Can someone recommend a good keypad for the Tab S,I find the Samsung keypad to small.i installed the Jellybean keypad which was a lot better but could not get the back key to work so I uninstalled it.anyone got any ideas.Thank You.Longlegs
Try SwiftKey Tablet on Playstore
Lo Xa thank you installed Swiftkey and its a lot better.Thanks Again.Longlegs
The best keyboard for tablet that I would recomend is, thumb kerboard. It has a lot of customizations - like key height, width, and spacing between the keys, keyboard height etc. So if you have time to tincker a bit, I think you'll like that the best
Sent from my SGH-I317M using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I vote for TouchPal
I also vote touchpal.
Swiftkey for me on my 8.4 lagged horribly. Not to mention it was slow opening and closing. I actually think my review was removed because i said the same thing on the play store lol
TouchPal because:
1) delete word gesture (from backspace)
2) numbers by gesture (UP from upper row)
3) symbols by gesture (DOWN from lower row).
4) predictive text (works quite nicely for me)
5) sentence based prediction (for frequently used phrases)
6) quick access of speech input
7) quick change of input language
Cons:
It does lack the cut/paste gestures of swype
No uppercase Gesture (but usually you find uppercase in the suggestions)
No auto uppercase for "Du", "Ihr" etc (this is German specific and uppercase depends on the grammar)
I highly agree with the Thumb Keyboard recommendation. I got Thumb Keyboard 4 free from the Amazon Appstore awhile back and it's the best one for tablets. Especially if you're typing in landscape position. The letters are split into sections to the far left and right, and they have arrow keys and numbers in the middle. It's my Go-to Keyboard for any tablet.
Why would anyone vote for Touchpal X?
Since I bought my Tab S 10.5 I'm still evaluating which keyboard suits my needs best. I crossed Touchpal off the list very quickly as it doesnt support landscape mode typing: srsly there is no split option available?!
Swiftkey does many things very well, but the two things I noticed are: I got only two predictions shown in total in thumb mode and there is still to date no chinese language support. Although my wife is using her IPad Air most of the time, it's still nice to have Chinese input available without having to switch to another keyboard. Otherwise the typing experience is lightning fast. Although this might be because I used Swiftkey on mg GS3 for the last two years.
Kii Keyboard fits nearly all of my needs. It just got one very big minus: the suggested word is in the middle of the screen and unreachable for any fingers without breaking them.
I guess my search will continue some more.
I assume some of you got the 8.4 version and don't require smooth thumb handling in landscape mode. 10.5 users may shine some light upon my troubles.
you are right, it does depend on the form factor. I have the 8.4 tab and I do type mainly in portrait orientation. I do gesture based input at almost same speed as on a full size physical keyboard. Probably 50% times faster than finger typing on the touchscreen (in landscape) and 2 times faster than thumb typing. So I don't really need a (split) thumb typing mode.
With swifkey you can change the form factor depending the orientation !
ie : normal in portrait, split in 2 in landscape
You can also make it floating, which is very useful
pibach said:
you are right, it does depend on the form factor. I have the 8.4 tab and I do type mainly in portrait orientation. I do gesture based input at almost same speed as on a full size physical keyboard. Probably 50% times faster than finger typing on the touchscreen (in landscape) and 2 times faster than thumb typing. So I don't really need a (split) thumb typing mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The question 'What's the best keyboard app to use?' isn't as easily answered as it may look like at first glance. Nothing tops a physical keyboard, that's for sure. But with the right app we might come close enough.
Whoever answers this question should also state his preferences and device usage style.
I like Thumb Keyboard because you can custom assign the top row of buttons to various handy functions such as copy, paste, smiley face, etc.
Sent from my SM-T705
For now I will stick yet again to Swiftkey. I tried most if not all present keyboard apps and Swiftkey suits my typing habits in landscape mode best. Although it's far from perfect. Compared to all other apps it has no major drawback except maybe for some missing languages.
