Simplest of endeavors can sometimes be the hardest, strangely enough. The procedure outlined here is the same for all other Bluetooth Keyboard pairing. In the case of Think Outside keyboard, steps are important to be followed their order for the pairing to work.
Once a heralded keyboard manufacture for Palm devices now relegated to oblivion by iPhones and Android created one of the best bluetooth keyboard. However, works fantastic with any phones devices that adheres to BT standard including all of Apple products such as iPads, iPods and iPhones all generations.
Android being the most fickle of the bunch can be paired but you should probably have Android OS of 2.3.x at least if not minimally 2.2 (You can find out your Android version by going to Settings->About) . Google’s Android has many bluetooth issues but pairing is possible if you follow a set of specific steps.
Here are the basic steps for pairing the original iGo’s Think Outside Keyboard but this procedure will work for most bluetooth keyboard. Follow the steps in their specific order is very important and expeditiously as well as you have only small window of opportunity to pair.
- On the Bluetooth Keyboard: Turn it on. In the case of the iGo’s you just open it. There should be a flashing green light right above the letter "T"
- On the phone: Turn on/enable the Bluetooth on your Android phone or iPhone.
- On the Bluetooth Keyboard: Activate the pairing. In the case of iGo’s Bluetooth keyboard you press these three keys simultaneously: Ctrl+(blue)Fn+(green)Fn. The green light above the letter "T" will now start flashing rapidly.
- On the phone: Initiate scan by pressing "Scan for Devices"
- On the phone: You should see the bluetooth keyboard as a device: "Think Outside Keyboard"
- On the phone, press that device to start the pairing.
- On the phone: A dialog should pop up for you to enter digits. At this point what the digits are, are not relevant. It can be any but for simplicity press: "0000"
- On the Bluetooth Keyboard: Press slowly the same digits: "0000" then either enter or on the Think Outside Keyboard you must have the (blue)Fn key + Enter at the sametime and not just enter.
- On the phone: You should now see "Connected to HID" or Connected to the bluetooth keyboard
You’ve now paired them. You shouldn’t have to pair them any more. Whenever the Bluetooth on the phone and the keyboard is turn on. They will find each other, can take few minutes. You can accelerate the process by pressing some benign key like ESC or SHIFT to ensure you don’t launch anything by pressing to initiate.
In Conclusion: This is very handy to have for impromptu novel writing itch when you don’t have your laptop to be able to spit one out using your tablet or even your phone! I have mine always in my car just incase I have that itch!
Resident Nurdologist,
-Robert
Hi, I have followed your instructions to pair my smartphone. I have a LG P920 (it´s the 3D smartphone). When doing so, I got to the point where it says that I have paired or “linked” the keyboard with the smartphone; however, the message on the phone says that it is “linked” but not connected. Could you please help me out. Thank you.
Linked / Connected same. Once paired you should be good to go. Are you saying the phone when put into texting typing mode it won’t accept input from keyboard?
Yes, that is correct. It says paired but won’t accept any keyboard input.
Thanks,
Jen
Thanks for for for that but how do you get the keyboard activated/listed in Androids keyboard device list to actually have the chance to use it?
From steps #3 onward, you’re basically telling the keyboard to transmit its presence then on the phone #4 you tell it to look for devices. So in steps #5/6/7 you’re then pairing. If you don’t see the keyboard popup on your phone then you’re not setting the keyboard to initiate pairing. So until you can start the keyboard to start initiating the pairing sequence, you’ll never pair.
Please help me to connect my keyboard
Hello. How can I help you? What is the make/model of the keyboard and what are to trying to pair it to? Android? what’s the android version?
Worked great on my Nook Color running CyanogenMod 7! Had tried Blueinput before with limited success. This is Great!!!
any chance of getting this to work with my HTC Radar? Followed the steps and got “Not supported” on my phone. thanks.
Hi Thomas, It seems HTC Radar 4G does support BT keyboards. However, there is a possibility from whomever carrier you got the phone from specifically denied BT keyboard support. I guess couple of things to try…
1) get the latest firmware for your phone from the carrier
2) Try 3rd party app to connect:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.mybesttools.btkbservice&hl=en
But because your phone does support it. You should be able to pair by getting the BT drivers either from your carrier or from 3rd party like the app I pointed to above. I’ve tried the Bluetooth Keyboard Easyconnect and it does work when the android devices says it doesn’t.
