(Image courtesy Apple, Inc.) Back in 2007, when the original iPhone was introduced, I was rocking out my Treo 650 and had pretty much dismissed the iPhone as a serious replacement, largely because there was no physical keyboard. Of course, as most iPhone owners have found out, the soft keyboard actually does a phenomenal job […]
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Quick Tip: Using the Apple Wireless Keyboard with your iPhone, iPod, and iPad

Sep 17th 2010 by

(Image courtesy Apple, Inc.)

Back in 2007, when the original iPhone was introduced, I was rocking out my Treo 650 and had pretty much dismissed the iPhone as a serious replacement, largely because there was no physical keyboard. Of course, as most iPhone owners have found out, the soft keyboard actually does a phenomenal job of overcoming both its own inherent shortcomings and those of its users. However, for long typing tasks, I still found myself reaching for my old, trusty laptop and its full keyboard. With Apple’s recent announcement of support for Bluetooth keyboards in its more recent devices, I decided to try the Apple Wireless Keyboard with my iPhone 4 to see how well it would work.

For those who are unfamiliar, the Apple Wireless Keyboard is a highly portable, battery powered Bluetooth keyboard, with a sleek aluminum design. Intended for use with Mac desktops, the keyboard is well suited for use as an alternate keyboard for iOS devices as well. It runs on two AA batteries, and can be switched off when not in use to save battery power – which, by all reports, is phenomenal.   It can be used with the iPhone 3GS and 4, the 3G iPod (all of which require iOS 4), and the iPad. 

 

FIRST THINGS FIRST

The first thing to remember is that the keyboard is, almost without exception, merely a replacement for the on-screen keyboard. In other words, there is almost no control other than that which you can do with the on-screen keyboard and, to a degree, what an app permits.

This means that you cannot scroll down pages in Safari or other apps, even using the keyboard shortcuts that work on the desktop.   I discovered that certain apps make more desktop-like use of the keyboard than others. In Mail, for example, you can type the name of a recipient, then hit the TAB key to move to the subject field, and TAB again to the message body. You can also use the standard Mac keyboard shortcuts to select, copy, delete, and paste text. However, you cannot send the email with the keyboard – you must tap the screen.

In Messages, you can type the name of the person you’d like to send a text message to, but you cannot actually select that name from a list of possible matches.

Despite reasonable research and a reasonable effort on my own, I was unable to uncover any way around these limitations. 

Some applications, however, are much more well suited to the keyboard. Simplenote (review), for example, is a joy to use with the keyboard, as the aforementioned text shortcuts all work – as they appear to do in all apps with text fields.  IM+ is also a joy to use, as the Return key can be used to send an IM – making for a more desktop-like IM experience.   Agile Instant Messenger, on the other hand, will not display a text entry box unless you tap the screen after each IM you send – which is far less than ideal. 

SPECIALTY KEYS

The top row of the keyboard is filled with specialty keys, some of which perform the same functions as on a desktop, while some do not. The keys that control screen brightness work, as do the iPod control keys. On the extreme top right of the keyboard is an arrow key that will display or hide the virtual keyboard (which is normally hidden once the keyboard is paired with the iPhone – a nice touch). I did, however, discover that sometimes the key is needed to restore access to the virtual keyboard when disconnecting the Wireless Keyboard – but as this was inconsistently needed, I am reasonably sure that it was likely more of an issue with a given app.   The other keys had no apparent function. 

SO, IS IT WORTH IT?

That depends. If you often need to compose lengthy email replies or write documents, and wish to do so on your iOS device, the keyboard is absolutely worth it.

For me, as a road warrior who needs to attend to business matters (lots of email), personal matters (lots of IMing), and blog writing, the keyboard allows me to make much better use of my time in circumstances where I really don’t feel like firing up my laptop (like on an airplane, in an airport, or at a restaurant). 

If your mobile typing needs are more sporadic, the cost of the keyboard (currently $69.99) and the need to lug it around may far outweigh the benefits you receive.

 

Are you using a keyboard with your iOS device?  Let us know your experiences in the comments section!

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