Could anyone host orginal samsung keyboard ?
I have an strange issue. Can resize stock keyboard , and can't make it undock.
Icon of those are disappeared :-\
Geilerzucker said:
Nothing tops a physical keyboard, that's for sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately the experience with physical keyboard is quite restricted in Android. I am using it with an Apple Wireless Keyboard. It is fully functional with shortcuts and special keys.
I was using it in conjuction with a BT Mouse.
But android UI isn't build for mouse control andf you don't really get a cursor, true cut-n-paste, or full undo. And, no gestures (using GMD gesture control).
So finger based navigation is much quicker than mouse.
Also you do waste time changing from input to navigation (true for both, mouse and touch based).
Overall, I am quicker with touch based navigation+swyping, than with a physical keyboard.
I also tried wireless touchpad, but that's even worse.
Related
Hey all,
I am trying to find a keyboard I can get on with that predicts well, and doesn't lag when typing.
The built in samsung keyboard is ok, but with prediction on it lags a bit and I hate the way the text in the message thread goes up and down, up and down as you type and the keyboard brings up the list of words.
Swype built into the phone is ok, but it messes up my words if i'm typing too fast, and as I can't install the new version to tap out my messages, this one isn't the best.
As for others, i've tried swiftkey x beta, and it lags, the HTC I_mod keyboard crashes in email, smart keyboard pro lags.
The only things I definitely want, are dedicated comma and full stop keys, a dedicated smiley key, and no lag! I would love to get rid of the mic key but thats not so important.
Anyway, hope someone can recommend something.
Cheers
Biff.
try the gingerbread keyboard from the market. i used to use the free version and it was great but i upgraded to the pro version because i wanted to be able to change the size and spacing of the keys. no lag, you can set it to show/hide the comma and period keys too. on my current version when the keyboard is on screen i can press the phone's menu button and one of the options is to add a smiley. when you select that a big list pops up with the smiley pictured so it is easy to pick the right one. i used to use it on my atrix and loved it and works even better on the gs2
biffsmash said:
Hey all,
I am trying to find a keyboard I can get on with that predicts well, and doesn't lag when typing.
The built in samsung keyboard is ok, but with prediction on it lags a bit and I hate the way the text in the message thread goes up and down, up and down as you type and the keyboard brings up the list of words.
Swype built into the phone is ok, but it messes up my words if i'm typing too fast, and as I can't install the new version to tap out my messages, this one isn't the best.
As for others, i've tried swiftkey x beta, and it lags, the HTC I_mod keyboard crashes in email, smart keyboard pro lags.
The only things I definitely want, are dedicated comma and full stop keys, a dedicated smiley key, and no lag! I would love to get rid of the mic key but thats not so important.
Anyway, hope someone can recommend something.
Cheers
Biff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey Biffsmash
I've also been looking for a great keyboard for my SGS2 but recently I found Smart Keyboard, which is the best keyboard I've ever tried.
It is extremely customizing so you can change almost everything you want.
Size of buttons, control cursor with the volume buttons, gestures(swipe left, right, up, down), very intelligent dictionary that learn your world automatically, calibration to get the most precisely touch, customize buttons, themes, and MUCH more!
The downside of the keyboard is that it cost money, but it is a small cost and IMO it is nice to support the developer for a such good application. The Danish dictionary is also pretty small, but thanks to the smart and intelligence dictionary it doesn't really matter for me Try it!
Best regards;
Rallerbabz.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
Anybody have any recommendations on a keyboard to use with Vegacomb? I like the big keys with the stock keyboard but it's not very customisable, i tried Smart keyboard pro but they keys are too small, and if I change the key height, all the letters are then misaligned with the keys.
I guess it's because of the different screen resolution, so does anybody know of any similar keyboards to smart keyboard with bigger keys?
meehog said:
Anybody have any recommendations on a keyboard to use with Vegacomb? I like the big keys with the stock keyboard but it's not very customisable, i tried Smart keyboard pro but they keys are too small, and if I change the key height, all the letters are then misaligned with the keys.
