Customer Reviews

Freedom Input Freedom Bluetooth Universal Keyboard for Smart Cell Phones

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The setup of this keyboard went quite well - despite the unlock code required - it was no real hardship.

I was extremely concerned when I first felt the keyboard. It is presented very nicely - and the included case is a nice touch.
Sure enough, the entire keyboard lock section broke off within about ten days of VERY light use.

I requested a replacement unit via e-mail this morning. No response yet.
I have virtually zero expectation that the replacement unit will not break in short order.

It is a shame because it seems this is our only option for using an external keyboard with the Blackberry. I would expect every one of these to break in a short time. That is how flimsy and delicate they are.

I cannot recommend this product.

Overall, the product works great, and is easy to set up. I have a Blackberry Tour 9630 running OS 4.7, and I experienced a problem with the auto-reconnect option on the keyboard. For some reason, using the auto-reconnect option would corrupt all other Bluetooth connections on my phone, causing me to have to re-establish those connections anytime I wanted to use those other devices. It took me a lot of troubleshooting to figure out that the auto-reconnect was causing the problem. Tech support was completely apathetic, and provided NO help whatsoever. Eventually I was able to figure out the problem on my own, and the product works great as long as you manually connect and disconnect every time you want to use the keyboard, which only takes a few seconds, and is no big deal in my opinion.

Again, the product works fantastic now that I have gotten through the auto-reconnect issue, and I would definitely recommend it. I do not think it as flimsy as some other people have suggested, although I have not used it long enough to say that definitively.

great keyboard. compact size, good feel and keystrokes, trouble with loading
the OTA dirvers but tech support supplied a new link that worked. must turn off keyboard switch and uncheck "activate keyboard" or the application will
continue to search for the keyboard and deplete the battery. love the ability to program several of the function keys. cannot yet evaluate battery
life. dependable, compact, good feel on keystrokes, reasonable price,
somewhat delicate but treat it as such. love it. robert

This is the solution to so many problems. As a recent Blackberry owner and someone who spends a lot of time writing online, I was being made crazy by the tiny keyboard on the berry and in need of some kind of alternative. There are a lot of bluetooth keyboards out there, but I couldn't get straight answers about whether or not any of them were recommended for the Berry aside from this one.

Got here, unfolded it, turned it on, followed the directions, and had it running in less than ten minutes. It works great, but I have to say, don't put it on a lap or unstable surface...a lot of people are complaining that it breaks...it's not a toy, for christsakes. The hinge is delicate, so be careful handling it, but as long as you don't throw it around and treat it carelessly it should be fine.

So, if it's neater than sliced bread, why did I give it a four instead of a five? The qwerty keyset is a little off, the question mark is to the right of the shift key, and it throws me off. The space-bar sometimes does not register, but then again, I might be tapping too lightly. It takes some getting used to, but if you need a keyboard, this is a surprisingly elegant solution.

I highly recommend it.

I bought this keyboard to use with my Viliv handheld computer. The keyboard works well. It is smaller than a standard keyboard and so a little cramped, but of course that is to be expected on such a compact device intended for traveling.

Some of the keys require getting used to. For example, the home key requires both hands, one to hold down the key that switches other keys to alternate functions, and one to press the home key itself. Several other frequently-used keys require the same procedure. Also, the right shift key is half the size of the left shift key to make room for another key. It is very easy to miss the right shift key as a result, but you do get used to where to aim after using the keyboard a bit.

The keyboard folds in half, and the hinge in the middle is made of plastic. It looks as if it was designed to break, and indeed several buyers have complained that it did just that. I therefore have been very careful to use the keyboard on a flat rigid surface whenever possible. I also do not use the slide lock to keep the keyboard open. So far, I have had no trouble, but this keyboard simply does not seem to be built for rugged use.

The keyboard is heavier than some other folding keyboards, but it also seems better designed in terms of use. That is why I chose it. When folded, it is very compact.

At this point, I am quite satisfied with it and would choose it again without hesitation, but I do wish the hinge was made of stronger material.

I own a Blackberry 9550 and often wanted a simpler way to send short e-mails when I was on a trip. The Freedom keyboard does allow that BUT not as easily as I had hoped. The problem with this keyboard is the lag time between entering a keystroke and its receipt by my Blackberry. Another reviewer complained about constant typos. I now understand exactly what he meant. A touch typist quickly overcomes the speed of the keyboard requiring one to go back and retype -- often twice. While this is marginally better than using thumbs, it is not as advertised. I gave the product a 3 out of 5 stars.

