Price: Range $89.99-$105.99
This Review is of the Freedom Universal Keyboard from Freedom Input. An old review of this company's previous keyboard is located,
here however, it's quite dated and the keyboard is new and the drivers significantly upgraded since that review was posted.
The keyboard came nicely packaged as shown below from Freedom Input:
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Below is what is included in the package. It includes the folding keyboard, a pretty nice leather case, batteries, and the quick start guide.
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Folded, the keyboard measures 5 3/4" x 3 7/8" x 3/4" thick. It's quite compact and fits easily in any briefcase or suitcase.
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When opened, the keyboard measures 11 1/4" x 3 7/8". On the upper left side is a slide out resting place for the BB. I found that it's made more for the full sized Blackberries but holds my Pearl just fine as well. However, I also found that the base and backrest didn't hold my 7100t (not pictured) too well due to the 7100t's pointed bottom. It did work but was a little unstable.
Installing the drivers, normally, is quite simple. I went to Freedom Input's website, downloaded the latest driver and installed it on my BB. I then went to the Bluetooth setup in my BB and paired the device just as one would pair a BT headset. Once that was done, I went to the Keyboard app on the home screen. It asked for an unlock code. I went to the unlock web page listed on the website, entered the device code and unique code on listed on the quick start guide and the site instanly gave me the driver unlock code. I entered the code and the driver was instantly unlocked. Once in the driver app you simply check the box that says, "activate keyboard" and it's connected within a few moments. However, in my case this didn't work. Normally, with no BES involved the above instructions would have you up and running within minutes. If you are on a BES (or your BB has ever been on a BES) that's when problems can arise.
If you're on a BES I suggest contacting your BES Admin prior to purchasing to make sure that they can enable the "event injector api" for use with the keyboard. Even liberal IT policies by default disallow the event injector api. You can check this by looking in your Application Permissions under Interactions. Look for "keystroke injection." If you can set "keystroke injection" to "allow" then you will have no problems. If its locked to "deny" you won't be able to install the keyboard on your own. However, all your Admin needs to do is setup an application configuration policy for the keyboard driver and enable "event injector api" in the setup and they can push the "approved" driver out to you or you can download and install as described above. Just make sure that the driver version you install matches the one your Admin setup on the BES.
Again, I recommend checking with your BES Admin first to make sure they are willing to do this. Most are willing but you will need to ask. Chances are they've already set this configuration up for someone else and they will only need to add you to the configuration. This was the case for me. If your IT department is uneasy about doing this the techs at Freedom Input are VERY helpful with this setup and are willing to assist you and your Admin, if necessary. I spoke with several of the Freedom techs during my setup and the technical support from them is excellent. Once the policy was setup properly on the BES my keyboard driver worked beautifully. Note the Keyboard icon on the bottom left of the home screen on my Pearl.
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The area where the base of the BB rests (on the left side) is padded so that the BB doesn't slide around. There is a locking mechanism that slides to the right to lock the keyboard in the open position. This makes it suitable for lap use. The lock rod doesn't feel like it would support too much pressure, however, and even in the locked postion the keyboard does flex a little while in your lap.
The keyboard is universal so it supports multilanguages and has many of the other characters required. There are marked shortcut keys for email, memo pad, tasks and calendar. Additionally, the top row of number keys can be customized for shortcuts for virtually any application loaded on the BB. Simply program the keys in the keyboard driver and then use Fn + 0-9 for up to 10 programmable shortcuts. This is a nice feature but I found myself not being able to remember which key I programmed for what. Decals or something similar would be nice for this, at least for the most common BB apps.
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On the upper right side is the battery compartment. It uses 2 AAA batteries (supplied). Just to the right of that is the SPP/Off/HID switch. Unlike other similar keyboards this one is Dual Standard HID / SPP. it's a three position switch. To the left is SPP mode and to the right is HID mode and in the middle is off. The Blackberry uses only SPP. If you only have a Blackberry then you will only use the SPP side of this switch and the Dual Standard isn't going to benefit you. However, if you are someone who has multiple types of devices, then this keyboard will work with your other smartphones and PDA's. One keyboard will do it all-quite a nice touch. This means that if you give up the BB for something else (why on Earth would anyone do that?) then the keyboard will work with your next device.
One thing to note in the photo below is the position of the right-hand "shift" key and the "?" key. They are opposite what I'm used to. This does catch me when I'm typing at a pretty good rate. You have to search around for it if you are used to it being on the inside of the "shift" key. Also, I found that the split in the space bar (necessary for folding the keyboard) is exactly where I rest my thumb when typing. I find myself having to shift where I rest my thumb. If you push both space bars at the same time then you get two spaces. Not a major problem but does take a little getting used to.
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Typing on the keyboard is quite easy and really is convenient for typing longer emails, especially on SureType devices. Even if you use a full Qwerty keyboard this external keyboard really speeds up the typing. Once the initial setup (described above) is complete, subsequent connections to the keyboard take only a few moments and are quite simple.
I have been using this keyboard for about a week now and, must say, I'm hooked. I don't use it all the time, of course, but I try to keep it nearby and do use it quite often. It works well for any application from Google Talk and BlackBerry Messenger to composing emails and adding contacts to your address book.
When you are finished simply go to the keyboard app, uncheck the "activate Keyboard" box, turn the keyboard off, fold up the keyboard, slip it into the nice leather case and throw it back in your briefcase, suitcase, or computer bag.
Overall, I am quite impressed with the keyboard. The dual standard for use with BB as well as other smartphones and PDA's makes it a great buy for those with other types of devices. It's small and portable which makes it great for traveling. It allows a longer leash on that laptop many of us carry around when traveling. I can sit down and type that long email without dragging out the laptop.
Note: I've seen this keyboard advertised that if used with the Pearl or the 8800 with OS 4.2 that BES changes are NOT required. This is not always true. If your BES has sent a policy specifically disallowing the event injector then you will still need BES changes. I have the Pearl, with 4.2, and still needed the BES admin to apply the configuration to the BES for my account. Contact Freedom Input for more information on getting around BES changes on the Pearl and 8800.
Pros:
1. Fast, convenient typing of text.
2. Small, lightweight and very portable.
3. Dual standard for use with many types of devices
4. Excellent support
Cons:
1. space bar split somewhat inconvenient (this is the same as with other keyboards as well.)
2. Right hand "shift" key and "?" are swapped (compared with US keyboards.)
3. Can be a little time consuming to setup with a BES. It can even be impossible if BB 'used' to be on a BES but is no longer on the BES. If a policy allowing event injection can't be sent to the device then the Freedom keyboard (or any brand keyboard) will not work. The blank policy listed in the "Remove IT Policy" sticky thread still doesn't allow event injection.
**Edit** Freedom Input has a promotional offer going right now until the end of April 2007. Click
HERE for more info!