Coming Soon: BlackBerry Mini Keyboard with Convertible Case for the BlackBerry PlayBook!

By Adam Zeis on 25 Jan 2012 01:39 pm

BlackBerry Mini Keyboard

That elusive BlackBerry Mini Keyboard case for the BlackBerry PlayBook may not be so elusive much longer. BerryReview has posted a bunch of leaked slides that show off this awesome keyboard/case combo that looks to be available in the coming weeks. We're assuming it will most likely be timed with the launch of PlayBook OS 2.0 but don't have a definite date just yet. Kevin played around with one a bit a few months back, but the case has been back in hiding until now.

The BlackBerry Mini Keyboard with Convertible Case will feature a keyboard and trackpad combo that will let you control your BlackBerry PlayBook, all tucked in a leather convertible case. The unit will allow you to easily type and navigate on your PlayBook when you're on the go and the battery is said to last for up to 30 days on a charge. Here's to hoping we see this one very soon (and the price is right!). Check out Kevin's original hands-on then hit the source link for more slides.

Source: BerryReview

Topics: BlackBerry Playbook Convertible Case BlackBerry Mini Keyboard News & Rumors BlackBerry Accessories PlayBook Accessories

Adam Zeis 3118 (articles) 2800 (forum posts)

87 comments

CommanderElvis Jan 25, 2012 at 1:42 pm

Nice product. sad that most won't need it once OS2 allows using the phone keyboard.

Adam Zeis Jan 25, 2012 at 1:44 pm

I'm pretty sure plenty of PlayBook owners would rather type on a bigger keyboard than use their phone keyboard for any length of time :)

00stryder Jan 25, 2012 at 3:03 pm

CrackBerryHarry Jan 27, 2012 at 8:43 pm

mjgallaway Jan 25, 2012 at 4:10 pm

Disagree.

cdelcampo216 Jan 26, 2012 at 9:50 am

CDC - I am super excited for this product! This is one accessory that I WILL get no matter what! I am still looking for a good aftermarket Docking Station. The ones on Ebay are all the same. Does anyone have any recommendations other than the $65 Blackberry one?

Does anyone know what the keyboard will retail for? Is it going to come with the case?

berrybait Jan 25, 2012 at 2:58 pm

Are you kidding? For a mobile workforce (escpecially those that have a large servie repair or service delivery oriented workforce) this is huge. If someone could carry around something like the PB instead of a Laptop? Much, MUCH better.

CommanderElvis Jan 25, 2012 at 5:27 pm

Already doing this. Works well.I just had to get dispatch to email me orders.

ClassyBOLD Jan 25, 2012 at 3:35 pm

Agreed that for someone with a berry the remote feature coming with OS 2.0 makes such a purchase futile (except if you prefer using a larger keyobard than the berry). But keep in mind not all playbook owners have berrys, so this could be a useful accessory for them.

This previous thinking is what got RIM into trouble with native email. Assumed that everyone would just pair their phones to the playbook.

papped Jan 25, 2012 at 5:08 pm

Better question is how many people already bought another keyboard solution since they took so long to release the official one...

Barredbard Jan 25, 2012 at 5:31 pm

arlanda Jan 25, 2012 at 7:23 pm

and the case too..

storm_fan2009 Jan 25, 2012 at 10:04 pm

i did

svelt Jan 25, 2012 at 5:10 pm

I don't think it's ideal write a 400 word email or edit a 15 page document with the BB keyboard

canuck_67 Jan 26, 2012 at 12:58 pm

I disagree. I would use both, but the larger keyboard is better for me in my office/daily stuff

gregoreese Jan 25, 2012 at 1:42 pm

Neat, may have to get one of these myself! Can't wait for OS2

just_luc Jan 25, 2012 at 1:43 pm

This was needed before the blackberry remote feature.. still cool, but I'll probably just type from my 9900 and save my cash..

rexxenex Jan 25, 2012 at 1:44 pm

if they would of released this earlier i wouldnt of bought the hp touchpad keyboard!

Looking forward to using my 9900 as the remote feature!

R1cowl Jan 25, 2012 at 1:59 pm

johnmarki Jan 25, 2012 at 1:44 pm

This is great! I like the look and the multi-touch controls are pretty sweet too.

aj.bb.fanatic Jan 25, 2012 at 1:47 pm

Sure hope they market it soon, at a reasonable price.
Of course, there are similar products in the market, by third party manufacturers. But then again, I'd rather go for an authentic BB accessory.

When they do launch this, I also hope they throw a few hundred units for Crackberry to give away to us! LOL

Concession Jan 25, 2012 at 1:49 pm

Let's see the price!

araskin Jan 25, 2012 at 1:51 pm

mmm. Drooling all ready....