For a long time, I used the outstanding ThinkOutside Stowaway Bluetooth keyboard which was simply superb. The company was purchased by iGo and they quickly stopped making the product. Thus, no drivers for newer devices, such as the Sprint HTC Evo 4G Android based smartphone I just acquired.

The Freedom Pro is essentially a full-sized keyboard that folds in two. Folded, it is about 7 x 4 inches and about ¾ of an inch thick. Not as compact as the Stowaway, but still eminently portable. The unit comes with a pretty nice sleeve for safekeeping.

I have seen reviews that referred to the unit as "delicate" and one person complained that the lock that secures the two sides of the unit broke off easily. I disagree with the description of "delicate" and can't see how you could break the lock without mishandling the unit.

While the unit is all plastic, the build quality is high. The five row keyboard has a separate row for numbers, which is nice. All the QWERTY keys are full-sized and the keys have a moderately short throw and good resistance. It doesn't take long to come up to speed on this keyboard. The number and function keys are reduced size and you have to aim carefully to use them. Two half-size space keys are present, one on either side of the keyboard. Overall, the keyboard has a very nice feel to it.

Of interest is that the keyboard supports both HID and SPP interfaces.

A vertical row of six designated hot keys is provided, but whether or not you can use them will depend on the smart phone you are using.

The unit is powered by a pair of AAA batteries which typically provide 20 or more hours of service.

Bluetooth pairing on my Android phone was quick enough.

Finally, there is a pull-out stand that will accommodate any smartphone or PDA.

Couple this with an advanced smartphone and there will be many occasions where you can leave your laptop at home.

Jerry

I've had the first model for 2 years or more. I think I started with my Motorola smart phone then a Blackberry 9000, then AT&T bought out my local provider and have used the BB Torch 9800 for last 9 months. I was so happy to find out my keyboard worked with both systems.

It only recently had problems with the top row of alphabet keys and I tightened the screws and it works perfetly again.

I use my phone so heavily 80-100 emails a day + everything else that I would be buried without this KB.

Great shortcut keys and it is tops for deleting and replying to emails and text. Sometimes I just put it in my back pocket and just go to my business location with the keyboard and phone.

I have typed on every type of keyboard imagineable since the beginning of computers and can fly on this KB. I had heart surgery and some other problems this year. My hands aren't as steady as before and have diabetes so I don't have 100% sensation in my fingers. Using the keys on my phone really slows me down for long lines of writing and deleting messages etc. This device makes it fast to do my work with my med problems.

Takes a little time to hook up with my bluetooth, but always does. I have 4 devices listed BT on my phone. 2 audio units from cars/handsfree and a BT earphone + the keyboard. Works great.

I seldom use the stand unless I am taking notes in a meeting or training. I seldom use the KB slide lock. Just put it on a table 99% of the time. Anyone can tell that a thoughtless hard close with the KB locked and it will be broken.. but I never have. and besides it will still work)

Many of my colleagues have bought one after watching me.

Not an item to be picky about you have few if any other choices for real portability and this device really improves productivity.

I read many of the reviews for this and other keyboards. I decided that this was good for my purposes. Had no problem pairing with my Blackberry Storm. I thought the key layout was good given that it has to fold. Some of the keys near the fold are different sizes but I can't see how that can be avoided. It will take a bit to get used to but no real issue. I agree that the open lock that prevents it from folding may be a bit flimsy as was mentioned in other reviews. I will not be using on my lap typically so, this is not a big issue for me. So far, I like the keyboard and with some careful use, I think it will be fine. I would recommend this keyboard. I really liked that it had a storage case and the weight is really light so that's also a plus. Yes, the cradle for the phone is a bit flimsy but it works fine. Again, it doesn't really need to be strong, it's only supporting the phone.

I used this keyboard with my Samsung Epic. It works nicely, but has a little lag sometimes. When the phone is doing something, keypresses can become repeated. It's pretty small, can even fit into a large jeans pocket if necessary when folded. It seems unnecessarily cramped. Some buttons are in strange places (why would you put Del next to Ctrl - that's asking for trouble).