What uses Bluetooth, has 56 keys and makes text input on Series 60 smartphones a breeze? Nokia's Wireless Keyboard, that's what. A review by Jørgen Sundgot.
As any mobile device owner will know, text input on the go can be cumbersome at best - and in the worst of cases presents an obstacle towards fully exploiting the technological potential of a device. Admittedly, add-on keyboards have been kicking around for some time, but despite the immense popularity of the Symbian OS based Series 60 smartphone platform, only one option has been available: the
Think Outside Stowaway Bluetooth Keyboard. Now, the empire strikes back with the Nokia Wireless Keyboard.
Look ma, no wires
Sporting a rather angular - yet modestly stylish - design, the Nokia Wireless Keyboard SU-8W measures in at 262 x 87 x 13 mm when open and weighs a hefty 190 g. In other words, it weighs almost 50% as much as the average Series 60 smartphone, and 30 g more than its Bluetooth arch nemesis, the Think Outside Stowaway Bluetooth Keyboard.
Hinged on the middle, the SU-8W unlocks at the press of a button to reveal a laptop-sized keyboard with excellent travel and spacing. The mechanism appears very rugged and solid, however it is disappointing to note that the keyboard does not lock into place when fully open, complicating use on a lap or slightly uneven surface. Still, this is a minor snag.
As do several portable keyboards, the SU-8W foregoes a dedicated numerical row of keys in favour of moving this functionality to the QWERTY row; an 'Fn' button conveniently placed in the lower left corner of the keyboard provides rapid access to the full set of keys as found on your typical laptop keyboard. That being said, numerical functions are marked in a light tinted green colour which is less than optimal for quick recognition.
The keyboard if also fitted with two soft keys and an action button which, in conjunction with four separate arrow keys and a dedicated menu button, emulate the full navigational array of a Series 60 smartphone. We also find a dedicated button to bring up the Messaging application, whilst the upper right corner holds a power on/off button and three LEDs to signal Bluetooth activity, Fn key status and power status.
Tippity tappity
Getting the Nokia Wireless Keyboard up and running is a breeze, with Nokia scoring points for its use of the Bluetooth HID profile which allows for use of the SU-8W with any similarly compatible Bluetooth device. As opposed to the common approach of having a preset pairing code, the SU-8W also lets users input a pairing code of their choice, and is even capable of being paired with up to 5 devices at any given time; very impressive. Device-side installation is also a snap: the driver installs from a 32 MB RS-MMC card that comes bundled with the keyboard, and once loaded on the device initiates connections near-instantaneously.
Once drivers are in place, the SU-W8 offers a nifty pop-out cradle with adjustable tilt to rest the smartphone on while typing. A flat surface is recommended, though, as a thin, horizontal rubber strip nary impacts side-sliding; the rubber strips underneath the keyboard perform quite well, however. Powered by two AAA batteries, Nokia claims a battery life of 50 hours for the SU-W8, which may very well be correct; we couldn't make it run out in time for this review despite extensive usage.
Using the keyboard is a superbly pleasant experience with the exception of the poorly colour coded numerical array and its lack of a locking mechanism. Its signal range is highly impressive, and the keyboard exhibited no lag whatsoever during our tests with three different smartphones, nor did we experience any disconnection issues. In fact, this review was tapped out in its entirety on the SU-8W. That being said, such an excercise does not come recommended as the comparably small screens of current Series 60 smartphones in no way, shape or form favour navigating large amounts of text.
Which brings us to non-Series 60 device support. As much as the SU-8W is a handy addition to a smartphone, it would prove vastly more useful in tandem with Series 80 or Series 90 based devices, such as the thumbboard-equipped Nokia 9300 and 9500 - and of course, the keypad-void
Nokia 7710. Alas, drivers are nowhere to be found for any of these devices, which - particularly in the case of the 7710 - is teeth-grindingly frustrating as it so desperately needs an accessory of this kind.
Ending comments on a positive note, the SU-8W does have one particularly nifty trick up its sleeve: it can be used in parallel with other Bluetooth operation, meaning users do not have to disconnect a headset connection to be able to type simultaneously. Lastly, there are two other clever features also worthy of note: the keyboard automatically powers down when folded, as well as after 10 minutes of inactivity.
Availability
The Nokia Wireless Keyboard SU-8W is at the time of press shipping in Europe, North America and Asia, and sells in the 135 EUR price range. It is available in English and German/Scandinavian keyboard layouts, and supports English, Dutch, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish.
Nokia does as of yet not offer a complete list of all Series 60 devices with which the SU-8W is compatible, however tests showed the keyboard to be compatible with the 6260, 6630 and 7610.
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