Good luck!
-Nurdologist.
Thanks – I’ll give this a try.
I have Samsung Galaxy Player (kind of like an Android iPod Touch) running 2.3.6. When pairing with the iGo keyboard, the procedure seems to work and make the Galaxy happy (shows paired), but the keyboard seems to go back to pairing mode (rapid flashing green light). Apparently Android 2.3.6 (or Samsung modifications) presents a pairing code to be entered on the keyboard. While entering, the flahsing green light goes out, but once + are pressed, the Galaxy shows paired, but the keyboard goes back to flashing green light (discoverable mode). No input from keyboard in a note taking app at that point. Any ideas why the Android device seems happily paired, but the keyboard will not complete the pairing?
Thank you. I really liked the keyboard and now I have paired it with my iPhone and iPad
I found a keyboard in my desk … Leftover from my Palm days. I changed batteries, followed the directions on the back sticker and voilà … It works great with my iPhone 4!
That’s awesome! I usually keep my keyboard in my car so at any point of the day I can always pull it out and pound out something. Very handy especially when you don’t want to lug around a laptop.
Thanks 4 advice. I have previously successfully paired my galaxy 10.1 tablet w the thinkoutside keyboard and also had both devices connected & using keyboard for input. V happy:-). BUT now although galaxy settings page states they are still paired it will no longer connect :-(. I have changed batteries in the keyboard and make the little light flash by “contol fn fn” key method. Activating the connection seems to stop the flashing light. Galaxy message when I scan fo nearby bluetooth device is thate there are none nearby, whaen actually the keyboardbis therevand flashing light on , but then light goes off during scanning process. Would value any advice please. Cheers.
Same issue on my iPhone 4. When you start to enter the unique code, the flashing light goes out, like the keyboard strokes turn off the connectivity. Turns out you must hold the blue Fn key down on the keyboard WHILE ENTERING THE 4 CODE DIGITS, and continue to hold it down while pressing ENTER. Voila! Connected.
You rock Kevin! thanks for sharing!
Future foward to 2017 I bought this keyboard years ago. I am not sure what device I bought it for, but I know I never used it, but instead of tossing like may things because of getting busy or moving I held onto it. I was surprised it turned on with new batteries, and shocked my phone detected it, but disappointed in the “unsuccessful pairing” Thank goodness I found this old forum. I was holding numlock and not holding numlock-I would have never thought to hold FN blue! THANK YOU FROM THE FUTURE
Just to say thanks for such a clear and effective guide to getting my dear iGo keyboard to perform on the next generation of phones – in my case a Galaxy S2. I started using the keyboard with an Ipaq and then various Windows mobile phones and the keyboard has just kept going – even the batteries last for ever!
Regards
Andy
tryed to connect to my windows 8 nokia 920. It connects briefly (phone says connected) then disconnects again about 5 secs later – the keys dont regiser in word/texting/email etc. any ideas?
I have a Galaxy s3, and it pairs with my IGo Ulta Slim BT Keyboard. It generally works well to input alpha-numeric text. However, it occasionally throws foreign vowel characters into the text. I then must backspace delete to enter the correct English vowel. Is the a driver for the s3 to fix this problem? I contacted Samsung support and they declined to offer any support assistance to solve the issue. Wondering if anyone else has had this problem?
BIG time sorry for the long no reply. Yes indeed people are reporting of spotty connectivity with Samsung’s S3, but seem to be with 4.0 version BT specifically.
I think the best way for you to find out if it’s the S3 or the keyboard is to try another keyboard. But first find a specific case where you can easily replicate this random character injection and see if it happens on both keyboards. If both keyboard, then it’s the S3 and there is nothing you can do else if it’s one of the keyboards that could be more a physical issue than the BT malfunctioning all together.
btw, the BT driver Samsung is using is like most 99% of the android based manufacture where they simply use the default BT driver stack in whatever version of the android they’re using. PS> the BT stack on android are not very good but getting better.
Sorry I didn’t have a more definitive answer for you.
Also PS> you can’t update the BT driver stack in android unless you reflash the entire firmware just to get the update however minor and/or you root the device and then you can replace the offending driver. I sincerely doubt Samsung will push out a 800MB firmware update just to fix a minor BT problem….. :( sorry.
