Review: Zippy BT-500 Bluetooth Keyboard

As tablets have gained more and more popularity and users are wanting more functionality out of their devices manufactures have been adding more accessories than ever. One of the more popular add-ons is a Bluetooth enabled keyboard that allows for a more traditional typing experience.

Earlier this year the Azend Group released one such device. The new AVS GEAR ZIPPY BT-500 Bluetooth Compact Wireless Keyboard. Over the past couple of weeks we've had one of these little guys in the office putting it through the normal paces.

Initial thoughts

This keyboard is super compact and very portable. Measuring just 0.93- by 8.86- by 3.9-inches it is physically smaller than most tablets out there. Design wise it looks sleek with just the minimal keys. The overall construction feels quite durable, you don't get that cheap feel you might expect from something this small and portable. Right off the bat it feels like it would make a nice companion to some of the smaller tablets and smartphones out there.

Zippy BT-500 Specifications

• Interface Bluetooth 2.0 (compliant with Bluetooth 1.0)
• Dimensions 8.86 x 3.90 x 0.93 inch
• Weight 0.66 lbs
• Color Black
• Accessories Battery AAA x2pcs,User Manual
• Standard Keys 82 Keys (US) 83 Keys (JP)
• Operation distance 10 Meters
• Multi-device fast switch wireless technology.(up to 6 devices)
• PC System Requirement Windows ME/ 2000/ XP/ XP 64-bit/ Vista
• Supports Apple iPad, iPad2, iPhones (works with most devices enabled with bluetooth techtooth technology)

Zippy BT-500 Functionality

I was only able to test it with a Bluetooth dongle connected to my main PC. I tried syncing it to my HTC Freestyle and while it would show the keyboard I could never get the pin codes to sync. Before buying (if for the purpose of using it with your smartphone), I would check to make sure your device supports the HID profile that the BT-500 uses.

Since the keyboard connects wirelessly via Bluetooth 2.0, users should be able to sync with a wide array of devices. With the option of setting up multiple devices you be to pair a single keyboard to things like the iPad, iPhone, some Android based smartphones and tablets as well as gaming consoles like the PlayStation 3 and Bluetooth-enabled PC and Mac computers.

Connectivity seemed to be fairly reasonable. As mentioned I couldn't sync with my phone but setting the keyboard up via my computer went well. I was limited in my testing range, but lets face it unless you are using this for an HTPC range won't be an issue.

The tactile response of the keys was superb as well the key rate. I was a bit disappointed that there were no lights to indicate when Caps or Num Lock was enabled. I was however happy to see the addition of keyboard feet to adjust the typing profile. Not a big deal for most but having a better typing angle helped me.

Conclusion

Having used several compact keyboards I'll say this has to be one of the smallest I've ever used and with that one of the most difficult to get use to. Users of netbooks and tablets might get the feel of it a bit quicker than I did but for most it will take some time. After a few days of use, and a bit of getting use to, this little guy won me over. I can definitely say it will be welcome addition to my backpack for those times when I need the full functionality of a keyboard. If like most geeks out there you own multiple devices and are looking for a quick easy all-in-one keyboard solution its my opinion the Zippy BT-500 is something you should be looking at.

The ZIPPY BT-500 is available now at Newegg.com and Amazon.com with an MSRP of $49.99.