I guess it's because of the different screen resolution, so does anybody know of any similar keyboards to smart keyboard with bigger keys?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using Smart Keyboard Pro and have no such problems.
And few posts down there is a thread about which keyboards work best with Advent Vega.
And it's not too long either.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=915686
sorted it now, updated to newest version and its much more usable, thanks anyway.
I like Thumb Keyboard - lots of styles and sizes to choose from.
I'm a big fan of Swiftkey X for tablets. The default keyboard is nice because of the two shift keys but having to press one key to get to numbers instead of a long press is hard to get used to. Swiftkey has a split keyboard option or a normal keyboard with the split having letters on either side and numbers in the middle plus it learns as you type and has a lot of customisation in themes, key height and width, long press duration.
.... I realise that sounds like a big ad but I promise you I'm as jobless as they come, just a fan of a good and usable keyboard. I have the phone version as well but I'm really liking the new HTC Sense 3.5 swipe enabled keyboard.
AndiTails said:
I like Thumb Keyboard - lots of styles and sizes to choose from.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 for Thumb keyboard
Mainly use the half screen keyboard as it means I can hold the tablet with one hand and type with the other without having to reach back/forth across the tablet all the time.
A.I.Type choosing Windows Tablet 8 theme
payware but worth the coin
GO keyboard is really good and I think has the option to increase or decrease keyboard key sizes. Also it has themes!
Hope this helped!
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA
Multiling keyboard is quite handy especially if you need different layouts. Also, the keys are (both vertically and horizontally) sufficiently big.
Hacker's keyboard is just amazing on this device
Sent from my Vega using XDA
meehog said:
Anybody have any recommendations on a keyboard to use with Vegacomb? I like the big keys with the stock keyboard but it's not very customisable, i tried Smart keyboard pro but they keys are too small, and if I change the key height, all the letters are then misaligned with the keys.
I guess it's because of the different screen resolution, so does anybody know of any similar keyboards to smart keyboard with bigger keys?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
An alternative to changing the keyboard type is to use the one you like the layout on and change the DPI setting using DPI Changer or similar app. Curiously, the reduction of the DPI setting decreases the size of the icons, but increases the size of the keys on the keyboard (at least on HoneyIce Chimera Updated).
DO NOT try to set DPI settings to anything other than 120 and 160 on VegaICS!
Stock is ok....but still stock
Swype is nice but a little slow on the tab
Thumb keyboard has a great layout but no word predictions
Anyone try swiftkey tablet version?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I957 using xda premium
Have been used to Thumb Keyboard and it does have word prediction.
Swiftkey Tablet has a month trial.
I was testing the waters to see if I was more accurate with Swiftkey but suspect that am used to Thumb Keyboard now so moving to something else was not as accurate. Am back to Thumb Keyboard.
Maybe I just like the word predictions of swiftkey more I guess
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda premium
I totally love Swiftkey on the tablet
Sent from my GT-P7310 using XDA Premium HD app
I love perfect keyboard. One does need to fiddle with the size to make it correct though.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA
neubauej said:
I love perfect keyboard. One does need to fiddle with the size to make it correct though.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
does it have word prediction?
i compared swiftkey to thumb keyboard for quite some time.
swiftkey just seemed to give far better predictions, although thumbkeyboards very flexible layouts are a definite plus on that side.
but i keep coming back to swiftkey x tablet. fastest and most precise imho.
some things i would like them to implement though is:
more layouts (like thumbkey)
shorctu swiping (swipe has this if you swipe from the "swype" key to "a" it selects all. swype->x=cut, swype->C=copy just like using a computer. really great. i use it a lot on my phone.
also arrow keys.
