Bluetooth keyboard

Whilst attempting to write this blog on my Samsung Galaxy Note2, I quickly realised the limitations of the on-screen keyboards, especially while in landscape (horizontal) mode, which most sites seem to work best with. When typing in portrait mode you at least have some screen area to play with and can see what you're doing, whereas using the on-screen keyboard in landscape mode you often can't see the capcha security image letters you need to type in.

Below is the screen before the keyboard appears.

And then the same screen after the keyboard appears. You can't even see the text that you're trying to edit.

With a screen a large as the Note 2 has it's quite ridiculous trying to enter text like that so the only alternative is a separate keyboard. I tried voice recognition but unfortunately it doesn't seem to like my Australian drawl very much.

As I can't seem to be able to find any WiFi Direct capable keyboards yet the only alternative is Bluetooth. I got one from Jaycar on special for $39.00 although I have since seen others elsewhere even cheaper. The best one I've found so far was at umart and was actually smaller than the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 screen which would make it ideal to slip into a leather wallet case even though the keys may not be large enough for any prolonged typing.  So far I'm quite happy with the xc-4945 model that I got from Jaycar, indeed writing this blog with it has turned what was quite a pain into something quite enjoyable. The cursor arrow keys are enough to justify the price I paid and the mouse pointer and everything else is just an added bonus.

How to connect your Bluetooth keyboard to your phone, tablet or other android device.

Pull down the status (indicator) bar at the top of your screen then press the Bluetooth toggle button to on. If already on, turn off, wait for a couple of seconds, then turn back on again. A popup box will appear with the option to make your device visible to other devices. This setting isn't needed to connect to my XC-4945 keyboard however other keyboards and devices might need it set to "visible" by ticking the box. It's a little counter intuitive as it seems like a tick to select the option would be agreeing with the setting as stated "visible only to paired devices", however ticking this option changes the statement to "visible to all devices" with a 2 minute timer counting down. So you only have 2 minutes until the phone reverts back to being visible only to paired devices.

If it works, you'll get another popup asking you to enter a 4 digit number and then the ENTER key on the keyboard. If that succeeds, you should now be able to use the keyboard. Test with the scroll wheel to flip between home screens.

If you can't see or move the cursor (mouse pointer) press the left mouse (trackball) button and it should start working. (The right mouse (trackball) button is a BACK button not the normal mouse right-click).

Unable to connect to or pair with Bluetooth keyboard or device. Incorrect PIN or password.

Occasionally you'll run into problems trying to connect especially if you un-pair and then try to re-pair with the keyboard. I found this out while researching for this post. My biggest and most important tip I can give you is that if you do manage to pair your keyboard, never, ever un-pair it.

Once paired and connected properly most things work as expected. However, for some unknown reason, probably battery life, the keyboard gets disconnected after 5 minutes of non use. It then takes about 3 to 4 seconds to reconnect (by pressing any key on the keyboard) then a further 10 to 15 seconds to fully connect and start working again. Even then you sometimes have to press the trackball mouse button to force it to behave properly. Always use the left mouse button to get the trackball working because the right mouse button doesn't work like a normal mouse right-click, instead it works like the back button on the phone.

There are some apps, currently untested by me, that apparently help with keeping the keyboard connected, probably by doing a connection check every 4 minutes to keep it alive and bypassing the 5 minute Bluetooth timeout. A better approach might be for android to tie the Bluetooth timeout to the screen timeout or let us set our own, or even better, use the new "Activities" profiles to determine when to stay connected and when to drop it. Either way, these are minor issues that will inevitably be fixed with new android updates.

When the keyboard is eventually connected properly it does actually work like a dream. For long winded emails and blog posts, there's nothing quite as liberating as ditching the on screen keyboard. You get the full benefit of every glorious pixel and you can lean back and type in a more relaxed and comfortable position.

Quick tips for android Bluetooth keyboards.

To re-connect an already paired device.

Make sure the phone's Bluetooth is turned on.
Press any key on the keyboard.

Wait 3 to 5 seconds for the on screen popup notice (unless you have popup tips disabled in settings). The keyboard might also flash the connection light (if it has one).

