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Do you have tips for using a bluetooth keyboard with your iPad?

peyton's Photo
Posted Apr 09 2010 10:13 AM
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I'm spending my work day with the iPad. I'm mostly using an Apple bluetooth keyboard to type. I'm having trouble going through my email using only the keyboard. Instead I need to tap the iPad screen more than I want to and manually press "reply" or "forward." It feels awkward and isn't efficient. So I'm looking for any tips you have for using the bluetooth keyboard with the iPad.

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  macslocum's Photo
Posted Apr 09 2010 12:02 PM

This is a great question. I've been playing around with the keyboard in the default mail app and the only additional functionality I've found is copy and paste. But even that is handcuffed. You have to physically select the word/excerpt you want to copy and *then* hit Command-C. It works. The content is now on the clipboard. But you can't move around the screen with anything but your fingers. So even when you want to paste the material, you have to still set everything up by hand (literally).

Command-A (select all) also works in Mail. Not sure why you'd need that though.

A couple other things I noticed (this applies to the Apple wireless keyboard)

* F1 and F2 control brightness on the iPad
* The media keys (F7-F12) can start and stop media and control volume.
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Mac Slocum
Online Managing Editor
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  jwikert3's Photo
Posted Apr 17 2010 01:18 PM

I experimented with Apple's Bluetooth keyboard for a couple of days and I'm glad I didn't buy one. I found the whole experience quite annoying. With the keyboard on my lap there was way too much back and forth between touching the screen and typing on the keyboard. A better solution would be a Bluetooth keyboard the size of the older Blackberry keyboards. One I could type on with just my thumbs and doesn't have to rest on my lap is a better solution.