[FreedomInput]

There are new drivers (version 1.50) available for the Freedom Input BlackBerry Keyboard. We have updated the installation software and removed the online registration requirement. There have been a number of updates, including the cursor key mapping, which has been corrected. These new drivers can be obtained from http://www.blackberrykeyboard.com/download2.htm

The manual and FAQs can also be found here as well.

Best regards,

Freedom Input.

[DavidE]

Originally Posted by FreedomInput

There are new drivers (version 1.50) available for the Freedom Input BlackBerry Keyboard.

I followed your link, but when I click on "Drivers (V1.50)," I receive the following error:

Forbidden
You don't have permission to access /downloads/BBsetup.exe on this server.
Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.

I've been getting the same error for the past two weeks whenever I try to download the new drivers. I've registered my serial number, and I'm logged into your site, but can't download anything from it. Any suggestions?

DavidE
www.davidenglish.com

[FreedomInput]

Are you using a download manager to download the file?

[DavidE]

Originally Posted by FreedomInput

Are you using a download manager to download the file?

I'm not using a download manager. From the link you provided, I can right-click and download the manual. When I click or right-click for the driver, I get the error.

DavidE
www.davidenglish.com

[FreedomInput]

We have not experienced the problem you have encountered before, but we have moved the location of the file to see if this rectifies your problem. Please reattempt downloading the driver.

[DavidE]

Originally Posted by FreedomInput

Please reattempt downloading the driver.

I get the same error.

DavidE
www.davidenglish.com

[FreedomInput]

We are still unable to locate the source of the problem you are having, however if you register at http://www.freedominput.com/support/index.php and post a support ticket we will email you the driver program.

[DavidE]

Originally Posted by FreedomInput

We are still unable to locate the source of the problem you are having, however if you register at http://www.freedominput.com/support/index.php and post a support ticket we will email you the driver program.

Will do. Thanks for your help.

DavidE
www.davidenglish.com

[DavidE]

I've installed the version 1.5 driver for the Freedom keyboard, and I now prefer the Freedom driver over the MMG/Xema driver.

With the new driver, the Freedom keyboard cursor keys function as you would expect:

UP Arrow --> Move cursor up one row (scroll wheel up)
DOWN Arrow --> Move cursor down one row (scroll wheel down)
LEFT Arrow --> Move left one character
RIGHT Arrow --> Move right one character

Blackberry functions are controlled in an intuitive manner by pressing the keyboard's function key along with the cursor keys:

FN + LEFT Arrow --> Escape
FN + RIGHT Arrow --> Scroll wheel click

When you're navigating the home screen, you can also initiate a scroll wheel click by pressing the ENTER key.

The new driver feels more responsive than before, it lets you assign Function key + Number combinations to launch specific applications, and (unlike with the MMG/Xema driver) its keyboard activity keeps the backlight going when you use BBLight.

DavidE
www.davidenglish.com

[Pentarus]

David,

Just curious... What do you mean by "The new driver feels more responsive than before"???

[DavidE]

Originally Posted by Pentarus

Just curious... What do you mean by "The new driver feels more responsive than before"???

Maybe it's my imagination, since I have no easy way to measure it. There seems to be less of a lag (on a digital camera, you would call it the shutter lag) between hitting a key and seeing the cursor move. This is most evident when you hold down the cursor key and see the cursor move up, down, or across the screen. It seems to move more smoothly than before, though again, it might just be my imagination. I suppose someone could set up a long document and track the time it takes to reach the bottom, comparing the old and new drivers.

DavidE
www.davidenglish.com

[mauiboy]

I just received a beta version of the new Xema/MMG drivers. They released it as beta because they added a couple of new features.

1. The new driver now provides an option to control the backlight. There is a user option “checkbox” to Enable/Disable the auto-turn ON of the backlight when any key is pressed. The backlight timeout if fixed to shut off after 30 seconds if the driver does not detect any key press conditions.

No need to purchase third party application “BBLight” to keep the BlackBerry backlight on like the Freedom keyboard driver does. Just enable this feature in the Xema/MMG driver and your good to go.

2. Another interesting feature is now the Xema/MMG keyboard driver has a keyboard Bluetooth connection audible indicator. Basically how it works is when you turn on the keyboard the BlackBerry will sound a beep letting you know that it’s connected to the keyboard so you can go ahead and start using the keyboard. It does the same with a slightly different beep to indicate the Bluetooth connection to the keyboard was disconnected.

This is a nice feature in that I don’t find myself pressing on the keyboard waiting for it to connect. I just wait for the beep and I know that the keyboard is ready for input.

3. Finally Xema added the hotkey [Fn + B] to pop the symbols screen. I tested it in memo pad and it seems to work fine. I only wish they can out sooner with this as I could have used it.

FYI, the new Xema/MMG beta version will be posted later today. Oh btw, I’m told that I should get the new beta version of KeyPro – Standard tomorrow. MMG asked if I could do some testing before they release it. I can’t wait….

[DavidE]

Ain't competition wonderful? It's good to see that both keyboard lines are moving forward with fixes and new features.

DavidE
www.davidenglish.com

[mauiboy]

it sure is. who ever invented the forums couldn't have done a better job for us consumers. if we keep this up who knows, we might get the manufactures to give away their products.

[FreedomInput]

As a point of information, the Freedom Keyboard driver v.1.5 integrates with the BlackBerry's own backlight system; it too does not require the BBlight program. The back light duration is controlled from the Options menu as if you were using the BlackBerry's own keyboard.

[Mark Rejhon]

Excellent news. I just noticed this now.

I will install the new drivers and test the keyboard over the weekend. It may now be usable enough to post a detailed review of this Bluetooth keyboard!