Try smart keyboard it had word prediction and arrows
orlandoxpolice said:
does it have word prediction?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure does. Works well too.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA
I'm a huge proponent of Swype, both for phones and tablets. Once you take a bit of time to learn how it behaves and predicts your words, it is a great text input method.
Thumb keyboard for me. Love the customizability and the ability to pin common phrases. Plus the top row of customizable keys that can be hidden away is nice. I use it for coding so I can easily get to keys like /,\,{,}, etc.
Tried a bunch of them: Thumb Keyboard, Perfect Keyboard, Super Keyboard, SwiftKey X Tablet.
They all have their weaknesses: some are slow, some have the keys too close together, some have punctuation marks that aren't easily accesible and some have a mandatory autocomplete which you can't turn off.
I always turn off autocomplete because I seem to always keep an eye on the words to check up on it, instead of actually typing, so I feel like I'm always slower with autocomplete.
So, for me, it's the stock keyboard simply because it's the fastest (it keeps up with my fast typing, I'm not talking about the apparent onscreen animations). It's one of the most responsive I've tried and the keys are the perfect size and spacing (this is what really counts when turning off autocomplete).
Also, every other keyboard out there, except the stock one, registers the last key that was touched, as the key pressed, when in fact the first key touched should be registered, in order to accomodate for fast typing. This is the same for my HTC Sensation stock keyboard. I've only found these 2 keyboards with this behaviour, but I think all keyboards should do the same. I regard this as a bug.
You should really try "hacker's keyboard". Is like the stock one, only better
// Sent from my Galaxy Nexus //
I also found MultiLing Keyboard to be very responsive and have the right key size/spacing to use for both my phone and my tablet. It has a nicer split layout than any of the other split keyboards.
Stock isn't that bad, but Swype does run slow compared to others I've used. Thanks for the suggestions.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA
Thumb keyboard is my favorite.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using XDA
stock keyboard for me..
teomor said:
Tried a bunch of them: Thumb Keyboard, Perfect Keyboard, Super Keyboard, SwiftKey X Tablet.
They all have their weaknesses: some are slow, some have the keys too close together, some have punctuation marks that aren't easily accesible and some have a mandatory autocomplete which you can't turn off.
I always turn off autocomplete because I seem to always keep an eye on the words to check up on it, instead of actually typing, so I feel like I'm always slower with autocomplete.
So, for me, it's the stock keyboard simply because it's the fastest (it keeps up with my fast typing, I'm not talking about the apparent onscreen animations). It's one of the most responsive I've tried and the keys are the perfect size and spacing (this is what really counts when turning off autocomplete).
Also, every other keyboard out there, except the stock one, registers the last key that was touched, as the key pressed, when in fact the first key touched should be registered, in order to accomodate for fast typing. This is the same for my HTC Sensation stock keyboard. I've only found these 2 keyboards with this behaviour, but I think all keyboards should do the same. I regard this as a bug.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For this and the fact that I find myself often writing in 3 different languages, I also use stock keyboard and autocomplete/autocorrect off.
The Word predictions of Swiftkey is so great, that I never have to type a whole word. Most of my tipping time is just hitting the words.
Gesendet von meinem GT-I9000 mit Tapatalk
Riche101UK said:
I totally love Swiftkey on the tablet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me too. Allready using the swiftkey 3 tablet beta. For free, works fine.
Hello, I read that many people like the Logitech PRO keyboard. It seems to be a bit heavy. Generally speaking, which is better? The official samsung keyboard or the Logitech PRO keyboard?
Depends on your use. I prefer the Samsung one, much thinner. The logitech makes the whole package too thick.
On the other hand the Logitech has the better keyboard and offers better protection for bothe the front and back.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk
Thanks. Do both of them have automatic on/off, copy and paste keys?
The Logitech Pro definitely makes the entire package more book-like, and it also only has one angle setting AND it does not support portrait mode. Those are the only knocks against it, though. I love the keyboard. I use my Note PRO 12.2 for work and having a keyboard every bit as good as a laptop's is the critical feature for me.
