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Review Adapt Mobile Micro Bluetooth keyboard ADK-100

July 12, 2010 By 10 Comments
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Adapt Mobile has sent us a sample of the latest version of the ADK-100 keyboard. This Micro Keyboard is the smallest Bluetooth keyboard in the market supporting a wide range of devices.
The keyboard comes in a blister package and contains the keyboard, a driver CD which also contains the manual and a Micro-USB cable for charging the keyboard. The keyboard contains 2 LED’s. One (red LED) indicates you are charging it and one (blue LED) shows you the status of your Bluetooth connection.

The Adapt ADK-100 Micro Keyboard is the perfect solution to those road warriors having a Bluetooth enabled mobile lacking a keyboard. The keyboard is available in QWERTY, QWERTZ and AZERTY and is powered via an internal 200MAh Li-ion battery. The Li-ion battery can be charged via the standard mini USB port. With a weight of merely 40 grams and the size of a pack of cigarettes it truly is a micro keyboard. The operating time of 60 hours will be enough for a long trip abroad and the standby time is a good 400 hours.
It will connect to your Bluetooth-equipped Notebook/Netbook/Computer, Nokia phones with the Symbian S60 Operating System, Android phones, Windows Mobile Phones, Sony Playstation3 and the iPad and iPhone.

Size comparison

To show the actual size of the keyboard, I have taken some pictures alongside the HTC HD2. As you can see, it is just a bit shorter in height compared to a HD2.

Pairing with Windows Mobile.

Pairing with your Windows Phone is a breeze. Just search for new Bluetooth devices, enter the code that appears on your screen on your Windows Phone, acknowledge with Enter and you are done !

Let Bluetooth search for new devices and after the keyboard has been detected, enter the code on the screen.

When you enter the code, the numbers you have entered “disappear” from the screen. After the code has been entered, press Done, to make the pairing final.

Pairing with Android

At this moment the supplied driver only works with Android 1.5. That leaves out a lot of “older” Android 1.6 like the HTC Magic and the HTC Hero. Even te latest Android devices like the Legend and Desire and 2.2 devices like the Nexus One cannot connect to it. I was told that a new driver that supports Android 2.1 and 2.2 is under development and will be available within a short period.

Pairing with Apple products

Fellow editor Johan van Mierlo visited me recently and after some testing we can confirm that this keyboard can connect to the iPad and also to the iPhone running 3.1.x or 4.0 iOS software.

Availability

The keyboard is available from various webshops like PDASHOP.nl for 59 EURO.

Filed Under: Apple iPad, Apple iPhone, Google Android, Windows Phone Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

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  • Eric

    Does it work on a PS3 as well?

    • http://www.mobilityminded.com Mark Briggeman

      Hi,

      I was unable to test it, but the manual and specifications both state that PS3 is supported.

  • http://www.snelwebshop.nl Harold

    Hi,

    We also sell the new Adapt-Mobile ADK-100 but are a bit cheaper then PDASHOP :-)

    Check it out: http://www.snelwebshop.nl/adk100

    Greetings,
    Harold.

  • Mike

    A couple questions about this product.

    1-Is the keyboard backlit? (In other words, if using it in the dark, can you see the keys?

    2-Is there an on-off switch, that will not turn on by accident, when carrying in your pocket?

    3-How is the action of the keyboard?

    4-Does it come with any kind of case?

    5-On the picture, I do not see any directional keys–up, down, forward, back, page up, page down, home, end. Are there any directional keys?

    6-On the manufacturer’s web site, I also see an ADK200 listed. It is not clear at all there, what is different about it,and I don’t see the 200 for sale anywhere. Does anyone know what the 200 is, and when it will be available?

    ——————-

    Besides my question above–I will also add a comment, Your “review” of the product does not read like a review at all, but like an advertisement, probably paid for by the manufacturer. I think it is dishonest to have fake “reviews” that are really ads.

    Why do I think so? No serious objective reviewer would use language like “perfect solution”. I am sorry, but no product is a “perfect solution”. Words like that are advertising copy, not words from a real objective reviewer.

