Accessories bluetooth keyboard with Desire/Froyo? anyone? anyone?

[as2357]

Hello,

I was really hoping that Froyo would fix the problems with pairing/connecting a (any) bluetooth keyboard.

Alas, it still doesn't work. I've tried an apple BT keyboard and a Freedom Universal 2 BT keyboard along with various driver/apps (note: avoid Teksoft Blueinput - I bought it, it doesn't work and refund requests were refused).

Has anyone had any success with any brand of BT keyboard? This is getting very nearly to a deal-breaker for me. It doesn't help that iOS4 enabled BT keyboard connection functionality with my Ipod touch. I've started using that device for work/note-taking again much to my horror.

Any ideas, anyone?

I've got a vanilla unlocked UK Desire with froyo 2.2 installed.

 

[as2357]

<bouncing my own posting...>

I can't believe that no-one has any use for a BT keyboard with the Desire whatsoever!

No responses. No bluetooth keyboards with the Desire?

 

[Pedro7]

first i've even heard of this mate lol.. don't know what you could do. get a netbook?

 

[as2357]

first i've even heard of this mate lol.. don't know what you could do. get a netbook?

Yeah, I've got a netbook. But the instant on of a Desire + a real keyboard is a killer combination for note-taking and real work.

 

[Pedro7]

don't know what to say then mate.. you could look around to try and get a fix for it? have you checked the market? could be an app that might be useful to you..

 

[Jason71]

Most Androids will interface with a wiimote. I have read that the desire and all other HTC phones will not support interfacing with Wiimotes because of a missing profile in the HTC Bluetooth deployment. It is not a huge leap from a Wiimote to at keyboard so the same issue may affect this. There is apparently no solution apart from pressuring HTC to fix it or a custom rom. If you search the games forum for HTC wiimote you will find easily find it.

 

[Longfellow78]

I would very much like to know this too, and am also surprised that there is not more about it.
I think it can be done on the nexus one as shown by this thread:
http://androidforums.com/nexus-one/51309-bluetooth-keyboard-support-works-flawlessly.html

i have seen keyboards advertised as being compatible with the desire, but haven't dared to risk it.

This is a pretty poor state of affairs from HTC or whoever is responsible, compatability with a BT keyboard should be totally standard for this kind of phone.

As an alternative, does anyone know if a keyboard with mini usb connection would work instead?

 

[Alan King]

I have a Bluetooth Keyboard that I had hoped would now be ok with 2.2, but no luck after going through all the research again that I did with 2.1.

I can get as far as pairing successfully but then (from what I read elsewhere) the required bit of the bluetooth stack is missing. I don't know if I routed my phone perhaps it would work as some roms firmware whatever they are called appear to have added a full bluetooth stack, or it might just be that HTC have buggered up bluetooth on their version or 2.2, because my keyboard works with other android phones with 2.1. That's all I know.

 

[khidr]

Hi,
I found this on a dutch forum:

I did't get it to worrk at first because of bug in the drivers. I downloaded the latest drivers from the keybord pro site

It now work I typed this on a keyboard as a word file in Dataviz in de trein ingetikt via toetsenbord op de Desire - als Word file in DataViz Documents To Go.

Download the latest instructions from the website van Freedom Pro Keyboard (Freedom Input) on a PC, so you can read them while handling your desire
pair blue tooth

download drivers

install them

Voila!


You may think it doesnot work at first, the trick is to change the input method in any text program. Using the keybord horizontally doesnot work. Or touch connect in the setting, same select disconnect when done.
see: (use google translate) http://www.pdashop.nl/product/59531/freedom-pro-universal-bluetooth-keyboard.html

 

[khidr]

here's another option:
hitechgadget Webshop

 

[Bunjiweb]

I don't think android supports bt keyboards out of the box, however the dell streak does due to their own drivers. It might be possible to hack it on to another device but nothing that I know of. An app for this would make big bucks!

 

[chrisnotton]

Yeah, I've got a netbook. But the instant on of a Desire + a real keyboard is a killer combination for note-taking and real work.

I have got two BT keyboards that I used on my E71 (a Nokia & Cygnet). I would love to use them on my Desire with one of the several note taking apps.