The only thing I'm struggling with is trying to remap the hotkeys to my preferred apps. I want the internet key to launch Habit Browser not stock browser, for example. I know it's doable but I haven't had time to really grapple with it.
Hello, unfortunately my options for keyboards are limited. The Logitech PRO is not available in my city.
This is my first tablet. How useful it is to have Android keys on the keyboard? There are two main types:
1) Android specific keyboards such as:
a) Samsung Galaxy Bluetooth keyboard (0.8lb)
http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/galaxy-tab-accessories/BKB-10USWEGXAR
b) Samsung Compact Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard(not sure if the spec is correct 0.96lb)
http://www.samsung.com/us/computer/pcs-accessories/AA-SK7PWBB/US
I tried this one. It is very light but the keys are a bit too close. Easy to make mistakes.
2) Android compatible keyboards such as:
Logitech Bluetooth Illuminated Keyboard K810
http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/bluetooth-illuminated-keyboard-k810?crid=26
I tried it today. Not sure about the weight compared with the Samsung's but the keys are very comfortable to type.
I am trying to choose between these three. Any suggestion?
Hello,
Which of the following two Samsung keyboard is comfortable to type and lightweight?
1. Samsung Galaxy Bluetooth Keyboard EE-BT550
http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/galaxy-tab-accessories/EE-BT550UBEGUJ
2. Samsung Galaxy Bluetooth Keyboard BKB-10USWEGXAR
http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/galaxy-tab-accessories/BKB-10USWEGXAR
I tried the NotePRO 12.2 Keyboard Cover with keyboard. Although it is light, it is not comfortable to type on due to the long raised strip from the ctrl key to the end arrow key. See the photo:
http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/galaxy-tab-accessories/EE-CP905UWEGUJ
Does the Logitech PRO keyboard has this problem? Too bad they don't make a white version. My device is in white color.
The Logitech Bluetooth Illuminated Keyboard K810 is very comfortable to type on but heavier to carry than the above mentioned Samsung keyboards.
Thanks.
As a writer, I've been using the samsung bkb10 bt kb and love it. It's light, fast, with great tactile feel, and it has a number of hot keys for the note pro 12.2. It's white and I use it with the great samsung s action mouse. My black 32 gb tab is in a black moko slim case. I didn't want a permanent case-kb like the logitech. I can fit my tab, kb and mouse in a bag a little over an inch thick. Together, the case, kb and mouse cost me $65.00. It's a great set up.
hajime_android said:
Hello,
Which of the following two Samsung keyboard is comfortable to type and lightweight?
1. Samsung Galaxy Bluetooth Keyboard EE-BT550
http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/galaxy-tab-accessories/EE-BT550UBEGUJ
2. Samsung Galaxy Bluetooth Keyboard BKB-10USWEGXAR
http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/galaxy-tab-accessories/BKB-10USWEGXAR
I tried the NotePRO 12.2 Keyboard Cover with keyboard. Although it is light, it is not comfortable to type on due to the long raised strip from the ctrl key to the end arrow key. See the photo:
http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/galaxy-tab-accessories/EE-CP905UWEGUJ
Does the Logitech PRO keyboard has this problem? Too bad they don't make a white version. My device is in white color.
The Logitech Bluetooth Illuminated Keyboard K810 is very comfortable to type on but heavier to carry than the above mentioned Samsung keyboards.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I too am a writer and I'm trying to get by with the Logitech Pro. I opted against the Samsung keyboard because of its raised edges on the lower corners. So far it's a mixed bag. It's just fast enough for me, comfortable and quiet. However, it doesn't put the device to sleep when you close it, doesn't have an obvious (or possibly any) way to reassign macro buttons and the browser macro button always asks you to choose the browser you want if you have more than one installed.
