Maybe this will help: https://askubuntu.com/questions/229287/how-do-i-make-ubuntu-appear-as-a-bluetooth-keyboard Here's my question: If you have a laptop with you, then why use the phone for email? Is it because you can use your data connection when there is no WiFi? What I would do is use the phone as a WiFi hotspot and then use the laptop for email. I don't know if all Android phones with all carriers can do that, but with T-Mobile I've been doing it and it works great. On Tue, Aug 1, 2017 at 1:22 PM, Steve Trapp <stevetrapp at comcast.net> wrote: > In-lined my reply: > > On Tue, Aug 01, 2017 at 12:06:45PM -0500, Mike Miller wrote: >> I didn't understand this: "I'm all over on communications and it is >> **all** done in my smartphone (the communicator)." At first I thought >> you were talking about a specific app, but maybe you just mean that >> you communicate a lot through your phone. So you need to use it for >> email and stuff, which means typing a lot with the phone. Have you >> tried buying a portable bluetooth keyboard? Example: > > Yes, I use my phone for almost all communications (GroupMe, facebook, meetup > amongst others). The exception is email is usually done on a laptop... > >> Closed size: 5.8" x 3.6" x 0.7", Open Size: 9.9" x 3.5" x 0.2" >> https://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-Keyboard-Portable-Keyboards-Smartphone/dp/B00WSL8FH4/ >> >> I don't know if that one is better than any of the others. A few are >> compared in a table -- scroll down to see it. >> >> Mike > > Thanks, I've seen many offers for *real* BlueTooth keyboards. But I'm reluctant > to carry a BlueTooth keyboard *and* a laptop. I once had Linux-laptop-running- > as-a-Bluetooth-Keyboard, so I know it's possible; so I can do it again, and > this time WRITE DOWN the procedure! (Configuration can be a <BLEEP!>). > >> >> On Tue, Aug 1, 2017 at 11:47 AM, Steve Trapp <stevetrapp at comcast.net> wrote: >> > I think my smartphone has a 5.1_inch display. >> > >> > I mostly use Android apps, of course, on my Samsung Galaxy S7. But I do run >> > GNURoot-Debian for the following applications and don't use any andoid app for >> > these: >> > : ssh >> > : scp >> > : sftp >> > : Reluctanly, I use it" for access to my comcast.net-sited "email". (It's >> > better than nothing when you didn't bring your laptop with you). >> > [Note: add your favorite computers' IP addresses to GNURoot-path >> > /etc/hosts--Android seems to not do DNS well--at least within GNURoot?!] >> > >> > So I use GNURoot for all file transfers to/from my {laptop, desktop} from/to my >> > < allegedly smart >-phone, and SSH-ing. >> > >> > And that is mostly it. I can, however, put a few of my relative seldom used >> > homebrewed C programs on it, if I find they're at all useful (and they can't >> > do X11...). I just haven't got around to it yet. >> > >> > Plus, I'm planning on putting a bunch of data on the smarty-pants-phone >> > so I have that data at my fingertips. Haven't got around to this, either, yet. >> > >> > Lastly, I can also ssh to my desktop (typically the laptop isn't "on" 24 hours >> > but the desktop is) if I don't have my laptop with me, I can still get access >> > to my desktop-Linux/GNU-Box for, say, a file or a line of information from a >> > file. >> > >> > And, I have a crude app to get my POP3 email on my desktop to send the HTML >> > version of the email to the phone so I can read it. I did this with mutt, >> > and liberal use of nc (nc is netcat) in /bin/sh scripts. >> > >> > Of course all of this stinks, because the keyboard has to be so small. >> > But it works well enough. >> > >> > I did once figure out how to make my Linux laptop act as a Bluetooth keyboard, >> > but unfortunately I didn't write the procedure down. I am interested in trying >> > it again soon, however, because of another problem, namely, I'm all over on >> > communications and it is **all** done in my smartphone (the communicator). >> > So a real keyboard would make it much easier to write messages, emails, >> > even a GNURoot session. >> > >> > On Tue, Aug 01, 2017 at 12:45:29AM -0500, Mike Miller wrote: >> >> Thanks for the info, Steve. I'll be giving it a try, too. >> >> >> >> Yeah, a 1920x1080 smartphone could be hard on the eyes, to say the >> >> least. Maybe it's a little easier on a Fire HD 8. Also, you can >> >> usually change fonts and icon sizes in Linux, so that could help. >> >> >> >> I'm thinking of using VNCviewer on it. Have any of you ever done that? >> >> >> >> Mike >> >> >> >> On Mon, Jul 31, 2017 at 6:15 PM, Iznogoud <iznogoud at nobelware.com> wrote: >> >> > Oh man, it pains me to think of using a terminal on a smartphone for anything >> >> > more than one command! My eyes would totally suck at this, as would my fingers. >> >> > >> >> > It did help to be able to SSH to my iphone and do some tweaking from a proper >> >> > system when I had to. >> >> > _______________________________________________ >> >> > TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota >> >> > tclug-list at mn-linux.org >> >> > http://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list >> >> _______________________________________________ >> >> TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota >> >> tclug-list at mn-linux.org >> >> http://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list >> > >> > -- >> > Name: Steve Trapp >> > Location: Just east of the Missippi River >> > Email-address: stevetrapp<AT>comcast<DOT>net >> > Homepage: comcast DROPPED ALL HOMEPAGES--Where do I put my PGP public key now? >> > _______________________________________________ >> > TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota >> > tclug-list at mn-linux.org >> > http://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list >> _______________________________________________ >> TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota >> tclug-list at mn-linux.org >> http://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list > > -- > Name: Steve Trapp > Location: Just east of the Missippi River > Email-address: stevetrapp<AT>comcast<DOT>net > Homepage: comcast DROPPED ALL HOMEPAGES--Where do I put my PGP public key now? > _______________________________________________ > TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota > tclug-list at mn-linux.org > http://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list