Review: An indispensible accessory for tablets and mobile phones
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 2, 2014
I used the AmazonBasics Bluetooth keyboard with my Kindle Fire HDX 7", and I was very pleased with its operation. The keyboard appears to be well made and durable. The size is approximately 10.4"x4.5" with a 0.3" rise.After inserting the batteries, I turned on the keyboard and pressed the Connect button. The keyboard paired with my Kindle Fire as device "Bluetooth Keyboard" after typing in the requested code. I typed some emails and typed a new document in OfficeSuite Professional. I noticed that while the keyboard was paired, the virtual on-screen keyboard of the Kindle Fire was disabled. The keys give a soft but positive tactile response, so there's no doubt that you've pressed a key. The "F" and "J" keys have little raised bars that touch typists can use to position their index fingers, just as a regular keyboard has. For non-touch typists like myself, the characters on the keys are large enough and have enough contrast that they're easy to read.I'm still trying the different keys to see how the Kindle Fire responds to them. I do know that the Home icon takes me to the home screen of the Kindle Fire. The four arrow keys control the cursor position on the Kindle Fire, and the speaker icons control the audio volume. The magnifier icon key puts the Kindle Fire into search mode.I like the keyboard. I certainly prefer using it over the tablet's small virtual keyboard for typing anything longer than a few sentences. It's big enough to be useful, but small enough and light enough (8.4 ounces including batteries) to be portable and carried with my Kindle Fire when I have typing to do.The keyboard includes a little folding plastic device for propping up a tablet or phone. It actually works pretty well as an easel, especially if you don't have a standing case for your tablet.Any negatives? No serious ones for me. I do wish the keyboard propped up a bit more, but putting a magazine under the back edge took care of that, so it's not a big deal.