Wait a further 10 to 15 seconds and the keyboard should now work properly.

If the trackball (mouse) cursor doesn't appear or won't move, press the left mouse button (the right button is a back button) and the cursor should now work again.

The screen constantly scrolls or doesn't scroll properly.

The screen will auto scroll when the cursor approaches the edge of the screen, if the screen constantly auto scrolls down, your mouse is probably sitting at the bottom edge of the screen. Move the cursor away from the edge and it should behave normally again. If the screen doesn't scroll, perhaps the cursor isn't over the scrolling part of the page. The scroll wheel only works on the part of the screen that the cursor is actually hovering over and has focus. Move the cursor and left click somewhere to give focus to the screen or scrolling section.

How to change HomeScreens with the keyboard.

Use the cursor trackball and left button to simulate a swipe on the screen or just use the scroll wheel.

Which is the equivalent button on the keyboard for the phone's HOME button?

On the XC-4945 Bluetooth keyboard that I have here both the multimedia HOME button and pressing the trackball scroll wheel down act as the phone's default HOME button.

Other issues and problems I've noticed with using a Bluetooth keyboard with my Samsung Galaxy Note II Android smartphone.

Ctrl + Scroll Wheel doesn't zoom.

Incoming message disconnected the keyboard while in Chrome browser.

Keyboard's "Print Screen" button doesn't add a screenshot to the clipboard.

F3 button doesn't bring up search. In fact none of the F keys seem to do anything.

I'll try to update this page with extra info about bluetooth keyboards as I discover them, but if you have any useful info please add a comment below and perhaps save someone else some pain. Thanks.

Vehicle Mount

What is the best vehicle mount for the Samsung Galaxy Note 2?

Like most smartphone accessories, it really depends on your requirements and how much you can afford. Initially I just wanted a secure place in the car to put my phone. One that didn't vibrate or drop the phone even on a dirt road with Australian sized potholes. It wasn't until after I bought the Samsung Smartphone Vehicle Dock - ECS-K200BEGSTD ver7.3 that I realised there was a lot more to a good vehicle mount than sturdiness.

After paying $39.95 at a local JB-HiFi, I promptly opened the box in the car park to find a few bits of plastic inside. I remembered thinking, really? 40 bucks for this? I've been rolled by a brand name. Not happy Samsung.

My thinking quickly changed though, right from the moment I started using it. Clamping to the windscreen was easily done with one hand by a simple thumb press on the suction button. Some other mounts have adjustable parts that can make the unit flexible allowing vibrations which makes the screen difficult to see clearly when driving on rough roads. This unit has only one point of adjustment, a ball joint to swivel and turn the screen. This simple design eliminates any form of vibration or shake while still allowing a large range of movement in screen angle. The ball joint is adjustable via it's screw cap fitting from loose to very tight. Tight enough that it won't even move when bumped.

Placing the phone into the mount couldn't be easier. As there's no integrated USB connector so you can basically throw your phone at it and squeeze the clamp as tight as you want it to hold. When clamped tight the phone won't come out even when subjected to the standard sauce bottle flick. You know, when you flick the tomato sauce bottle hard and fast towards the ground to get the last bit of sauce up to the spout. No movement or slippage of the phone in it's clamp at all. Of course it depends entirely on how hard you squeeze the clamp but if you squeeze at the back of the clamps you get a little more pressure.

The USB connection point of the phone is exposed for easy charging while mounted. Though remember, this phone is a powerhouse and with just a few apps running can overwhelm a 1 amp charger, so be sure to get a 2 amp car charger if you plan on any long drives.

Recording video while driving could be better. Depending on the angle of your windscreen, the mount can completely obscure everything while in portrait mode (vertical), however it's almost out of shot if you stick the mount to the windscreen at a slight angle (about 20 to 30 degrees) and use the camera in landscape mode (horizontal). This is something the design team will need to look at as it seems to be an increasingly popular thing to do and is sometimes well worth the effort like for instance the Russian meteor caught on a windscreen mounted camera earlier this year.

While on the negatives, this mount was designed for a broad range of phones and not specifically for the Note 2. I had a look at the Note 1 mount and didn't like the bulkiness and fixed USB connector however unlike this mount it did allow access to the stylus (pen). This is another issue the design team will need to address, however I couldn't wait until then so I've made my own modification which fixes this problem.

