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New Thinkpad Tablet Keyboard Questions

ThinkPad/Ideapad Slate Tablet, Tablet 2, Miix etc.
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jnwhite
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New Thinkpad Tablet Keyboard Questions

#1 Post by jnwhite » Fri Jul 22, 2011 11:07 am

Does anyone have information on the new THINKPAD KEYBOARD FOLIO (0A36370) for the Thinkpad Android Tablet?

Would like to know:
1) Is it wireless or not?
2) Interface type? Bluetooth? USB? RF other?
3) Are there Windows 7 drivers for it?

I want to use it for HTPC use - nice smallish keyboard with Trackpoint and thankfully for me NO Trackpad!!!! If they are Bluetooth and have drivers, I will buy several.....

Thanks!
Jay

tomartom
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Re: New Thinkpad Tablet Keyboard Questions

#2 Post by tomartom » Sun Jul 24, 2011 8:16 pm

Would like to know:
1) Is it wireless or not?

Yes, and 3G selected models

2) Interface type? Bluetooth? USB? RF other?

Bluetooth 3.0

3) Are there Windows 7 drivers for it?

Not sure

bill bolton
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Re: New Thinkpad Tablet Keyboard Questions

#3 Post by bill bolton » Mon Jul 25, 2011 12:09 am

jnwhite wrote:1) Is it wireless or not?
2) Interface type? Bluetooth? USB? RF other?
AFAIK, the keyboard connects through the USB port on the ThinkPad tablet.... it early days yet, so you'll need to watch for more info becoming available on the keyboard.

Cheers,

Bill B.

scl23enn4m3
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Re: New Thinkpad Tablet Keyboard Questions

#4 Post by scl23enn4m3 » Mon Jul 25, 2011 4:00 am

I wish it was bluetooth based to use on other devices, but sadly it is in fact using USB2.0. They said they wired it instead to save on battery life.

Volker
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Re: New Thinkpad Tablet Keyboard Questions

#5 Post by Volker » Mon Jul 25, 2011 5:37 am

One of the Lenovo videos shows clearly a full-sized USB connector that is used to dock the tablet to the folio. So no mysteries here.

Personally, I find that when using three battery-operated devices (tablet, keyboard, mouse) at the same time then at least one set of batteries is always about to give out...

PS: You can of course use your preferred BT accessories with the tablet (and not buy the folio keyboard)

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Re: New Thinkpad Tablet Keyboard Questions

#6 Post by SafeHarbor » Tue Aug 23, 2011 10:58 pm

So the full-sized USB port is on the bottom. That just about rules out a USB-stick modem, which answers some vague language I just read at the Lenovo site. I also understand that the pointer on the folio-cover keyboard is an optical trackball rather than a mechanical mouse mover.

I'm fairly unhappy with a device that won't let me use my wireless stick that I already pay for and for which I deliberately got a USB device to use with future devices. Sure, I could use it with a short extension cord, I guess. That's not even good for other accessories! Why am I thinking they did this just to push us into buying their accessories?

Grumble, grumble. :|
W550s touch, T61p, R52, gone but not forgotten T40

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Re: New Thinkpad Tablet Keyboard Questions

#7 Post by SafeHarbor » Tue Aug 23, 2011 11:25 pm

Well, I've been watching videos on the modern vast wasteland (YouTube) and I've seen several demos of flipping it 90 degrees and back. My, er, Entourage Dual-book (7" folding Froyo e-reader/tablet) DOES rotate the tablet side 180, 270, and 90 degrees, so maybe the Thinkpad tab does too.
W550s touch, T61p, R52, gone but not forgotten T40

bill bolton
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Re: New Thinkpad Tablet Keyboard Questions

#8 Post by bill bolton » Wed Aug 24, 2011 4:31 am

SafeHarbor wrote:I'm fairly unhappy with a device that won't let me use my wireless stick....
Your expectation is simply quite unrealistic for a tablet device, so you're destined to remain unhappy :!:

Cheers,

Bill B.

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Re: New Thinkpad Tablet Keyboard Questions

#9 Post by SafeHarbor » Wed Aug 24, 2011 8:36 pm

Hiya, Bill,

Good to see you still kicking around.

A number of Android tablets out there support the USB stick, including the strange little duck of one I have now. I understand that it requires kernel support and the driver installed. A few manufacturers leave it out because the include built in WAN, and on some the 3G icon (or the menu settings under Networking) only appears when a USB modem is installed.

It may not be such a extremely forlorn hope.
W550s touch, T61p, R52, gone but not forgotten T40

bill bolton
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Re: New Thinkpad Tablet Keyboard Questions

#10 Post by bill bolton » Thu Aug 25, 2011 6:29 pm

SafeHarbor wrote:I understand that it requires kernel support and the driver installed.
The point is that getting consistently good enough 3G reception on a mobility device where its orientation is not fixed by its inherent physical parameters is basically incompatible with using a external 3G USB stick (quite apart from the ergonomic issues that such a device also poses) :idea:

Cheers,

Bill B.

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Re: New Thinkpad Tablet Keyboard Questions

#11 Post by csioucs » Wed Aug 31, 2011 11:58 am

Concerning broadband cellular access: it seems that the Slate features a SIM-Card slot, so you might be able to, erm, roam accordingly to thy desire, if you purchase the 3G enabled version, according to what the Youtube video presentation. It's next to the SD card Slot.
Daily: P1G2
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Active retirement:FHD T420s. Watching: X280 (wife's). retired:X61T, X301, T60p, T60, X31, T30, 380E

bill bolton
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Re: New Thinkpad Tablet Keyboard Questions

#12 Post by bill bolton » Wed Aug 31, 2011 8:49 pm

csioucs wrote:Concerning broadband cellular access: it seems that the Slate features a SIM-Card slot, so you might be able to, erm, roam accordingly to thy desire
The basis of the 3G service offering is not totally clear to me as yet...... but it seems that it is unlikely to be locked into ISP specific post-paid plans in most markets, and is more likely to use pre-paid data pack (and SIMs) from whichever ISPs decide there's a market in supporting tablet devices.

From my understanding, this is most likely going to be a new(ish) 3G service approach for North American users, but is a fairly standard 3G service model for tablet devices in quite a few parts of the world.

Cheers,

Bill B.

jkendrick
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Re: New Thinkpad Tablet Keyboard Questions

#13 Post by jkendrick » Fri Oct 07, 2011 5:11 pm

The keyboard is definitely USB, I have one. The advantage over a Bluetooth/wireless keyboard is this one can be used on flights.

Shofar
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Re: New Thinkpad Tablet Keyboard Questions

#14 Post by Shofar » Tue Nov 08, 2011 10:06 am

jkendrick wrote:The keyboard is definitely USB, I have one. The advantage over a Bluetooth/wireless keyboard is this one can be used on flights.
What's your impression of the Keyboard?
I read somewhere that the regular folio damages the pad (an issue with the plastic parts of the folio).

Is it available anywhere other than Lenovo itself?

Thanks

Shofar

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