Eleksen’s ElekTex Wireless Fabric Keyboard is an unusual solution for mobile staff who need to input text to a PDA or phone handset. The keyboard is made of fabric, and can be rolled up into a lightweight bundle that can easily be carried in a jacket pocket or a briefcase.

The Fabric Keyboard, available now, provides the layout of a full-size PC keyboard. It is attached at one end to a plastic box holding two AAA batteries and Bluetooth circuitry for its wireless data connection to a PDA or phone. The whole item weighs just 68g.

In tests, we were able to type at a reasonable speed using the Fabric Keyboard, although it cannot reproduce the feel of a desktop keyboard. However, we found that establishing a connection between keyboard and host can be tricky, even if your device is on the official compatibility list.

Eleksen provides a range of drivers on its web site, and these are installed by downloading to a PC and synchronising with the mobile device. The supported platforms include Palm OS, Windows Mobile 2003 and 2005 (both Pocket PC and smartphone versions), BlackBerry, and Symbian phones with either the Series 60 or UIQ user interface.

Sadly, the only Palm device in Eleksen’s compatibility list is the Treo 650 – a device that already has a built-in qwerty keyboard.

We tested the Fabric Keyboard with an older Tungsten T3 and found that the connection continually dropped out before the two devices could pair up.

We also tested using a Pocket PC device: an HP iPaq hx2750. We had some initial problems connecting, because the keyboard did not appear in the list of detected Bluetooth devices until we switched from the default icon view to a list view in the iPaq’s Bluetooth Manager. This might be the result of a bug in the Bluetooth Manager or due to the keyboard not providing some key information when it identifies itself. Problems like this are sadly commonplace when attempting to link Bluetooth devices from different vendors.

The technology behind the keyboard is a conductive carbon coating on some of the internal layers. When a “key” is pressed, it creates a connection between layers, and the control circuitry works out where the user has pressed. This is similar to the way touch-sensitive screens on PDAs work, and likewise requires the user to calibrate the device before first use.

We found we had to press harder than on a normal keyboard, and had to type slower than usual. Nevertheless, the Fabric Keyboard is much better than the on-screen keyboard of a PDA or a phone’s numeric keypad.

Two AAA batteries should provide enough power for up to 10 hours of continuous typing, according to Eleksen. However, constant use of the Bluetooth interface caused the charge level in our test iPaq to fall from 100 to 85 percent after half an hour’s use.

Eleksen ships the Fabric Keyboard with a carrying pouch and a makeshift plastic stand, which can hold a phone upright for easier viewing while typing.