These instructions worked like a charm after I finally got them right. At least so far so good. Yes you must hold down the blue function key while entering the numbers and the final enter to get it to pair. I have an LG Nexus 4 with the new jelly bean op sys so was worried about whether there would be a driver for it. Thank you so much. I was really surprised that they stopped making the stowaway. I have several other so called portable keyboards and nothing compares to the igo stowaway keyboard.
Hello. I have this keyboard, which I purchased around 2004. I’ve had it stored, in new condition, for all these years. I recently came across it & have been trying to pair it with my iPhone 4 with version 6.1.3 iOS. I put new batteries in it, opened it, light is flashing, followed the pairing mode. On my iphone, it shows up in the device list, but when I try to enter ‘0000’ or the other numbers listed to pair, it always says that is unsuccessful. I have tried it with CAPS on or off, NUMLOCK on or off, pressing enter or FN+enter. Nothing seems to work. Any suggestions? Thank you! 04/28/2013
It should be that simple, but it’s not “0000”. Your iPhone will throw up a dialog that has some random 4 digit #. You must type that in AND then press return.
So the sequences goes like this:
1. open up the keyboard with batteries in properly.
2. do the Ctrl+(blue)Fn+(green)Fn on the keybard and you should see a flashing green light.
3. your iPhone should show you a “Think Outside Keyboard”.
4. iPhone: press on that and a dialog will popup a random 4 digit number you need to type in and press return.
that’s it..
Yes, I thought it would be that easy. I have tried entering the 4 digit numbers that the iphone gives, a good 10 times or more. Multiple code tries, along with trying the 0000. None of them have worked. All end up saying that it is unavailable. I even tried entering 000000, because I saw on another site that code works the iPad, just to see if it would work. I’ve checked all the keys, to make sure they are popped up all the way & have looked it over to make sure it is in good condition. It was still new, only had opened it once when I first bought it long ago.
Hum… ok, then how about giving that keyboard a try on another device like a macbook/PC or tablet or something else?
It’s always only 4 digits and because it’s a keyboard; generally it’s always never “0000?.
Couple of more double checking:
– Are you pressing “enter” after typing in the 4 digits.
– Are you sure the keyboard is in “Pairing” Mode? It should do something unusual like blinking LED somewhere. On my version of the keyboard it blinks green.
Sounds like your keyboard is not in “Pairing Mode”
Can you give me like I gave you the exact steps you took?
Steps were just as I first posted above. It is in pairing mode, light is blinking & “Think Outside Keyboard” does show up on my iPhone Bluetooth list. When I select it from the list it gives me a pairing code, 4 digit. I enter the numbers on the keyboard, while holding down the blue FN button, Then press the ENTER button, with the FN held down, as well. I have also tried the ENTER button with out the FN button. Connection fails every time. It says the keyboard is either out of range or not on. I don’t have any other BT devices right now, but maybe I can try it on my friend’s iPhone. Thanks for all your help.
THAT’s it!!! don’t press the FN while you’re typing in then numbers!! Just type the numbers as is. You do the FN_CTRL to get into pairing mode thentype in the numbers normally including the ENTER key! Voila!!!
I was so excited when I read your last post. I thought, “Aha! That’s finally it!” But, unfortunately, I still have the same UNSUCCESSFULL response. Even on my friend’s iPhone. I’m beginning to think I was sold a faulty keyboard? Or could it still be a user error?
So sorry. I thought when I read your last statement about pressing FN keys while typing in the numbers was the culprit but I was mistaken.
Just so we can be clear… I want to try again to maybe clarify something I may have confused….
1. Get your keyboard into pairing mode: CTRL+Blue Fn+Green Fn at the same time… you should see the green light flashing
2. you have confirmed your tablet see’s the keyboard.
3. you’ve also confirmed when you press on the tablet to pair with the keyboard you do get a 4 digit paring key.
4. Here is where we may still be questioning…
a) Here you were right, my apologize: Please do: Blue Fn (left of spacebar) then the 4 digits all the while you keep the Blue Fn pressed..
b) press ENTER without the Blue Fn on the keyboard
5. that should be it.. then it should pair.
I just retried it on my iPad 3, iPhone 3GS, iPod 4 Touch.
