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I-O DATA CPKB/BT Bluetooth keyboard brings 10 fingers to your mobile phone

Mon, 2008-06-02 17:28 — tekro
I-O DATA CPKB/BT

Name: I-O DATA CPKB/BT Bluetooth keyboard
Category: keyboard
Price: JPY16,485
Release date in Japan: June 11, 2008

Those kids are fast with the thumbs on those mobile phone keypads; no question there. Give me a good keyboard, though, and I'll show 'em what typing is.

My weapon has arrived. The CPKB/BT keyboard - that's Cellular Phone KeyBoard Blue Tooth - talks to your DoCoMo SH906i or SH906iTV Bluetooth mobile phone, letting you switch from one or two thumbs to ten fingers. It's perfect for long email messages, blogging, or address book clean-up.

As you'd expect, I-O DATA plays up the "use your mobile phone like a PC" marketing aspect. Increasingly, mobile phones are powerful enough to take the place of PCs for many a user, yet for all the thumb dexterity of determined users, a keypad's physical limitations do slow down input. I-O DATA says the CPKB brings back true touch typing - though at a scant 15-cm width, it's definitely a compact 'board. Don't expect full desktop keyboard speed and comfort.

In addition, how often do you expect you'll be seated at a desk, wanting to type something long into your mobile? If that's not often enough to justify purchase, here's one more feature that may tempt you: add the I-O DATA USB-BT20 Bluetooth adapter (JPY4200) to your PC, and you can use the CPKB as a wireless PC keyboard.

Caveats: The CPKB works with phones using HID1.0 profiles, and so far is limited to the two SH phones above (as well as the PlayStation 3). The company promises that more supported phones are on the way. Another concern is buried in the small print: possible interference with IEEE 802.11g/b communications, i.e., your WiFi network setup.

Specs: Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, aluminum body, 15.2 x 9.2 x 1.4cm, 170 grams. Runs on two AAA alkaline batteries, from which you can expect 30 to 60 hours of use. Pairs with up to 5 devices. 59-key; based on the 109A Japanese keyboard layout, though without hiragana printed on the keys. Comes with plastic keyboard cover.

More info: http://www.iodata.jp/prod/mobile/keitai/2008/cpkbbt/ (Japanese)
http://www.iodata.jp/prod/mobile/keitai/2007/usb-bt20/index.htm (USB-BT20, Japanese)

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