Roundup: Bluetooth Keyboard 10

Although webOS first gained the ability to pair and use a Bluetooth keyboard back in webOS 2.0, it seems like it became a much more prevalent accessory with the release of the TouchPad and the official HP wireless keyboard in July 2011. Being able to type on a full-size (or almost full-size) keyboard and having arrow keys to quickly move the cursor certainly offered the opportunity to increase your productivity while using the tablet. While any Bluetooth keyboard should work with a webOS smartphone or the TouchPad, the official keyboard was very attractive since it was not only slim and lightweight but had many keys that were dedicated to some of the unique functions of webOS.

As good as the usability of a Bluetooth keyboard was with the TouchPad and webOS 3.0.0, the final webOS 3.0.5 update improved it even further. It added in many features that improved your TouchPad experience by giving you more keyboard shortcuts that reduced the need to take your hands off the keyboard and reach up to the tablet to perform some simple tasks.  So, here is a roundup of all our tips to give you the most of our using a Bluetooth keyboard with your webOS device:

• Pair a Bluetooth keyboard with a webOS device
  • Pairing the official HP Wireless keyboard to a TouchPad is a ridiculously simply task, but it only takes a couple more steps to pair any keyboard with any device running webOS 2.0 or higher.
• Bluetooth keyboard shortcuts (Shift, Control)
  • Without any virtual arrow keys on the TouchPad's virtual keyboard, the ability to use the Control key to quickly jump the cursor or the Shift key to highlight large blocks of texts make navigating text a much easier task. The same Shift+Backspace shortcut that works on webOS phones is also a valid combo to delete an entire word.
• Bluetooth keyboard shortcuts: copy, cut, paste [webOS 3.0.5]  
  • Being above to highlight text was nice, but it wasn't until webOS 3.0.5 that you can use shortcut keys to actually copy, cut or paste that text directly on the keyboard without having to interact directly with the TouchPad
• Bluetooth keyboard: Navigate open card applications [webOS 3.0.5]
  • Although the official HP keyboard had a dedicated key to minimize your application to card mode, it wasn't until webOS 3.0.5 where you can scroll through your open applications card and then load up that app or close it when it was no longer needed
• Toggle the TouchPad's virtual keyboard when paired with a Bluetooth keyboard
  • As useful as the Bluetooth keyboard may be at times, you may still want to access the virtual keyboard on the TouchPad itself. Luckily, there is a way for you to toggle the virtual keyboard on or off right from the Bluetooth keyboard.

Do you have other ways that you use your Bluetooth keyboard with your webOS device? Are there any other keyboard combinations that you know of that increases its usefulness? Let us know.