If you want to know how it's done check out my vehicle mount mod post. (Coming soon).





So why, with these two pretty serious flaws, would I still claim it to be the best mount? Well it's because of something I would have never discovered had I not read and followed the instructions included with the mount. In there it strangely states not to leave the mount installed in the vehicle for extended periods to reduce heat & sun damage to the suction cap. Don't worry though, it's a replaceable item so you'll get years out of the mount. But seriously, don't leave the car mount in the car? What sort of weirdness is this. It's a car mount, where else should it be?

That's when I realised that it would also work brilliantly on my desk. Unfortunately my desk surface isn't perfectly smooth and after about a minute or two it lost it's suction and fell over. All I needed was something smooth and wide enough to support the off centre weight of the phone, luckily my untidy office provided an old empty CD case (hard clear plastic) within arms reach and now my phone is almost never out of the mount.

The plastic CD case isn't perfect though as it flexes a bit creating a slight screen wobble when touching the screen, therefore it's best to mount it on the back towards the spine of the case.

While not perfect, it is lightweight and easy to move around, sturdy and very inexpensive. Although I have noticed that the suction cap will eventually create cracks in the plastic of cd cases so it's really only a temporary solution.

Whether on a CD case, some other form of base, or stuck directly to the table or desk, using the mount this way is fantastic for watching videos, surfing the web, reading and combined with a small bluetooth keyboard is my new main "everyday use" computer.

You could do this with any mount I guess but I doubt many would look as good on your desk or feel as comfortable in your hand when you picked it up. Try it for a few days and you'll see what I mean. You'll be surprised at just how convenient it is.


The CD case isn't very attractive though so I'm thinking of some other base ideas like a nice polished piece of timber or metal to match the mount's stylish design. Perhaps Samsung might even supply a base with their next (issues fixed) version.

If you can think of any other great base ideas please let me know because I'm in the market for a good one.

The Basics

Gestures

TAP - Short quick touch of the screen. Don't press or move,  just tap quickly. Opens apps etc. Similar to an old school mouse click.

PRESS -Touch and hold the screen without moving. Use this to move, copy or get extra options like open link in a new window. Similar to old school mouse right-click.

SWIPE - Touch and move quickly. More of a flick than a drag. Basically a next and previous button. Swipe from the right to the left = next. And a swipe from the left to the right = previous. Some apps use up and down and even diagonal swipes.

DRAG - Touch and move slowly. Used to toggle switches and drag things like the status bar at the top of the screen. Press and drag the status bar towards the bottom of the screen to view more information and some handy quick toggle buttons. Green = on. Grey = off.

Questions and Answers

What is Android? In simple terms, it is the operating system of the phone. (A bit like Windows XP, Vista, or 7 & 8 might be on your desktop or laptop computer). In more technical terms, Android is a program written in the Java language which runs on the Linux operating system. (The real underlying operating system of the phone). Android actually hides the Linux operating system from the phone and installs each app as a separate Linux user thereby isolating each app into it's own separate area. This is done to prevent bad apps from accessing other parts of your device.

What is ROOTING your phone? Rooting your phone basically means gaining ROOT access to the phone. Or in other words, bypassing the Android program and accessing the underlying Linux operating system as a user with Root level privileges (ie: Administrator privileges). Doing so may make the phone less secure and in most cases for general use isn't needed at all.

What is a shortcut? A text or image link to a website, document or program.

What is an icon? An image link to a websIte, document or program. Same as a shortcut.

What is an app? A program. Usually represented on screen as an icon.

What is a widget? An interactive icon in various sizes. Usually displays live information such as the time or weather and can also contain many buttons (hotspots) & features. For example the music player's 4x1 widget. The 4x1 refers to the widget's size. ie: 4 icons wide by 1 icon high.

How do I get more apps & widgets? First look in your All Apps library to see what you already have. Widgets are available in there as well via the tab at the top of the screen. To open the apps simply tap the icon and it will open that app. To add the icon (app) or widget to one of your home screens press and hold the icon or widget you want until the screen changes, then drag and drop (let go of) the icon (or widget) and it will be added there. To place on a different home screen, before letting go, drag the icon to the edge of the screen until the edge lights up blue, hold there until the screen changes then drop where you want it.

