I am for sure getting a TextBlade, but if I want to use it with my Fairphone 1st edition, the phone must have these two things:
• Hardware Bluetooth 4.0 support
• Software support for the HID over GATT Bluetooth profile (included in latest version of BlueZ for Linux)
Is it able to do the job?
Nope, the 1st Edition FP and FP1U do not have Bluetooth 4.0 support due to software (meaning the chipset would support 4.0, but it cannot since there is not Android 4.3+ for the FP1/FP1U an there probably never will be, thanks to MediaTek).
Thank you for the answer.
It does not feel that Fairphone-ish to use something like MediaTek, when I read about it. But the other processors were not that enviroment friendly, I guess…
Well, this puts me in a bad spot. TextBlade is my ideal keyboard and something I would use every day.
Lets hope MediaTek changes for the better!
Yeah, i guess they were not expecting that or simply had to learn that the support offered from chipset makers differs. And you are right that other processors are probably not more friendly to the environment. And to be fair, the provider of base model Fairphone modified for the FP1 might be to blame as well. It is an old dicussion here in the forums. Anyway, FP has chosen another chipset (Qualcomm) and Manufacturer (Hi-P) for the next phone and will design the phone itself. That device will certainly feature Bluetooth 4.0 and probably be more future proof software-wise.
Sorry there will probably be no support for that Keyboard on the FP1. Looks like an interesting device!
You know that the Fairphone 2 will come soon right?
Here is what we know about it so far:
PS: I added Testblade to our Compatibility list:
When you plan on making a phone from scratch there are quite some things to have in mind, so it is an understandable misfortune.
I am one of those who only switch phones when the old one is broken, and since you can order spare parts to Fairphone (already ordered two extra batteries and another back cover) I really hoped to have it for some years at least. To change phone now feels bad, environmentally and economically. Feels so dumb, if the only reason I change from a perfectly functional phone to another is because of software.
Sorry I have misread your first post. I thought you didn’t buy one yet and this was a disqualifier.
I just woke up and my eyes are still blurry 
Sadly the Fairphone 1 is going to be the phone I had the shortest time with its less than two years. This Textblade thing will help to reduce the weight of my EDC with more than 80% since I no longer need to carry around my laptop + keyboard + charger.
And I realize that me writing this probably won’t help with anything since you already know about the problem and can’t do anything more about it else than change company for the next phone’s processor which you already have done.
Hopefully my $300+ on this phone did help to prove that this concept is working and to push the industry a little bit to the better. Maybe I can give the phone to my father so it will come to use. 