If anybody has found working drivers please let us know!

It seems HTC don't really consider their business market otherwise they would have sorted these sort of issues out! Together with their distinctly crappy backup facility; compared with their competitors.

 

[Pedro7]

I have a Bluetooth Keyboard that I had hoped would now be ok with 2.2, but no luck after going through all the research again that I did with 2.1.

I can get as far as pairing successfully but then (from what I read elsewhere) the required bit of the bluetooth stack is missing. I don't know if I routed my phone perhaps it would work as some roms firmware whatever they are called appear to have added a full bluetooth stack, or it might just be that HTC have buggered up bluetooth on their version or 2.2, because my keyboard works with other android phones with 2.1. That's all I know.

if you upgraded to 2.2 OTA then there is no root for the new bootloader at the moment, and no one is sure if there will be.. sorry!

 

[pominnz]

I have got two BT keyboards that I used on my E71 (a Nokia & Cygnet). I would love to use them on my Desire with one of the several note taking apps.

If anybody has found working drivers please let us know!

It seems HTC don't really consider their business market otherwise they would have sorted these sort of issues out! Together with their distinctly crappy backup facility; compared with their competitors.

I've got a Stowaway iGo BT keyboard that I used to use on my N95 8G.

BT keyboard support seems to be such a basic requirement, that I was sure it would work. But no.... :-(

To my dismay, the keyboard paired and connected with both an iPhone 4 and iPad painlessly.

If apple can do it, why can't Google/HTC?

 

[Kumabjorn]

I watched some Youtube videos of a Chinese Bluetooth mini keyboard that is about the same size as my Desire (hence fits nicely in the pouch) so I bought it, but now it turns out I can get them to pair, but not connect. What is up with that. The keyboard manufacturer sent me two .RAR files but when I unzip them I don't see anything that resembles .apk files. Unfortunately I didn't get any useful instructions with those files. Anyone that has managed to use this?

 

[Cougar]

Might help if you tell us what's in the .RARs?

 

[Red_Avatar]

Don't bother, the Desire is shit with Bluetooth devices. It's my main frustration with it - everyone else can hook up a Wiimote, we can't. Bluetooth gamepads? Forget it. Bluetooth keyboards? You wish!

The only solution is to root it and get a custom rom because the problem lies in HTC's alterations of the core code - they broke Bluetooth and don't seem to care. I've sent them several mails yet with no real reply and every time I ask (including this forum) whether there is a fix, people are either silent or say "no there's not".

 

[Kumabjorn]

Might help if you tell us what's in the .RARs?

The file names don't say anything.
000000t1.021
000000t2.022
000000t3.023

That kind of thing.
BTDrvCPL.027

Is one of the names that kind of make sense.
Sorry I can't be more precise.

 

[Kumabjorn]

Don't bother, the Desire is shit with Bluetooth devices. It's my main frustration with it - everyone else can hook up a Wiimote, we can't. Bluetooth gamepads? Forget it. Bluetooth keyboards? You wish!

The only solution is to root it and get a custom rom because the problem lies in HTC's alterations of the core code - they broke Bluetooth and don't seem to care. I've sent them several mails yet with no real reply and every time I ask (including this forum) whether there is a fix, people are either silent or say "no there's not".

I've come to learn that the hard way. Wish I had known about it before buying it. Wonder how BT works with LG phones. Have to admit that I kind of like the Sense layer.

 

[Red_Avatar]

I've come to learn that the hard way. Wish I had known about it before buying it. Wonder how BT works with LG phones. Have to admit that I kind of like the Sense layer.

The worst part for me, is the cold treatment HTC is giving this. There's an enormous amount of stuff that uses bluetooth these days and yet we can't use any of it - keyboards, gamepads, hands free devices, printers, laptops, headphones, GPS, etc. I especially wanted a keyboard and a gamepad because for me the Desire is a portable gaming system due to its power (the PSP is handy as well with its emulators but it's bigger, is more limited in use, has no blutooth at all, etc.). Let's say I'm more than a little disapointed and HTC better fix it with the next Android upgrade or I'll throw them quite a few insults in their face combined with a threat to report them to the European business bureau for falsely advertising the device to offer Bluetooth when nearly all Bluetooth applications fail to work.

