By The Dell Streak’s identity crisis continues as the Android device starts to skew closer to the tablet and MID side of things rather than as a straight-up smartphone. The latest revelation is the inclusion of the Bluetooth HID (Human Interface Device) profile, allowing the Streak to connect to Bluetooth keyboards and input devices. That’s a first for an Android unit so far.
Engadget took the time to test out the Streak’s Bluetooth pairing, and were even able to get a mouse running with the device (though lack of cursor support in Android renders this type of input next to pointless). Typing response via an Apple Bluetooth keyboard seems quick. Now typing on a full-sized keyboard for such a small device may seem like overkill, but if you get this thing connected to a television it turns it into quite the portable computing device. Check out the video:
[via Engadget]
Any roms out there with BT HID support?
There must be a way to get this Bluetooth HID profile into other Android devices. I’d easily pay for it.
This is not the Android tablet I am looking for…
gimme bluetooth hid capability on my cliqXT.
Ummm “..first for an Android unit…”?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt6xo2LZeLc
And yes there is a good use for the mouse pointer… RDP and VNC…
I sooo want a folding keyboard and a mini mouse for my Nexus One.
yeah dude folding keyboard would be sik but i dont have a neccessity for it. Gotta need it to but it for me. :D
Is there some political/ideological/religious/carrier/legal reason why no Android *phone* has ever shipped with a kernel that has HID compiled into the kernel? I mean, for god’s sake… all it would take is an edit to the buildfile to enable its inclusion (or more precisely, not force its exclusion). The code itself is already part of BlueZ. Would it really kill HTC/Samsung/Motorola to just leave it enabled when building their official signed kernel so *someone else* can make it work, even if the manufacturers aren’t interested in doing it themselves?
It’s not like bluetooth keyboards, gamepads, and controllers are some exotic, off-the-wall application nobody has ever heard of. The spec, and peripherals designed for it, have been around almost as long as Bluetooth itself.
The very fact that bluetooth HID support in an Android device even makes headlines is itself pretty sad…
search google for teksoft blueinput for android . it is a bluetooth HID keyboard driver.
radhoo: and it doesn’t work. I belive not only for me, see comments and rating. They implement some hybrid hardware dependant stuff…
If you have room for the big keyboard, why not just use your laptop and save the eye strain?
I’ve tried lot’s of keyboards out there. They weren’t good for VNC to dev computers etc.
I use SlydeBoard. Nothing beats it for touch-typing script like commands.
Yes, this is a shameless plug, but at least you didn’t slam your door on my foot!
The CL850 Bluetooth Keyboard application enables text entry with the Celluon CL850 Bluetooth Keyboard using a Bluetooth connection. The paid version allows data entry into other applications. Please email your phone’s Bluetooth MAC address to obtain a Bluetooth Keyboard license code. Developed for Android v2.2 and higher.
Recent changes:
1) Turn off screen hibernation when in typing mode.
2) Fix Bluetooth Connection Bug on Startup
3) Improved key stroke response time.
4) Mapped ‘@’ to special keys to accommodate Android bug.
My Droid with Cyanogen 6.1.x seems to work dandy with HID profile bluetooth keyboards and mice (yep! Nice little mouse pointer and all). My guess is that if you can get Cyanogen on anything, you should be good for bluetooth HID profile, since it was listed as a “general” update in Cyanogen’s ROM.