For sake of humanity! Please try one more time??? :)
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7 August 2013
about seven thirty on Wednesday evening
Hello to You:
The keyboard works great with my Droid X. Wonderful to have a keyboard that works with my pocket computer telephone.
Regards,
FlagMan
Anyone having problems with the new iPhone 5? It sees the keyboard, but never pairs with it.
Yea there maybe. iPhone 5 supports BT v4 and may have lax their BT support of older versions. I’ll give a pairing a try with older BT that only supports VT v2 and report back!
Hey. I’m typing with my keyboard right now :)
So in The Generic Blues by Weird Al (ever heard of him;) there’s this part where he says to the guitarist “make it talk, make it talk” and the guitar rambles on “na-na, na-na, na-na, na-na…” and finallay Al gets tired of it and says, “Ok now make it shut up”. Well I may be having that problem with my keyboard.
I’ve got it to connect to my phone and tablet but I’m not sure it’s shutting off when I close it up. It’s possible I started with weak batteries but I haven’t used it enough that I would have expected it to die so soon, so I’m wondering, how do I make it shut up?
I see it has an “off” button but I can’t make it shut off. I’ve tried different key combinations but still no luck. So, what do you think? I’ve got the blues so bad, kinda wish I was dead. Maybe I’ll blow my brains out mama, or maybe I’ll just go bowling instead.
Hiya! It will auto “shutoff” when you close it and/or you can simply use the on/off button as you mentioned. Longer life for batteries to shut it off when not in use but pairing may take longer since it wasn’t in “sleep” mode but rather a complete shutoff. A compromise between quick pair when you open vs. longer battery life.
Good luck!
-Nurd
Hey. Thanks. Still I’m curious about that wacky off switch. When I press it nothing apparently happens, it still blinks green at me unblinkingly like it’s paired and I’m an idiot. That may be true, it’s debatable but shouldn’t pushing the off button or holding it down for a couple of seconds or pressing the “fn” buttons simultaneously while pressing off, shut it off? Inquiring minds of the Midnight Star wanna know.
Hum. Let me dig up mine and let you know what up with mine vs yours.
Hello?
Hello Kurtiss! Sorry, because I haven’t used it for so long, the battery corroded and I took it apart to clean the corrosion :(
After purchasing what I thought was the best keyboard for messages, I’m having trouble with my iphones 4S and SE. I think the problem is that ios9 and ios11 do not recognise the keyboard when the code is entered. In any case, it doesn’t work and I can’t find any driver on the internet for these later versions of ios. Any ideas, please ?
Hi, they should all work but timing when you pair may be critical. Unfortunately for phones iPhone or Android, there isn’t a “driver” that will repair the connection. That level connectivity is mostly forbidden to “intercept” due to security reasons so no app can play the middleman. This maybe an odd request but have you tried pairing it away from your router or TV or anything else that can interfere with radio signal? BT is very sensitive and too many 2.4GHz wifi devices or even another cellphone could cause it to be not connect reliably. So couple of things:
1. Do it but type slowly including the enter key
2. try doing it away from other 2.4GHz devices
Good luck!
PS> I have it paired with iPhone 3GS and iPod 3/4 so you should be able to pair it.
I have model xtbt01. Put in fresh batteries but no green light. Any suggestions?
OMG, I must have opened and closed the keyboard a dozen times but now it’s flashing! Wish me luck and for others out there…don’t give up!
Great!!! Sorry it was such a pain but so glad it finally worked! Sounds like a bad unit with lose switch?
Hi,My keys J & H do not respond. pulled them off and put them back on but still no go.
Pulled this out of the drawer and paired it up with iPhone 6s no worries after 10 years and change of batteries.
Any Clues to wake them up.
Thanks, this keyboard brought back some good memories of the PDA era(pre smart phone)
Hiya. Weird..no way or even reason to “wake” them up. Electrically, either they make contact and work or not. Outside of fresh batteries, there isn’t much more you can do. No “reset” or cold boot option to these things. Sorry!
Hi, I’ve been using this keyboard for a long time.
But now J, K, L Key doesn’t work.
How can I solve this problem?
Sounds like it’s broken. I did find a GREAT alternative BT keyboard try this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Foldable-Bluetooth-Keyboard-Jelly-Comb/dp/B076V9Y2XZ/
the only thing I don’t like about it is, there is no phone stand. else it works awesome and you get a mouse too!!!