Recommended Bluetooth keyboard for tablet?

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Tamales
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Joined: Sat Jul 05, 2014 10:47 am

Recommended Bluetooth keyboard for tablet?

Post by Tamales »

I recently bought a tablet, mainly for note taking using a stylus, but having a keyboard is still necessary for some things.
I bought a keyboard-case that was designed for my tablet model, but the key presses are really unreliable. If I type a sentence, the vast majority of the time, some key presses don't get recognized, or were double counted.

After seeing this issue, I reviewed user comments for other bluetooth keyboards for my device and apparently this is a common problem with other models too.

Is this a "bluetooth" communications problem, or a more general problem with the use of poor quality keyboard switches in these very thin tablet keyboards? The keyboard case I bought wasn't exactly cheap at nearly $50, but part of that price covers the case (which I could just buy separately, without a keyboard).
Does anyone here have a less-than-full-size bluetooth keyboard where you never have this problem with key presses not getting recognized, and can recommend it?

I'm OK if the keyboard is wider than my tablet, but I'd prefer it was smaller than a full size keyboard (unless that's the only way to get good key press reliability).
Mudpuppy
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Re: Recommended Bluetooth keyboard for tablet?

Post by Mudpuppy »

I'm personally using a stand-alone keyboard, the Logitech K380 Bluetooth keyboard, with my iPad. I much prefer that over a keyboard folio case, as it's very similar to a regular keyboard, just without the "10-key" side buttons and with the arrow keys and home/etc. buttons integrated into a compact layout. It's about 11" long and 5" deep, so it's only slightly longer than my iPad.

I have not had any issues with key presses being missed once the keyboard is connected. It does take a few seconds after turning the keyboard on for it to connect. There's an LED that lights up temporarily once the connection is complete, so now I just wait for the LED to light up before I start typing. It can also switch between three different paired devices, but I haven't played around with that functionality.

Following a similar principle, I also got a Logitech M350 Bluetooth mouse, rather than trying to find a stand-alone keyboard with an integrated track pad. Like the keyboard, there is a short delay when it's turned on, but then it's rock-solid, as long as I have it on a surface where the optical sensor can track movement.

So my input setup for the iPad is the Apple Pencil, the K380 keyboard, and the M350 mouse. It is a little more inconvenient to carry around, but I got a separate case for the keyboard (they make cases specifically sized for the K380) and an accessory bag for the mouse, stand, and other accessories. There are also some thicker EVA cases that have compartments for the tablet and a keyboard+mouse, but I like to keep lots of cushioning between my tablet screen and everything else. I've cracked screens on e-readers in the past when I did not have them in a dedicated hard EVA case.
pizzy
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Re: Recommended Bluetooth keyboard for tablet?

Post by pizzy »

The Logitech K780 is the way to go. Has built in stand. Excellent reviews. Affordable price.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/logitech-k ... Id=5592420
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Stephen_Crane
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Re: Recommended Bluetooth keyboard for tablet?

Post by Stephen_Crane »

Highly recommend Keychron.
sent from my user friendly home computer.
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PalmQueen
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Re: Recommended Bluetooth keyboard for tablet?

Post by PalmQueen »

pizzy wrote: Sun Dec 05, 2021 8:44 am The Logitech K780 is the way to go. Has built in stand. Excellent reviews. Affordable price.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/logitech-k ... Id=5592420
I agree. Logitech K780 is a great option.
If you don't need full-size or the separate numbers pad, there's a compact version: Logitech K380.
It's 11" x 5", lightweight and reliable.
https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-K380-Mu ... to_dp&th=1
pizzy
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Re: Recommended Bluetooth keyboard for tablet?

Post by pizzy »

PalmQueen wrote: Sun Dec 05, 2021 10:14 am
pizzy wrote: Sun Dec 05, 2021 8:44 am The Logitech K780 is the way to go. Has built in stand. Excellent reviews. Affordable price.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/logitech-k ... Id=5592420
I agree. Logitech K780 is a great option.
If you don't need full-size or the separate numbers pad, there's a compact version: Logitech K380.
It's 11" x 5", lightweight and reliable.
https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-K380-Mu ... to_dp&th=1
The 380 was recommended above, but doesn't have the built in stand for the ipad. That's why I recommended the 780.
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Topic Author
Tamales
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Re: Recommended Bluetooth keyboard for tablet?

Post by Tamales »

Thanks for the recs. I've generally had good results going with Amazon products where the sum of 4 and 5 star reviews are 75% or more and there are at least 300 reviews. The product I bought that has the missed and duplicate key press problem met the percentages but only had about a hundred reviews.

Still, a hundred is a reasonable sample, so it's apparently the case that either the key switches are sometimes flakey right from the factory, or maybe there's some Bluetooth implementation issue that is computer-dependent, or a combination of both (or, a bunch of fake reviews), because I cannot imagine giving it anything but 1 star when key presses fail in every sentence you type. Maybe if I returned it and got another of the same, it would be OK, but I'd rather this not be an ongoing problem.

I'll pick an alternative from either the Logitech or Keychron, and hope I don't get a dud. Currently leaning toward the mechanical, full-travel-keys of the Keychron models but those are also more costly. Thanks again for the recs.

Side note/observation: I've had many laptops (from my employer) over the years and those all have/had low profile keyboards and I've never had a problem with missed key presses on any of them, so it's certainly not impossible to make a very reliable low profile, low travel keyboard.
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PalmQueen
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Re: Recommended Bluetooth keyboard for tablet?

Post by PalmQueen »

pizzy wrote: Sun Dec 05, 2021 10:16 am
PalmQueen wrote: Sun Dec 05, 2021 10:14 am
pizzy wrote: Sun Dec 05, 2021 8:44 am The Logitech K780 is the way to go. Has built in stand. Excellent reviews. Affordable price.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/logitech-k ... Id=5592420
I agree. Logitech K780 is a great option.
If you don't need full-size or the separate numbers pad, there's a compact version: Logitech K380.
It's 11" x 5", lightweight and reliable.
https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-K380-Mu ... to_dp&th=1
The 380 was recommended above, but doesn't have the built in stand for the ipad. That's why I recommended the 780.
Oops. Sorry I didn't notice that. :oops: Thanks for the clarification.
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