Agrajag27 said:
doesn't have an obvious (or possibly any) way to reassign macro buttons and the browser macro button always asks you to choose the browser you want if you have more than one installed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can try External Keyboard Helper Pro for that
Spere, do you say that because you've found it to work? Frankly, I grabbed the demo and am entirely confused by it. I don't see anything about how to reassign buttons. I tried to scan the keyboard scan code but it doesn't work. Instead of providing a scan code it just loads the app Logitech assigned. Makes me think it's hard-coded.
Agrajag27 said:
Spere, do you say that because you've found it to work? Frankly, I grabbed the demo and am entirely confused by it. I don't see anything about how to reassign buttons. I tried to scan the keyboard scan code but it doesn't work. Instead of providing a scan code it just loads the app Logitech assigned. Makes me think it's hard-coded.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I said it as an idea. I use that app with my old Logitech keyboard. If buttons seems to be hard coded, don't know would shortcut be changeable if you somehow find key codes for those button? I can also try it tomorrow..
For what it's worth, I spoke to Logitech support today and they essentially were useless. They said this keyboard has hard-coded application keys that cannot be changed and that the browser bug isn't a bug. The old, it's a feature! You get to pick which browser you want every single time you hit the button.
Does Samsung Keyboard support Arabic?
hi,
just a quick question, does any of both Samsung Keyboards support Arabic? or can be added in any way?
Thanks
Shaderach said:
The Logitech Pro definitely makes the entire package more book-like, and it also only has one angle setting AND it does not support portrait mode. Those are the only knocks against it, though. I love the keyboard. I use my Note PRO 12.2 for work and having a keyboard every bit as good as a laptop's is the critical feature for me.
The only thing I'm struggling with is trying to remap the hotkeys to my preferred apps. I want the internet key to launch Habit Browser not stock browser, for example. I know it's doable but I haven't had time to really grapple with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Settings > General > Default Applications
Just change default internet browser
pirata****zu said:
Settings > General > Default Applications
Just change default internet browser
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's my question: Have you tried this yourself or just basing this on common knowledge? Why do I ask? Because, at least for me and on every Note Pro I've tried with that keyboard (took it to the store to try a few units) that doesn't work.
One of the main bugs of the keyboard is that when you hit the Browser macro button, it doesn't matter what browser is set as the default. It's going to pop up a dialog box asking you to choose the default. No matter what you hit next (Always or Just Once) it will ask again and again and again. It's actually in your best interest to say Just Once. Why? Because wasting your time by saying Always will just cause another box to pop up telling you how to clear the default setting later if you don't want that. Saying Just Once at least skips that step.
I'd be curious to see what would happen if you only have one browser installed but both "Internet" and "Chrome" come preinstalled on the device so there's no testing that unless you root and freeze one of them. I haven't had the need to root yet so I haven't.
Agrajag27 said:
I'd be curious to see what would happen if you only have one browser installed but both "Internet" and "Chrome" come preinstalled on the device so there's no testing that unless you root and freeze one of them. I haven't had the need to root yet so I haven't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I'm right, you don't need to have root to freeze Chrome
Go settings - general - applications - all - find Chrome from list and choose it - select Turn Off
I don't have my NP with me right now, so I'm not sure if that path is correct, but you'll find it
Spere said:
If I'm right, you don't need to have root to freeze Chrome
Go settings - general - applications - all - find Chrome from list and choose it - select Turn Off
I don't have my NP with me right now, so I'm not sure if that path is correct, but you'll find it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that. It actually helped gain more insight into the problem but doesn't actually provide a solution.
So, turning off Chrome allows the Browser key to work without annoyance. The only problem is, it only works for the default Browser called "Internet". There is no way to turn off that browser.
It got me wondering about the other keys. I want my own calendar app to launch but turning off the default calendar seems risky.
I have the Logitech keyboard and I really like it. I was worried about the extra weight and thickness but I'm glad I went with this one. It feels more like an actual notebook in terms of utility because it's easier to bring it around with me or throw in a bag without it getting damaged.