El Platanero Jan 25, 2012 at 1:53 pm

I will own one of these. I actually wanted a full size keyboard though. On the go I have yet to find the use for a keyboard but when at home I would like to use my playbook as a pc with my 46inch tv. We shall see when they advertise what the damage is (cost).

spencerdl Jan 25, 2012 at 1:59 pm

NICE....VERY NICE, a must have. I wonder what it will set me back?

ryanlrobinson Jan 25, 2012 at 2:03 pm

Very nice. For the past about 6 months I've been using my PlayBook in place of a laptop with a separate Microsoft Bluetooth keyboard. If this had been released then, I would be all over it. With only 2 months left of in-class time now, though, I'm not sure how much it would be worth the likely-high cost.

BB_Bmore Jan 25, 2012 at 2:04 pm

If its 50-Ish ill buy. If its 100-Ish ill buy another playbook. I have a feeling my phones keyboard will suffice.My phone is not a bold but its keyboard is and I love it! My thumbs have biceps because of my BlackBerry. :)

00stryder Jan 25, 2012 at 3:09 pm

"My thumbs have biceps because of my BlackBerry."

Gold.

tuyen Jan 25, 2012 at 9:49 pm

You're joking, right?
You can't even get the case itself for $50, let alone a convertible case WITH a Bluetooth keyboard. You can bet that the launch price will be $149.99.

msmara Jan 25, 2012 at 2:12 pm

Did they say trackpad?!

glamrlama Jan 25, 2012 at 2:13 pm

What is the hold up? They could have sold lots of these if available.

/Device agnosticism or bust!

danimalchil Jan 25, 2012 at 2:14 pm

Hmmm, mini keyboard or BB9930 remote control. Decisions, decisions....

moyjoy Jan 25, 2012 at 2:18 pm

no super-awesome-in-typical-crackberry-fashion pre-release contest? :)

Zetti Jan 25, 2012 at 2:34 pm

They will do that when it finally releases....any they already chose me as the winner. Sorry everyone.

rich007007 Jan 25, 2012 at 2:27 pm

All in favor of them sending one free to all of us early adopters?

Darlaten Jan 25, 2012 at 2:31 pm

My thoughts exactly. About time this showed up - still wondering why it was such a big secret and no one would confirm that it would be available during CES.

owimes Jan 25, 2012 at 2:31 pm

And now you have a LAPTOP!!! LOL

mjgallaway Jan 25, 2012 at 4:16 pm

Netbook more like it.

dagerlach Jan 25, 2012 at 2:46 pm

Free to early adopters is a start :)

wiedzmin Jan 25, 2012 at 2:48 pm

I bet you it won't be $35 with free shipping: https://bitly.com/odY4AD+

BigAssBitchin Jan 25, 2012 at 2:47 pm

Man, that looks so cool. Very elegant.. I'll be needing that!

Siiid Jan 25, 2012 at 2:49 pm

i'll get one, although I have a logitech BT keyboard that works fine, this one will be more portable on the go.

El Cid Jan 25, 2012 at 3:14 pm

I'm not a fan of 'chiclet' keyboards, but this one I'd definitely buy if it's not excessively marked up.

seemsixty7 Jan 25, 2012 at 3:18 pm

Sweet!!! I've been looking forward to this one since the teaser of it several months back!

Phylth Jan 25, 2012 at 3:34 pm

I've had the $35 Dealextreme one referenced by Wiedzmin above but the bluetooth connection was sporadic at best. Bought a better BT keyboard after that and discovered it had the same problem, but not quite as frequent. Research on the forums shows when it comes to bluetooth accessories the Playbook is really choosy.

I'm guessing the delay on RIM's keyboard has something to do with the Playbook's fragile bluetooth connectivity. Hopefully they've fixed it with OS 2.0 rather than just painting-over the PB's shortcomings with the keyboard.

In any case this won't be a cent under $99.

canuck_67 Jan 26, 2012 at 1:01 pm

the hipster with case is 100 bucks, so what's the difference? If it has a trackball and a custom fir case it would be woth an extra 50 for sure

El Platanero Jan 25, 2012 at 3:39 pm

One thing we are forgetting is that this keyboard will be made by RIM...the company known for keyboards on phones. Anybody extra curious how smooth this keyboard will be when RIM has that much realistate to make a keyboard? I am.

thecsman Jan 25, 2012 at 4:10 pm

This would be RIM's first full sized keyboard. I hope it's not a full sized price!

robinmanisha Jan 25, 2012 at 4:32 pm

Recently I had ordered one from ebay waiting it to be delivered it is similar to this one. hope it will reach my expectation.