    ———-

    That said, if anyone could answer my questions from earlier in the post, I would appreciate it. Thank you.

    • http://www.mobilityminded.com Mark Briggeman

      Hi,

      1. The keyboard is not backlit.
      2. Yes there is at the top. You have to apply a certain amount of pressure to turn it off.
      3. Good action. No excessive force is needed to press the keys. It’s no Macbook keyboard, but it will do.
      4. No, there is no case supplied with it.
      5. There are no directional keys. Not even with the FN key.
      6. It seems like the ADK-200 is the larger version with directional keys too. Can’t find it anywhere for sale.

      Regarding your comment:

      We are never paid by manufacturers for reviews. NEVER. I gave my personal opinion on this keyboard and for what it is worth, it suits my needs, although I don’t like to lack of support for Android devices. Who uses Andoid 1.5 anymore these days ?
      It is definately no advertisement, nor a paid review. I still use it, because when entering a large amount of text it is quite handy. The lack of directional keys is solved in the new ADK-200 version.
      So to get to the point, I might need to rephrase “perfect solution” to an “almost perfect solution” because from my point of view and experiences on personal use I still think it is almost perfect for me.

      Thanks for your comments.

  • Mike

    I am sorry then,that I thought it might be an ad.

    You should be more careful about your wording then, Wording like “perfect solution”, for any product, sounds far more like an ad than like a review.

    I am considering buying one, but it sure sounds far less than perfect. Backlighting sure would be nice. Carrying in the pocket with no case, next to perhaps other objects like house keys, etc, I am concerned such a keyboard could get damaged. It would be nice if thee was some kind of snap-on cover to protect the keys.

    The lack of any kind of directional keys is more of a problem for me. What if one is typing, and notices that several characters back, one has made a typing mistake? How does one go back to that place, to correct the error? (Of course there is backspace, but that deletes everything in the way. One does not want to do that, but to go back without deleting to where the problem is, then fix it.

    To me, the lack of directional keys is a pretty serious problem with this keyboard. You don’t mind that?

  • Mike

    I was just looking at some of the mini bluetooth keyboards at brando.com. Have you (or anyone reading) tried any of these?

    Well, one of them you have tried, as one looks identical to the ADK-100, although without that name–http://shop.brando.com/mini-plam-size-bluetooth-keyboard_p4545c299d57.html (You can click on one of the lower photos to see it enlarged.)

    There is one of more interest to me: http://shop.brando.com/palm-size-bluetooth-keyboard_p4333c299d57.html, which you can see large at: http://shop.brando.com/zoom.php?prod=Palm-Size+Bluetooth+Keyboard&pic=SBLUT001300_04_L.jpg . It does have directional keys, and other nice function keys. I think the cover is good, for protecting it while in the pocket. (I think a detachable cover would be better though. One like this might make it more difficult, to use with the phone, and see the phone.) I don’t know if it is backlit. One disadvantage–doesn’t come with rechargeable battery, but uses AAAs. (Well, that may be an advantage, as those are replaceable. When a product has non-replaceable battery, when the battery goes, the product’s life is over. But slightly less convenient, not to be able to charge directly via USB. One could use rechargeable AAAs, but with an external charger.)

    That still looks like perhaps my favorite of these so far. Has anyone here tried it? (One problem with Brando. They are in Hong Kong, which makes returns expensive.)

  • Mike

    Here is another one at Brando, with a nice set of keys, including directional:

    http://shop.brando.com/mini-bluetooth-keyboard_p4331c299d57.html Large photo at

    http://shop.brando.com/zoom.php?prod=Mini+Bluetooth+Keyboard&pic=SBLUT000120_04_L.jpg

    12 function keys, esc, tab, nice directional pad, really a full computer keyboard!

    Doesn’t have the cover though. Again, I don’t know if it is backlit. I think also AAA’s.

    Before ordering from Hong Kong though, would sure be nice to see reviews. There is much that one cannot tell from a photo and their description.

    • http://www.mobilityminded.com Mark Briggeman

      Brando has some good products, but when problems occur or it is incompatible, returning it might be expensive.
      This keyboard has the directional which the Adapt keyboard is missing !