carport888
Still Fresh
I am currently trying to find the perfect wireless keyboard to bring with me where I go. I've tried our 4 dfferent kinds over the last few days and I've noticed something odd...
Microsoft ARC Keyboard (wireless via nano USB dongle): Wouldn't connect to Pandora.
Targus Bluetooth Keyboard: Connects through Bluetooth pairing. Nice and compact, but with decent-sized keys and convenient on/off switch. Feels a bit flimsy. Upon first pair, I got scrange symbols in place of what was shown on the keyboard for some of the Shift+(key) buttons ("!" button would type"§" instead, "?" would only type the "/" below, and so on). This only happened for some of the keys. I tried it out later that night and all of the keys worked like normal as they appear on the keyboard itself.
I also noticed that unless I removed the keyboard from the bluetooth list and re-added it each time, the system would crash when I would try to use it and I would get this message:
IOGEAR Compact Keyboard (wireless via nano USB dongle): A bit more compact than the Targus, and has a built-in roller-ball and mouse buttons. Connects quickly, doesn't require re-pairing every so often, and doesn't crash the system. Lists "HID" compliance. Unfortunately, no on/off switch. Also, the buttons don't engage unless you push them slightly further than you'd think. I found myself having to make a lot of corrections, but if I pressed the keys deep enough, all the Shift+(key) buttons seemed to work, like "?", ":", and "!". I brought it back and tried another IOGEAR Keyboard...
Other IOGEAR Keyboard (wireless via USB dongle): This one I tried in-store, and it connected very quickly and worked solidly. A bit less compact. All of the keys pressed very smoothly and consistently, but like the Targus, it wouldn't type "?", ":", etc... I rebooted in hopes that it would start typing these symbols (like the Targus did later on), but it still didn't type them ("?" would only render the "/" below, etc...). Also lists "HID" compliance.
So, (finally) my questions:
1. What is causing the Bluetooth to crash the system (I am booting up in kernel 2.6.27 for the ease of USB use) and can it be prevented?
2. Why do some characters not press on external keyboards...why did the Targus start out wonky and then fix itself later on? The "Other IOGEAR Keyboard" started out wonky with some of the Shift+(key) buttons (other Shift+(key) buttons did work, though), and a reboot (both Pandora and keyboard) didn't fix it...would it later start working down the road (like the Targus) if I decided to buy it? All of the keys worked when plugged into a larger computer, just not on the Pandora.
Microsoft ARC Keyboard (wireless via nano USB dongle): Wouldn't connect to Pandora.
Targus Bluetooth Keyboard: Connects through Bluetooth pairing. Nice and compact, but with decent-sized keys and convenient on/off switch. Feels a bit flimsy. Upon first pair, I got scrange symbols in place of what was shown on the keyboard for some of the Shift+(key) buttons ("!" button would type"§" instead, "?" would only type the "/" below, and so on). This only happened for some of the keys. I tried it out later that night and all of the keys worked like normal as they appear on the keyboard itself.
I also noticed that unless I removed the keyboard from the bluetooth list and re-added it each time, the system would crash when I would try to use it and I would get this message:
IOGEAR Compact Keyboard (wireless via nano USB dongle): A bit more compact than the Targus, and has a built-in roller-ball and mouse buttons. Connects quickly, doesn't require re-pairing every so often, and doesn't crash the system. Lists "HID" compliance. Unfortunately, no on/off switch. Also, the buttons don't engage unless you push them slightly further than you'd think. I found myself having to make a lot of corrections, but if I pressed the keys deep enough, all the Shift+(key) buttons seemed to work, like "?", ":", and "!". I brought it back and tried another IOGEAR Keyboard...
Other IOGEAR Keyboard (wireless via USB dongle): This one I tried in-store, and it connected very quickly and worked solidly. A bit less compact. All of the keys pressed very smoothly and consistently, but like the Targus, it wouldn't type "?", ":", etc... I rebooted in hopes that it would start typing these symbols (like the Targus did later on), but it still didn't type them ("?" would only render the "/" below, etc...). Also lists "HID" compliance.
So, (finally) my questions:
1. What is causing the Bluetooth to crash the system (I am booting up in kernel 2.6.27 for the ease of USB use) and can it be prevented?
2. Why do some characters not press on external keyboards...why did the Targus start out wonky and then fix itself later on? The "Other IOGEAR Keyboard" started out wonky with some of the Shift+(key) buttons (other Shift+(key) buttons did work, though), and a reboot (both Pandora and keyboard) didn't fix it...would it later start working down the road (like the Targus) if I decided to buy it? All of the keys worked when plugged into a larger computer, just not on the Pandora.