Robin Sharma
bold 9780, bold 9900,playbook 16GB,

pmich Jan 25, 2012 at 4:32 pm

i wasn't going to buy one but then Kevin said "get it...now" in his original video so naturally i must oblige.

drew.dana Jan 25, 2012 at 4:35 pm

Did they mean that the "30 day charge" was for the keyboard only? Because I would like it to be slightly thicker and have a larger battery to keep the PB running for 8+ hours at full useage. I always thought that extending battery life for any mobile device is something that consumers would really be interested in. Either way I think I will be buying this, I can type MUCH faster when I can use all my fingers vs. just my thumbs. I dread having to type extended documents with only my thumbs on my PB let alone on my Bold.

louzer Jan 25, 2012 at 4:45 pm

I'm not holding my breath for a 'reasonable' price. RIM considers it's hardware and accessories premium quality and prices accordingly. After all, look at the pricing of Playbook accessories at launch. The one that sticks in my mind is the 69.99 charging dock. Using that at a benchmark along with 99.99 and up pricetags for decent bluetooth keyboards, and the Blackberry-specific navigation functionality, I'd be surprised to see it for less than 149.99 initially.

I'm excited about the upcoming bridge remote functionality, but at home, I'd be more inclined to use the larger keyboard with my Playbook attached to my TV. But, like most have already stated, price will be a huge factor.

BBPandy Jan 25, 2012 at 4:46 pm

About time....What took them so long? They have had these keyboards for a while now. Look at all their QNZ cop cars. & also Kevin was playing with one 6 months ago......grrr...well I'm glad it's finally here...err ALMOST here

chaoticblissx Jan 25, 2012 at 4:51 pm

I have been waiting for this ever since Kevin showed the peak of it back in like October!!! Can't wait!!! Almost as excited for the keyboard as I am for OS 2.0!!! lol

blackcaneaddict Jan 25, 2012 at 4:54 pm

I guess im one of the few that have a Playbook plus OS5 device which wont support the remote function when OS 2.0 gets here. Hopefully the price will run around the $50 mark. A little more or less would make it an worthy invest for me.

PostMortem Jan 25, 2012 at 4:59 pm

I hope they have a good reason for waiting so long to oust this product... This thing better be pretty amazing to sell itself to people whom have had PlayBooks for x number of months and have likely already purchased a keyboard, or will use their BB phones as the keyboard Did they have to port QNX to it too?

Who knows, if it is awesome, I will get one. All I nees is for Kevin to officially review it and call it awesome. That should be enough for me.

BBPandy Jan 25, 2012 at 4:59 pm

I hope this is real. I looked at the full sized images at BerryReview. The slides are riddled with typos, mistakes, and grammatical errors.. They didn’t even capitalize BlackBerry correctly (at least some of the time), nor PlayBook....................

aminrajabi Jan 25, 2012 at 5:05 pm

I was hoping for something a lot nicer than this. Hope I'm wrong but this looks like a badly made third party accessory. Keyboard is being held on by elastics!

svelt Jan 25, 2012 at 5:08 pm

Holy shit. finally. Been waiting for eons on this one, and if everything works as promised on that slideshow I wouldn't hesitate to drop a bill on this.

mattv888 Jan 25, 2012 at 5:24 pm

OMG IT HAS A USB PORT!!!!!

00stryder Jan 25, 2012 at 11:21 pm

I think for charging purposes, unfortunately

BBPandy Jan 26, 2012 at 12:16 am

If your thinking of using the micro-usb for a mouse, PB already supports blue-tooth mice

00stryder Jan 26, 2012 at 9:02 am

I think he was leaning more towards USB-host capabilities

shuabert Jan 25, 2012 at 5:33 pm

Wow, this will be a must-have, as I don't have a laptop and would like to use my PlayBook for school.

ewakil12 Jan 25, 2012 at 6:10 pm

I need one fast

ciscobear Jan 25, 2012 at 6:29 pm

What took them so long? This should have launched on day 1.....Why should PB accessories take so long to come out from RIM... :(

rmah Jan 25, 2012 at 6:32 pm

I wonder what kind of solution they'll have for users that need to use their playbook/keyboard combo for extended periods of time. With the camera positioned at the top the charging ports would be blocked by the 'spine' of the case.