How do I install new apps & widgets? From the store. There are many app & widget stores, here's just a few. Remember, a lot of apps & widgets are free however some do cost money and should state so clearly near the install button at the store.

Google Play

Samsung Apps

Amazon Apps

You will need to join or sign up for each store's services, however, this is easy to do and may also come with additional benefits such as a gmail email account with Google Play. Reading the user reviews can be very helpful in determining if the app is suitable for you.

How do I move or delete apps & widgets from my home screens? Tap the menu button located at the bottom left of your phone just under the screen next to the main home button (see picture above). Then select EDIT and you will be able to move your things around by dragging. A trash can appears whilst you are dragging. Simply drop onto the trash can to remove from screen. (This does not uninstall the app or widget it simply removes it from your homescreen. Removed apps & widgets remain available from your All Apps library). Don't forget to press the SAVE button when you're done.

How do I fully uninstall an app or widget from my phone completely? The app store usually has an uninstall button for each installed app on the same page that you installed it from. It replaces the install button with an uninstall button. Another way is to go to your phone's SETTINGS page (available via the drop down status bar at the top of your screen) then scroll down with an up swipe and select APPLICATION MANAGER. From there select the app or widget you wish to uninstall or examine and the rest should be fairly obvious.

What does permissions mean? Every app or widget that you install requires your permission to access certain parts of your phone. For instance a compass app would require access to your magnetic field sensor and perhaps the GPS as well. However, a simple compass app shouldn't require access to your emails, sms or contact list. Beware of apps & widgets that ask for excessive or unrelated permissions. It would be better to look for another similar app with less intrusive access requirements.

One final tip before I go. Look in your All Apps library under the widgets tab for a widget called USER MANUAL and drag it to a home screen. It's actually just a shortcut to a website so you'll need to be connected for it to work. It's well laid out, easy to use and could potentially save you hours of frustration.

Hopefully these few tips should get you started and keep you busy for a while. If you found this information useful or if I've left out a vital first step please let me know via the comments section or simply drop me a note. Many thanks for reading and I hope this blog has helped to make your smartphone experience more enjoyable.

About this blog.

This blog is devoted to the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 smartphone.

However, many of the topics covered will be applicable to other devices even ones from other manufacturers.

The only guideline governing this blog is that it must also apply to the Note 2. If an app, widget, technique or comment doesn't apply to the Galaxy Note 2 there's probably a better place for it elsewhere. Of course that'll be rare because as anyone who owns a Note 2 knows, it'll do just about anything.

Although admittedly, not quite as much as the Sumsing Turbo 3000. Let's face it, nothing comes close to that baby. I can't wait until I can get my hands on one of those bad boys.

Therefore as far as this blog is concerned, until I get a Sumsing, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is the best smartphone in the world.

It took me nearly 10 years to upgrade my phone because I was waiting for something better than what I already had. A faithful Sony Ericsson P900 smartphone which although 10 years old still possesses a few superior features to the Note 2. The 5 way thumb wheel and the power button that can't be accidentally pressed to name just two.

 But in the whole the Note 2 eats the old P900 for breakfast. It's like comparing a car from the 1980's with one from today. Radar guided cruise control  and automatic reverse parking were Jetson cartoon dreams back in the 80's, now it's an option on many makes and models. Similarly, using the old P900 as a voice activated, turn by turn, 3D satnav in the car was also a fantasy. As a guide map sure, but satnav, no way. In contrast, this is one of the more mundane and trivial abilities of the Note 2. Therefore while I do miss the truly one handed operation of my old phone, I so far have no regrets with my decision to upgrade what so ever.

Throughout this blog I'll be testing the Note 2's features and capabilities and reporting my findings and experiences. Including an ongoing post about writing this blog via the Note 2.


Please enjoy exploring the rest of this blog and hopefully it'll help you avoid some of the pitfalls as well as enlighten the full abilities of Note 2. And as always, I'd love to hear your feedback both good and bad.