Apple Wireless Keyboard (3rd generation, October 2009, A1314)
Review
This review is about the third generation model of the Apple Wireless Keyboard.
The keyboard itself is very thin. It needs two AA batteries which you slot into it from the left side on the back of the keyboard. On the opposite (right) side is a round button.
The keyboard width nicely resembles approximately a 40 cell braille display, which makes it a perfect match for use with a Handy Tech Braille Star 40 for instance.
The keys feel very nice during typing, and are quite large. In fact, I am so used to typing on netbook sized keyboards that I had to readjust at first to get used to it.
Connecting to my iDevice was pretty simple: Open the Bluetooth menu in the Settings application. Press the button on the right side of your Apple Wireless Keyboard and wait for it to appear in the list of new devices on your iDevice. Double tap on it and wait a few seconds. iOS will prompt you to enter (a randomly generated) 4 digit PIN code on the wireless keyboard and confirm with return. You need to be fairly quick since the process will time out after a while. If that happens, dont worry, just double-tap the wireless keyboard on your iDevice again to reinitiate the procedure.
Once pairing was successful, you can use the wireless keyboard to control your iDevice. Most VoiceOver commands are available, although I am still looking for a full list of all these key bindings.
When QuickNav is enabled, the cursor keys left/right will perform the previous/next item VoiceOver command. It took me quite a while to figure out how to "click" on something, that is done with the simultaneous press of cursor up and down, or with Control+Option+Space if QuickNav is disabled. Escape goes back, as expected. Control+Option+h will perform the equivalent of pressing the home button. Control+Option+s will toggle speech on or off. Control+Option+m will go to the status bar. You enable/disable QuickNav by pressing cursor left and right simultaneously. Further useful QuickNav shortcuts are Alt + cursor to scroll the screen in all four directions.
Unlocking the iDevice is magically simple once pairing has been established. You just press a random key on the Apple Wireless Keyboard and your iDevice will wake up. I have not found a key combination to lock the screen again, just waiting for the autolock to kick in is OK though.
All the key combinations listed in thsi review were tested/found on iOS 5.0.1.
Comments
#1 This is a well-written
This is a well-written review...the VO keystrokes were especially helpful!
#2 The RockSoul BK101 Keyboard
I bought the RockSoul BK101 keyboard at Fry's Electronics. It operates in the very same manner as the Apple Wireless Keyboard described above. It was $35. It uses AAA batteries and has an on/off switch. It connects quickly to my iPhone 4S.