BBPandy Jan 26, 2012 at 12:12 am

Good Question

irwindersra Jan 26, 2012 at 11:50 am

check out the pics for the rapid charger, i think this will answer your question

arlanda Jan 25, 2012 at 7:29 pm

Looking good but hopefully it'll be possible to reconfigure the keyboard to Dvorak layout once OS support this..

anthogag Jan 25, 2012 at 7:33 pm

30 days between charging

Josh_VanderWal Jan 25, 2012 at 7:37 pm

hip street makes one (which i bought) and like above very on and off bluetooth... if this one works might have to ditch the keyboard/case and go with the BB one :)

louzer Jan 25, 2012 at 8:35 pm

I bet the delay has to do with OS drivers. The OS needs to be aware of right-click functionality as well as support for tab characters and such. I'm willing to bet that launch coincides with OS 2.0 which will be a requirement.

00stryder Jan 25, 2012 at 11:31 pm

BBPandy Jan 26, 2012 at 4:34 am

Sounds like a plausable reason.....

JerseyKurt Jan 25, 2012 at 9:33 pm

Yes, Yes, Yes!! ...Finally!! ...I Cant Wait to grab me one of these!!...Any Word on a Release Date Fellas??

bb rocks Jan 25, 2012 at 10:19 pm

how much will it cost?

pepe68 Jan 26, 2012 at 12:06 am

this will be a minimum at $99.99 if not more like $149.99. The USB port is only to charge at this point.

joeku Jan 26, 2012 at 1:09 am

I've been wanting this thing for over 6 months! WHY does it take so long for RIM to get something this cool out the door!

QueXiaQuanton Jan 26, 2012 at 1:34 am

When can we pre order it?

jke76 Jan 26, 2012 at 8:00 am

Hey,

since now the Remote Desktop for BlackBerry PlayBook App has been released i am lookin' for suitable bluetooth keyboard. It should have f-keys because the erp on the windows terminal server makes use of them. A pointing device would be nice also. Any suggestions?

Greets

canuck_67 Jan 26, 2012 at 12:55 pm

I just got a hipster keyboard. I like it very much as I do a lot of typing for daily work lists, to do ect. If there was a trackpad to replace the need to touch the screen I would be in frekin heaven. Then my wifey will get this one and my old 16gb :)

jpro757 Jan 26, 2012 at 2:26 pm

is it me or the number of ppl checking in and commenting are getting smaller. People are only commenting on the really big stories. The things that have been reported lately have been really dry. I love my berry I do get a lot more done on it because I know it so well. But maybe the time is now to begin to try other things. I remember coming to this site on a daily to get apps themes and figure what there is I cant do. I cant wait for BB10 and hopes it really makes heads turn and screams I'm back. The biggest thing QNX will need is a ecosystem. RIM really has a strong foundation set for business and a lot of innovation with that sector. Consumer want lifestyle. APPLE only works because of the lifestyle the ecosystem there is not a business that does not have some kind of ios app. Yes we love berry but we all know and wish we could use of the more useful apps affiliated with the things we use, do, and places we go. That's all that is really missing besides great forward thinking hardware and software. I just cant buy a 9810 on contract. I agree that bb7 needs to be in consumers hands. That means EOL on all older products instead of the crazy pb sale give some of the phones away at great prices because my bbm is turning into a graveyard. Also desk top manager needs to be updated. When you sync media the UI is whack it needs to reflect a more media player style and make bbm music free. I think Thorston is a pawn. Yes he probably is smart but 4 years then to the CEO of RIM either is truly the answer or he has come in to tank the company, sell it, or get the company to a certain point and bring in the new blood. Sorry for the rant but i log on this site everyday looking for the big news only to find this site a little boring. What is going on

CrackBerryHarry Jan 27, 2012 at 8:46 pm

I have the hipstreet folder-keyboard combo and a couple other bluetooth keyboards. The bluetooth keyboards don't stay connected. Hopefully, they fix this in 2.0 when they launch this or it will be a little embarassing for RIM (again).

hibackhand Jan 30, 2012 at 4:16 am

I've been shopping around for a BT keyboard and case so now I will wait to see what this is about, I will get one, pretty sure...!

jaBBu Mar 5, 2012 at 10:27 am

Anybody know what happened to the RIM keyboard/case? I thought it was supposed to be coming out around the same time as OS2.0? So far the other 'keyboards' for Playbook have been too big or lacking the touchpad so this would be nice for meetings and general use. Anyone heard about release date or price?

dtong22 Apr 16, 2012 at 1:25 pm

Got another version at CAN$50 shipping included

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/170777293579?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p39...

So far it works out well except it takes time to adjust to the small keyboard. And there is no 'delete' key and touchpad. But that is understandable. It links instantly with PB once it is turned on.

Daniel, Toronto

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