Yesterday, one reader told me he wished manufacturers would release high-end smartphones with a slide-out keyboard, something similar to what Asus has done with Eee Pad Slider SL101 or Archos with their 101 XS Tablet. So I had a look in case some Chinese manufacturers had done a phablet with a slide-out keyboard and Mediatek MT6588 or MT6592 SoC, but all I could find are some old 2011 or 2012 smartphones with Android 2.3 and low specs by today standards. If you own a best selling phone however such as the Galaxy S4, Galaxy S5 or iPhones, there are some cases with a Bluetooth slide-out keyboard that can add this functionality to your phone.
The one pictured above is “QQ-Tech Ultra-Slim Slide-Out Detchable Multifunction Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard Case” for Samsung Galaxy S4 which you can find on Amazon for $23. The case comes with a micro USB cable to charge the keyboard, and a user’s manual. If you own another phone, you can just search for slide-out keyboard + your phone model in Amazon, Aliexpress or DealExtreme, and if you’re luck find a case that matches. There’s even a keyboard case for Galaxy S5 even though the phone has not shipped yet, and plenty of keyboard cases for iPhones.
You can watch the video below to see how such cases work. The model below is for Galaxy S4. The phone will get relatively thick, but you could always remove the case when you don’t need it. After initial setup (Bluetooth pairing), you can use the keyboard normally. I’m not quite sure why the reviewer below used the phone screen in landscape mode…
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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