetooth gizmo (going) in an existing usb port", I have already discussed that it would make sense and would follow Apple's trends to just add a BlueTooth port to the machine. If you don't think Apple would make a product that requires a new computer to work without extra adaptors, just look at ADC. ADC was a GREAT idea except that it reduced the potential market of the new monitors heavily. I see that Apple would do exactly the same thing with BlueTooth devices; isolate old users for the sake of moving forward.
 
What about a cord that winds up?

I think it would be really cool if the mouse or the keyboard had like a button that you pused and it wound up automaticlly like a cord thing on a vaccume. That way when done you you just push a button and it winds up, and if it runs out of batt power, then you can just plug in and go. Now that would be sweet
 
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