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Old 03-21-2016, 09:38 PM   #19
Kwiz
Junior Member
Kwiz began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 4
Karma: 10
Join Date: Dec 2014
Device: Boox M96
Lightbulb Use a Bluetooth keyboard instead

Why don't you use a Bluetooth keyboard?

I bought a Logitech K810 (with French layout) which is 5 cm larger than the Boox and is robust. The typing experience is great. I don't use the key that glows in the dark feature. Therefore, the battery lasts for ages. I only charged it twice since I bought it 15 months ago. And I use it daily for work. The Boox battery also lasts for hours with wifi and Bluetooth turned on all the time.

A nice feature is to be able to use the keyboard with three devices. Three programmable keys allow you to switch between them. I am using two Booxes and I am going to use a third one soon. Switching between devices can take between 2 to 10 seconds or more. It depends on when the next device catches the keyboard Bluetooth signal.

I am using my Boox as my primary computer for coding (using QuickEdit), administrating a server via SFTP (using JuiceSSH), writing emails (using CloudMagic) and more.

There are couples of problems, though. It depends on the firmware you are using.

- With firmware 1.6.5 (my favourite), the writing speed performance is the best compare to more recent firmware like the 1.7.1 where typing becomes slow all of a sudden and you have to switch input methods and come back to your original one to solve the issue. That's an annoying bug.
- I am using the External Keyboard Helper Pro app to use my French keyboard and have keyboard shortcuts available for launching apps (very handy for productivity). However with firmware 1.6.5, writing uppercase letters by holding the shift key doesn't work. I have to press shift key again for each letter or use the Caps Lock key which doesn't always respond immediately. The problem doesn't exist with the firmware 1.7.1 and above (up to 1.7.4). With firmware 1.6.5 and above, the problem doesn't exist when using the native android input method. I haven't done an extended test since I am not using an English keyboard, so I cannot vouch that there are not other problems.
- With firmware 1.7.2, another problem was introduced which is that I couldn't set keyboard shortcuts in some apps as the key 222 (CLEAR) input is sent every time after you press a key.
- With firmware 1.7.2, the delete key and the arrows can stop working all of a sudden. It can be a problem related to using External Keyboard Helper Pro.

That's it. If you end up getting a Bluetooth keyboard in English, it will be very much appreciated if you could share your experience using it.
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