Geyes Mini Portable Keyboard

Published September 25, 2023

This Low-Tech Grandma bought yet another portable keyboard. This one is made by Geyes. I've never heard of them before, but I thought I'd give it a try. I liked their approach to keyboard portability. The big difference with this keyboard is that it folds horizontally. Most portable or mini keyboards have vertical folds, either one or two. With the horizontal fold, it's easier to rest the keyboard on the lap without fear of it collapsing.

Vertical-folding keyboards are great on a solid surface but tend to fold when placed on the lap. The ones with a single horizontal fold in the middle are most susceptible. The tri-fold keyboards like the Arteck HB6066 have a better chance of remaining open.

Keyboard Color

I'm on a rose gold kick. My iPad Mini is rose gold, and when I saw that the Geyes keyboard came in rose gold, I couldn't resist. I think it looks nice with the iPad. However, looks are secondary to the typing experience. If you don't like rose gold, it also comes in gold.

Use Case for the Geyes Portable Keyboard

Using this portable keyboard is much better than using the on-screen keyboard, in my opinion. However, I wouldn't think about writing a novel with the Geyes. It's convenient for traveling and typing in close spaces (like on an airplane). But, given the chance to use a full-sized keyboard when more space becomes available, I'd quickly fold this and use a regular keyboard.

I've used other portable keyboards and had better typing experiences. I keep this keyboard because it works well on the lap. Yep, that's it. I do a lot of lap typing in tight spaces, and the last thing I need is my keyboard folding up on me.

The Geyes Typing Experience

I've found that I frequently type double letters when I type on small keyboards. This one is no different. As a matter of fact, with the Geyes, I type more double letters than with any other portable keyboards I've tried. As a result, I must slow my typing speed down significantly to avoid constantly backspacing to delete the extra letters. I'm not typing slower than I would if I were to use the on-screen keyboard, but much slower than I'm accustomed to.

The tactile feel is "meh." The keys are plastic and hollow sounding. The keyboard does what it should, so I can't complain about that. However, given the first chance to switch keyboards, I'd promptly switch.

Some of the Mechanics

• Charging: The Geyes keyboard comes with a USB-C charging cable. I haven't had the keyboard for a long time, so I'm not sure how long a charge will last. According to the instructions, if it isn't used for an extended period of time, it should be charged once every two months.


• On/Off: There's no On or Off switch. The keyboard automatically turns on when it's opened and shuts down when closed.


• Pairing: To pair with a device, press the Fn and Bluetooth key (located on the C key). When pairing, the name of the keyboard is "Bluetooth Keyboard." The instructions mention that the keyboard can be connected to two devices by pressing Fn+Z to connect to the first device and Fn+M for the second. However, you'll never know if you lose the instructions because it's not marked on the keyboard.
  
  While on the topic of instructions, it's evident that English is not the primary language for the tech writer who wrote the instructions, but they're clear enough to get the job done.


• Keys Size and Location: Fortunately, most keys are placed in the same location as on a full-sized keyboard. Since it's a smaller keyboard, a few keys are slightly smaller than the rest (semicolon, apostrophe, tab, open and close brackets). Also, the arithmetic operators are located on the H, J, K, and L keys. They're accessible by pressing the letters in conjunction with the Fn key.



• Ctrl, Win, and Alt: This keyboard has a Ctrl and Win key but no Alt key. Using it on Apple devices, the Ctrl and Win keys seem to perform the same functions as the Alt key.

Geyes Keyboard Durability

There's a small phone holder built into the stand. The holder can support the weight of a phone and not an iPad Mini. Although the Mini fits into the holder, the holder is not strong enough and will break. Ask me how I know.😲

Fortunately, I sent it back for a replacement since the holder broke within the first 30 days. Yet another lesson learned.

YouTube is unexplored territory for me, but I'm willing to learn how to use it. I believe anything worth doing is worth doing poorly at first. So, please lower your expectations when viewing the following video. It is not very good, but I hope over time that I'll get better (It can't get much worse).

Last Modified: 30 September 2023