Should you get a portable keyboard for your smart phone?
You don’t always want or need to carry around a laptop or even a tablet. If you have a smart phone, you can still do a lot of the things you would have done with a larger device. I’m trying to simplify what I carry around on a daily basis. One thing I like about traditional laptops is the keyboard. I’ve started using a folding Bluetooth keyboard with my iPhone 7plus. I’m using the SMICK Foldable Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard for iPad, Macbook, iPhone7 etc.,F66 GOLD
Overall it does the job
Ive type on many different keypads, and this was not bad. I’m much slower typing on these keys, but it’s workable, and I’m slowly getting used to the spongy response. The major point is that it is very portable when folded. The stand for the iPhone doesn’t attach but works very well at holding my iPhone in landscape mode. This isn’t meant to be a product review. There are a few other folding keyboards available on Amazon that also have good reviews and would most likely work very well for anyone interested in minimizing their “mobile office”.
I’m more interested in the idea of getting things accomplished with a very basic setup that I can carry in my pocket – which for a few years now has been a smart phone. The biggest drawback about using a phone as my “mobile office” has been typing with one finger using the on screen keyboard. I’ve gotten a little faster over the years, but I don’t always hit the correct key. On a laptop or netbook the typing feels more comfortable.
The portable folding keyboard works well, but still doesn’t feel as comfortable as laptop keys, and now I see that I’m actually able to type faster with just the on-screen keyboard. This I did not expect. I guess for a best portability solution all I really need is the iPhone.
Pages-(IOS)
I use “Pages” for writing. I was previously only using “notes” on the iPhone, as it was simple and perfect for – taking notes or quickly jotting down ideas. The iPhone 7 plus has a big enough screen for comfortably viewing what you’re typing – either with or without the foldable keyboard. I can take pictures, record audio, edit, and publish right from my iPhone.
For a basic daily driver computer, you probably already have all you need in your phone.
The folding keyboard is a nice hardware add-on that isn’t too expensive and doesn’t take up much space. It does take some getting used to, and I’m sure I’ll use it more than I had originally anticipated. It is amazing how useful one device design has become, how it keeps us connected, and productive. Just writing this post I’ve bounced between using the keyboard and using the touch screen. Right now I’m liking the much larger keys on the folding keyboard.