[Pentarus]

Originally Posted by mauiboy

FYI, the new Xema/MMG beta version will be posted later today. Oh btw, I’m told that I should get the new beta version of KeyPro – Standard tomorrow. MMG asked if I could do some testing before they release it. I can’t wait….

Hey mauiboy... That was yesterday... Maybe I'm not looking at the right place but I have not yet found where I can download this new driver...

[Mark Rejhon]

I still have the older Version 1.4 even after a reboot even though I installed 1.5 -- I am now uninstalling the driver and rebooting, and reinstalling Version 1.5 that I downloaded today.

[Mark Rejhon]

Aha, I got Version 1.5 installed.
I had to run "C:\Program Files\BlackBerry Keyboard\Bluetooth Keyboard.exe" first.

The installation process needs to be a little more friendly (install over older versions), but I got 1.5 installed now.

It seems to have solved most of the problems with this keyboard (assuming Delay set to 1 and Repeat Rate set to 1. Strange, because normally a bigger Repeat Rate should be faster (that how it works in Windows Control Panel), but a smaller number is actually the faster setting). But even at this maximum speed setting, it is still extremely slow.

There is a very major problem though: Performance is still too slow for my typing speed. This keyboard is still unusuable to any touchtypist that types faster than about 40-50 words per minute. (I have fingers compact enough to touchtype on this keyboard almost as fast as a regular desktop keyboard). To test this, bang on the keys randomly very fast for a while. The keys lags severely for a long time after you stop typing. Basically, I type ahead of what the screen displays, I stop typing, and the BlackBerry proceeds to finish displaying what I just typed, one character at a time.

(Also, I noticed BlackBerry's own idle-CPU "power management" obviously in action -- A few seconds after I stopped typing, the keys started displaying slower and slower.... but when I started to hold a key (CAP or ALT) on the actual BlackBerry itself, the previously buffered keypresses sped up displaying. Also if I resumed buffering new keypresses on the Bluetooth keyboard, the keyboard typing sped up slightly again, until I started typing ahead of the displayed keypresses and stopped)

Maybe the programmer can try to read several keys at once from the Bluetooth keyboard before passing them along to the Injector API in one big batch -- this would probably be more efficient, as it appears the keys are already transmitted to the BlackBerry, as the lagged typing keeps going even after I turn off the keyboard. (Which shows that the keys are buffered in the BlackBerry's memory, and BlackBerry's still processing the lagged keypresses)

I will keep playing some more, but I would love to see more speed improvements. I need to see the driver processing speed improve to a minimum 10 keypresses per second. I use a BlackBerry 7250, which is the fastest model. At the moment, processing is only at 2-3 keys per second. (On a full desktop keyboard, when I type 120 words per minute, I can hit up to 600 keypresses per minute, which is about 10 keypresses per second!). The speed is slightly better than the older driver, but there needs to be more speed improvements. There may be a fault in the slowness of the BlackBerry Injector API (which is used), but there should theoretically be creative workarounds (I would hope).

TO PROGRAMMERS: Instead of reading one character at a time from the Bluetooth serial port, and sending it to Injector API, try reading a whole string from the keyboard instead, then doing a whole series of Injector API calls. See if this speeds things up, so that typists that type more than about 3-4 keypresses per second, no longer lag on this keyboard. Unless there is some kind of fault in the BlackBerryOS or Bluetooth stack that limits things, there should be software workarounds. In fact, the actual BlackBerry tiny keypad can go well beyond 10 keypresses per second if I bang on the tiny keys real fast, so it should not have to be a BlackBerry performance limitation. If you are using a serial event that only reads one character at a time, try a timer to buffer up keypresses into a full string once the driver detects attempts to type on the keyboard quickly (i.e. the last 3 keypresses have been executed). If Injector API is the source of performance problems, try some tricks. Instead of idling after doing an Injector API call, figure out how to tickle the BlackBerryOS to processing them faster. i.e. instead of going into a Sleep() or exiting the event, which might actually put the CPU into a slow state, try executing some kind of a CPU/thread yield operation or an event-running loop instead, to force BlackBerryOS to clear the buffered Injector API calls much more quickly. Experiment. Maybe there is no way to do this in Java, but try to figure something out. Regardless of the cause of the software-based performance issues (And whose fault, even RIM's), there has got to be a way to make the external keyboard operate as fast as the internal BlackBerry keyboard. I still type on the thumb keyboard faster than on the external keyboard, because of these performance problems (I type up to 72.4WPM on the thumb keyboard -- although the world's fastest thumb typists can type about 85 WPM on the thumb keyboard) I currently use BlackBerryOS 4.0.0.204, but please let me know if newer versions of BlackBerryOS is actually known to solve this problem.

These performance issues won't be a big problem for people who type less than 30-40 words per minute. About 50-60 words per minute, the lag starts becoming a hindrance, and this keyboard starts becoming unusable beyond those speed levels. Granted, the squashed design of the keys forces some people to slow down their typing relative to a full size keyboard, but some of us have been able to learn how to adapt to typing on various shrunken laptop style keyboards at the same speed as a desktop keyboard, so....

Nontheless, this driver is a MAJOR improvement! Speed is still a big problem. Keep working at it.

Cursor keys now work as intended. Even the target circle button on the keyboard (next to the Del key) behaves like the trackwheel click! So that's a really good improvement.

[mauiboy]

Originally Posted by Pentarus

Hey mauiboy... That was yesterday... Maybe I'm not looking at the right place but I have not yet found where I can download this new driver...

The files are up there now. BTW, I just received the beta version of keypro - professional edition. got some cool features on this new so called keyboard manager.