 

[Jason71]

The worst part for me, is the cold treatment HTC is giving this. There's an enormous amount of stuff that uses bluetooth these days and yet we can't use any of it - keyboards, gamepads, hands free devices, printers, laptops, headphones, GPS, etc. I especially wanted a keyboard and a gamepad because for me the Desire is a portable gaming system due to its power (the PSP is handy as well with its emulators but it's bigger, is more limited in use, has no blutooth at all, etc.). Let's say I'm more than a little disapointed and HTC better fix it with the next Android upgrade or I'll throw them quite a few insults in their face combined with a threat to report them to the European business bureau for falsely advertising the device to offer Bluetooth when nearly all Bluetooth applications fail to work.

I was under the impression that it was only the blue tooth profile required for keyboards / game pads etc that was missing. My desire works just fine with hands free devices

 

[joboy]

Yeah Desire really sucks with BT, just bought a china made mini BT keyboard with Android driver, but the driver can not register it said no internet connection, but I am sure the phone is connected and working fine, manual pairing didn't work too, but the keyboad itself works fine, I am typing this with it paired with Ubuntu. Not only BT keyboard sucks, all my BT handsfree sets randomly disconnect with the phone, even if it is connected and I can make phone call, the mp3 will suddenly mute on the sets and play out loud on the phone, reboot and re-pair is the only way to fix that, never have this problem with Nokia.

Update : I just connect the mini keyboard to Archos 70 and it worked, the trick is after input the key '1234' on the tablet, input it again on the keyboard and press enter, no driver needed !! but it is extremely hard to use the keyboard due to the need of combining different keys to produce the correct output, I can't even produce an 'enter' when input in a webpage, drop it

 

[Red_Avatar]

I just got the following message from support:

Thank you for contacting us about this issue.

It is not that the Bluetooth is broken, but because the phone does not have the correct Bluetooth profiles to work with the other Bluetooth devices that you are trying to use.

A lot of people are mislead into thinking that Bluetooth is like Wifi, where upon they can use it with any other Bluetooth device. The Bluetooth profiling system works by giving a device a certain radio frequency and algorithm, this formulates a Profile and the only way to connect with another Bluetooth device is if they both share the same profile.

This helps prevent devices from interfering with each other and stop devices from being used for purposes they either can not physically do or are not designed for, such as trying to share pictures with a keyboard.

The reason devices do not hold all possible profiles is because Nokia and Sony Ericsson patented Bluetooth and charge a lot of money to other companies who wish to use a Bluetooth profile.

When it comes to trying to share pictures, companies are seeing that it is easier to use file sharing across internet sites such as Facebook, Flicker and Youtube. Also, majority of devices no longer hold a profile to be able to use hands free kits and headsets.

If you want more information on the Bluetooth profiles you can visit this site Bluetooth profile - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I hope that this has answered your queries, if you have any problems or any more questions then please contact us again.

Regards
Carl

Sooo ... basically they're saying "you're screwed"? Because I'm confused now.

 

[Cougar]

They've given you a factually accurate reply whilst being no help whatsoever. I suspect you're dealing with an ex-Microsoft employee. (-: What they seem to be saying there is "we didn't pay for a licence."

The file names don't say anything.
000000t1.021
000000t2.022

Is it a RAR of another RAR / ZIP perhaps? Ie, you have to unpack it twice? </speculation>

 

[Kumabjorn]

Is it a RAR of another RAR / ZIP perhaps? Ie, you have to unpack it twice? </speculation>

I'm not tech savvy enough to know if it is, but there is a file called _setup.xml which I can view in a browser, I'm just not sure on how I can use that on the phone. So intuitively, I would say that you are on to something. I did a Google on _setup.xml but that just confused me even more. So basically I'm not even tech savvy enough to use Google in an effective manner.

@RedAvatar
If it is any consolation I have a similar problem with my BT handsfree and the Desire. It will drop all of a sudden, sometimes it will close down the music, occasionally it even reboots. The latter is a major nuisance, happens during phone conversations as well.
And if Ericsson/Nokia charges for the BT license, then they should just pay, its not like the Desire was dirt cheap or anything.