There are a couple issues that I did have which may not be specific to this keyboard. One was that when you hit space while still holding down shift it does not insert a space and instead displays the current language which is super annoying (apparently I hit space before releasing shift A LOT). You can fix this by simply changing to a different virtual keyboard app (eg: the default google keyboard or swiftkey). The other issue I had is that the back button is in the position where you normally have escape key but it doesn't always seem to function the same as escape would. I think it is actually a different key code. I fixed that by remapping caps lock to escape (so now I have no caps lock but I never use that anyways).
Has anyone got the F1-F12 function keys to work with this? So far when I hit FN+MACRO it will just open the browser or calendar or whatever.. I was hoping this wouldn't be the case.
The ZAGG keyboard and Samsung keyboard has blue F1-F12 keys on them, so I was hoping this one would function that way also.. It's really annoying when using remote desktop.
So far I haven't been able to find any way to remap the keys on this thing..
I'm really hoping some more keyboard options emerge for this tablet..
I'm afraid we're all pretty screwed with this tablet with regard to keyboards. The Samsung keyboard is fully functional but doesn't hold the tablet. It just sits in a slot in the keyboard so it's unstable when sitting in bed, etc. The Zagg is very low quality and this one is the best of the lot but has a number of seemingly permanent problems that Logitech appears to have zero interest in addressing. I used to have some pull over there years ago but now my e-mail to upper management didn't even get a reply.
TL;DR: No function keys (F2, F3, etc.) makes this keyboard less useful for work (using Epic, Excel, etc.). However, this is the best case/keyboard solution around, which is why I would still recommend it as long as you know the limitations.
So this tablet and keyboard combination is ostensibly supposed to be a laptop replacement, but the keyboard lacks the function keys that would allow it to do that. While the keyboard itself is well-built, holding the tablet well, and the keys actually feel good to type on (despite being not full-sized), not having the function keys (F2, F3, F4) makes it so that working in Epic or Excel is impossible. Samsung customer service confirmed that there is no way to access those keys from the keyboard.
In Epic, you can customize hot keys onscreen to simulate key presses, to include the function buttons, so I just do that and it isn't too bad, since poking the screen at the F2 is about where the actual key would have been...still way worse that if they had included some function keys. No easy solution in Excel that I couldl come up with. You can pull up other virtual keyboards with the buttons, but that gets in the way of workflow.
I'm typing this review on the keyboard right now and touch typing works decently, with the exception being the top row is so condensed that I will mistype the symbols above (need too shift my finger reach a litte to the left for each one).
There ARE keyboard shortcuts! Many are actually context specific (Home screen vs Samsung internet, etc). Hit the Magnifying Glass + / and you'll get a nice list of what you can do. Ironically, some of them refer to using the F4 and other keys that don't exist on the keyboard...
I do use this on my lap quite a bit, but I really wish it had one additional position to lay more flat like my TabPro S.
I thought that I would hate the S Pen holder, but it actually works really well and isn't as annoying as I thought it would be. It is important to push the S Pen into the holder until it clicks.
I set mine up to not launch DeX on docking, as it tends to be less useful for my multitasking since my main work app (Epic) is not optimized for DeX. Detaching from the keyboard automatically sleeps my tablet, not sure how to change that setting.
I do use it folded back pretty often, and the keys on the reverse side don't bug me too much, but that's likely to be a pretty personal preference.
I've tried some keyboards from Amazon that includes a touchpad, but I can't use it on my lap Folding Keyboard I do really like it though for desktop use! It has function keys
Cons:
- Lacks function keys
- No backlight
- Only one position on the stand
- touch typing the number row is hit or miss
- No touchpad/pointer control
- heavy/bulky
Pros:
- Build quality
- Compact size
- Customize tablet attach/detach actions (mine does not activate Dex)
- S Pen holder is actually pretty good
Hope this helps!